When I was 11 years-old I had a dream to travel with my family to Paraguay. We had spent months fundraising and collecting soccer gear to take with us. Then a few weeks out from the trip we realized that we would not be able to raise the funds to go on this “dream” trip. I was crushed. I had been looking forward to this trip and was so excited. But I realized I had a choice, I could either sulk in my sadness of not being able to go or I could do something about it, so I did something.
I took all of the soccer gear that had been given to us for the trip and cleaned it up. I scrubbed the dirt off the cleats and balls, checked the balls for holes, and packed everything into some suitcases and duffle bags my family didn’t need anymore. Then I had my parents call those still going on the trip and asked if they wanted to take the gear with them. They said, “Yes!” How could they, “No”? So my family drove me out to meet them before the group left and we gave them the bags full of gear that I had so carefully packed.
It felt like forever before the group returned. But when they did, they shared with me the impact the soccer gear had and was going to continue to have. A small community that had very little now had a soccer field thanks to the missionaries, and gear to play on the field thanks to me. They not only received the gift of soccer, they also received a gift of love and hope that was poured out to them through the missionaries there. I could not believe that I was able to be a part of the impact made in Paraguay without having even stepped foot onto a plane. A giant box of gear turned into something that meant so much more, not only to the people there, but also to me. My “dream” trip to Paraguay turned into my “dream” job - it turned into TruthFC!
This story reminds me a lot of the current global crisis with COVID-19. I think as we all go through this together it is important to realize that our dreams are not over. They may look different when we get out of this and that’s okay. As we grow and the years go by, our dreams become molded and shaped into what the Lord wants them to be. We aren’t quitting our old dreams, they’ve just gone in a new direction. Don’t give up on them because when you are finally living your dream it will be beyond anything you could have ever imagined.
