" I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: The ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve." -- Albert Schweitzer
In a few short weeks, a team of students from the University of St. Thomas will take time from their busy schedules to come to help the people of Haiti. While we all come from different places, we're united in our desire to make a difference in the lives of the people that we'll encounter. But the reach of this trip extends beyond our participants. A couple of weeks ago, a group of friends from elementary school belonging to a group called SWAG (serving with a gift) prepared 115 care packages for a team they wouldn't be traveling with. Their thoughtfulness and kindness is greatly appreciated by us and especially by the patients at the General Hospital where the packages will be distributed.
As we prepare for our trip, we must recognize that this will be a week where we might feel uncomfortable by being pushed out of our comfort zone. It will be a week of friendship and heartache. It will be a week of soaring and conflicting emotions. It will be a week of life changing memories. There will be a lot of soul searching, but my prayer is that we will come away not feeling frustrated because we couldn't do more, but come away remembering the smiles and gratitude expressed on the faces of those whose lives we have just touched. What better memory can there be?
"I expect to pass through life once. If therefore, there is any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again"-------William Penn
