Build Love, Not Walls

One of my favorite experiences so far in my life was when I went on an undergrad study abroad to Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize.

A lot of my friends assumed I was partying it up and drinking on the beach the whole time. But this was not a typical American spring break-esque excursion. In fact, we only went to the beach for a couple of days right at the very end of our trip. And not one shot of tequila was ever involved. #Mormoncollegestudentlife.

Instead, we stayed in hostels. We spent time with orphans. We went to a school in the middle of nowhere in the hills of Mexico to show the students there how to brush their teeth. Some of the people from that village had never seen a bus before. The entire experience was so surreal and such a privilege to be a part of. 

We even had the privilege of staying with Mormon host families for a few days. My host family bought me and my roommate a brand new fan so that we would have cooler air at night. The three young boys gave us their beds and slept on the hard floor so we could be comfortable. The shower, which was a separate unit, outside of the house, was filled with spiders and the small stream of water that came from the shower head wasn't enough to rinse my wavy, thick hair out. I remember one morning while showering, and trying to avoid the clump of daddy long legs in the corner, I stood there in the heat of the early morning and cried my eyes out. Not because I missed running water. Not because I was worried about my hair (I mean honestly, have you seen my hair? Am I ever actually worried about it? #LostCause) No-I cried because I had never before fully appreciated the amenities I have always been blessed to have; amenities that I have since tried to appreciate on a 24-7 basis. I cried because this poor, humble, hardworking, sweet, Christlike, Mormon family in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico went out of their way to give two strangers everything they had so we could be comfortable in their humble home. A home full of hardly anything material-but filled beyond capacity with love.

On the study abroad, we went to church in places so remote and so run down-places off the beaten path, places with names I could not pronounce no matter how hard I tried. Many of the congregations were small, with Mormon populations in certain areas being more sparse. But their conviction to the Gospel of Jesus Christ was nothing short of big and bold. One of the meetings I particularly remember was in the middle of nowhere in the jungle of Guatemala. Our student group doubled the congregation there in that tiny, remote meetinghouse and we all fit in a small classroom to take the sacrament.

In every village or city we attended church, the members of my church sang the same hymns I sing every Sunday, only in Spanish. This wasn't surprising at all, because the Mormon church is universal all around the globe, with even the Sunday School lessons being on the same schedule in all parts of the world. But what was surprising was that the good saints of Central America seemed to sing with more enthusiastic reverence than I ever had. At one church, the bishop asked me to play the piano in sacrament meeting because nobody in their congregation did. I was thrilled to do something so silly and small to help. A little girl I will never see again turned the pages of the hymn book for me. I will never forget her.

We did plenty of touristy stuff too, don't get me wrong. We hiked pyramids and fed monkeys. I held a wild tarantula. We explored rain forests and caves and zip lined over Guatemala City. We ate incredible food and went swimming in lots of neat places. We also enjoyed countless hours laughing together as friends on a bus with several awesome bus drivers who happily drove us all over Central America-often with no luxury of A/C. 

Many of my friends on the study abroad spoke Spanish. I did not and still do not. I tried my best to roll my "R's." 

But I didn't care. There were times where I felt awkward and stupid because I couldn't dialogue with people as well as my peers could. But something I learned EVERY day on that experience was that love and kindness translate SO much more smoothly into ALL languages than we sometimes realize.

I have an immense love for Mexico, as well as the rest of Central America, and the people who live there. In six short weeks, they taught me so much. They taught me how to be a better Mormon. They taught me how to be a better American. They taught me-without feeling any kind of sorry for themselves-just how much I have been given. And just how grateful I should be-on a daily basis. They taught me that happiness does not come from things. It comes from relationships and making memories. It comes from being kind. It comes from being good. 

Those good people taught me that barriers-whether they are language barriers or something more tangible-don't need to be an issue. They just don't. Life is more fun and more happy and more sweet when we find ways to connect instead of divide. 

I will forever be grateful for my study abroad experience. I'm not being dramatic when I say it was life-changing. I literally think of those sweet people every morning and night when I brush my teeth or when I turn on the water for any reason. 

I think of them when I'm half heartedly singing in my Mormon congregation in Lawrence, Kansas. And when I do, I sing a little louder and prouder. I think about why I'm sitting in that pew and how I can try a little better to be more like the Savior.

I think of those sweet people when I meet someone who has a hard time speaking English. Because heaven knows-my Spanish will never be very eloquent. And on a very small scale, I know how it feels to be the one who talks different. The one who is different. 

I hope humanity will seek to show that walls are not necessary to put between one another. Walls are not worth it. Walls are not kind. 

I am forever indebted to the people of Central America who accepted me fully, in spite of my crappy Spanish and my larger than life, frizzy blonde hair. (Lots of dry shampoo + humidity = major volume, people.) My heart has never been the same since meeting such wonderful people; people who I want to be more like when I finally grow up. 

I hope to live in such a way that demonstrates the principle that kindness trumps hate. Kindness builds bridges. Kindness is a verb. And because of my study abroad experience, I am better at doing it. 

Build love, not walls. Go. Do. Be.