Joy Through the Eyes of a Child, by Amanda Blackwelder

I have always loved volunteering and serving other people. I also love working with children. This summer I worked at the Harris YMCA as a camp counselor. My favorite part was seeing the joy in their eyes when their favorite camp counselor would play with them. When I was little and went to camp, I thought that my counselors were the coolest thing on the Earth. I wanted to be like them when I grew up. I was always joyful when they would play with me because they were my role model. That is what I believe the kids today see in a counselor/ role model.  I am very excited about working in the orphanage. I want to be able to play with children and see that same joy in their eyes as well. Romans 15:32 "says so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed". I feel that if I go to Haiti with great joy and excitement I will make a difference in a child's life. I believe that they will see my joy and then become joyous because they will see that there is a God and there is hope.