“I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come…” Luke 7:8

Hello people of this wonderful and amazing world! My name is Maurice and I was Leader of the Day for Aid and Development Day. After we ate breakfast, we headed to Barrio Las Flores where we met Scott Coppa who is a volunteer for the Peace Corps. Once we got there, we saw kids of all ages practicing baseball and it was heartwarming to see them having fun. After we saw this, Scott gave us a presentation about the work that he does for Peace Corps. For example, his presentation explained the differences between aid and development and how both are vital in order to make positive impacts on a community. The energy was low but we got through it. After the presentation we had a tour of the community and we even got to see his house! After this, we had lunch with both of them and then we were off to Rio Grande to present our Community Action Project (CAP) ideas. We had three, the priority being repairing/adding water pipes, the second being a sign for the community, and lastly being cleaning up the community and adding trash cans. After that, we head back to the hotel to prepare for English Tutoring. Then, we were called for a meeting in dining hall. Sadly, it wasn’t just any meeting; it was a meeting to say goodbye to a fellow Glimpser who was heading home. This Glimpser’s name is Reetu. After a heartfelt goodbye, we moved on strongly to English Tutoring. Following our Tutoring prep, we had dinner and nightly meeting to finish off the tiring day.

Being the Leader of the Day was one of the most challenging things on this trip, but a challenge is meant to be accomplished — and that’s what I did. I felt like I could’ve done more, but I did what a leader is supposed to do. I didn’t do this alone; for half of the day, I had Reetu to help me, and she had me to help her. The hardest part of the day was losing Reetu. She gave me strong and encouraging words (almost as strong as her punch) to help me move forward. And then, for the rest of the day, I was a lone wolf. And that’s when you work the best. Other than that, being a leader showed me how important it was to guide a group of people and to satisfy their needs.

I’m grateful and blessed to be on this trip with amazing people and outstanding leaders. I’m even more blessed to have my eyes open to seeing beautiful views and to seeing the sad ones. I felt humble when I walked through Rio Grande. They know how to turn their sorrows into joy; they live a happy and prosperous life. As I feel homesick at the moment, I think about my father and my sisters, Amaya and Ruby (Dad, make sure you kiss Ruby for me!). I miss my church, I miss seeing Garrick and Stephen who prayed over the phone for me before I went on this trip. Thank you and I love you for that!

Lastly, I would like to say thank you for taking the time to read this blog. It means a lot that you’re giving your time and trust to the Glimpsers and Leaders. I thank you for that.

Signing out, this was Maurice Kilgore II. Tomorrow’s leaders will be Flora and Millesha. I’m very excited to see what they have to offer on our Free Day (on which I will be calling my Dad!  ) I can’t wait to see all of the proud parents at the airport.

Love,

Maurice Kilgore II