Page 44 - Demo
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                                    42my own faith as I feel I don%u2019 t pray nearly enough on a consistent basis. Often I find myself praying only when I feel in need or wanting to achieve a goal, and often simply going along with the motions of mass, from the gospel to the receiving of the Eucharist. However as we practiced this every morning with the sisters, I found myself thoroughly engaging, and frankly enjoying the process. Not only was morning prayer a way to state my intentions for the day and ask God for the safety and wellbeing of our team, but also to simply take a moment of my day to pray and think about those who are in my life. The same could be said for the daily mass. Receiving the Eucharist every morning helped me truly understand how much the body of Christ nourished me spiritually as we prepared for the long day. Although these weren%u2019 t by no means my favorite moments of this mission trip, they%u2019 re the two that I had the biggest takeaways from and have started to incorporate in my own day to day life.   Finally, working with kids has always been something I have been very passionate about, and teaching Taekwondo to this group of wonderful children has only added to that passion. As we crawled down the mountain every evening from a long day of housebuilding, it felt as though there was quite literally zero energy in my bones. Slightly filled with dread of the idea of having to run around even for a second longer, all I wanted to do was lie down and take a long nap until dinner. However, as with each step we walked closer and closer to the learning center, the laughter and yelling of the children grew louder and louder. Suddenly all of my energy would surge back into me, and as soon as we took just a step inside it would be an hour of non stop roundhouse kicks and face blocks! Seeing how much love, energy, and excitement these kids had was beautiful to watch. The eagerness to learn the techniques of not only Taekwondo but also the cultural differences of Korea as well truly touched my heart, and to know they will take these learnings back to their own families and communities brings a very gratifying feeling.  As this journey has come to an end,I can genuinely say I felt that I have grown in my faith and as a person spiritually. Through the glory of God, I was able to experience how incredible the people of Peru are, and serving my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ makes me realize just how much I love to do it. There is no doubt in my mind I will be back to serve in the very near future. To the reader I hope this testimony finds you well. In my words I have tried to describe just how surreal and eye opening this journey was. I ask that you pray for our brothers and sisters in Peru, and hope that you will join me in the future on the Peru mission trip! All glory to God, Thomas
                                
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