I recently returned from our Ixim Mission trip to Guatemala. There were nineteen of us on the journey. One of the most difficult parts of the journey is explaining the trip and its purpose to our loved ones and friends when we return. People want to know what we accomplished, what did we build, whom did we help and what long lasting impact will it have. And, I say, “We spent time with our brothers and sisters in Huehuetenango. We went to encounter them and, in the encounter, to discover God.” Yes, we worked together. Yes, our projects were successful, but that doesn’t compare with the deeper spiritual encounter.
I suppose I cannot go on a trip without thinking about the journey taken in The Lord of the Rings. I read Tolkien for the first time when I was in junior high school. It deeply imprinted in my soul the wonderful transformation that takes place on a journey. It also reminded me that some things can only happen when we are lost.
Like the characters in The Lord of the Rings, so much of my life has been deepened by the experience of being lost, being out of my comfort, not being in control. When we are never lost, we fail to try new things. When we are physically lost, we end up seeing new sites, new towns or trying new things. When we allow ourselves to get away from the known, we discover new interests and new ideas.
If we are never lost, we lose empathy. Being lost is uncomfortable: not knowing where we are, not knowing what is expected, feeling out of place. When we know what it is like to be lost, we have greater empathy for those who are feeling lost around us. On our mission trip, we live part of the trip out of place in the homes of host families high on the side of a mountain, in the midst of torrential rains, eating unfamiliar food. We follow what Jesus teaches his disciples when they go out to preach the Good News. “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house’…Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you…”
If we are never lost, we could lose our sense of the beauty around us. When we feel lost, we look at our surroundings differently. Or, more importantly, when we are not lost, we do not look at what is around us at all. Is it possible for you drive to work some mornings only to wonder how you arrived? Whether lost in a book, or a car, or a store, we will be more likely to notice things when we are paying attention, as opposed to being on auto-pilot.
If we are never lost, we lose space for God. In the quiet, still moments, God often speaks the loudest. God spoke to Elijah not as a rushing wind, not in the earthquake, but in a gentle whisper. If we are constantly rushing around within our plan, do we ever give space for us to hear God?
That is the goal of the mission trip, to be so out of our comfort zone that God can enter our broken hearts and, in doing so, heal us and transform us. Afterwards, the world does not look the same and we are not the same.
Please read more about this year’s trip—OUR TWENTIETH—in our trip report by following the link here. We need your continued support to ensure these journeys continue. Thank you for supporting us by using the Donate button or by going to ixim.org.
Peace,
Fr. Damian
