Hayden’s Story - Reward in the Midst of Discomfort

Hayden was born in North Carolina. She is 17 years old, attends Green Hope High School where she is a junior, and she worships at Hope Community Church. Hayden also loves horror movies. She was on staff at Cary School of Gymnastics where she worked once a week. Working there was probably her favorite thing in the world because she got to hang out with kids and she loves kids. Hayden also has two brothers with whom she loves to play sports with. 

In this episode, Hayden shares some memorable stories of her experience during her first mission trip to India. She remembers their group’s air conditioning and power challenges at their hotel. She also talks about the other members of the team who made the trip very enjoyable and memorable for her. Hayden discusses the time zone change which was the biggest adjustment that she had to make while on the trip. 

Hayden also talks about how the missions made her feel full. Her favorite part of all was doing the songs and the dances for the kids. They looked so happy the whole time and they were getting the words and jumping up and down dancing. Just seeing how happy their team could make the kids just made Hayden very happy. Before going on missions, she was already grateful for what she had. But she realized now, that she was not feeling blessed and was not as grateful as she should have been. After going on the mission trip, she realized that there are so many things that she took for granted. And sometimes true joy doesn't come from the things you have, but it comes from God and the people around you.  

Seeing the people in India not only changed her heart, but it also changed her mindset and made her closer to God. Because it made her want to appreciate the things that she had more. And she felt almost guilty for having the things that she had. For when she saw the people that didn't have the things that she had, it just made her try to be more grateful. When asked to explain her mission trip in one word, Hayden says “rewarding”. As it was an experience that not a lot of people get to have, it really gave her a different feeling and it was very beneficial to her as a person. 

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Global Hope India: For over 20 years we have been watching God radically transform thousands of Americans & Indian Nationals through missions. We’ve taken nearly 1,000 Americans on short-term mission trips to India. We work with 12 long-term indigenous church planting partners located in North, South, East, & West mainland India as well as Northeast India. We empower the Church in India to make Christ known through leadership, child, & village development projects. Global Hope India is a federally recognized 501(c)3 nonprofit organization located in Morrisville, North Carolina. All gifts are tax-deductible. More about GHI.More about Missions Changed My Life Podcast.

Meet Pastor Kevin: Pastor Kevin is Founder and Executive Director of Global Hope India and your host for Missions Changed My Life Podcast. He’s a poor kid from rural North Carolina, but get this… He just returned from his 50th trip to India in 20 years. If he doesn’t yet hold the Guinness Book of World Records for the most trips to India then he’s got to be close. He’s flown over a million miles to 27 different countries. He’s taken nearly 1,000 people on mission trips to India. Global Hope India has seen thousands of Indian Nationals and Americans radically transformed by God through missions. The miracle continues! More about Pastor Kevin.

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