The Geneseo High School graduate and incoming Monmouth College freshman spent 20 hours – one way – on a flight earlier this summer while on a Young Life Group trip to Africa. Young Life Group is a worldwide non-denominational Christian youth group for middle school and high school students. The Quad Cities contingent travels on an out-of-country mission trip every other year.

The nearly two-week trip to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was spent working with Ethiopian youth in preparation for a Youth Life camp and working in two orphanages. One orphanage housed more than 400 children infected with the HIV/AIDS virus.

After spending time in the orphanages, Weber has a greater appreciation for life in the United States.

"The trip made me realize how materialistic we can be in the U.S.," said Weber, who plans to major in business at Monmouth. "The children in the orphanages, even in the HIV/AIDS orphanage, were always so happy just to see us. It didn’t matter that they didn’t have much in the way of material things. It makes you realize we are really blessed in the U.S."

Weber claimed the most exhausting part of the trip was not the 20-hour plane ride, but the three-day Young Life camp the group participated in. "We had a lot of activities going on," he said of the camp, which included 175 high school students. "We played soccer and even had to negotiate an obstacle course in the dark."

With the rigors of the African trip behind him, and grueling football camp two-a-days ahead of him, is Weber ready for some down time? Not exactly.

"I’d like to go back to Ethiopia," said Weber. "Only next time I’d like to stay longer."