A mission trip changes view on life

  We Americans take for granted all the great things we have in this country. On Christmas Day I left for a mission to Mexico called “Love Knows No Borders”.

  At first I was going because my friends were going. I wasn’t very excited about giving up part of Christmas but once I got down to Mexico I completely changed my mind. The moment you crossed that border, you couldn’t even believe what you were seeing.

  Little kids were wandering around by themselves. Cars were speeding by like it wouldn’t be a problem if they were to hit someone.
When we got to the hotel it was gated, and the thought that we couldn’t even stay in a hotel and be safe really frightened me.

  The next morning we went to a place called the “Colonia,” which was a really poor neighborhood. There we would build houses, paint them, and furnish them. These houses were about the size of most living rooms which is not enough room to fit a whole family.

  The house I helped at had five members in the family who all shared one bedroom. Could you even imagine? All they had were two rooms. Their house had a dirt floor, no plumbing, and they cooked outside. This house we were building was like a dream come true.

  To think these people have almost nothing and can still be happy made me want to cry. I get upset that I have to share a room with my sister, in comparison, that is nothing at all.

  Children there have to play in dirt with trash all over the ground. Kids here have parks and paved roads but yet we choose to stay inside all day and play the computer or watch television. The people of the Colonia would be lucky to have electricity.

  Seeing these families in such terrible conditions and still be happy made me think. Why are we Americans so unhappy with what we have? I don’t know about you but I am going to try to be a little more thankful for what I have.