This is a story about cups.
When I was on my first trip to Mexico a year ago, we had decided to do vacation Bible school for the kids while we were at Open Arms. We bought art supplies, snacks, plates and cups. We were on a mission trip, so that meant being on a budget, so when buying the supplies we had to be very strategic. It just so happened that the least expensive cups were colored plastic cups. I even remember someone asking if there were any that were less expensive and these happened to be the best value. There seriously wasn't a thing about these cups that was special - to us at least. To us, they were disposable cups that they kids would use once and then throw away.
But that just wasn't the case.
On the first day of VBS, we had songs, we taught a lesson, learned and messed up on some Spanish, even ate authentic Mexican food (yum!) So after we did another short lesson, it was snack time for the kids. The kids were so excited that a) we had brought snacks for them and b) they had FOUR different colors to choose from (the cups were red, greed, blue and purple.) I kept hearing the kids just shouting or coming up and saying "¡Queiro azul!" or "¡Queiro rojo y mi hermana queire verde!" over and over and over again. We're talking thirty plus kids. But hey, they were so happy to have them.
So at the end of snack time, we passed around the trash can for the kids, but most of them were at the sink. They were washing out the cheap, plastic cups and putting them in their back packs, OR putting them in their cubbies. (I keep emphasizing what the cups looked like because they really were something that here in the States, we would use once, maybe twice, and then trash so we didn't have to do the dishes that night.) I asked one of the missionaries, and she explained to me: "[Most of these kids probably have never seen cups like this. Its a type of treasure to them - something they can place value in. They are probably taking them home so they can use them there, or they may even put their name on it and keep their little trinkets in. Almost like a treasure box.]" I remember she used "treasure" a few times when explaining this. I was blown away.
A few days later, a group of us walked down to pray over one of the mothers in the town. She had fallen ill and was on in-home care. Upon walking into the house, we were greeted with warm welcomes, hugs and smiles. We had also brought groceries for the family, which we took into the kitchen. When I turned around, on the opposite counter, was a cup drying rack with three of the cups that we had given the kids.
I just started crying. I couldn't believe that something so small, so...insignificant and trash as we would consider it in the states, was something that these kids took the time and care to bring home so they could keep it, and for who knows for how long these kids were blessed by these things.
What I hope you get from this story is simply this: when doing mission work, long term or short term, don't think of anything you do or provide as a waste of time. Something that we consider nothing can literally brighten a child's day and make them feel God's love for them - even a plastic cup.
