This year Bermuda Overseas Missions partnered with Habitat for Humanity to build houses in Malawi.

Three Warwick Academy students — Kayleb Butterfield, Celine Morton and Shayla Smith — along with 29 other team members built houses in Muhiyo, which is a rural village in Mulanje, Malawi.

Here, the students share their perspectives, opinions and experiences.

• Shayla Smith

My once-in-a-lifetime experience happened one month ago, when I landed in Malawi.

I had all intentions of building a house, experiencing the culture, meeting new people, and then returning back home.

Now, I realise that if I did just that, my trip would not have been so rewarding.

Immediately, as I stepped off the plane, my heart was captured by the welcoming locals. Everyone was very pleasant and happy.

We were overseas for approximately 2½ weeks. We built houses in Muhiyo village, visited an orphanage in Mulanje, and then went on a safari.

Malawi and its people left an imprint on my heart. Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, though the happiness in the village was so rich and pure.

This made me question the factors behind happiness, and this experience has confirmed that it does not derive from material things, but rather it comes straight from the heart.

As soon as I saw the villagers, I realised that we were not just building them a house, but we were enriching their faith and giving them a different outlook on life.

We changed their lives, but we cannot negate the fact that they changed ours. Just as we built them a house, they rejuvenated our outlook on the world. I look at the world now more modestly and with more gratitude than ever before.

Sometimes it is forgotten that by giving, something is always received. It is not about how much you have, but how much of it you share and give.

As I returned to the Malawi airport, I realised that I was a different person. I left not only having built a house and knowing the beautiful culture and people, but I left with a different meaning for life, a different perception of it.

This is not a gift that can be unwrapped, but rather one that can only be received after giving people time, hope, love, a home and a smile.

This was definitely the best trip I have ever been on and I would not hesitate to visit Malawi again. I am thankful to BOM, David Thompson, and the rest of the BOM team for this amazing experience and opportunity.

I now truly believe that the beauty is not solely in what you leave along the journey, but also in what you take with you.

• Kayleb Butterfield and Celine Morton

You never realise how much you have until you go to a place where the people have so little.

Being able to connect with people of a completely different culture has opened our eyes up to just how lucky we are to live in a country where we can take necessities like food and water for granted.

When we were first thinking about the trip, we thought we were giving these people a home but what we were really giving them was hope for a better future.

A home is more than just a roof over your head; it is a place of safety and security.

We take for granted how privileged we are to have a safe place to come home to, and it is only right that the families in the village have the same opportunity.

As we drove into the village on the first day, they welcomed us with open arms and open hearts.

They gladly welcomed us into their community and it was very heart-warming to see how grateful they were towards people that they had not even met.

It was amazing to see just how close the community was — even people who were not receiving a house were at the site every day bringing us bricks and water, not expecting anything in return.

Seeing how happy these children are with little to nothing has made us realise that we should not get caught up with materialistic things as these things should not be what make us happy.

This trip has taught us that we really need to take a minute to stop and think about what is really important in life.

This trip was a life-changing experience that changed our perspectives of the world we live in, and opened our eyes up to what we should truly value in life.

It is still hard to accept that we were only able to help four families, knowing that there were 2000 other people in the village that needed our help, but we know that just being there created hope for those other families. The BOM motto “Be the change you wish to see in the world”, by Mahatma Ghandi, is very meaningful to us and we believe that everyone should take the time out and make a positive change in the life of someone less fortunate.

Celine added: “One little boy named John really touched my heart.

“Every day, rain or shine, he came to the site with the biggest smile you will ever see. He passed my team bricks and matope (mud), even though we were not building for his family.

“He became a good friend who would dance and make everyone smile.

“He could speak little to no English but, on the last day as we were driving off, he told me he loved me. I will never forget his smile.”