Brianna Grady

October 13, 2019

English 2

Helping Myself by Helping Others

On the day of the trip, I woke up to my mom saying, “Brianna! Get up, you have to finish

packing!”. I have never been good at packing. And my anxiety and overthinking everything was

not helping me. You see, today I would make my way to New Orleans, Louisiana without my

parents. I was going on an 8-day mission trip with some of my best friends. I was very

overwhelmed and scared to have to leave my parents and be independent, especially since I was

going to be 16 hours away from home. Typically, my suitcase is stuffed full of random,

unorganized clothes. But for this trip, it took much more preparation. Every outfit was put in a

tight-sealed plastic bag with the date written on it. This way we made certain that I had just

enough clothes and outfits. After finishing packing, we had about an hour before we had to leave

the house. I spent this hour freaking out and repeatedly telling my mom I didn’t want to go. What

if I get homesick? What if my friends get sick of me? What if I spend a week on a mission trip

but don’t feel like I fulfilled my purpose? The only consistent thought in my head was that I

would be surviving without my parents for a week. For some, this would be a liberating

experience, but for me, it was everything but that. With a million thoughts in my head, I loaded

up my car and left for the church.

Seeing all my friends at the church helped to ease some of my anxiety. After loading the

vans and saying a group prayer, we left the church. With rain pounding against the church van

windows, we slowly made our way to Atlanta, Georgia. We spent the night, and then early the

next morning we made our way to our final destination, New Orleans, Louisiana. Arriving at our

“campus”, we became accustomed to our living conditions for the next week. There were 2 large
 Brianna Grady

October 13, 2019

English 2

bunk-bed rooms, a few common areas, and a large kitchen. This was home for 8 days. That

night, we were told our workgroups and what exactly we would be doing to serve the people of

New Orleans. My group consisted of many close friends, and we were assigned to build a house

for victims of Hurricane Katrina. So I spent the week listening to praise music and bonding with

friends of a lifetime while serving the Lord and really helping a struggling family in need. In the

first few days, it was very easy to be motivated to wake up and get to work. But by the time

Wednesday rolled around, everything began to slow down. This typically happens during each

mission trip. After a long road trip, we come ready to work and be the hands and feet of Christ.

But after a few nights of minimal sleep, you become less and less motivated. Luckily, my leaders

and peers helped boost my mood and keep me positive throughout the rest of the week.

On Sunday night we left our worksite in New Orleans and made our way back to

Georgia. This time, instead of singing just about every song on Spotify, everyone got some

much-needed sleep. Monday morning, we returned to our church in Wake Forest. I was very

excited to see my parents and tell them everything that happened while I was away, there’s only

so much you can say through text. Through this trip, I learned that when I put my mind and heart

towards something, I can do it. I was so nervous to leave home and do something I’d never done

before. Now, I have much more confidence in myself going on trips by myself. I was able to

prove to myself that I am capable of so much more than I think. What started as frightening and

nerve-wracking became one of my favorite memories.