Mission Trip To Haiti

The two things that I can say without a doubt in my mind that I have done that have made a difference are my club, Irmo Arts Outreach, and my work at Lexington Medical Center(LMC) as a volunteer. Irmo Arts Outreach has left an impact more on the community than anything else, and the volunteer work at LMC has changed me more than anyone else. Irmo Arts Outreach was a dream I had, which I was able to make into a reality with the help of a few friends. What we do is go to the VA hospital to perform musical pieces for veterans, to let them know we appreciate everything they did for us and that they are not alone. I started the club, I organized our visits to the hospital, and I got permission for them to let us perform there. On our first visit

I knew what helping the community looked like especially since I had to do community service to graduate high school. Most of my community service house came from going on a mission trip with my church to a different state. When on this trip we would build a church for a week, but the people that went on this trip were all people that I knew. The only people I didn’t know were the people that we would stay with. Since I have been on these trips since I was about eight, I have been able to take on more responsibilities and become more of a leader on the job site to the younger kids. This has transitioned over to my sports and classroom here at Bridgewater. I have been able to become a better leader both on and off the field in sports and also to organize study sessions for

Volunteering at a community health center in my hometown, Santiago de la Frontera in El Salvador changed my perspective on choices. Growing up, I thought that people chose to not brush their teeth. At the age of seven, I immigrated to the USA and didn't have a chance to understand that concept in El Salvador. I went back last summer and assisted an orthodontist. This opened my eyes to realize that some families have to choose between a tooth paste and food. In life, we are not given the same advantages and therefor, we can not make the same choices.

I would like to thank you so much for supporting me on my third trip to Haiti! This trip was such an amazing experience and incredible opportunity to serve; it flew by way too fast! It’s sad coming to the realization that my trip is over, but also so amazing looking back at all of my pictures! (All 2,421 of them! phew!)

A while ago I recognized that as Americans, we all grew up pretty lucky in the United States and not everyone has the same privileges as we do. Then one day I realized I wanted to do whatever I could to give back to the world, and Haiti gave me that chance a year and a half ago and now is giving me the chance again. However, as you all know, college is very expensive and can be quite limiting, and the thought of not being able to go back to Haiti because of that breaks my heart. So I'm asking any of you who are willing and able if you could please consider donating to the cause and help me work toward my dream of giving back to the world. There is no such thing as too little...every penny counts and helps more than you know!! Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this. Much love

In just thirty seconds, my life had taken a chaotic turn, making me realize just how much I had taken for granted .

As I stepped off the plane I thought to myself; Am I really about to step off the plane into the poorest country? Was I prepared for a week in Haiti? Looking back Haiti challenged me more than I have ever been challenged before; physically, mentally, and emotionally.

In my life I have written essay papers, reading responses, journals, and other things that my teachers required of me. However, personally the best thing that I have written was a journal of my experience when I went to Haiti when I was 16. The reason that this journal is the best thing I have written because it’s my personal experience that I had in an unknown place that I had a chance to keep a memory of it in writing about what I saw and the people I met along the way.

Over this past summer, I went on a mission trip to Haiti that affected me more than I ever could have thought. Yes it was filled with a lot of hard work, but I would rather go back than relive any of my past vacations. My team and I had to pour concrete and tile two complete rooms as well as carry over eight hundred concrete blocks upstairs and onto the roof. All of this work was spread out over the course of four days; it wasn’t bad at all. The majority of the work that was being done wasn’t physical labor, but mental instead.

First, the sounds make people want to move their body. When I visited Haiti, there was never a quiet day. The music made it impossible for people not to move. Music was part of the Haiti resident’s everyday life. The most interesting thing that I realized while visiting was that it wasn’t only Haitian songs. It was Jamaican songs, hip hop songs, county songs, and even Spanish songs. They also had live music. The beating on the drums, the lovely pitch from the singers, and the base on the guitars all came together to make something beautiful every time.

On 12 January 2010 Haiti’s capital city, Port-au-Prince, was rocked by a 7.0 earthquake. Being that it is an island with minimal internal support, they have to rely on external sources in the world for help and rebuilding their own infrastructure. While there are numerous governmental and non-governmental organizations to assist, no one is better equipped for immediate worldwide response than the United States Army. We’ll look at the equipment the U.S Army had available and how they employed these assets to help the Haitian’s.

The summer after my Sophomore year, I went on a Mission Trip with my church to Jamaica. While we were there we worked with four different organizations, including Clifton Boys Home, an orphanage in a small town in the interior of the country. I was only there for one day, but it was one that will stick with me for a long time. I went in to the experience knowing that all of the boys were very different than me, and that affected me a lot for the first part of the day. Being very introverted, I didn’t interact with many of the boys during the morning. I spent most of the time fixing the roof, or other manual labor projects that we could also do. During lunch, I heard countless stories from the other members of my church about what they did

On my journey to Eagle Scout, I assisted my fellow scouts in many construction and environmental community projects. Together we cleared areas of the Mississippi Sandhill Crane Refuge, built a greenhouse for an elementary school, and an outdoor sanctuary for a local church. As well, I have participated every year in the annual Coastal Cleanup. For my own Eagle Project I lead a group of scout and adult volunteers to paint the exterior fascia, walls, and railings of my own church. I also volunteer at my church by helping with the younger children. I would say that community service has shaped the person I have become and has helped me grow in more ways than one.

Imagine that you are a superstar walking down the red carpet having all your fans screaming for you and asking for an autograph, that's how it felt walking out of the airport in Haiti but not exactly in the way you think.

The community service that had impacted me the most was my experience volunteering at the DuBois Nursing Home. Though my time was there was limited , I learned a lot and experienced a different side of life I hadn't really been exposed to before. The nursing home taught me to be patient and empathetic. My duties consisted of safely transporting the residents from their rooms to various places throughout the nursing home. I learned their names even though most of them would not remember mine when I would see them later the same day. Many of the residents were pleasant and would talk to me throughout the day however, some of the other residents were not as personable. The disagreeable residents were generally ill-mannered due to their physical