I am fortunate enough to say that I have had the opportunity to go to a new place, serve others, and make new relationships because of my mission trip. It is an experience that I wouldn’t trade for the world, and I am forever grateful that God moved me to send in my deposit to attend the trip. I was hesitant to go. I had always wanted to be a part of a mission trip, but when the time actually came to leave, I was nervous. The night before I remember thinking “did I do the right thing by signing up?” I can confidently say without a shadow of doubt in my mind, that I 100 percent made the right decision by attending.

On this trip, I learned so much in one week. I learned how to perform manual labor, I learned life skills, I learned history about the town we were serving in, I learned how to have a servant’s heart, I learned how to build relationships, and I learned more about myself than I ever have. I learned how to use a flat bar to take out door frames. I learned how to make a pot of coffee from old-fashioned coffee grinds (the church did not have a Keurig). I learned how to put in vinyl flooring. I learned how to caulk the exterior of a house. I will hold these skills with me for the rest of my life, but most importantly, they were used in the service of others.

On this trip, we built a house for a woman who works full time with six kids. She struggles to meet ends meet, but she has a genuine heart of gold and she works so hard to provide for her children. The least I could do was give up my spring break to help her dream come true of having a home for her family to live in. Though I played a small part in the building of this dream, I stand humbled knowing that I served and gave my time and efforts to something so much bigger than myself.

One of the greatest parts of the mission trip was the relationships that I built. Some people I had known for a few years, and some I had never spoken to. Upon leaving South Carolina, I felt as if I had known each and every one of those individuals for at least 10 years. We shared more memories, experiences, heartfelt conversations, and laughs in one week together than I have shared with some people that I have known my entire life. When I find myself feeling down or stressed, I think back to these memories and how these people made me feel, and I instantly feel the joy that they brought to me during the time that we got to spend together.

The most memorable, life changing part of the trip for me was the last day. We went to the beach, one of God’s most beautiful masterpieces in my opinion. I have had one of - if not the most difficult year of my life up until this point. I have spent the past months walking with my head hanging and my eyes brimmed with tears. But in that moment on that beach walking along the shore by myself, I felt a complete and utter peace that I had not experienced in so long. My God was with me, walking alongside me, looking for shells with me. He reminded me how beautiful life is, to always have a servant’s heart, and that I am never alone. I needed this trip more than I ever knew I did.