East Bank Mission Trip: A Short Story

This past summer, I was able to make a new friend. Anthony, who is nine years old, lives in East Bank, West Virginia. East Bank is a very poor suburb outside of Charleston, the capital of West Virginia. Our relationship is possible due to my attendance on a mission trip through my high school. The students who attended this mission trip were split into groups with each group being assigned a house to work on. Our group spent four days working on Anthony and his family's house. In this house, we took down a ceiling that was caving in and put up drywall as a new ceiling. We then proceeded to mud, sand, and paint the new ceiling. We also put down a new carpet in this room. My relationship with Anthony began as we finished work on the second day. Anthony was outside playing basketball by himself, so my friends and I approached him and asked if we could play with him.

Anthony excitingly said yes and we began to play games with him. This basketball session became an everyday activity after work. On the last day, as we were saying our final goodbyes, Anthony told us this had been the best summer of his life. I later on would come to the realization that my positivity can go a far way, including having a lifetime impact on a little boy. I also come to the realization that I enjoy serving others whether it is fixing their home, or putting a smile on their face.
Anthony’s life style struck me.

Even with the depression going on in the town of East Bank, he was full of happiness and excitement. Playing basketball with Anthony did not seem like anything special to me, but for Anthony, it was more than dribbling and shooting the basketball. In the town he lives in, people lose their sense of hope. I took away a quote from Anthony’s mom who said, “nothing ever goes right for anyone around here.” Giving Anthony the opportunity to look forward to playing thirty minutes of basketball each day made a difference in his life. Because of the positivity I brought forward to him, he was impacted enough to tell me this had been the best summer of his life. While on this trip of service, it is not the service that impacted me, but rather the relationships and connections made. Once I came to my realization, the trip made so much more sense to me. Yes, the service aspect is very important and helps the families very much. That being said, Anthony is not going to remember people fixing his ceiling. He will remember the thirty minutes of basketball and the laughs we brought

him.
The realization I made has allowed me to think differently with my life. I do as much service as I can mainly with coaching boys volleyball to kids in grade school. I also participate in local services to provide to the poor or handicap and help at grade school aftercare programs. I have learned to be thankful for the materials and opportunities I have. I am also encouraged to be involved with young kids, specifically developing their volleyball skills, and bring positivity to my peers. These traits of service and positivity will benefit me in college because I can be a sense of encouragement to others. I also plan to be part of many service project’s when the opportunity comes.