I think the most meaningful experience from this trip has actually been coming back to Lafayette, which has made me realize how special the trip was. While I can try to explain to friends and family how awesome the trip was, in reality, only me and everyone I was involved with can understand the difference that the organization of Orphanage Outreach is making.
The people working with the organization are truly inspiring, and I have met noone like them here back in the States. While all of us in ASB are devoted to service, and enjoy and understand the importance of our trips, there is a rare number of indivuduals who have truly committed their entire lives to the importance of helping others. The individuals at Prphanage Outreach have done this, and our ASB team got the chance to be inspired by them and hopefully take a small part away with us to embreace as our own.
My new mission is to make others understand the work of others, and to give others a sense of the importance of service. Through this I can truly begin to ‘release the hero within’. That statement which is an orphange outreach staple, is really a great way to go about thinking of our service work, and also a huge standard to live up to. It is a standard however, even if seemably unattainable is worth trying to reach.
Now that I am back on campus, I am going to live life like my ultimate goal is to “release the hero within’ and remember that each small step we take towards helping others is a huge accomplishment.