Mexico Three Day Mission Trip

It was my first time in the Dominican Republic, away from my parents and traveling alone. It was also my first mission trip and I loved every minute of it. As I sat and looked around the village of slums and shacks, I saw that the people were so giving and friendly. They had next to nothing, and yet they were still volunteering to give more.

From an early age, I had the desire to give back to my community. This desire was likely instilled in me by my mother, who as a school teacher, went to great lengths to help her students achieve academically. To better do this, she created at Tupelo Middle School in Mississippi, the Mermaids and Argonauts Program, which allowed students to travel on extended school trips to locations where they were able to have hands-on experiences at zoos, science labs, colleges, museums, and more across the country. As her child, I was able to tag along on many of these trips, which fueled my desire to learn about and interact with my environment. It left me with the great hope that someday I would be able to have such experiences abroad, in order to better learn about the people and cultures with which I interact. For this reason, I hope to study abroad this summer in Pachuca, Mexico.

One of the most common places to tour is Mexico. Many tourists are very attracted to Mexico due to the culture, history and main attractions. Although Mexico is a very poor country everyone whom inhabits Mexico works very hard every day to be able to live. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel to Mexico. For me unlike many tourists it wasn’t just to see the attractions but mainly more about seeing my family and learning more about my culture. I am from Veracruz, Mexico, I don’t remember anything about Veracruz, Mexico, sadly because I moved to United States at a young age. Travelling and staying a few weeks in Mexico made me realize how much of my culture I am unware of. I experience the way it feels like to live in Mexico surrounded with culture, family and food. I can honestly say that this has been a memorable experience for me to have exigence, nothing can compare this experience that I had.

The following week, we spent most of our time in the poorest parts of the city. There we went door-to-door sharing the love of God and had Vacation Bible Schools for the kids. This is when I realized how blessed I truly was. For the first time, I got to see the privations and penury environment that the citizens of Third World countries had to endure. The unpaved streets were covered in trash. Many houses, made of tin sheets, had collapsed on themselves. The people had to share wells, where they drew their parasitic water. Men, women, and children sat on the sides of the roads begging for money, because they were sick, hungry, and needed money for food and proper medication. The site of these atrocious states of living broke my heart, and showed me how blessed I really was for not having to face these problems.

Seeing a kid who will hold a gun before they hold their first book. Seeing a teenager my age injecting himself with heroin instead of injecting himself with knowledge. Seeing an elderly person who, when looking back at their life, will remember nothing but memories of misery. These things can't be read in a book or seen on a television. The truth is, you will never understand what people are truly going through until the day you look at them in the eyes. With members of my team, I worked tirelessly to build a home for a man named Serafin who no longer had a roof to live under in the slum. It was both the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, and the most rewarding. Serafin now had a home where he and his family could live in, and I had a new set of eyes to look at the world through. Later that day, I experienced what life was on the other side of the spectrum. Ironically enough, hours after being in Ciudad Bolivar, I found myself at a family wedding in one of Colombia's most luxurious country clubs. Most people were wearing articles of clothing and accessories that individually were worth more than everything a person in Ciudad Bolivar would own in their

I found this chance to help people a way to get to know the people in my youth group, but I learned so much more than I thought I would. What amazed me the most out of everything on this trip was the willingness of kids my age to help those around them. During that week in Denver, I also had the chance to meet some of the other youth from other cities in Missouri. A lot of them whom had remarkable stories. Their reasons for helping out during this mission trip were much greater than my own, I was astounded. They had told me about their past, the struggles and valleys that they had gone through that lead them to help those who are going through the same situations or worse. One story struck me the most. One about a boy and a past fight with drug abuse. He said that one day he felt this indescribable jolt and he just lost it. He broke down and asked himself what he was doing with his life. After asking around and seeking help, he went to the local church one Sunday. That was when he met the youth leader that helped him through his

The country was foreign, a first for me. Dilapidation and ruin scattered the horizon as far as one could see. Guatemala is a place where poverty has a strong grasp on its people. We traveled tirelessly for hours to reach the poorest of the poor. Upon arrival old, young, and natives of all shapes and sizes formed receiving lines, eager to welcome us with gifts of smiles and gratitude. It was an experience that forever changed me. This was the first time I had stepped outside the boundaries of the American culture into a world where nothing is taken for granted. Each day spent on my mission trip brought a fresh awareness of gratefulness. Any pre-trip reluctance quickly became a vague memory as my emotions welled within bring a fresh change to

Much to my surprise, it had not taken a lot to convince my dad to let me tag along on a mission trip to Guatemala with him. The company my dad worked for, Family Christian Stores, held multiple mission trips each year to various locations. My dad had already been to Mexico, and was assigned to a group going to Guatemala next. Upon learning that I wanted to go, he assured me that it would not be a trip full of sightseeing or activities, but rather a time to give back to a community in need. After promising that I understood the hard work that would be involved, my dad agreed to let me

Last summer, I flew to Nicaragua for ten days with a team of sixteen girls and boys. I knew a couple people who have gone to mission and service trips like this and they said it was a really good experience, so I thought about and eventually made the decision to go. It was both one of the most terrifying and amazing experiences I have ever had. When we landed and arrived in Managua, I saw people living in extreme poverty left and right. People lived in houses with large rusty metal sheets for walls and roofs. Kids played outside

This past summer, I traveled to New Mexico on a mission trip. For the first time in my life, I witnessed our spiritual battles, as Christians, against the darkness of this world. I could see and feel the darkness and that surrounded the vibrant and beautiful city of Taos, New Mexico, and my heart ached for it. Despite the many obstacles we faced as we shared our through sports camps, I felt God’s presence through it all. Knowing that God never left my side, gave me a rare peace that cannot be found anywhere else. It’s safe to say that New Mexico, not only changed my life, but saved my heart as well.

In my lifetime, many experiences have changed my character, with the most memorable being the mission trip I took to Parmelee, South Dakota. This endeavor showed me how to be caring and love everyone, despite their circumstances. Although it took time, I learned to show kindness to everyone and not just the people I feel comfortable around. During my missions work, one child revealed to me how to be compassionate to people who may not deserve it, and to give to other unconditionally.

This New Mexico mission trip allows for me to share close interactions with the children, and allows me to

When I was 16 I went on a mission trip to Peru with my mother. I was extremely anxious while boarding the 7 hour plane ride to a continent I’ve never been to. I had barely any idea of what we were going to do or where in Peru we were going. We landed in Lima after a long 7 hours in the middle seat. We met the others who were attending this mission trip at the airport after we landed. We took a terrifying cab ride back to the housing. The roads were incredibly busy and unorganized. The housing was barely housing at all. The rooms were very tiny with very thin walls. Every room was separated by a deck and to walk to different parts of the building such as the bathroom, you had to walk outside. It was incredibly different from what I was used

Looking in the mirror the night before, I found myself absolutely terrified and completely devoid of self-confidence. "You can't do this! You don't speak Spanish. What do you know about glasses?" Of course, what an irony, the biggest concern before going on a trip to serve thousands who are in need, is myself. After a good cry, I popped my Malaria pill and got my full 45 minutes of sleep. Being surrounded by other people going on the trip, my father and his coworkers, made it easier to hide the emotion, no one wants to make a scene in public. Alas, after getting off that bus in Chiapa Corzo, the next ten days of my life made me realize something, hard work can not only satisfy my own little soul but if used correctly, it can greatly impact

I remember my first time going to El Salvador at ten. It was like stepping into a new world. The way people lived was completely different than what I was used to. The food, language, houses, and even the people were dissimilar to me. To say the least in the beginning I wasn't happy to be in such a “filthy” and “dreadful” place. My first night there I shared the bed with my mom a fly net surrounding us. A rooster kindly woke us up at 6:00 a.m. and to my surprise everyone was already awake having started their day long ago. My grandparents were sitting having eggs, beans, and tortillas and I remember asking myself what kind of breakfast food that was. My aunt was down at the chicken coop grabbing fresh eggs for us and I quickly realized I was going to be eating the same thing. My mom took my brother and I to this strange place for two months and at the time I was wondering if everyday