Going on my first mission trip out of the country will always be one of the best decisions that I have ever made. Before going to college, I never truly understood what happened on a mission trip, much less what life would be like after completing one.

My first time in an airport will never be forgotten.

The day of our flight was pretty interesting to say the least; It all started with packing the night before, which was not the best idea. Being a typical girl, I had lots of soaps and shampoos plus shoes and so many maxi dresses it was unreal. And trying to pack all of that into a Jansport backpack and a duffle bag was no easy feat. When we arrived at the first airport, I almost caused my brother to miss the flight. I accidentally picked up his passport with mine at the kiosk and caused a frantic search for about 10 minutes. On top of that, there was a layover for our flight to Atlanta so we had to race to our terminal all the way on the opposite side of the airport. I can now say that time management is definitely something I don't joke about.

After arriving in Guatemala, we went up and down many hills to get to the school, El Valle de Los Angeles– the Valley of the Angels. Those hills were much steeper than the ones in Ruston, and my stomach wasn't too happy about that. As soon as our driver left, everyone was ready to sleep. It must be a common issue with dorm keys and locks because trying to be quiet at 11:00 at night when unlocking the door was as impossible there at the girl's dorm as it was at a college dorm.

"Sharing a bathroom with young girls is much different than with college girls..."

My first morning in another country didn’t feel much different than back home. It was not until we had to get ready for the day that I realized I was going to have to make some changes to my morning routine. Sharing a bathroom with young girls is much different than with college girls, so my bathroom time was reduced from 10-15 minutes to 3-5 minutes...if I was lucky. And in Guatemala, you’re not allowed to flush toilet paper because of plumbing issues; any amount that you use goes into a waste basket. No exceptions. That was a bit strange for me, I must say, but there wasn’t much I could do about it. Learning the bathroom routine took a few days to get it right, but even then I still made the mistake of accidentally flushing the toilet paper twice. Bathroom routines in general are a pain to adjust to no matter where you go it seems.

"I never thought that washing my clothes against a stone would ever be fun, but..."

When it came to washing clothes, there was a large stone basin in the shape of a "T" filled with water and four sections around it. To wash our clothes we had to use bowls to scoop water from the basin and pour it onto the fabric, rub it down with a bar of laundry detergent, then proceed to scrub against the stone on both sides before rinsing it clean. I was unsure about the cleanliness of this method; however, everything came out as clean as it would've been after using a washing machine, if not cleaner. I never thought that washing my clothes against a stone would ever be fun, but it was a new and interesting experience that I'll always remember; it was a little annoying having to wash one piece of clothing at a time though. I don't know how the school manages with only two women washing clothes for 200 kids daily. They must have super arm strength I guess.

Every day with the children was an adventure.

Trying to teach them English while they tried to teach us Spanish definitely had its interesting moments. The kids taught us crazy fast hand games, and although I never got the hang of it, I learned that patience is truly a virtue to be valued by those who have it and hold onto it. And by being a Spanish major, I was able to speak in full sentences for the most part. In those moments of interaction with the children, I never felt embarrassed when I was struggling to interpret because they didn’t mind helping me as long as I helped them. Getting to have first hand experience in a setting that might very well be where my career takes me was both inspirational and motivational for me to keep going in my major; it let me know that the tough days are going to be worth it in the end. It might sound a little crazy, but I believe that those children taught me more about what true friendship and kindness looks like; they taught me that fear of making mistakes is something that we all share in common. But as long as you don't give up after the first try, you're bound to get it right the next time or maybe a few tries later.

"... manners go a very long way in all social situations."

It was amazing to see how quickly the children at Valley of the Angels befriended us in such a short time. All of the kids liked to play pranks on everyone and tell jokes; the girls are required to braid their hair every day so each girl on the mission team had their hair braided at least once or twice. Seeing how disciplined the children were and how they rarely complained made me take a moment to reflect a little on how grateful I should be and that manners go a very long way in all social situations.

"By giving your time and dedication to helping others with an open mind and clean heart, the impact on others is astounding."

There were two resident missionaries there who helped us with anything we needed. We all became friends with the two pen-pals we had been corresponding with, since we finally got to meet in person. Maeve, or as we all like to call her "Maeve-Wave", liked to tell us funny stories about teaching the kids in class and what it was like when she started out as a Franciscan missionary in the States. And Amanda, aka "Amandu", fell in love with Tony Chachere's after we made gumbo one day. She would eat it like candy by sprinkling some in her palm and throwing it into her mouth. And like every Southern Louisianaian, she put it on everything.

When we spent time with the missionaries in between their classes, I was able to see how being a missionary full time and doing God's work can be spiritually and mentally satisfying every day. By giving your time and dedication to helping others with an open mind and clean heart, the impact on others is astounding. Maeve and Amanda were both kind and firm with the students, almost like older sisters who look after their younger siblings.

(Maeve, Adrienne and Amanda)

"I found myself growing deeper in my faith..."

Each day we would say prayers in English and Spanish, and I found myself growing deeper in my faith, discovering more about myself that I never knew before. Like how much patience I need to have when waiting on others, how God is listening and might not respond to your prayers right away, and how sitting and praying for a little while can relieve some of the stress I was putting on myself that I didn't need to. This was especially evident when we took four hours to trek up to the top of Pacaya, a volcano located in Guatemala. There we attended mass and experienced a small earthquake in the middle of the Our Father prayer, a slightly terrifying experience since earthquakes aren't a common occurrence in Louisiana. We made food bags and distributed them to many families in the aldea (Spanish for village) and to other communities on the volcano. From this I learned that it doesn't matter what your surroundings are or where you're from, kindness is universally accepted with words and giving back.

"Going on a mission trip not only brings you closer to your friends and God, it opens your mind better than any book or documentary ever will."

Seeing how similarly and differently we live our lives here in the United States to Guatemala, I now have a better understanding of culture and how life changes once a mission trip is done. I will never forget how I felt on the last night while I hugged 200 children and said farewell to my two new friends, the missionaries. Maeve and Amanda filled our 16 days together with laughter and love. Going on a mission trip not only brings you closer to your friends and God, it opens your mind better than any book or documentary ever will. I learned that humility can stem from washing clothes one piece at a time against a stone, and children will both test and teach you the strength of patience, but most importantly, I learned that faith will never die as long as I don't call it quits after every obstacle that comes my way.

P.S. I promise to never ever take someone's passport and forget to tell them 10 minutes before boarding, and to always go to the bathroom when the group is going so I don't regret it later.