I consider myself a pretty decent person. I enjoy volunteering and giving back to my community. I don't mind donating to fundraisers my friends are passionate about or giving to the homeless on the street. However, I am crabby in the mornings. I don't always go to church. Sometimes, I take people and the opportunities they give me for granted. I have strengths and I have flaws. I used to be ashamed of my weaknesses. I was embarrassed and hated asking for help. In 2014, I signed up for a mission trip to Harlan, Kentucky. I didn't know the first thing about carpentry. I learned more than just how to hammer in nails and tear out a floor, though. I learned to embrace what you know. I learned to ask for guidance. I learned to trust God.

Just this past week, I was able to back to Harlan for my third mission trip. I picked up a few more carpentry skills. I learned how to frame a house and even got to put up a wall, which I have to admit was fascinating.

My work group did not expect to put up a wall. When we arrived at the work site on Monday morning there were only bricks laid out. We were all expecting the walls to be up already. The work was slow moving at first. Nailing through the wood was hard and tedious. I learned though that the small moments were what mattered most. The smiles that crept up on people's faces when they got all the nails in perfectly put a smile on my face. One of the boys, Brendan, was getting frustrated at how hard it was to nail a certain beam. When he thought he had finished, he was reminded that there was still a few more spots to be nailed in. With a sigh, he went back to work. Watching how confident, happy, and impressed he became when he finally finished was inspiring. He had a huge smile on his face that could have cheered even the saddest person up.

There were many small moments that happened throughout the week. Small moments that I saw happening and thought, "This is what I'm going to remember about the trip." I experienced 35 teens all become serene when two guitars were pulled out and played. I watched awe spread about the faces of those who had never been the lake or the waterfall.

I got to witness my brother experience pure bliss when he was spun on a roundabout at a park we went to for lunch. The simplicity of getting Dairy Queen every day after work was enough to make all the volunteers happy.

There were handfuls of small moments that I could go on and on about. Being a young adult on the trip, I was asked to read a reflection to the group on our last day. During dinner, I sat and thought about the week. The little moments all seemed like the important moments. I reflected on the small things. Ironically, the moment that will stand out to me the most happened after I had already talked about the small things.

My friend, Abby, had also been asked to reflect. Afterward everyone was handed a pen and a note card and given the opportunity to sit and reflect on the week. Already having written a reflection, Abby and I sat next to each other on the top of the picnic table and looked out at the lake while the sky turned from blue to black. I don't know what Abby was thinking about but at some point, I heard her sniffing and looked over to see her crying. I too had tears streaming down my face. Naturally, I put my arm around her, rubbing her back. We leaned on each other for comfort.

I happened to be thinking about the beauty of the lake and Harlan, Kentucky itself when I was crying with Abby. I thought about how great of a week it had been and how I was glad the first timers had enjoyed their experience. I wondered why we never seemed to appreciate the beauty of the city of Chicago or the plains of the Midwest. During our group reflection, I brought this up. Harlan is a poorer county but it holds so much hope for its residents and tourists. It restores faith in all who visit. Harlan County is beautiful despite its flaws. I questioned why we don't see the same beauty in ourselves.

So this year I learned a thing or two about framing a house but I learned to see the beauty and grace in all of God's creations, including myself. Like I said before I have a lot of flaws, but I'm learning that it's okay. They don't make me a terrible person. God created me this way and His creations were made in the likeness of him. As I said at the end of my reflection, I hope you too are able to find your own beauty and grace even in your mistakes.