God Blesses Us

By Ava Bernardino, Freshman at  St. Columba's

I was so excited for the mission trip the minute it was announced. My church has done three mission trips, however, this was my first time. I had a few expectations, and,wow,they were turned way upside down. 

The first day, my group and I were sent to a food pantry to bag potatoes and box oranges for distribution the next afternoon. We also made cards and delivered them to a senior living center for seniors with disabilities. I still remember this one lady, and she talked with a mumble and looked very sick, but she still believed in God. I will never forget the smiles we got when we handed out a card and talked for only about five minutes, yet, I could feel how we helped those people. 

The next day, we returned to the food pantry and bagged more food, and then, after lunch, I helped in the distribution of the food. When they first enter, they are given a token. They go through the line and pick up what they want, and when they reach the end, they give the token to the person at the end and bring their food home.

I was in charge of collecting the tokens that afternoon. I still remember this one man and his wife came up to me, and I asked them if they had their token and made a little small talk. The man pulled out his token, and he said " Lord, thank you for this token" as he kissed the token and dropped it in the token bowl. They then walked off, and he patted me on my back, and he said" God bless you." 

From that moment on, I knew I was making a difference in this community. Even though I did something small, I knew that the effect would last a lifetime.