We all know about these people. Many of us have seen them before. So why do we ignore the problem? There are many people in this world who are poor, needy, or even homeless. Yet many of us go through our days focused on our own lives and tend to ignore the fact that there are people around us who need help. I used to be like that, but then I went on a mission trip with my youth group this past summer. My youth pastor announced the trip back in March, and I decided I would sign up for it since I had never been on a mission trip before and I figured it would be a good experience. I found out that we were going to help out at a place called Love and Care Ministries in Abilene, Texas. They offer things like meals, clothing, and showers to the poor and homeless in the community. Our trip lasted from June 14th until June 22nd, and I returned home as a different person with new wisdom, new friends, and new beliefs. I now believe that we all should help the people who are less fortunate than we are.

We had been at Love and Care for a few days already. We were all gathered in a room awaiting instructions for what we were going to do next. I noticed a sound – the pitter-patter of rain on the roof. Before long, the pitter-patter turned into more of a slamming noise on the roof as the intensity of the rain escalated. When I looked out the window, the parking lot looked like it was flooding. And then – flash! - I saw lightning brighten the sky. A deep roll of thunder followed. I turned away from the window, thankful that I could relax inside while this storm was going on. After the storm lost some of its intensity, our youth pastor walked in and made an announcement: “There are some homeless people under a bridge not too far from here. We need a couple people to help bring some blankets to them.” The realization struck me that while they were out there enduring the wind and the rain, I had been sitting inside with my friends staying completely warm and dry. I felt terrible knowing that every time there was a thunderstorm, they would have no shelter.

I had a flashback to a few days before, when we had to walk from one building to another right when a storm was nearing. The winds were picking up, and I saw garbage flying through the air. As we walked, we got so much sand blown in our faces that we were forced to stop walking and cover our faces. Once we were able, we ran over to the other building, and out of the corner of my eye I saw lightning flash not too far away. I was so glad once I got into the safety of the building. But now, as some people got together to bring blankets to those people under the bridge, I realized how unthankful and selfish I've been in the past. I've always had a safe, dry place to stay in during storms. Yet every time I was enjoying the safety of a roof over my head and walls around me, there were many people who were stuck with no shelter at all. Not only that, but they don't have dry clothes to change into. I realized right then how I need to be more aware of people's needs and that I need to help the people who are not as lucky as I am.

Sometime in the middle of the week, we were all sitting down in a quiet room awaiting our instructions for what work we would be doing that day. I got chosen to go work in the office. When I got there, I was introduced to this very nice woman named Archie. She showed me what I had to do, and I ended up really liking the job. Poor or homeless people would come in, come up to the desk, and tell me what they needed. Sometimes it would be clothes, sometimes a hygiene kit, sometimes sack lunches. I would mark it down on a paper with their name on it, then hand them the slip of paper. They would then take that slip to whichever building had what they needed and the people who worked there would give it to them.

While it was fun helping people out, it was depressing at times too. I could tell these people had rough lives, and I wished more than anything that I could give each and every one of them everything they needed in life. But I knew I couldn't. I knew the best thing I could do was exactly what I was doing; filling out those papers so they could get what they needed. Realizing that those people didn't have access to things like clothing or showers really opened my eyes. After all, I never have to worry about not being able to take a shower or not having a change of clothing. It made me realize that there are many people who don't get to enjoy the things that I take for granted every day.

One of the things I really liked on this trip was when I got to talk with the homeless people at meals. Love and Care serves breakfast and lunch five days a week, so every day our youth group would get to sit in the cafeteria and talk with the people who came in to eat. Some of the people seemed to not want to talk to anyone or didn't really want to open up about their life. I think that was more of a result of what kind of life they've had than anything else, and that's sad to me. But talking with the people who were willing to talk was great, although sometimes it was hard to hear their stories. I never realized how bad some people's lives really are until I heard some of those stories. I could just see the hurt and sadness that was in some of those people's eyes. It was nice being able to see their faces light up when I actually wanted to talk with them and hear what they had to say. I think just having someone that would listen to them was really encouraging for those people. It was really eye-opening for me and I realized that I really need to be more considerate and caring toward others.

I think many people don't realize just how hard life is for some people. Many of those poor and needy people just need somebody to show that they care about them. This mission trip made me change my views about life, and I will never forget the memories I made and the people I met. If you ever get the chance to do something like I got to do, I would strongly encourage you to do it. It may be completely eye-opening for you, just like it was for me. You don't even have to go as far as going on a mission trip – there are always people who need help right in your own community. You just have to open your eyes to see it, and humble yourself to do something about it. When people take the time to show they care, it can make a huge difference in someone's life. Wouldn't you like to be that difference?