Reflections from Nicole

I really feel that going on this trip was a very good experience for me. I look at things a little differently now and i feel that it was a very life changing experience. While on the trip we went to an after school program called Roja. I think that God sent us here to really shine His light and His amazing love on these children. I became very close with a couple of the children and I hope that my presence with them may really create a spark for them to want to know more about God later in life or maybe that they would just remember me as someone who was kind to them for two days. What really struck me as sad was that the first day when we first walked into Roja we each had two little kids already holding our hands and asking our names. What i learned is that all these children really need is love. They were crying out for love the whole time and i think that we as a team really reached out to them and showed them what love is. God gave us many oppurtunities to bring God into the picture and i think that we used them all. One other sad thing is that these kids are exposed to things that a five year old little girls shouldnt know. They understand what drugs do because they see it in their homes. They know the results of alchohal and that means that they really dont know what is right or not. They hear sirens on a dailey basis and cringe at the sound hoping that it isnt their mom or their dad. These experiences sadened me to know that i can live a happy life at home and there are people all over the world with these difficulties and little kids that may go two days without a meal. I am so happy and blessed that God gave me this opportunity to go and help people in need and really enjoyed this experience.
thank you for your prayers
nicole alesandrelli :)