It was 2:30 a.m. My alarm clock screeched, beckoning me to turn it off and get out of bed. I rolled over, searched blindly for the clock, and hit snooze. A minute later, I jumped out of bed as if all the exhaustion had faded away. In a few short hours, I would be on my way to Guatemala for my first mission trip. Months of planning, packing, and team bonding led up to this day; the day that my life changed completely.

Throughout my ten-day trip, I learned a great deal about myself and also about people in other cultures. These are just a few of the things I learned during my adventure to serve others:

1. Love speaks in every language

Near the beginning of the trip, our translator asked me what I was most nervous about during the trip. My response was the language barrier. I was afraid that my mediocre Spanish speaking skills wouldn’t help me very much, leaving me unable to communicate with the people I was serving. She advised me that it didn’t matter if I could speak Spanish because love is universal, and that’s the most important thing I could give to anyone during the trip. She was absolutely right, and I think about what she taught me almost every day.

2. Someone in the world will always have it worse than you

During my mission trip, I saw poverty unlike anything that I had ever heard about. Children and adults scavenged in the city dump for recyclables that they could sell, large families lived in small houses made from scraps of tin, an entire classroom shared a minimal amount of pencils and glue, and young children ran through the streets without shoes. Everything I witnessed helped to put things into perspective and made me realize how privileged my life is.

3. Be thankful for the little things

Each experience of my mission trip made me increasingly grateful for everything I have. It was a shock to see hundreds of houses crammed and stacked on a slope. It was strange to see women washing their clothes in a communal sink on the street. It was difficult to comprehend that elementary aged children were permitted to spend the day working instead of attending school. I quickly learned that life in the states is much different from that in other countries, and I now view things such as food, water, shelter, and education in a different light.

4. Material Possessions are not as important as we think

One of the main parts of our trip was visiting underprivileged schools and living communities. We delivered school supplies, clothing, shoes, food, and other basic items that the people needed but were unable to purchase themselves. Each individual who received these items was beyond grateful. The most humbling moment of all was when I took off my shoes and gave them to a woman with bare feet. This not only taught me the value of simple objects, but it taught me that I didn't need an excessive amount of belongings to be happy.

5. Mission trips are the best way to travel

Mission trips allow you to directly interact with a large number of citizens in the country you visit. You are able to experience the culture firsthand and learn a lot about their customs, food, language, and so much more. Not only do you become best friends with everyone on your mission team, but you make friends with the people you help, especially if you return to visit them during another mission trip. In addition, mission trips are often less expensive than traveling for vacations, and you get to make an impact on people's lives while you're traveling!

6. Your life will change more than you expect it to

During a mission trip, you set out to change the lives of those that you come into contact with. At the end of the trip, you realize that your life may have been changed more than theirs. Each event of the trip will teach you something that will stick with you throughout your lifetime. Your thoughts, values, and lifestyles may change as you become a sort of a new person, wanting to tell everyone what you witnessed and how your life will never be the same.

At a young age, I was taught that it’s important to help others. My parents told me how there are plenty of people in the world who are less fortunate than I am, and I wanted to make a difference. This is what inspired me to go on a mission trip. Find what motivates you, and find an opportunity to serve others. Going on a mission trip was one of the best decisions that I have ever made and I wouldn’t be who I am today without the experiences it gave me.