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 I really had no idea what I was getting myself into, since this was my first mission trip. To be honest, what really motivated me was everyone around me commenting on past mission trips and how great of an experience it is. So, I thought it would be fun, different, I would be helping others, and my friends are going, so why not.
We had been told that we were going to be doing some construction on a hospital site and working with children,  and I still didn’t know what I should have been packing, if there was anything in particular that I needed to bring or the conditions of the place, so this felt like somewhat of a leap for me.
The trip itself was long but not too bad. I could feel everyone was kind of anxious to get there. When we finally arrived, we were shown the site we would be working and staying at. Everything was close to each other, the hospital, our house, the cafeteria, and the construction site. That was one thing that surprised me; everything looked pretty plain and simple, but the scenery made it beautiful at the same time, as well as the people. I’ll never forget the family that basically helped us through the trip. They gave us rides to wherever we needed to go, showed us around the town, and even showed us into their home. It was like we were instantly a part of their family, like they had known us from before.
 Everyday we would wake up around five in the morning to have worship and then start working. We would then eat breakfast and continue working until lunch. It sounded like a routine but now that I look back at it, it was a real experience. First of all, being able to wake up to worship with a group of people was a totally new experience for me that I wish I could do everyday. There’s just something about being able to reach God in the middle of nowhere that you just can’t do at home. There was also a feeling of togetherness that I could constantly feel, not only during worship but even while we ate or simply at night when we would just sit outside talking. So I feel this trip brought our youth together a lot more than I ever expected.
The most touching and unforgettable moment for me definitely has to be the last day we spent with the children at VBS. Usually the only people who went were those who worked with the children,  while the rest of us were doing construction, but this night everyone went. Earlier that day we had made goodie bags for the kids filled with candy, snacks, toys, and clothes, but when we got there we noticed that there wasn’t going to be enough for everyone. The children were so packed in the small church that we had to stand outside, along with some of the parents. It felt so good to see such a large group of children that we didn’t even know singing along with us with such enthusiasm and voluntarily. The goodie bags were given out at the end of the service, and it was coming to the final bags when we were realizing that a few people didn’t receive one. I remember watching a group of three teen girls sharing clothes that someone had donated from one bag, and they looked so excited, smiling and laughing amongst them. Then I realized just how much I should be grateful for, for everything that I’m giving, and just how much of a difference we were making in Belize. I had a knot in my throat and tears in my eyes that stayed there through our bus ride home and as we watched the kids chase after the bus when we drove away.
   
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