Representation in Missions: The Path Least Traveled

At the end of April, we had an incredible group of women go on our mission trip to Greece to specifically visit the project we support there. Freedom Challenge Ambassador, Sonya Finley shares her experience of how the Lord worked while she was in Greece.

“For me, Freedom Challenge has lived up to its name, always pushing me to freely choose to challenge myself beyond what I believed I was capable of. I never thought I was a “hiker,” and there I was hiking for three days in Bryce Canyon. I never thought I was a “missionary,” and there I was, on a mission trip in Athens, Greece. I never thought I would be the one to blaze this kind of trail, and there I was, different from those who normally go but providing a familiarity for those who we served.  

Greece was amazing. Being able to come alongside to serve and support the women of the house and those who worked there was an incredible experience. Connecting with the ladies and sharing my story in French, their native language (yes, I went all the way back to my college days for that one), and walking them through the Beauty for Ashes painting project was surreal. Seeing the absolute joy on their faces after they had received their beauty treatments (full facials and manicures) and the pride they took in their completed self-portrait paintings is something I will cherish for years to come.  

But there was something else ... 

The women in the program had gone through the unspeakable and were taking steps to take back their lives. Their stories were equally heartbreaking and victorious. As someone who has a heart for women and their journeys toward healing, the objective of this trip resonated with me, and I knew I could support it without reservation. Of the 12 women there, 11 were of African descent — they were Black. Uncommon as it was, we knew it was important that they experience help by one who looked like them. So, as an African American, a Black woman, who understands the need for and the value of representation here in the states and in areas of overseas mission, I went to be that familiar face.  

This need for representation became painfully clear on our first day at the house, when I was mistakenly thought to be one of the women in the program. Innocent mistake, but extremely significant in its meaning — me being there in that capacity was not the norm.  

I would love to tell you I was unaffected. I was, greatly. But I began to recognize the impact of that incident. It not only confirmed why I was there, but sharing it with my team created space for dialogue surrounding this and other issues facing people of color.  

By the end of our time there, I began to understand that what happened could not just end with me. There are many women of color who have a heart for those seeking freedom from circumstances they did not choose, Black women who would gladly take up arms to fight side by side with their sisters here and beyond to bring an end to this type of human suffering. African American women who would proudly serve as that familiar face to inspire the belief within these ladies that they too can overcome. These women wait only to be asked. So I will ask. And in the asking, create a movement. 

No, this was not on my “top 10 things I want to achieve before I die” list, but I know that God is using me — everything I have, everything I am, all my skills, all my talents, all my experiences — to provide that much needed familiar face in this mission for women who look like me.  So yes, I will be going back ... and “they” are coming with me.”