It was my third mission trip, and I was going with 25 of my crazy friends and four of my adult leaders. A lot of my friends had never been on a plane… or a mission trip! We were heading down to Puerto Rico, so it was bound to be a crazy, fun and meaningful trip. God definitely had something BIG planned for all of us individually.
Before we got to our site, our leaders split us up into four groups to be travel buddies and make sure we were all on the plane. This way no one would be left behind! We assumed that the groups we were put in would be the same ones we visited our ministry sites in. I was excited because I didn’t have very strong friendships with the people in my group.
I thought, “Of course! This is God’s plan for me! To get to know the people in this group!”
I should tell you now that you really shouldn’t think you know what God has in mind for you. He probably has something much, much better in mind.
When we got to our site, after some crazy problems with our rental trucks, we were met by the most enthusiastic, caring, fun girl I had ever met. We soon learned that the rest of the staff there too help us were just as great. Jenna, Adrienne, Scott, Josh and Becky were fun-loving and God-loving and balanced those two things perfectly. It was great getting to know them.
We were told our first day of going to ministry sites that our groups were being changed. I was told that the new group I was in was going to a place called Reto Juvenil. I wasn’t going to be working with little kids after all. I was going to be working with teenage boys, who were sent to this Christian program instead of jail. I was scared.
The first thought I had was “God, why aren’t you following your plan for me? I’m already good friends with the people you put in my group! I’m not going to grow at all!”
What was I thinking?
I was not thinking about how I could help the community I was in. I was only thinking of my own growth. I thought I had God all figured out. I know now that is never fully possible. That is why we have faith! So we can trust that God has good things in store for us.
The whole week was amazing. These 17-year-old boys that we had never met before really opened up to us. Learning about their histories, stories, experiences, interests and lives really put a burden on my heart. I knew then that God wanted us to love and learn about the people in this community we came to help, and then God would show us what we needed to learn about ourselves.
The theme of the week was to “Be Different” (or “Se Diferente” in Spanish!): Believe Different, Act Different, React Different, Love Different and Return Different. Be like Jesus! Jesus didn’t try to fit in, and he definitely was not focused on himself.
Coming back from this amazing trip, I know that I need to return different and stay different! We need to focus on how we can help others, and not how we can help ourselves. If we do, God will teach us things about ourselves that we couldn’t have figured out on our own!
I pray that we can all learn how to notice opportunities to help others. I also pray for all the great people I met in Puerto Rico, that what my group did and what all the other groups did to help would make a lasting impact on the people of that community. I also pray, if it is in God’s will, that I will be able to go back one day!
God changes our lives in unexpected and amazing ways, and He always has the perfect plan.
by Madeline Beal
