Assisting the Needy Ones
This June, I traveled with my youth group from Calvary Baptist Church on June 23, 2012, to Baltimore, Maryland, to share God’s love by being a presence in the downtown area and assisting where...
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Ruined.
It was my very first time. I had never been out of the country before this, and I had no idea what to expect. I had seen TV commercials of slums in third world countries, but...
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A Glance Through El Salvador-Tinted Glasses
This summer I entered a world different than me, where the distractions that I am so conveniently accustomed to did not exist. I have gained a new perspective of the world and a passion for missions...
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A Superpower I Didn’t Know I Had: Mission Trip to Ensenada, Mexico
Last Spring Break, I had the opportunity to go on a mission trip with my church youth group. Our team had two goals for our stay in Ensenada, Mexico: to build a house for a family in the area and...
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The Mountain’s Message of Hope
Every time my phone rings I hear the sound of crickets chirping. This ringtone has special meaning to me. When those crickets start to sing their sweet melody, memories of Guatemala come to my mind....
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The Lives That Were Touched In the City of New Orleans
I view traveling as a privilege, not a right. People travel for many different reasons such as: relaxation or luxury. I like to use traveling to learn about different cultures, people, and history....
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Kenya 2012
As I boarded Emirates Flight 222 from Dallas to Dubai, a million things were rushing through my mind. Worries as big as living in an utterly foreign culture for seventeen days and as small as wondering...
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Disability Taught me Love
I stood in front of that small fence that was only keeping the children and me apart. Shocking. No, a word that means much more than shocking. Horrifying? Terrifying? What happened to these children?...
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On a Mission: A Week of Service and Fellowship in Bridgton, Maine
From 16 to 23 June, I went on a mission trip to Bridgton, Maine with the Hurlburt Chapel Youth Group. Donning our blue group T-shirts, we flew out of Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport,...
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Serving the Joplin Community
On May 22, 2011 the town of Joplin, Missouri was struck by an EF-5 tornado. The tornado in Joplin was approximately three-quarters of a mile wide and left behind a path of destruction that was 13 miles...
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Desperation, Warm Welcomes, and Smiles
I desperately read the signs posted around the Newark Liberty International Airport as I tried to navigate to the gate I was supposed...
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Touching History
In the summer of 2010, I traveled with my high school symphony to a small town in the south of France to play in the international music festival, Le Festival Des Anches D’Azur. We performed...
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My Trip at the Indian Head Camp, in Honesdale, Pennsylvannia
From May 20th to May 25th of the year 2012, I attended a trip sponsored by the Rotary International, District 7490, along with over a hundred other high school juniors to, The...
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Impressions and Reflections
As I slowly opened my eyes, my vision became clear as light faded and my eyes focused, and then I remembered that I was on a field trip with the MESA organization to the Griffith Observatory. The...
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The Art of Giving
Stepping off the bus, I was hit hard with the hot August air and the smell of burning forests miles away. I looked around this small, forgotten village in the Russian countryside and sensed the sharp...
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Life in Sandwiches
My first morning on the Cherokee reservation was spent being sardined between hundreds of ecstatic teens from all over of the country on groaning bleachers in a dimly lit auditorium in beautiful...
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Passions found in Santo Domingo
I have been told my entire life that it is important to find something you are passionate about. Fortunately, for me, I was able to figure out that passion at the age of 8. That marks my first...
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My Trip to South Africa
Last winter I had an amazing experience in Johannesburg, South Africa. My father and I traveled with a group called Swamp Corps to help set up a church camp. Swamp Corps is a group from...
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Far Yet Close in Nicaragua
“Buenas tardes,” A dark-skinned middle aged man said. “H-hola,” I stuttered,...
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Service Trip in Mississippi
From July 15 to July 21, 2012 I, along with other students from Saint Ignatius went to Mississippi for a service trip. We stayed in Walls, Mississippi, which is the poorest County in the United States....
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The True Meaning of Wealth
Going to Nicaragua this past Febraury was a life-changing experience. I went with my temple, Temple Shaaray Tefila, and Bedford Presbyterian Church, on a trip sponsored by Bridges to Community. The...
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Haiti=love=LIFE CHANGE
Chaos had flooded the already poor, small island country of Haiti, and they needed (as they do now) America’s help. At age 15, I went to Haiti naïve and ready to do “a good deed”...
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???? ? ?????? Children of the World: A Thai Kid Adventure
I was exhausted - mentally and physically worn out. I’d spent the entire morning taking a load off of the Thai teachers at a village school: entertaining and teaching some...
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The World of Hong Kong
My family and I moved to Hong Kong in 2010. We lived there for two years, up until this June (2012). Living there showed us how beautiful the world is. I have included a few things...
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Seoulful
The summer after my freshman year, I traveled to Seoul, South Korea, home to many, but not to me, not anymore. Seventeen years ago I had been adopted from Seoul, and brought to America, into the...
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The Road to Change
Spring break of 2012, my life was changed. Instead of going on a vacation to a swanky resort I spent my time in the Dominican Republic with Global Leadership Adventures doing volunteer work. Our group...
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Helping Hands in New Orleans
During the summer of 2009, just before...
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Smile
Who ever knew a line drawn in the sand could really separate night and day? The border between the United States and Mexico does just that. I went to Mexico on a missions trip through an organization...
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A Life Changed by the Uruguayan Culture
Through an erupting volcano, a multitude of odd night stays, and airplane delays, the time before our arrival had been a journey in itself. Although, looking back it made my trip to Uruguay even...
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Poverty in Belize
“I have nothing besides this house,” Marie was telling us. She was right. Her use of house as a description for the shack in front of us was pushing the definition...
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Change in Honduras
Three weeks ago, I left my family, friends, and everything I knew to go to a new country: Honduras. I knew that through the trip I would be changed, but I didn't realize how much. I had seen...
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The Ties of Tradition
It was just past eight o’clock, and night had fallen in Tokyo. Groups of people aged everywhere...
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Journeying in Jamaica: A trip of a Lifetime
One of the most rewarding experiences I have encountered in my life was when I traveled with...
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Swaziland: The People
Swaziland. A small country in southern Africa facing big problems. Swaziland has the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence in the world. Some 200,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS out of a population that...
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Looking through different eyes: the world and how it is perceived differently
Sweat pours down the faces and backs of the volunteers. Our arms are sore, our lips are parched but we continue to nail, sand and paint the pews. We are renovating two churches: Our Lady of Guadeloupe...
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Hidden Treasures in Poverty
One of the best trips I have ever been on was my mission trip to Nicaragua. That trip was the first time I had ever been in a primarily Spanish speaking country. We flew into the capital,...
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Touched By an Angel….Actually 31 Angels
A trip I’ve taken as a teenager that has impacted my life greatly is actually a trip I’ve been on 4 times and plan on...
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The Streets of Ecuador
I have recently been given the opportunity to experience something very humbling; something that has changed my outlook on life dramatically. This summer, I found two weeks...
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Paying It Forward
The traveling experienced that changed my life forever happened in spring of 2012. I signed up to go on the Pay It Forward Tour. Note, that when I decided to embark on this journey I had no...
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Smiles Galore in Jeremie, Haiti
I’m going to Haiti today. That was my first thought when I woke up this past May 6th. The reality still hadn’t hit me, partially because it was 1:00am and I was insanely disoriented,...
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From Everything to Nowhere
We woke up at 3 a.m. to leave our warm beds and the comfort of our homes to embark on...
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Lions, not Tigers, and Elephants
When people hear “Africa”, they think: poverty, wild animals, the Lion King. Initially, my brain was flooded with these same ideas, scenes of singing animals contrasting the reality of...
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The Mark Of A Shadow
Standing in the claustrophobic elevator, I stuffed my hand into my pocket, waiting for the doors to slide open. When they finally do, what hits me is a wave of dusty, humid air, rancid and nauseating....
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Finding My Passion In Ghana, Africa
Being in Ghana, Africa was one of the best experiences I'm sure I'll ever have. I have always felt drawn to the more remote areas of Africa and...
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Ghana, Africa
Let me start off by saying that Ghana was never on the top of my list when it came to "Places I Would Like to See". However, the experiences I had in this country were so great, so different,...
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“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” -Matthew 25:40
It was an early July morning as I groggily stumbled out of bed to head to the Charleston airport. My Mom and I waited for the rest of our church’s teen ministry to arrive so we could depart for Miami,...
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The World Outside
The whole world looks to California as the land of sunshine, surfing and movie stars. I will admit that, as a first time visitor to the "Golden State" and only 15, these were my expectations,...
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A Week with Bugs, Critters, and Horse Poop!
My nose wrinkled at the stench of sweat and horse poop. The magnificent creatures I saw on TV and in magazines was NOTHING like the gigantic, smelly beasts I encountered on my first day volunteering...
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The Experience of a New World… The Ultimate Reality!
My travels to Kolkata, India with 14 other friends and teachers from my school opened my eyes to what most of the world lives like. I now realize how truly blessed I am! I have also learned...
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!Vamos¡ An experience in Spanish
My Spanish teacher recommended that I would be an excellent student to go with a small group to Costa Rica. Our trip was organized by I
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Impact
“¡Bienvendidos a Guatemala!” The large sign welcomed my group and I into the capital city just outside of the immigration desks. There were twenty-two in our group of adults...
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Cuckoo Costa Rica Count Down
In January 2012, eight members of Rock Canyon Key Club hustled to tape the last box shut, zip their suitcases, buy more bug spray, and board the plane to Costa Rica. Eight months before the anticipated...
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Many Firsts in the Dominican Republic
During a school break in November 2011, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Sosua in the Dominican Republic on a trip sponsored by my school’s Spanish Cultural Club. The weeklong trip...
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Senior Trip 2012
On May 26, 2012, my senior class of twenty-six people set out for Garden City South Carolina for our senior trip. When most people think of the term "Senior Trip", partying, drinking and...
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Something Just….Clicked
Life changing experiences are rare. Even more rare are the moments where you can recognize their significance as the fabric of your life unfolds. Many people spend years seeking such moments, searching...
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Poco A Poco: My Trip to Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic
Before my trip to the Dominican Republic, I considered myself useless and was ignorant to the world from its problems to its beauty. I believed the world was a gloomy place full of poverty, war and...
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Untold Stories
A group of us sat in the dimly lighted restaurant with watering mouths anxiously waiting for our supper to be brought out to us. I loved Italian food and was really looking forward to devouring...
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A Lesson That Will Last A Lifetime
This past summer I took a trip that I didn’t realize would change my life forever. I took my first steps out of my country and onto the soil of the Dominican Republic....
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