I was hesitant to spend my one free week of the spring semester volunteering instead of relaxing on a tropical beach. Still, I took a leap of faith and traveled down to the Houston, Texas area to do hurricane relief work. Here’s why I recommend everyone to volunteer next spring break:
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1. You still have plenty of free time.
I was concerned that I wouldn’t have any time to relax. I mean, it was supposed to be a break after all. While I would spend most of each day working, I still had several hours of free time after getting back to the beach house to head down to the ocean – yes, I got my tan after all! I realized that I liked the structure of a workday — even on break. I wouldn’t have known what to do with a ton of extra time. Plus, the mere fact that it was a change-up from school work was enough to make the relief work enjoyable.
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2. You don’t have to rough it.
A stereotype I often hear about mission trips is that groups sleep on hard floors in churches or in some other low-budget lodging option. That may be true for some trips, but mine wasn’t one of them! I had the luxury of staying in a big, beautiful beach house that was a boardwalk away from the salty waves. Also, all the food I could ever want was readily accessible. Since there was a large group of people on the trip, the cost was manageable. See, it’s not so different; we still had the comfort of a nice vacation to the beach!
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3. You can visit somewhere warm and see new sights.
If you do your research, you will find that there are a ton of service trips all the time. If you have a particular vacation destination in mind, chances are you’re find a service trip that’s heading there. Since spring break is usually a great chance to get away from the lingering winter weather, I looked for a trip that allowed me to be in the southern part of the country – 70s and sunny every day was fine by me! Plus, with the free time you have, you can usually slip away to see some of the hallmarks of the area. I not only got to enjoy the beach, I also got to explore downtown Houston and visit NASA.
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4. You have the chance to create meaningful connections.
The group I traveled down to Texas with totaled nearly 100 people, many of whom I’d never met before in my life. That may seem intimidating; but because we’re all passionate about helping others, we bonded very easily. By the end of the week, I found myself a whole community of new friends I can take into life beyond the trip — all because we shared a common experience. Some projects you do can also provide opportunities to form relationships with the people you’re actually helping; it makes it a lot more meaningful.
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5. You leave feeling rewarded.
This is probably the biggest reason I’m thankful I went on this spring break mission trip: I left feeling like I really did make a difference. Every story I heard — whether it was about a person I was helping or about someone’s workday — was inspiring. Every smile I saw on someone’s face — because I’d made their life a little easier — put goosebumps on my skin. By spending time volunteering to help others, we can show some of the love this world desperately needs to see.
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Even though this spring break is over, you do not need to wait until next year to make service a part of your life. Take a week out of your summer to do work in a part of the country you haven’t been to before. Don’t have a week? Going on a weekend trip closer to home or volunteering at a local organization is just as fruitful. No matter which route you choose to go, dedicate your next step to giving your time to help others. I promise you won’t regret it.