Learning How I Connect - Anna B.

This is my second mission trip now. Going on my second mission trip I felt completely prepared in every way. I knew exactly what I needed to pack, I knew exactly what was expected from me, I knew exactly what the schedule would be like and what was going to be happening on a day to day basis. During my first mission trip I had a very easy time. I connected well with everyone in the group and not once got irritated or annoyed. I had an amazing experience serving and helping the community. I felt Gods presence and was refreshed. So, I expected my second mission trip to be the same. I expected to get through the trip and still be happy with everything. I did not think there would be any problems along the way. I thought I knew I had everything needed and packed for the trip. But, all of what I thought and expected to happen was off. My second time around was much harder than the first. I got irritated a lot with multiple different people, I felt confused on what was going on more than normal, I had to deal with problems going on around the group. There were many conflicts that messed with the schedules and time. Because of all these things happening I convinced myself early on that this was a bad mission trip. I thought that it was a mistake to come and that maybe I was not supposed to come. My attitude and personality started to lower by the day and my overall effort was low. But, then through all the things happening on this trip I grew. While I was feeling so low and struggling to keep calm I discovered things about my personality. I learned more about who I am as a person and why things affect me the way they do. I learned how I connect to people and why I feel the way I do in certain situations. Learning all those things about myself help me to realize why and where my relationship with God was. You cannot expect to have a good relationship with God if you are not being honest to him and yourself about who you are as a person and how you feel. Overall even though this mission trip was harder and more work I grew and got more long term effects than the first mission trip. Yes, going through the mission trip and having fun was nice and easy. But, in 30 years when looking back the harder mission trip is the one that is going to have an impact and is the one that I will remember. So many people go through their life and just take the easy things through and hope for the best. They hide the things about themselves that they don’t want people to see and they fake who they are because that’s just how you are supposed to act. But, when doing that and not being honest with who you are and how far you are in your relationship with God you are not going to grow. Until you get into the messy parts about yourself and take the hard way through you won’t get very far. That is the lesson that I have learned on this mission trip and it’s a hard lesson to learn. If everyone could learn that lesson the faith in everyone would grow tremendously and a lot of issues happening throughout people would be solved. I am not done growing in my relationship with God and I never will be. I still have things to learn about him and about myself. At least now because of this trip I have a start and I can continue to work in grow as time goes by.