Today began slow with everyone getting ready for the morning. We all ended up meeting in the break room to do a devotion lead by Ariel. She talked with us about the importance of teamwork and selflessness in an area that we are not familiar with. Surely, we ended up at the bus stop that would take us to the church that we would be attending. Because we got there a little bit early, we had some break time in which we used to go get some polish snacks at a nearby store. It was interesting to see how our team bonded through this short adventure and how we were able to have conversations with each other to become more comfortable as a group, particularly me, wanting to learn more about Taylor who I had not talked to much on the trip. Throughout the day it was cool to see Taylor open up more to the rest of the team. I’m quite sure we were all nervous as to how the events at the church were going to pan out, but I think once we realized that everyone there worshiped the same and had the same passion for Jesus as us, it kind of helped to break that barrier between us, and we began to settle in.
When it came time to help the preschoolers create Mother’s Day gifts for their moms, most of us were nervous because we didn’t know how to interact with kids who didn’t know our language well. I was able to sit with a group of young boys and we were able to make small talk about superhero movies and Fortnite, which are things common between both countries. It was cool to see how both the group of kids and I became more comfortable, as we started to joke with each other. I noticed the same for the rest of the team. Each of us finding ways to help out and we did it all in teamwork, when one of us didn’t know what to do, another would help them out. It never once felt awkward and we all were able to make connections with the kids. This really lead me and many others on the group to realize that yes, it can be scary entering a new country, and coming into contact with things that are unfamiliar to us, but we are all alike in Christ and we all share similarities, and it is not impossible to take the love of God somewhere we may be uncomfortable with at first. I think as long as we continue to work as a team, all with the goal of making friends and sharing the love of God, we will be able to make a difference here, and anywhere in the future.
-Owen Riley
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