Youth On Mission Trip

Recently I attended a youth on mission Camp held @ Truett McConnell Collage. It being @ Trutt is a major coincidence, because it’s a possibility on my list of possible colleges. Anyway, I had an awesome time. Me and Pastor Brian (My youth Pastor) were the only two going. We went alone because I need exposure in missions since I plan to be a missionary in some way shape or form. Since it was just the two of us, we were paired with another group. Ironically we didn’t know who we would be partnered with until that very day. And if you know me you are aware that I’m a scheduled person. When I’m not on a schedule I freak out. But something I heard many times is that as Christians we are to be flexible. Sometimes God has different plans. So I definitely learned that a plan is good, but it’s better to be flexible. On the road of life there are twist, turns, stops, and many hills. As a born again Christian we are supposed to let God drive. Sometimes that can mean being completely out of your comfort zone. This trip was definitely out of my comfort zone! I’m usually used to my friends being there so I can fall back on them. This trip was something I never want to forget.
That Sunday was Homecoming. I sat in the social hall looking at people laughing and smiling. I wanted to be like them. I wanted to be a home person that stayed in their comfort zone. I was so nervous! The ride up there wasn’t that bad though. Pastor Brian knows how to make you feel better. But sometimes he can be too serious. We arrived at the college around six thirty. We were the last ones to arrive. We went to the cafeteria and grabbed something to eat. Well Pastor Brian ate. I didn’t eat anything. Anytime I’m away from home my appetite is shot. We went to the seven o’clock orientation and found out there were about five groups. There was also another group that was just two people too. We went to bed that night not knowing what or who we would be working with. The next morning we met New Harmony Baptist Church. We were doing a Bible school for kids that lived in Pardue trailer park. It was a little awkward at first, but I made friends fast.
My first friend was Jordan. She was the group's photographer. She was pretty good at making small talk and we hit it off pretty good. She was a junior.
While talking to Jordan I met Brandi and her daughter Ashley. Brandi would always pick at me. She made me laugh alot. I believe she was the reason I felt so welcome. She has what you would call a dry since of humor. She was very sarcastic lol.
My next friend was Jenna Stephens. She was also interested in missions. She was sweet and really funny. We became friends pretty quick. We both really enjoyed working with the kids. We even played tic tac toe with them and they loved it. They would jump and dance when they won. They were very good trash talkers. Hahaha
Tyler was the musician in the group. He played guitar. My first impression was that he was really cool. We were good friends the rest of the trip.
While we were at Bible school we got bored and started doing string tricks. Like Jacob’s ladder and the witch’s broom. Aren, a girl in the group got really frustrated with it. We became friends while I taught her how to do Jacob’s ladder. She was about thirteen and very energetic. She was pretty awesome.
After Bible school we went into Helen to wash windows. We laughed so hard at the looks we got from tourists. The whole idea is to get someone to ask what we’re doing. That becomes an opportunity to share the gospel. Something I’ll always remember is to wipe the window with a paper towel after you squeegee it. It prevents streaks. We washed windows for about two hours. If anything we got a farmer’s tan. Hahaha
We then went to a camp ground and sung two songs and performed skits. The skits were “Contagious” and “Sin Box”. These two skits were very cool and got the point across. Sin is contagious and hard to get away from once you’ve got into it. So that was the first day. Pretty great! Something that really stood out was the difference between my youth group and theirs. They were so sincere and serious. They do goof off occasionally, but they know when to be serious, unlike our youth group.
The second day we continued with Bible school, but instead of window washing we went tubing. It was so much fun! Me, Jenna, and Ashley connected and tried to maneuver around rock and into currents. We got stuck a few times and even lost Ashley’s tube Lol. But we didn’t have the worst of it. Brandi had her tube stolen by some old guy. She had to swim until she found another empty tube. We almost died laughing when she finally made it to the end. That night we went out to eat and walked around Helen. When we got back to Truett McConnell we had an assembly. The band was great and the message convicting. After that we went up to the very top hill where a cross is placed. That was some hike. Hahaha. We even had some other groups join us. We did what they call “Cow Tow”. It’s where you lay completely flat and pray. It may sound ridiculous, but it’s really humbling. We left that night and got home around three thirty.
Come to find out the next night they went up to the hill and did the same thing. This time four people got saved and they had seven rededications. Two of those dedications were Erin and Tyler. How bought that. Well I guess that’s it. I have a better idea what the mission field is like. Thanks for all of your prayers and support. God definately worked on this trip.