Thegreatest feeling in the world comes not from receiving presents, or even acingthat math test you studied so hard for. Rather, it starts when you hand a cup ofhot coffee to that older man sitting on the side of the street begging for money.You feel it when you drive an hour and a half to a hospital to meet children withcancer. And you feel it when you sit down with your friend to comfort her afterher mother died. Helping others can be the most rewarding feeling in the world,and I discovered this just one year ago.

My boyfriend convinced me toattend a Youth Group meeting at his church. After an hour of listening to themshare their opinions, they invited me to go with them to help feed the homeless.

Early that Saturday morning, a crew of 15 teenagers began makingsandwiches, packing fruit, and counting bags of chips. For the first time in mylife I realized that we, the teens of America, can make a difference. Since itwas my first time, and I wasn't officially part of the group, I felt a little outof place. But watching the others hand out the food eased my discomfort.

Before long, all 150 bagged lunches were gone and the group was on itsway home. I realized that not only is my boyfriend an amazing person, but thatall of those people are amazing. That's what made me join the YouthGroup.

I work at a coffee shop and make minimum wage. It's not the mostglamorous job, but there are times when it's worth it. Take, for instance, anincident a few weeks ago when the store was empty and I was bored. Leaningagainst the counter and looking out the window, I noticed an old man sittingoutside. He had been there before. As a matter of fact, he was a regular, thoughhe never came in to buy anything because he didn't have any money. I poured a cupof coffee, walked outside, and handed it to him. The smile on his face made myday, and as I walked back into the store, I dropped my own money into theregister. Then I knew how the members of the Youth Group feel every time theyhelp someone. Knowing that you can help is amazing - the greatest feeling in theworld.