A moment I will never forget

Looking at eyes full of hurt, tattered clothes, dirt smudged faces, and smiling lips, I realized my higher calling in life.
The Dominican Republic wasn't on my to-do list the summer of 2013. But now, sitting in an unairconditioned room filled with a hundred kids, full of laughter and singing. My eyes started to water as I thought of their lives and the pain that they go through every single day. They don't seem to realize this agonizing hurt as much as I do. I feel the tears on my cheek and a tug on my t-shirt. I hear the unfamiliar words of a different language. All I can do is smile and say, "todo va estar bien", "it's going to be okay."
         Waking up this morning was one of the hardest moments of this entire trip. It was our last day in this beautiful country. Looking out the window, I felt my stomach clench at the thought of leaving these wonderful people behind. A part of me wanted to handcuff myself to the staircase and "lose" the key. Today's schedule consisted of construction on a young single mothers home. I wasn't expecting what was to come. The emotion, the love, the gratefulness... It was as if she had never experienced anything like this. My heart sank and I held back my tears. We rebuilt her house into a home that people in this country envied. Later on that day, I found myself surrounded by a dozen kids latched on to my legs. Looking down and seeing the difference between my lifestyle and theirs, I remembered earlier that day. Seeing the tattered and torn day to day life that, from the beginning, was their everyday normal. Those children were not the, so called, "poor" ones; I was. The individuals surrounding me had each other and that was all that they needed. In the United States we have iPads, cell phones; something glued to our faces on a daily basis. Observing those kids, I craved what emitted from their presence; love. Sure, I had parents and friends that loved me, but not like this. This love was different. It was as if God was right in front of me, presenting His creation. The very thing that I had never noticed.                                                                                            
  In that moment I realized my higher calling. God hadn't brought me to this country to have a "good time" but to show me the big picture. Individuals around the world live the same life as these wonderful children. They have a longing to be loved. Loved by someone who actually cares about them. I decided that day to strive to share that love with the world, no matter how difficult it may be; this is what I was meant to do.  Life is not about how much money you produce or receiving awards. The journey that you are walking is about touching ones life in a way no one has ever done before and loving every minute of it.

Intro into my Hectic life

       When I contemplated the thought of starting a blog the question occurred to me, "What am I going to write about?" I wanted something that would catch everyone's attention but at the same time make you think. But first, I want to introduce myself to you.

My name is Megan Malin. My life is described in one word; hectic. That so called "hectic" life is my everyday normal and I wouldn't be where I am today without it. This vivacious world that I find myself living each and everyday happens to be the life of seven others as well. My mom, dad, two brothers, two sisters and another sister on the way. My father is a pastor at a local church while my mom is his volunteer secretary. My dad has been a pastor for approximately fourteen years and continues in that same path. My brother is currently attending Pedmont Bible College in North Carolina as he follows in my dad's footsteps to becoming a youth pastor. My two sisters live at home as they work and finish up their schooling. Finally, little two year old John. John has lived with us for a year and we are in the process adopting him and a baby girl from China.

   
          I, on the other hand, am a senior in high school. My whole journey has built me into the young person I am today (yes, I am going to get all spiritual). From state to state and house to house; God is the only thing that has kept me going. At age 9 my dad told us that he felt like God was calling us to the mission field of Australia. After three years he changed our destination to Roswell, Georgia. From Georgia to Michigan and from Michigan back to Florida, all in the source of four years, God really showed me maturity and responsibility and the fact that I was not in control of any of these circumstances; He was. He showed me that faith isn't seeing but it is believing. I believed that God would provide our family with what we needed. By the third move I had really been processing my life and asking myself, "How can any of this possibly be God's plan for my life?" I was stuck in a rut but I had a peace that surpasses all understanding. It was as if God had come down himself and told me that everything was going to be okay.

          As I follow God and finding new mercies everyday I notice more and learn more about him. He points certain things out and shows me that he is always by my side. As of right now, I believe God is taking me down a path that everyone questions me about. I plan to attend Keiser University in the fall and obtain my Bachelors in Nursing. From there I plan to raise support to start my new life in Africa. I am not quite sure which part of Africa I would like to live but I know that God will show me in his timing.