In Cap-Haitien, Haiti, March 2017, I found myself surrounded by the poorest of the poor people. Although they came from a place where they had no money or food, they were filled with the richest love I’ve ever felt. It didn’t take material items to make the people of Haiti, a place that has been crumbled by earthquakes and hurricanes, happy.

I went to Haiti in hope to spread God’s prevailing love to people who have experienced extreme catastrophic events. This was my first mission trip, and my first time to see a place where children run in sewage and trash infested streets. The people had no shoes, and they were constantly getting infectious diseases. In 2010 the Haitians were hit by a massive earthquake that crumbled all they had worked for.

Since this was my first mission trip, I was extremely afraid that the people would be angry and hateful due to the catastrophes they had been through, but honestly, the scariest part was the cultural differences. I learned that the people were filled with abundances of pure love. The main part of our trip was to minister to homeless boys. After learning their stories and getting to know them, I realized that while I was teaching them about God’s love, they were showing it to me. All the boys and other people I met there became my new little family!

On the plane ride back home from Haiti, I realized that this is where I would like to spend the rest of my life. I found that the work I did there was only the beginning of something big. Since my trip God has shown me that I should go to school to be a pediatric nurse. From there, I hope to work at an American owned hospital in Haiti, where I could help the children and teach their mothers ways to keep them healthy.

The week I spent in the most beautiful third world country changed my life forever. It taught me how to be happy because of God’s love and not because of worldly material items.