What an amazing experience this trip was. I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to go to Brazil and share my faith through my passion for the sport of volleyball. Thank you, to all of you who made this trip possible. The volleyball team is very grateful. Without your support, none of us would have the memories that we now have.
As I sit and reflect on my time spent in Brazil, I am overcome with many emotions. I have had so many thoughts running through my head and emotions running through my heart since returning to the United States. I find myself thinking and daydreaming frequently about Brazil.
Through experiences with the Brazil trip, God has shown me so many things. One lesson I learned was patience. I am usually a very patient person, except when it comes to time and being punctual. I am the type of person that is always early to arrive and I also prefer to follow a schedule. In Brazil, punctuality became less of a priority for me. The “laid back” culture of Brazil led me to question my priorities. What is the hurry in life? Why not sit back and take it all in every once in a while? I asked myself these questions over and over when we were traveling from place to place. I did not want to miss anything.
The most rewarding thing for me on this trip was the smiles on all of the children’s faces. It did not matter how tired I was physically or emotionally, whenever I saw a smile on a child’s face, everything was worth it. I don’t know anything about the home life of the children we played with. But to see them smiling, running around, and having fun was incredible. I will never forget the little boy I played with at one of the last schools we visited. I wish I knew his name. We were playing with a little bouncy ball and every time he threw the ball to me and I caught it, he had a huge smile on his face. His smile is unforgettable. I am glad that I had the opportunity to see one of the most beautiful smiles in the world.
One thing that hit me the hardest emotionally was driving by the biggest favela, or slum, in South America every morning. The first time I saw it, I couldn’t hold back the tears. It was a daily reminder of how blessed I am and how much I take life for granted. Every day is a gift from God; it is a blessing to wake up with a roof over my head each morning.
Right now, I am having culture shock. It baffles me that our culture in the United States leads us to believe that everything has to be the biggest and the best. Why can’t we be happy with the simple things in life? I think that we can all learn a lesson from Brazil. That lesson is to be happy with what we have and to make the most out of life. Life is an incredible gift from God. A part of my heart stayed in Brazil when we left, and it will always be there. I hope that we had as much impact on the lives of those we worked with, as they had on my life.
