Welcome: One Month In

I got back from missions a few days ago. I didn’t really know what to expect or what I was going to do before I left. When we first got there, I encountered our toilet.

Figure 1: Looks like I'm not going to poop for five days.

Needless to say, I was extremely happy when we were told that there were toilets on the property that were more relevant to the times. About fifty students came on the trip. Some groups worked with older people who had mental illnesses, others in schools. My group worked with children in impoverished neighborhoods. Most of the children had parents who didn’t have time to take care of them during the day. We colored pictures and played games which I had fun with.

Figure 2: Maybe I went a little overboard when we colored.

Figure 3: Nah!

Over 80% of the population is Catholic and the other volunteers provided catechesis for the children so they could have a greater understanding of the faith. Unfortunately, I still don’t understand enough Spanish to know what went on, which I found somewhat frustrating. The good news is, I’m becoming better at both understanding and speaking Spanish.

I think if you asked most people, they would have said their favorite part of the trip was helping those in need. Although I believe it is important to help others, I feel like 5 days wasn't enough time to make the impact that these children require. They need a role model, someone to look up to, who will always be there for them. I wish I understood how to help them best, but right now, all I could do is to be there for them for the short amount of time I was around.

Figure 4: I have no idea what we are doing.

I don't really feel like writing right now so I'm just going to end this blog post with a bunch of pictures from the trip. It will probably be way more interesting than me writing a few more boring paragraphs.

Hope you enjoyed!

My Favorite Kid