My YouthWorks mission trip experience was one I will never forget.

While on the trip, I did two days of service and two days at Kids Club. The first two days I helped paint the inside of a garage. It was hard work, but I knew that the newly painted garage would put a smile on the owner’s face… and it did!

At lunch, I was sitting in an old wood chair. I leaned back and as I did the chair snapped in half, and I was on the ground. I got up to go tell the owner what had happened. I was embarrassed, and I felt bad that I broke his chair but when I told the owner he turned to me and said, “Finally! Now I can fit it in my trashcan. Don’t worry that thing was a piece of garbage from the start” and then he just started to laugh. Now I felt better that he was not mad. It was all good from there.

The second half of the week, I got to help out at Kids Club. All the kids played games and did arts and crafts out on the field. I had the opportunity to play baseball with a few kids. It was great to see their faces light up when they hit the ball. They were good baseball players too. My favorite part was seeing the kids smile.

At the end of the trip, I felt as if I really did not help much, but on my return home I realized how I really did make a difference. I also grew closer to God. He gave me the motivation to paint the garage and play with the kids.

YouthWorks rocks!

by Alex Essenberg