I’m not one to make spontaneous decisions. The only reason I do anything spontaneous is because I believe it’s healthy to not shy away from the unknown. And going on this trip was a huge unknown. I volunteered to co-lead this trip 3 days before we had to drive up. On the 10 hour drive up I learned as much as I could about what to expect from this trip.
My expectations were this: one middle school youth group from North Carolina and one mixed-age youth group from Tennessee. The groups were going to stay and eat at the same place together but do ministry at separate locations. And lastly, the ministry will be related to reaching the homeless community.
What I didn’t expect was for these youth to remind me of why I love missions.
On the first day I noticed how excited and distracted everyone was. But as each hour passed with each day, I saw how the excitement changed into passion. From learning about the amount of hungry people in DC, to watching what desperate people do in desperate situations, to becoming friends with the very people that American’s label as untouchable.
But my favorite moments were spending time at the church after ministry everyday. It was in these hours where I was able to sit down and hear the stories of each of these people. From Caleb the “magician” to Madelyn the brave. I even played piano each night with several of the guys.
This spontaneous trip turned into something that I will never forget. Each of these young men + women will be forever on my hearts. They reminded me of why I have a desire to lead missions trips from halfway across the Earth to my neighboring town in Georgia. But the biggest takeaway was how incredibly loving they each were to me.
Thank you for everything.
