Service For Peace

I just can say that it was one of the best experiences I have had in my life. I got to know amazing people that teach me the importance of service and how to be a good leader. I had the opportunity to work for the best of my own community and share with other what I have done and inspire them to do the same. Service For Peace is a life experience that will be part of you for the rest of your life. XD

Global Peacemakers has been one of the best experiences of my life! It has shaped me and my life in many positive ways. The project expanded my small minded view of the world and myself. I was able to become close with a group of strangers who, in the end, became family. I had no idea what this project was going to consist of or who I would meet along the way and those two weeks in Dominican Republic definitely expanded my ability to accept all different types of people.
In La Guamita, the small Community of Peace where we worked, I was able to love and be loved by people who didn't even speak the same language as me. Through this service project I was able to realize that people are people no matter where they are from, what language they speak or how differently they may lead their lives. The connection of heart that was created between the people of La Guamita and the project participants was too profound to explain in words. I carry my experiences from GPM wherever I go, and I am so grateful to have had such an incredible opportunity to serve in the awesome country of Dominican Republic. I'd recommend time and again to anyone!

I started my SFP experience in 2004 as a participant in the Summer of Service program. I had no idea what I was walking into but when it was time to leave I just couldnt walk away. Several years and projects later, I still consider myself as part of the SFP family. You meet the most incredible people both in your fellow volunteers and in the community you work in.
Ill never forget the children in Nicaragua at the school we worked at on that first international project. Everything seemed to be covered in a film of red dust and each classroom was jam packed, some with two classes learning in the same room but every day the children came with clean uniforms and smiles on their faces. We put all of our hearts into building new classrooms for them. The best part was that it wasnt just a single two week project. Our group started the foundations and the community with the local SFP chapter continued where we left off. I went back a year later to find a new building on the foundation we had built. When I had to leave the second time, I knew that this was a project and a community that would continue to develop. Over the years, I have seen just this happen with this school and others in communities across the world.

Knowing that everything you do changes the world for the better...that is what it's like when you are on a Service for Peace GPM project. Every time I swung my pick axe at the ground I could feel the pride swell up, it overwhelmed any tiredness I could have felt. I didn't work hard because I'm a hard worker - I worked hard because I was selfish, because every drop of sweat that I had made me smile, it let me know I was doing something to help the world. I never felt so connected to the world and the people around me; it's something indescribable but all volunteers know what I'm talking about. It's the best feeling in the world and all of the volunteers got to feel that way.
In retrospect it was Janna, Joan, Mely, and Carlodys (the SFP Dominican Republic staff) that were truly selfless and wise way beyond their years. They knew how dangerous this feeling was they made sure that everyone took breaks and they looked after everyone even when we wouldn't look out for ourselves. Just like each of the volunteers I shared my projects with, each one of the staff members from Service for Peace has taught me so much about myself that I don't know how I could ever possibly hope of showing them how grateful I am. I also don't know how but somehow they even are even letting me join the ranks of staff. I'm aware of how giant the shoes are I have to fill but I consider it a challenge that I will overcome and I'm so happy that I have a chance to.

I remember calling my apartment complex and the city government building to complain about a broken water pipe. I was just dropped off by a friend who had picked me up from the airport after arriving from the Dominican Republic from the Global PeaceMakers. When I saw the water shooting up about 6 feet from the ground  I just had the vision of the kids in Yamasá who don't have the privilege or access to running water at all. I remember complaining to the city worker about the breakage. While he was trying to fix the pipe, I told him about my trip and why I was so concerned about this pipe  I remember telling him most people in the world are not even able to get drinking water. The worker replied, 'It sounds like you had an eye-opening experience,' and I just knew, at that point, that the GPM in the DR had changed my life.
The GPM really impacted me. While I was there, I learned so much about the Service For Peace organization, the culture in the DR, the local social issues, and most of all  I learned so much about myself. To be honest, I went on the trip to get away from the stress of my daily life; at that time I was going through a lot with school, family, and the passing of someone special to me. I just wanted to get away and do something different, but I didn't expect to learn more about me as the main character in my quest. This trip allows me to set my selfish needs aside and help build a better community for the children and the rest of the community residents. When I came back to the States, I took those lessons and utilized them to become an active citizen in my community. I became a better person overall.
Before I went to the DR, I was just a volunteer. After completing the GPM, I had a better understanding of my abilities as a leader and felt empowered to change to the world around me. Now, I continue to participate in service trips across the country and aboard. Also, I decide to get involved in my own city and coach a cheerleading squad of 45 girls from low-income families. I also coach volleyball and tennis for middle- and high school girls in the same situation. Service For Peace helped me to realize I can--and do--embody the traits of role model and to seek different opportunities to influence the culture of service in the younger generation to get involved for positive change.