“Family”

“Family”

If one word could adequately describe what an MDP Trip is all about. I think the best word would be “FAMILY”. Everyone of these service opportunities that I have been blessed to be a part of his only enlarged my desire to be a better father, husband, son, brother, FRIEND. It is one of those opportunities that is difficult to adequately explain But within oneself it is life-changing. I think maybe that is why the Lord qualified His admonition to “Love one another” With the additional statement of “AS I HAVE LOVED YOU”. The addition of those five words, I believe, best exemplifies and instructs How to not only serve one another, but how to live and conduct our lives, we must love people and serve them no matter where they are or how they look, as our Savior did. At MDP, we have a motto of “MOVED TO SERVE”. And I see it in the lives of all of the wonderful people who I have been able to serve with on these trips. I have also seen it in the good that has been rendered because of support from those who are not able to serve in person by providing the means for us to serve the people that we do. 

I had an opportunity a couple of days ago to do a home visit in one of the communities that we served, I was accompanied by our driver, A mountain of a man, Who we love and trust implicitly. I was also accompanied by one of our wonderful translators, who although small in stature Has the presence of a lion And the heart of a lamb. This visit taught me a wonderful lesson in a powerful way. There was nothing that we could provide that had any Apparent worldly value. However, we were able to impart to a hurting and downtrodden, mother and son, a ray of hope because of the knowledge and instruction that we were able to impart to them. In short, we were able to provide HOPE. Sometimes in life all we have to hold onto is Hope. I am grateful for these wonderful people that I get to serve with that teach me that lesson every day. And I am grateful for the humble and wonderful people that we get to serve that teach me what it means to be A loving member of a larger family, indeed the very family of God, our loving HEAVENLY FATHER.

Sincerely

Dr. Aaron Johnson