When we got asked to do this paper, I wasn't sure what I should write about, there's so much that changed my life! But all of the experiences that we were able to witness and partake in are so inspiring, I feel blessed to have been there. Even though all the encounters of this beautiful culture gives you a turn with the basic principals of compassion our culture disregards, there are some that really impacted me and encouraged me to really look at the way we live our lives.
While we told people it was a mission trip(which it was!), we were also able to spend alot of valuable time with the people we came to help, especially the children. Those kids are so beautifully unique in their words and actions, you see God in every one of them. One thing that is special about them is their love for their family. For example, one of the days we went to the beach, and I was helping these two little girls build a sand castle. They informed me that they are cousins, one being ten, and the younger one is four. The castle was close to the waves and every time a wave, be it small or large, crashed near where we were sitting, the older cousin would stop whatever she was doing and grab the little cousin and hold her high above the wave, while the younger one shouted and screamed for shear joy. Even though this seemed like a unimportant action, it meant more, for this young ten year old had enough love for her even younger cousin to make sure she would be OK. How often do we see that in our lives? It wasn't just the action that stopped me in my tracks and watch in amazement, it was the compassion in the elder's face for her younger cousin.
That was what we were witnessed to in El Salvador. The compassion for others was such a part of their everyday lives that they didn't need to recognize it. That is what affected me the most there, the compassion those children live with is so genuinely beautiful, it is something that is strived for in our culture. I am so thankful to have gone on this life-changing trip, and pray that others will be able to have a similar, amazing encounter with these special and unforgettable people.