Humanitarian XP trips are built to create environments for Builders to make genuine human connections. These trips give Builders the opportunity to disconnect from their everyday routines and build lasting relationships with fellow group members, the people they serve with, and the local Church community. Ady White shared how the relationships she gained on her 2021 HXP trip in Kenya impacted her:
“I think the part that impacted me the most was the people. The people in my group and the people we met in Kenya. The timing of the trip was perfect for me and everyone my group felt the same. They were all so loving and excited to be there and get to know everyone. I could’ve been with anyone in the group and still had a good time. The connections were almost instant as I started building relationships in the airport. Between the Digital Detox and being alone in a place we had never been before, an environment was created where we could all be vulnerable and bond quickly.”
Aside from creating friendships with other Builders, Humanitarian XP trips have an extremely unique design that allow our Builders to serve and connect with local youth and adults in the locations they go to. HXP Program Managers work hard to find communities that are happy to share their culture and love with us.
“The people in Kenya we met were also so cool. For example, when we went out with the missionaries to share scriptures and Christ’s love with others we met a local named Brighton. He was so cool! We got close with him and I felt like the spirit really helped him out. The kids at the school were so loving and just happy to meet you and see you. Every day we were out on the worksite, the school kids were overwhelmingly loving.”
When these Builders attend church services and ward activities, serve local communities, and build genuine relationships with locals in new environments, they are given the opportunity to observe God’s love and awareness of all people in a very real way.
“I felt the same love and acceptance from the people in the ward. On our first Sunday people would just come up and introduce themselves. It was so cool!! Even though we were in a part of the world that we are unfamiliar with, the people didn’t care! They loved having us there and helped us feel right at home. It was so hard to leave because I haven’t gotten that much love from so many people in that short amount of time. I think I’ll always remember all the people I met on that trip.”
When you work hard, feel the spirit and experience new cultures with your group, the bond you’ll create is unmatched. Often times, the relationships you build during your trip will last long after their trip ends.
Ady’s friend, Cali, who she met while she was in Kenya, recently flew from Washington to Utah to visit her and spend the weekend.
Attending Humanitarian XP trips inevitably provides opportunities to build lasting friendships both with others in the group and those they meet in the states/countries they visit, but it also presents our Builders with a faith-promoting experience. At HXP, we have witnessed our Builders end up on the trip where God needs them most an innumerable amount of times, and we know that every Builder has a purpose in where they are placed. We invite all our Builders to have faith that God’s hands are in the details of their group, to prayerfully and genuinely consider which trip God wants them to go on, and to believe that they will be exactly where they need to be.