Sade Rodriguez - McDowell, WV

I got to go to West Virginia which is one of the states where there are lots of poverty. At first, I was very nervous about attending this trip in which it even made me question whether I really wanted to attend and I cannot be more grateful that I did. I have created this special bond with every single person that went on this trip and each one of them has made an impact on me. I had struggled to find God again which was a reason I wanted to go on this trip but I did not expect myself to find Him right away. As soon as we starting renovating the WydLife rec room, I started to feel the love and goodness that the room had because we were all their doing this physical labor out of service. There was so many things that did go wrong since the minute we got off the plane which could have easily changed the mood of some of us there but we didn't. There were also certain expectations that we had especially when going to the Zera House but thinking back now, I cannot imagine doing anything differently. One of my favorite memories was being on the stairs painting while everyone else was in the living room, I can hear everyone singing to Disney songs, worship songs, or throwback songs. I loved hearing that because I can feel happiness and it felt nice being in a space where we are all doing something we love. Anyone who is interested in serving wether it be globally or locally, it will be one of the best decisions. Personally, I have not felt that full sense of belonging at APU but I learned thats okay. Even though I don't feel that, I threw myself out there to sign up for a trip and I have met really special people here at APU but also in West Virginia.