Volunteering has been my life. I’ve been a missionary kid in the Philippines for as long as I can remember.

Our feeding program provides food for kids who are undernourished. I hand out food, take pictures to post for awareness and help clean up.

The typical kid I help serve is skinny, shy, wears stacks of rubber bands on their wrists, and often doesn’t have good shoes (if they have any at all). But seeing them happy and smiling makes everything worthwhile.

I also volunteer at Tebow CURE missionary hospital for kids with special needs. Usually before the kids go in for treatment, I help keep them occupied and give them a bit of joy in the playroom. Many have escaped horrible situations. One boy lost his limbs when rebels left him and his family to burn in their house—he was one of the only survivors. When I think of that I’m reminded, What do I have to complain about?

Sometimes I don’t really know how all these experiences have affected me, but I do know they have influenced my world view. I think I see things from a larger perspective. It doesn’t even cross my mind as ‘volunteering’—I just see it as doing the right thing. How would I think, though, if I had been raised in the U.S. instead? I can’t say for sure. Whatever the future holds for me, I never want to stop helping those in need.