In 2022, I was in my sophomore year of high school. I was in a very dark place and felt
extremely lonely. I didn’t have many friends and I was struggling to feel like I had a
purpose in my life. Around September that year, my dad had asked me if I wanted to go
on a Youthlinc trip. My sister had been to Kenya and my dad and sister went to Peru
together with Youthlinc a couple years prior. I was fairly familiar with the organization
and was interested in learning more.
Next thing I knew, I was on a plane starting the two day travel to Thailand. This is when
bonding with the rest of the team started. I was able to be pushed out of my comfort zone
and make connections with people who end up making a huge difference in my life. Once
we landed in Thailand, I met our amazing translators. They were some of the nicest
people I have ever met. They were so welcoming and wanted to get to know everybody
on the team. The whole dynamic of the team and the translators is a feeling that I cannot
describe. I didn’t think it could get any better. And that’s when it did.
Going into the village was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. The people of the
village were so welcoming and kind. The smiles on their faces were brighter than
anything else I’ve ever seen. Those two weeks were the two greatest weeks of my life.
The true happiness and love I felt is a feeling that is indescribable.
The services that we performed clearly made the biggest difference in their life. They
expressed their gratitude and I remember feeling so proud and like I had truly made a
difference. All of these feelings occurred for a second time when I traveled to Peru in
2023.
These people have humbled me more than I thought possible. I have been shown true
love and happiness multiple times and I have been taught how to truly appreciate and be
thankful for my life and the things I have. Youthlinc has changed my life forever and I
couldn’t be more grateful. I think about the people I’ve met on a daily basis and I am so
thankful for the opportunity I’ve been given to go on these trips.
