Your Light Is Back: Finding Purpose Through Service with Youthlinc

By: Kylee Finch

How do you put into words the experience that you have seeing the world and all good within it? How do you put into words how much your life changes when you experience all of what the world has to offer in villages from around the world? Short answer you really can’t, long answer is the stories I have from my experience.  

I have been on two Youthlinc service year trips now and each year my life is impacted more and more. The summer of 2024 I was on my first humanitarian trip with Youthlinc. We were heading to Cambodia, the build up of excitement to get in the country and make an impact was unmeasurable. Little did I know that I was not just leaving an impact but I was also going to be  impacted.

The very first time we drove up to that school hearing the children yelling with excitement and warmth is a sound and feeling that will never be matched. From the second we got off the bus connections were strong and deep. Yes there was a language barrier but it didn’t matter you could feel the connection with just a look and a hug. From that moment I was a different person. These people had touched my life in a way that I still can not explain, they gave me a why in life that I didn't know I needed. I often talk about this trip and I still do not have enough words to explain it all.

However, there is one day that will forever be my favorite day. It is a day mid trip that not much work got done at all, but the work that did get done was connections and memories. This day we were hit with so much rain that we had to stop all the work we were doing. The fields flooded and we watched the rain dump from the sky like we had never seen before. Once it stopped the fun began we all ran out in the rain and played soccer, danced and just had a massive water fight. Laughter filled the air and the energy from this day was unmatched. Still to this day I look back at the pictures and the rush of all the feelings come back. The smiles were real and raw and full of spirit, this moment was one I could not wait to share. When I got home and was able to share this experience I just lit up, and the part that stuck out the most is when I showed pictures of this day and hearing my family say “ your light is back”. In that moment it all sunk in. Yes, these wonderful people in Cambodia needed me but I needed them too. There is this part of doing humanitarian work that brings out the best in people. That feeling is one that is so addicting and it's one that since then I have chased.

After returning home from Cambodia I could not wait to get started on another service year, but I wanted to be more impactful. This time I signed up to be an assistant team lead, this choice was such an easy one for me to make. I wanted to help my team have the experience that I did on my first trip. Being someone they could come to the whole year and give them even just a piece of the feeling I got in Cambodia. Summer of 2025 I helped lead an amazing team to Kenya, we truly were the G.O.A.T team nothing seemed too big of a task for this group.  We knew we had a massive task going into the trip before we even got to the school.

Driving up to the school we heard the roar of the students singing and yelling to welcome us, a sound we heard from down the street. Chills came over me as I felt the same feeling I did in Cambodia. All of it was back to this feeling and connection I had been chasing from the moment I left Cambodia. I was so excited to get to share this with my team and my best friend.

The pure will of this team was inspiring. We funded enough to build an entire kitchen for the school but we didn’t just stop there. We all worked so hard so that we could leave Kenya better than we found it. Once again this service year gave me a perspective on life that I didn't know I needed. Our team's phrase the whole year was Ubuntu “ I am because we are”. I am because we are, I am a better person because we are a great team. I am inspired because we inspired others. I am proud because we did things to be proud of.  No more did this life become what I need but it became what does “we” need. What do others need? What can I give them? Not only did I see these changes in my life but got to watch as my best friend experienced them as well, her world impacted just like mine. 

Youthlinc gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to be able to be a part of something that is way bigger than myself and gives me the environment to make an impact, and truly see how wonderful the world is and how good people truly are. We live in a beautiful world that is filled with so much good. That is something that I will never get over and why I kept coming back. The feelings, connections and impact that leave not only you, but the places we go better than we found them. I can not wait to experience all of the connections and feelings again this upcoming summer as an assistant team leads a wonderful group to Fiji. This time getting to share it with my younger cousin and grandpa.