I was going into Jamaica thinking I would be able to love on all the cute little kids and everyone else in the community. I started having doubts about my ability to love unconditionally the day the Won by One team took us to the infirmary—a place where the elderly and the mentally unstable or handicapped are dropped off to live off their final days.
Upon entering the infirmary, my heart started to beat really fast. A screaming handicapped lady welcomed me. She was dragging herself across the cement floor because she was so excited to see new faces. I, on the other hand did not feel excited to be there. I was scared. At that point, my heart fell to my stomach because I am a proclaimed follower of Christ who is called to love unconditionally, but there I was, standing before this beautiful young lady speechless just because of her physical state.
Jesus tells us to care for the sick, and that’s something I thought I could do easily. But going the infirmary opened my eyes and heart to not be afraid to love someone who does not look like me.
God humbled me completely. I broke down quietly after visiting the infirmary. I wanted to love without judging as Jesus did. 1 Samuel 16:7 explains it perfectly: “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
I thank God for opening my eyes during my mission trip. I want to continue loving the sick, elderly and handicapped—just as Jesus did.
Ify Nwachukwu, a student at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, served with Go Now Missions in Jamaica.
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