Alex DiRenzo, Missionary

It was an honor to attend this mission trip. It opened my eyes to see the world around me. It helped me to see that addiction is affecting people here in our community. The trip helped me to grow in my faith.

My favorite part of the trip was cleaning up the camps and listening to the men’s testimonies. While cleaning up the camps, I stumbled onto some very sad items. I found a child’s birth certificate from three years ago. Our group also found a wrapped Christmas present. It was sad to see that it was still unopened. Finding these things helped me to discover how grateful I should be. The speakers forced me to realize that addiction can happen to anyone. Chris’s story hit me hard. It was difficult to believe that someone who went to the school five minutes from my house could be arrested multiple times for robberies. The statement that impacted me most from the entire trip was,” The only time I was clean was when my day started with, ‘You have the right to remain silent.” 

I also made many friendships over the course of this trip. I am now friends with people whom I have never talked to in my life. Our small group began as four boys, some strangers, but by the end of the week we were good friends. Our large group consisted of eight people, all of whom were different ages. It was great to have an opportunity to interact with kids who were older than us. I also enjoyed daily Mass. At the beginning of the trip, I was not enthused about attending Mass and prayer services. I loved Father Mike’s and Deacon Tony’s homilies. They made the words very meaningful and easy for teenagers to understand.

I think it is amazing what Light of Life is doing. They are helping people get their lives back on track. I hope to do another mission trip in the future. I’d like to thank everyone who made this trip special for me.

—Alex DiRenzo, Missionary