How SIFAT changed how I look at life

     Hi everybody as you all know I went on a trip with my Church to Lineville Alabama to this mission camp SIFAT and yea at the end of the week we talked about what we learned and I kind of stayed quiet because what I learned changed my whole way of thinking

      Recently I have been a selfish person and will admit that here I was always out for me and yea I wasn’t completely selfish because I would help out for the most part with anything my friends or church needed help with but when it came to helping around the house I just wouldn’t do it

    Then I went to SIFAT and the experience and knowledge I gained from there I don’t ever want to get rid of. just that whole experience at the global village and learning about all the different poverty issues around the world just hit home with me because of how I used to act about things and how I take all I have for granted because not everyone has an ipod or a cell phone or the simplest things like a glass of water and even a small plate of bread and water to eat. people go days sometimes longer without getting a meal and I look at how I complain if I don’t get to eat what I want for dinner

     The week at SIFAT also brought me closer to god as well as closer to all my friends and new friends from Oviedo. When we did our outreach work on the last day of the camp I at first didn’t want to do much at all because it was really hot. I overcame the heat however and started in on my task which was to pick up the stuff that fell on the ground and threw it in the fire we got going no big deal. and then the lady we were doing this for had some little kids she was watching for the day and they wanted to go swimming and so she needed someone to watch them down by the lake so I offered to help  and did that for the rest of my time there

     As I watched those little kids fish it dawned on me that the simple task I was doing was serving god and that it doesn’t matter what you do to help out in your community as long as you help and by the end of the day when I saw the smiles on those kids faces as we were walking back from the dock I knew I had helped someone and I could see it in their smiles that they enjoyed my company.

     One more thing I want to mention is that when we were at devotion on Friday Jamie had mentioned that sure we can come here and act Christian but will it last when we go home. Many of times I’ve heard this like when I’ve gone on retreats and to church camp and could say yes but then not do it Well this time I can honestly say Yes I am going to carry how I acted and act that way when I came home.