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program stories

Sarita, 18

summer of 2016

from Mexico City, Mexico

When I entered the program, I had just graduated high school in May. Being part of the program gave me the chance to grow as a person and to grow in my faith as well. During all my life I’ve had a lot of experiences, but I could definitely say that in that summer I had the best and the most challenging experiences. From the beginning until the end, everything was amazing. I never planned taking this program, everything was a God thing.

 

Approximately a year prior, I decided to take a year off school because I had no

idea what to do with my life. For a long time I looked up for different exchange programs and summer jobs but there was nothing I really liked. It was a normal day when one of my parent’s closest friends told me her husband knew a guy that was doing a program during the summer and that everything was about mission trips. I have to say I love serving others that’s why I said yes to this program, but I had no idea of what I was going to do. 

With a lot of fear and excitement I decided to do it, and there’s nothing I regret about taking that decision.

 

Of course the program goes far beyond “mission trips”. We had tons of classes, discussions; we got the opportunity of going to a lot of places I never imagined I’d go; we helped a lot of people in our mission projects, but the most important thing . I had the incredible opportunity to be part of a lovely community which now I consider my second family. If I told you guys everything that I did this summer of course a paragraph is never going to be enough.

 

One of my favorite’s experiences was helping at The Christian Disciple Farm (Servant Community’s VBS for families with special needs children). I was a buddy to an 18 year old girl, just like me at that time, and she has Down syndrome and Autism. At first I was super nervous because before that week I’ve never had the chance to help kids with special needs but Ella taught me a lot of things, the most important one: happiness. It’s amazing to see how great this kids are and all the nice things they can bring to your life in just one week. This experience helped me to remember how much I love to help others and to serve God because now I know that the great people are the ones that are serving others, because we are second.

 

I trusted God when he told me to come to the US and do this program even though I had no idea how this was going to be and of course he wasn’t wrong, I loved it! There are many things in life that can change the course of the person’s life. It can either make a positive impact or a negative impact and the change will depend on the kind of experience. Taking the Epworth League Discipleship Intensive program made a huge positive impact in my life.

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