Chicago is the largest city in the Midwest and I was so fortunate to be chosen to be on this trip. Not only did I get to be in a large city, but I also got to do one of my passions, which is to serve (the poverty in this case).

I remember when I got my acceptance email from my trip leader that I would be joining the team to go to Chicago and serve in the poverty stricken areas, I was beyond pumped. But as the break approached I soon got nervous, because I didn’t know anyone on the team. I tried to get over that fact because I was there for one purpose, to serve the homeless in the largest city in the Midwest.
But what I didn’t know what was going to happen was something that would change my life forever.

The team I was so privileged to be apart of was so diverse, from Chinese and Brazilian international students, from people who lived all around the world, and different parts of Missouri. We were all so different and I had no idea how we were all going to get to know one another. But the great thing about this trip is that everyone paid to serve. Everyone on the trip had one sole purpose, to serve the community and learn from the organizations to bring back into our own communities. Just one small same interest such as serving brought us together and made us a team. I say “We all started together as strangers, now we give each other back rubs”. Literally when we departed, tears were streaming down faces, hugs and group hugs went for hours (it felt like).
Why did we become so close? It was because we were all so different. We all had different backgrounds and different majors. It was the differences that which brought us together. Our differences helped us get to know each other on a deeper level. We exchanged cultures and ideas. Through that we learned to love each other. Because we became such a tight-knit group we learned how to become a team. We never argued, instead we helped whoever was in need. At our service projects, we got multiple compliments on how we were the fastest and efficient working group they have ever seen. But to us, we were surprised, because we enjoyed what we did and we did it without even wanting to stop.

Helping the community is great! But helping the community with a team you love is even better. By the end of the trip I have had a special moment with each and every one of the team members (that’s 13 people I connected with). I learned something from each individual and they have changed me for the better. I can say I went in the trip not expecting too much but serving, but in the end I got more than I ever could imagine: giving my service to others, knowledge, wisdom, experience, lifelong memories, and a new family.