Gordon Atkinson describes a mission trip to the Dominican Republic, during which he and the other volunteers helped address a pressing need in the community where they worked.  They installed two water purification systems in the capital, Santo Domingo, as clean drinking water is not provided by the local government or a utility company.  Those with adequate financial resources drink bottled water, the rest of the population takes its chances with tap water.

Atkinson relates how the mission trip experience changed his life.  He describes it as being “like a child,” as other people – the ones he thought he was going to take care of – took care of him.  His group arrived at night, and after a bus ride into unfamiliar, and dark, territory they had no idea where they were.  The only food available to them was the meals placed before them each day, menus planned and prepared by local hosts with whom there was no consultation.  While Atkinson had money in his pocket, there was no opportunity for conversion to local currency.  He and the others were transported by bus every day to their work site.  Conversations occurred around him, but he was not a part of them, for he didn’t speak Spanish, and decisions were made by others.  Everything about the mission trip was an exercise in total dependence on someone else – like a child’s dependence on a parent or parents.

Gordon Atkinson discovered that he lost several pounds on the trip, since he couldn’t get his hands on between-meal snacks.  He otherwise developed a mindset of dependence, even to the point of forgetting his passport for the trip home, and not having any idea of the phone number or location of the place the group slept while in the Dominican Republic.

It was a strange experience for a North American adult to be so dependent on others, but one in which he discovered that his needs all were met.  Perhaps they were not met in ways he always would choose, and his “wants,” i.e., extra food in particular, simply were not part of the equation.

Upon his return home, Atkinson discovered that his eating habits were affected, and he continued to lose weight.  His mind wouldn’t let go of thoughts of those who took care of him.  His words:

One of the great, enduring mysteries of the Gospels is the command of Jesus that we become like children. He said, "Unless you become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

"And how shall we become like children?" we ask him, reminiscent of Nicodemus. "Can a grown person become a child again? Can I enter again into my mother's womb?"

I spent a week in the care of brothers and sisters in Christ in Santo Domingo. Yes, you can become a child again. But do not think it is something you will recover from quickly. When you become vulnerable and allow your life to rest in the hands of others, you live only in the present moment. Your eyes are open to the world around you. In that moment you begin to understand what it means to live in the kingdom of heaven.

And you may find, to your joy, that it is hard to find your way back home.

My words:  It is very difficult for all of us -- people of faith, or others -- to embrace dependence upon God who provides abundantly for our needs, because our "wants" get in the way.  And "get in the way" is what they so often do, when it comes to knowing the life God has in mind for us.