My family and I decided that we would spend this long Memorial Day weekend volunteering at Door of Faith Orphanage south of Tijuana, Mexico. Aside from the puzzled looks that always accompany a decision like spending free time in a part of the world where 50% of the population lives on less than $5 per day, we got our share of concerned looks about threats of swine (er, “H1N1″) flu and drug-related violence in the area. We were undeterred — we had been looking forward to this long before any of the flu news broke — and we reassured the concerned parties as best we could. It was one of the more wonderful experiences my family and I have ever had in our lives. For me, just being able to hold and comfort babies, to watch my own children seamlessly integrate with their peers (rather than just trying to help “those people”), to work alongside gringos and Mexicans that have God’s own heart for the weak and helpless at the center of their ministry… this was all far more valuable than a weekend sitting on the couch and watching basketball.
The flu and violence reports turned out (as expected) to be blown way out of proportion by the US media. (To quote one of the workers, “The closest we’ve gotten to the swine flu here is San Diego.” Ha!) We never would have known that, though, without going down there and seeing things for ourselves.
There will always be people close to you that don’t have your vision or passion. Even with the best intentions, they will try to dissuade you from a decision that doesn’t make sense to them or that flies in the face of (their) logic. They will try to convince you that it’s much more comfortable or secure with them, that it’s best to just stay put. Don’t be deterred — follow your passion and reap the benefits of pushing through any discomfort once you realize that you are actually doing something you love, something you had thought about for a while, something everyone else thought was crazy.