Missions

"Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

"...the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’" Matthew 25:40

Missions has been on my mind a lot the past few weeks. My mom and sister just got back from Haiti. You can read about their trip here and here.

The first week in January, Stephen and I made a trip to Boone to visit with one of the missionaries we worked with in South Africa who was in the States telling her story and continuing to raise support for the work she is doing.

Mom and Allyson got back the same night Stephen and I visited with Helen. Between the stories from both trips some joyous some heartbreaking, I couldn't help but reflect on my trips and begin to long to go on a trip myself again.

Join me for a brief trip down memory lane?

I took my first mission trip when I was in high school in 2002. The youth group took a two week trip to Montana. We spent the first week in Yellowstone National Park before heading over into the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation to do some minor house repairs. This trip was very similar to World Changers. We stayed in a school and were on crews with people from other groups.

My crew worked on painting and flooring a man's house.

It was a great trip that really pushed me out of my comfort zone. I was saved when I left for this mission trip, but had never been baptized. Through conversations and Bible studies on the trip, I realized being baptized was something I needed to do out of obedience to the Lord. So, when I got home, I was baptized. This is Thomas, the sweet man's house that we had the privilege of working on and his horse Slingshot.

The summer of 2005 I had just graduated from high school and was on my way to college. A trip with the youth group was the last thing on my radar, especially since none of my friends were going. Selfish, I know. I had an awesome youth pastor who made really pushed me and challenged me to go. After much resistance, I gave in and went to Philadelphia on a World Changers trip. Just like in Montana, we stayed in a school and were on crews with people from other groups doing home repair. My crew worked on two different houses doing outside painting and roof repair.

I promise we weren't goof balls the whole trip! Above, I am holding the ladder for someone who was doing roof work...and enjoying a popsicle. :)

This trip was 5 months before my back surgery where I had a ruptured disk repaired. I was in a lot of pain, but was so very blessed to have the chance to work for people who literally were physically unable to repair their home. A little leg pain and intense heat (middle of July...no AC...non-stop sweat) is easy to forget about when you're serving others. Although I was in pain and it was hot, those are not the major things I remember from this trip. I was stretched spiritually a lot on this trip. I grew and matured in my walk with the Lord on this trip more than any other trip. And to think I almost didn't go...

I also took my first overseas mission trip the summer of 2005 to Quito, Ecuador. This was also a last minute trip. They had the team set and ready to go and then someone had to back out. So, once again, Ted called me up and encouraged me to go. He didn't have to persuade me quite as much this time. We ran three different basketball camps for the kids in the area and got to meet and work with some incredible Ecuadorans. It was a blast and was where I fell in love with overseas missons. There is something special about serving overseas and an experience I wish everyone would get to have.

In the picture below, the couple in the middle were our hosts for the week and the two guys on the end were our drivers and translators. Awesome awesome people!

In 2006, I returned to Ecuador. This time some of my best friends went with us. Going overseas to serve is awesome. Serving with great friends is even better! We still to this day reminisce about this trip.

There's something special about the first place you go overseas to serve. Ecuador will always hold that special spot in my heart.

Then, in December of 2007 I took a three week trip over Christmas to Cape Town, South Africa. I really wrestled with going on this trip. When I first heard about it, I was so excited and ready to sign up; it had been over a year since I had been overseas and I was missing it. Then, they told us the dates...we would be gone for Christmas and New Year's. I immediately decided there was no way I was going. Christmas is family time and I wasn't missing that. Then, the Holy Spirit began to work on my heart and reveal my selfish attitude. A few weeks later, I signed up to go.

This trip was different from any other trip I had been on. Cape Town is much more developed and modern than any other area I had been to on a trip (including the state-side trips I had done). Just like in the States, Christmas is a big deal for them and the normal day to day life slows down quite a bit. So, we had a lot of down town mixed in with a lot of work. Three weeks is a long time. I was used to trips where we were on the go from sun up to sun down serving. This trip wasn't like that...we spent a lot of time in malls and hanging out at our camp with just our team.

I struggled emotionally on this trip too. Stephen and I were dating seriously at the time and I missed him like crazy! It was a mix of really wishing he was there with me experiencing missions and really wishing I was home hanging out with him. Although I left this trip with an incredible group of friends, we didn't start out super close. Being with a group of people that I didn't know super well, was intimidating...Not to mention, we were 24+ hours away from home. I had never been that far away from home for that long all alone before and it caused some anxiety while I was there.

However, this is another trip that I grew so much on. With all of the down time, we had a lot of time to spend with the Lord both as a team and individually. I filled up an entire journal in those three weeks with reflections and prayers and came out so much closer to the Lord. It's so cool to me to realize every time that I leave thinking I'm going to bless and serve other people and come back feeling blessed and served and challenged even more. God is cool like that!

While it was an emotionally challenging trip, it was such an incredible trip at the same time. Spending three weeks with a small group of people leads to such great friendships. Experiencing and sharing memories with them that no one else has bonds you in a way that is indescribable. The stories and laughter from all of these trips are still some of my favorite memories. We laughed so much in South Africa that I'm sure the South Africans thought we were crazy!

I haven't been on a trip overseas since South Africa. Going to grad school and getting a job in the real world ties up your schedule a little bit more than high school and college. It's hard to believe 5 years has passed since my last trip. Time really is flying by! I've been living vicariously through all of my sister's trips so it doesn't feel quite as long.  With Allyson moving to Haiti soon, I'm going to say it's safe to assume my next trip will be to Haiti. I miss it and can't wait to get back out there.

Thanks for taking a trip down memory lane with me!