HEFY is an organization where for 2 weeks you go to a country and give service to the people. On this particular trip that I went on, we were building a better school for kids in the Dominican Republic. It was a life changing experience.
The people there were truly happy. They didn't need iPods or A/C or warm water to be happy. They had their families and friends, and the Church. It really gave me a new perspective on what matters most in our lives. I really enjoyed giving service every day. There were some days when I really didn't want to wake up, because I was so tired. But once I started working, I saw how happy the kids were and how grateful they were for us gringos to come down and do this for them. I think on that trip I was the happiest I had ever been in my life. I was serving. And I now have a testimony that when you serve others, you are really serving God and I received so many blessings on that trip. I tried to read my scriptures every day. And I did somewhat well, and when I did study them, I became even happier. I loved that feeling. I want to serve so badly now that I was so happy.
This whole experience really increased my testimony of love also. C.S. Lewis once said: "Before you can truly love others, you have to love God first." The youth that I went with on this trip were so great too. We all understood our purpose. We were there to serve the people. We gave our best efforts every day and had so much fun doing it. I miss them so much. I know that we were all in that group for a reason. Because I learned something from each person in that group that I needed to learn. They all had such great testimonies. And one of my leaders said this: "It's a developing country, but they certainly don't have developing testimonies." I love this Church and I am even more grateful for all of the service opportunities that the Church offers. We become closer to God when we serve. And I felt the Spirit so strongly on my trip. I love you all, and I know that God loves you. Pray to him. Sincerely. He longs to hear from you. I would like to end this with a quote by one of our past prophets, President Gordon B. Hinckley. He stated: "If we want joy in our hearts, if we want the spirit of the Lord in our lives, let us forget ourselves and reach out." And I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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