Hello, my name is Alexander.
I’m 16 years old. I live in Upper Saddle River, N.J. I have two siblings. I
have an older brother, Christopher, who is 18 years old and goes to the
University of Southern California; and a younger brother, Lawrence, who is
14 years old. I am an 11th grade student at Northern Highlands Regional High
School in Allendale. When I graduate in 2009 I plan to go on to college and
major in Industrial Engineering. My hobbies include skiing, photography,
music, video games, and hanging out with friends. I’m a Christian and I have
personally accepted Christ into my heart. Unlike most teens in this church I
did not attend church regularly from birth. The first person who pointed the
way toward Christianity for me was my mother. When I first started going to
church, I was about 5-6 years old and my mother had to force me to go every
Sunday. After a while I was willing to attend church on my own, but I still
could not find the motivation to truly learn about God. At the age of 15, I
left my life stagnating, my grades were slipping, I had lost sight of God,
and things didn’t seem to be going my way all the time. Then three close
friends: Boaz, Larry, and Jocelyn, showed me the path to the Christian life.
They let me know that if you let God into your heart and you let him take
control of your life, things will start to make sense and life will be more
meaningful. I started to attend church more regularly, and with a different
for a different reason. After many months of faithfully attending church,
paying attention to the sermons, and studying the lessons taught in Sunday
school, I began to have to a better understanding of Christ, and of my
spiritual needs. In November of 2006 I accepted Christ into my heart. Ever
since that day my life has seemed fuller and more complete. I enjoy
attending church every Sunday; I participate in all youth group activities,
and am active on the youth group praise team.
One of the reasons I want to go on this mission trip is because I feel that
I would like to try and do my part in sharing the bible with those who were
not fortunate enough or opportunity had the opportunity to know about God.
Another reason why I would want to go on this mission trip to South Dakota
is because I want to find out firsthand what a mission trip is all about.
This may be my first mission’s trip, but I don’t think it will be my last. I
realize mission trips are unlike any of the vacation trips I have taken in
my life. I wonder how long I can be spiritually strong to keep on sharing
the gospel when there are no 4 star hotels, no fancy restaurants and no
interesting tourist attractions. One more reason that I want to go is for
the experience. For the first time, I will be going outside of my comfort
zone and putting myself in an unfamiliar environment. Though I have built
houses with Habitat for Humanity and I have worked on VBS programs at OCM
Grace Church, this trip will give me a whole new experience. I’ll be working
with total strangers in a totally different cultural environment. I believe
I will benefit greatly from this whole experience and learn more about
myself.