Time and again in my life and in my travels， I have witnessed the incredible power of the human spirit. I know for certain that miracles happen， but only for those who hang on to hope. What is hope？ It is where dreams begin. It is the voice of your purpose. It speaks to you and reassures you that whatever happens to you doesn’t live within you. You may not control what happens to you， but you can control how you respond.
The late Reverend Martin Luther King， Jr.， said， “Everything that is done in the world is done by hope.” I know for certain that as long as you draw breath， hope is available to you. You and I are only human. We cannot see into the future. Instead， we picture the possibilities for what might be. Only God knows how our lives will unfold. Hope is His gift to us， a window to look through. We cannot know the future He has planned for us. Trust in Him， keep hope in your heart， and even when faced with the worst， do whatever you can to prepare yourself for the best！
Sometimes， of course， our prayers are not answered. Tragedies occur despite our prayers and our faith. Even the best people with the purest of hearts sometimes suffer horrible losses and grief. The recent deadly earthquakes in Haiti， Chile， Mexico， and China are just the most recent examples that tremendous suffering and tragedy occur every day. Thousands died in those natural catastrophes. Their hopes and dreams died with them. Many mothers lost their children. Many children lost their mothers.
How do you sustain hope amid such suffering？ One thing that sustains me when I hear of these great calamities is the fact that they always trigger incredible caring from other human beings. Just when you wonder why， amid such senseless suffering， people would still have hope， hundreds of selfless volunteers pour into those regions. Students， doctors， engineers， and other rescuers and rebuilders give of themselves and their talents to help those who have survived.
Hope appears even in the worst of times to give us proof of God‘s presence. My own suffering seems so slight in comparison to the trials endured by so many people I’ve met， but I‘ve also grieved the loss of a loved one. Our family lost my cousin Roy to cancer at the age of twenty-seven， despite the fervent prayers of all the devout Christians in our family， church， and community. Losing someone so close to you is heartbreaking and difficult to understand， which is why having hope is so important to me. You see， my hope extends beyond our worldly existence. The ultimate hope is in heaven. My family takes no little consolation in the hope that my cousin， who believed in Jesus Christ， is in heaven with Him and suffering no more.
Even in the worst situations that seem beyond our capacities， God knows how much our hearts can bear. I hold on to the belief that our life here is temporary， as we are being prepared for eternity. Whether our lives here are good or bad， the promise of heaven awaits. I always have hope in the most difficult times that God will give me the strength to endure the challenges and the heartache and that better days await， if not on this earth then for certain in heaven.
One of the best ways I’ve found for holding on even when our prayers are not answered is to reach out to others. If your suffering is a burden， reach out to ease that of someone else and bring hope to them. Lift them up so that they will be comforted with the knowledge that they are not alone in their suffering. Offer compassion when you need it. Be a friend when you need friendship. Give hope when you most need it.
I am young and I don‘t pretend to have all the answers， but more and more I realize that in those times when hopelessness seems to prevail， when our prayers go unanswered， and when our worst fears are realized， our salvation lies in our relationships with those around us and， especially for me and fellow Christians， in our relationship with God and our trust in His love and wisdom.
A POWERFUL GIFT
My belief in the power of hope over despair was reinforced on my first visit to China in 2008. I saw the Great Wall and marveled at the grandeur of one of the world’s most incredible wonders. But the most powerful moment of this trip for me came when I saw the joyful glimmer in the eyes of a young Chinese girl. She was performing with other children who‘d put together a show worthy of an Olympic spectacle. This girl’s jubilant expression caught my attention， and I could not look away. While she moved in precision with the other dancers， she simultaneously balanced a spinning plate overhead. She was concentrating so， so hard， yet despite everything she had to think about， she still had this look of intense happiness that moved me to tears.
You see， this girl and all the children in the show were among more than four thousand young people orphaned by a massive earthquake that had hit the region just a few months earlier. My caregiver， our travel coordinator， and I had come to this orphanage with supplies for them， and I‘d been asked to speak to them to raise their spirits.
As we traveled to the orphanage， I was overwhelmed by the damage and suffering that had been caused by the earthquake. In the face of such devastation I worried that I would not know what to tell these orphans. The earth had opened up and swallowed everything they’d loved and known. I had never endured anything so terrible. What could I say to them？ We‘d brought warm coats and other clothing for them， but how could I give them hope？
When I arrived at the orphanage， I was mobbed. One child after another embraced me. I didn’t speak their language， but it didn‘t matter. Their faces said it all. Despite their circumstances， they were radiant. I should not have worried about what words to say to help them. I didn’t have to inspire these children. Instead， they inspired me with the soaring spirit of their performance that day. They‘d lost their parents， their homes， and all their belongings， yet they were expressing joy.
I told them I admired their courageous spirits and urged them to keep looking forward， to dare to wish for better lives， and to pursue their dreams with all their power.
DARE TO DREAM