Alondra Garza
Eng.1301 APDC
Sept 8, 2013 Guadalajara, Mexico

Working as a missionary in Guadalajara, Mexico in the summer of 2010 made the most profound effect on my life. I traveled to that poverty-stricken country hoping to make a difference in people's lives; however, they made more of a difference in mine. Although, I had opposed on going on this trip I am thankful that it was otherwise. The experience changed my outlook on faith in God, on love for fellow people, and on the value of things. The people in the community had so little, yet they were content. In absolute poverty, these people put their will in God's hands. Because all they had was their faith, they had utter trust in God. Instead of complaining about what they did not have, the people were grateful for the gift of life and each other. Through my experiences with these people, my faith has grown. To help empower that faith I have only to thank the helpless people that shared their life experiences and perspectives, in which I gained a lot from. Each day I thank God for everything I have.
Through the people of Guadalajara, I viewed what love for fellow man was truly about. Not only did it mean to give and to nourish, which is what I believed, but also it meant to be willing to starve and to die. I witnessed older siblings giving their only food to younger siblings; a father risking his life in a flood to bring his child to safety; parents laboring in the fields to provide their family with food; young children giving up the opportunity of an education in order to work to provide money for their family, and a boy giving his sister his shoes so that she would not cut her feet on a rocky path. My experience of living with these people has taught me to value everything I have. Especially, in this country, America, we are practically given every opportunity at just a grab. By observing the children of Guadalajara who played with fireflies and plastic bags, I learned how unimportant material things are. It’s an example that I believe children should be aware of, that you do not need to be in possession of a materialistic things