Hi friends and family! The mission trip has been really fun
so far! Sleeping with the pillows generously gifted to us yesterday was a real
joy. As someone who isn’t very physically strong, as well as being afraid of
heights, it was a bit difficult for me to find my place at the worksite. This morning
I helped paint a trailer, but that ended in an anxiety episode about getting
paint on my shorts and a disgruntled older brother. After lunch, I was fresh
out of things to do, as both the outhouse builders and those working on the
roof were in a place where they didn’t really need any help. I felt awful not
doing anything, but then I realized that even the helpers need help sometimes.
I decided to grab all of the water bottles that I could (this amounted to 9,
one being a gallon-sized plastic container) and walked all the way to the water
pump to bring cool, fresh water to the youth who had been so busy helping
others that they forgot to help themselves too. Naturally, the kind-as-a-saint
Sarah Allen helped me with the large load. It brings me such joy to have human
connection with those who receive my help, and nothing brought me more joy than
seeing how grateful these workers were to receive something as simple as a
fresh bottle of water (especially those who were struggling with the heat). All in all, it was a great day filled with joy
and laughter, and to me, that’s what matters the most in life.
-Elaine, FPC
