My Mission

My mission behind everything I do is to inspire others to make a difference through my actions.

A spark. That’s how all fires begin. It goes from a spark, to a flame, to a fire.

Igniting the Spark

            My spark was first ignited when I was 5 years old. My mom used to be the leader of mission trips at our church. Because of this, service trips have always been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. At first, I hated being apart from her and I despised the fact that she was somewhere without me. However as I grew older, I was able to respect that the one week of my life that my mom was gone, she was in Honduras spending time with kids whose moms were never a part of theirs. And my spark grew. For years and years my desire to go on a service trip grew until I thought it would overwhelm me, and then an opportunity arouse. In my 7^th grade year I had the opportunity to apply to go on a service trip to either Cambodia or Nicaragua with CGA. I sent in my application and waited. When I heard the news that I wouldn’t be going, instead of my spark diminishing, it grew from a desire, to a need. But then, like magic, a new opportunity appeared. Even though this trip was much closer to home, it opened my eyes to a whole new way of life. The tip was to Salt Lake City, Utah. In the second week of June I packed my bags, and off I went. I returned changed, and my spark grew even brighter. I set off into the fall of my 8^th grade year certain that this would be the year. This would be the year that I would go to Cambodia. However, an outside force came in that I didn’t even know existed, and it prevented me from completing my application in the process. Then in the summer I went back to Utah, but this time instead of my mind being opened it was my heart. I always expected my heart to be opened by something big, but found it was opened by someone half my size in two blond pigtails. And my spark continued to grow into something bigger.

Kindling the Flame.

            Currently, my mission is growing and spreading to more people. In Tanzania you are constantly being watched. Not only by the locals and children but also by my friends and chaperones. During this the first time was at the LOAMO School. My class’s favorite game was wax museum and occasionally one of the teachers, Mr. Thomas, would walk in. At first, he was just observing, but gradually he became more involved. He would interact and participate in the games we were playing. He began to love playing and building relationships with the kids which in the long run will make a huge difference in their education. The other time was with the kids when we were cleaning at the Save Africa Orphanage. The kids would constantly be wanting to help us whether we were cleaning, organizing, or picking up trash. Everything with their help would go just a little bit faster, and we were able to accomplish so much more overall with their help. The help they gave us made a difference in their own lives as well as their peers. I can only hope that the desire they had with us to improve their lives could continue on, even if it is just for a day or even an hour, because everything helps. I will make my mission to inspire others an everyday reality.

Stoking the Fire

            In the future, I will become an inspiration. Not just one single person’s inspiration, but many people’s inspirations to put in that little extra effort that can make all the difference. It could be on the soccer field by putting a little extra into my sprint in order to prevent a shot on goal. In the classroom, by spending an extra half hour on an essay to fix my sentences until they sound just right. Or right here, in Tanzania, by staying energized for the entire day with the kids in order to give them as much love and attention as I can before going home, so I don’t have regrets about not giving it everything I had. Through all these actions I hope that others will be inspired to do the same, so that they can make a difference for their team, their future, or the children that are part of their life. I want to give everything I can, so others will be inspired to do the same.