These are just a few of the reasons that I have learned over the years as to why you should go on a mission trip. Wether it is going to another country or just going somewhere near you, you are always making a difference. There are multiple ways to get involved, I do it through my church, but just search up a mission trip and there you can find a way to sign up for one and multiple other people who want to help, just like you do.
You meet people who you will have a bond with forever.
You are with a group of teens and adults for a week sleeping in conditions you normally wouldn't want to be in. You bond over little things, like how your air mattresses deflated, or you didn't pack enough socks to get you through the trip. You get to learn so much about there life just through the week and being with them. You also make a connection with your homeowner or the people you are helping after working with them and listening to them. No matter how you guys meet or what you have in common, you form a connection that will last forever.
You realize how thankful you are for what you have.
You go a week in a house that needs renovation and you see that they may have somethings you have, but are still lacking things that you count as necessities. I remember he first mission trip I went on, this poor gentleman lost his home in a fire, he managed to keep his porch, which is where he was the whole week while we were working on his home. It made me realize that everybody lives how I do, and the people around me do. People have things happen to them that are so unthinkable, that it makes me thankful for my friends and family and all the things they do for me.
You find out what it's like to help others out without reward.
Yeah, yeah. We have jobs, we do chores, but most of us get paid for that. Going on mission trips you eat some whack food and you do some odd jobs, but it's just for the pure enjoyment of seeing the looks on the home owners faces. While it could be rebuilding a whole new home and getting to see the final part, or painting a wall in a animal room. It makes the homeowners lives better.
You get a great sensation about the things that you accomplish.
There are multiple mission trips you can go on, helping kids in a different country or helping rebuild a home right around you. Personally I've only ever helped rebuild homes which is an amazing thing. I got to meet with the home owners and learn about how much they lost and how wonderful it is we are there. You get to learn that what you do leaves a huge mark on their hearts and they're forever great full for that.
You learn useful work skills.
The group that I went with for my work camp was, Good Works, a non-profit company based in Pennsylvania. There I learned to spakle, skert, and dig holes under a deck for 5 hours to make a safe and sturdy deck. When I get older, there are somethings that I had learned during my week that I will need to use. Last week, when i was at the pool i worked at, I ended up spakling, which without work camp, I would never been able to know how to do it.
You learn more about yourself.
In my time going to work camp I learned a few things about myself, first, I hate not having a job that actually makes me do something that makes an impact. Second, I'm not allowed to use shovels after hitting my foot with one. Lastly, I learned that I love helping others. I love the feeling of knowing you just changed someone's life completely. While it is not always fun and games, it makes a huge difference to them.
