Student impacted by mission trips

Through my school, Foundation Academy, I have been given the opportunity to participate in two mission trips. Both trips were to Sosúa, Dominican Republic. On each trip, we went to different churches and schools in that area to work with children and young adults to share the word of God. 

I was first touched to go on a mission trip after listening to students who went the year before I applied. I had a feeling in my heart after hearing their testimonies in chapel that was driving me to apply and go on the trip. 

I was one of three 10th-grade students selected the first year I went. There also was one 11th-grader, and the rest were seniors. 

I felt blessed to be on the amazing team that we had and counted down the days until the trip. We prepared fun activities for the younger kids we would meet and wrote out our testimonies about how we found Christ so we could share them with the kids similar in age to ourselves. To get as comfortable as we could to share our testimonies in the Dominican Republic, we shared them first with our classmates who were going on the trip, as well. 

It was amazing getting to hear the testimonies of my classmates, not knowing what they had gone through. When we got to the Dominican Republic, we had about a 20-minute drive to the place we would be staying. That short drive gave us a perspective of what we would be seeing every day for the next couple of days, and it also made me feel fortunate for what I had back home. 

The most memorable part of the trip for me was getting to share my testimony with the kids. I met one girl there who came up to me after my testimony and told me she was going through something similar to what I had to deal with in the past. It was an eye-opening experience for me, because it showed me I am not alone and many other people from all over the world go through situations similar to mine. 

I prayed with her and gave her the advice I wish people had given me. She was one of the sweetest people I know, and her love for Christ is so evident in everything she does. 

The second trip was similar in how we prepared for the trip with activities for the children and also our testimonies. However, our start to the trip had a couple of roadblocks. 

On our way to the airport, our bus caught fire because of engine problems. The Holy Spirit protected us, and we were able to get everyone and everything safely off the bus before the entire thing went up in flames. This unfortunate event pushed us back a day, and we landed in the Dominican Republic a day later than we wanted. 

This ended up being a blessing, because we were able to share how God protected us with many people, not only in the Dominican Republic but also in Florida. 

The most memorable part of the trip was getting baptized. Six other girls and I were baptized in the ocean. It was a truly life-changing experience. While we were getting baptized, three strangers from different parts of the world saw what was happening, accepted Christ and were baptized. 

I went into both trips believing I would impact others, but I think I was impacted just as much.