There’s nothing like a good mission trip to to remind me why I want to do ministry with you – teenagers.
There is something very unique that happens on these trips. I often call it a “springboard” for our youth ministry back here at home. Thirty-six of our youth and adults just got back from a week of serving God in the beautiful mountains of Wyoming at the Wind River Indian Reservation. Wind River is a stark contrast between some of the most beautiful land in America and some of the most difficult of social and economic conditions. Our youth and adults spent the week focusing on two ministries. One was painting and beautifying homes and the other was leading a Kids Club, a neighborhood children’s program mostly for kids who don’t go to church. It was an amazing week!
One reason I believe that mission trips are so powerful is that it is intense, focused time on God. If you’ve been on a YouthWorks trip, you know about turning off cell phones and iPods (except maybe during a little free time) and focusing, instead, on the relationships right in front of you. Every morning you went to a quiet place and read your Bible and wrote in your Devo Journal as you focused on our theme for the week, “Be Different!” Each day during the trip, at the end of the day, you talked mainly about two things: your relationship with others and your relationship with God.
When I think of my time with my group, all I can say is, “WOW!” I remember thinking one night that it would be so cool if everyone in our church back home could be a “fly on the wall” and hear some of the amazing insights and stories that our students had. It was so inspiring.
God was alive and well in the lives of these young people and adults. It was powerful to see what God was doing in the lives of some students who had never done anything like this before. It was a beautiful example of what the church, a community in Christ, is called to be. We had deep conversations about God and about relationships, as we wrestled with the questions of life like a community called by Christ should do. It’s pretty simple really.
We do these mission trips not because of some grand idea that we can “save the world” through our great acts of service, but because Jesus simply calls us to “go and do likewise.” Through this, we strengthen our relationships with each other and with God. Relationships were strengthened across the miles as we were able to spend time with people who are different than us yet share the same hunger for relationship. Relationships were strengthened with our youth and adults that will translate into a stronger faith community back home. And most of all, our relationship was strengthened with the One who calls us every day to seek and follow him, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
For it is Christ who calls us to “BE DIFFERENT!”
As I was driving home contemplating all God had done, one thing kept going through my head. It was that everyone should do this. I really mean that. Every single person should spend an intensive time serving God where all that is focused on is relationships with others and relationship with God. Imagine what kind of a church we would be if everyone, young or old, would take some time to do this. God would do amazing things!
