Kaitlyn Newport, Missionary

My name is Kaitlyn Newport, and I am a rising senior at Pine-Richland High School. Just recently, I was given the amazing opportunity to travel to Costa Rica with Soles4Souls. Yet again, I was able to travel, to love, and to be loved. Two years ago, I traveled to the Dominican Republic with the Soles4Souls team. I will never forget how that trip has changed my life, and I will never forget how it made me feel so incredibly loved. To be given another chance to be apart of something so special is something that I will never forget, and I deeply thank everyone who was apart of making this trip happen.

It is easy to forget how lucky we are. When we don’t get to sleep over a friend’s house or when we stay up late studying only to fail a test or when our parents yell at us only because they care, we complain, and we dwell. We forget that inside of our “Wexford Bubble” we are not forced to worry about our safety or about making ends meet. We forget that our problems are minuscule compared to others that many people bare. Many of us are lucky to say that we were not ever forced to deal with such troubles. Many of us can not say that the world has abandoned us or that life has wronged us, and for this, we should be incredibly grateful.

The people I met in Costa Rica were kind, and they were genuine. Their hearts were large, and their smiles were so big. So when we learned of their stories and their struggles, we were at a loss for words. What do you say to a woman whose son was shot in front of her in her own home? Or to the brother that lost his best friend due to senseless violence? I couldn’t say, but I know they found their own peace in their faith and in one another. They were able to slowly heal, and they continued to love, to laugh, and to comfort us , even though it is they who lost greatly. I will never forget their faces or their names or their stories. I will forever be in debt to the people I met. They do not know how greatly they have changed my life.

Not only am I grateful for those I have met in Costa Rica, but I am also grateful for those I traveled with and came to love. The relationships I have formed are ones that I will treasure for the rest of my life, even if we drift apart. They loved me and accepted me. They told me that it was okay to have questions and that it was okay to feel lost. I felt understood in a world of misunderstanding. Most of all, I am grateful for my dad, who traveled with me to the Dominican Republic and once again to Costa Rica. Being able to experience this with him is something that I will treasure forever. His love and livelihood inspires me. His ability to light up a room and to make people laugh is something I have always loved about him. I hope he knows how grateful I am for his support. Returning home has been a challenge for me and for many of us who traveled to Costa Rica. Being able to rely on them and having their support is so crucial. They remind me to focus on the good and the love—to remember how greatly our lives have been changed by the children we loved and all the people we met. I have come to accept that we have a choice. We have a say in our emotional poverty, while many of the people we met in Costa Rica do not have the same option with their physical poverty.

We can strive to be better in our relationships and in our faith, while they can only make the best out of the poverty that they live in. Despite the physical poverty, the people we have met are rich. They have strong relationships and experience great love. They allow God into their lives and welcome others with open arms. It is possible to be this wealthy in our emotional poverty, we just have to allow it. We must make the choice to do better and to love better. I hope one day each and every one of you will make the right choice and experience great faith, great people, and great, great love.

Sincerely,
—Kaitlyn Newport, Missionary