When in a foreign country, effort is everything. Whether it’s getting through the language barrier or cultural differences, it’s much harder to form blossoming relationships. In worship, we talked about how our visit to the theme park today was “best case scenario.” It is set up so both parties barely need to put in any effort. Hanging out with the kids is as simple as saying “yes” and following them to the next ride. Although we were already set up to have a great day, what made this day unforgettable was that one little word. Effort. The kids had every reason to indulge this day and pick whatever rides their heart desired. Yet my sponsor kids forced me to sit down and stop until I picked the ride that I wanted to go on. They wanted to make sure I was having just as much fun as they were. What touched my heart the most was that they had gone home and practiced their English skills. They ran around the park yelling out the word for every single color they saw and asked me for the English translation of every animal they saw in the zoo. While I consciously pushed myself to go on any ride they wanted (over and over and over again), seeing them return the favor in making an effort to demonstrate their love was an amazing reminder that we are making an impact that is bigger than ourselves
---Alicia Diaz
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