Upon arrival, I saw a small dirt yard with two make-shift soccer goals made out of rusted metal. A friend brings out a soccer ball, and we begin to kick, run, and play. All of a sudden, a girl around the age of 10 comes out from an alley-way; she does not speak, only watches from behind the fence. We invite her to join us; hesitantly, she kicks the ball. Her name was Ava. This was one of the many connections I made on a church mission trip to Denver, Colorado. Working with refugees from different countries has helped me realize how much I want to help the world, especially those who have very little. Making connections on this one trip helped me realize how I want to do this for the rest of my life: to help people get in touch with God. I particularly have a passion for children of all ages. While painting apartment doors, a boy named Ricardo came up to me; I talked to him about Jesus and if he knew him or not. He translated for me so the people inside the apartment buildings knew what I was doing. He helped me paint and told me about himself, his family, and his dog, Alanzo. A girl named Mooku who was in the 5th grade and was from a place near Taiwan; she was very sassy and quickly became a good friend of mine. On our last day in Denver she asked me if we were coming back next year. I told her we might but only if she works hard, tries her best at school, and in her church. It broke my heart to leave. On this trip we also helped a local church with a program called “Mean Street Ministries.” It enlightened me. Members of my mission group and people from their church came together to the part of town they call “Mean Street”. We met people getting out of bad situations, people who have nowhere else to go, people who needed our help and guidance. Every person has their own story, and I feel the need to help them by using forward-thinking, to look towards the future to be able to see better days. There have been times in my own life where I could not see the end of a bad situation, but I realized that helping others can also help me. As Einstein put it, ”Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” Making these connections and meeting new people has been a life changing opportunity. Helping others has been my passion from the start, especially through the work of God. This mission trip has shown me God and how I want to serve him and others everyday. In the future I plan to continue doing mission work and expand kindness throughout the world.