Note: I can’t show pictures of my buddy for privacy reasons. This was the only picture of me alone XD. I’m holding up 5 fingers, but there’s only 3 things… I found that funny. 😂
3 weeks ago, I went on my first mission trip.
It was with an organization called Joni & Friends. They were having a retreat for families where one or more of the family members had a disability, and I was assigned to be a buddy to one of the kids in a certain family. That meant I would do things with my buddy most of the day. We would go to Bible lessons and small group together, as well as spending our free time and meals together.
My buddy’s name was Ellie. She was 9 years old, and part of a family of 7–she had 4 siblings. Her youngest 2 siblings had disabilities.
I had an awesome time with my buddy. We played games, learned Bible stories, and ate good food–including a lot of cotton candy. She was a really sweet girl who loved Jesus.
The trip was super fun, but also taught me some things. Here are 3 things I learned:
#1: A little sacrifice can make a big impact.
Going on the Joni & Friends trip didn’t feel like that big of a sacrifice to me. I was enjoying myself, spending time with an awesome 9-year-old, and getting to know some other great volunteers.
But the time I put into hanging out with my buddy and her family made a big impact on them. The parents especially were grateful for how well their family was taken care of, and the kids were all happy to have great buddies.
On the last day of the retreat, some people stood up during the closing ceremony and talked about how they had seen God working during the week. The dad of my family stood up, and with tears in his eyes, said that he could see Jesus in the people there. He could see Jesus in the volunteers, who were giving up their time for the families, and in the families, who were all going through similar struggles together.
There were families there who hadn’t taken a vacation in years because it wouldn’t work with their family’s needs. But the Joni & Friends family retreat was a vacation they could do. It was a vacation that ensured their children would be taken care of. Because of that, it blessed them beyond measure.
I love knowing that others could see Jesus in me and the other volunteers. A little sacrifice from the volunteers made a big impact for Christ.
#2: People from all over serve Jesus.
Though the mission trip was in the mountains of North Carolina, there were people there from all over the US. There was a large group from Florida. People came from Maine, Oklahoma, and Virginia. There was one woman there from southern California.
Most of the believers I know live in the same area and attend the same church. It was cool to see Christians from other parts of the country.
It reminded me that there are more Christians in America than I may realize. Believers don’t all live in the same city–we live in Florida, Texas, New York, California, Hawaii–you name it!
That’s really encouraging to me. These people are following the same God, facing many of the same hardships, trusting in the same Lord, and living uniquely in the same way you and I are.
#3: The Lord unites us.
Even though many of the volunteers on the mission trip had never met each other before, we all bonded quickly for one reason: the Lord. We were there for the same purpose, and that was to serve the Lord. We all loved the same God.
The teenage volunteers had a lot of fun hanging out late at night as a group, and we bonded with some of the older volunteers, too.
Another way I saw the Lord unite us was through our interaction with those with disabilities. Our world generally isn’t accepting of those who are different. And people with special needs are usually very different from the world. They may not be as physically able and may not be able to communicate in the way most people do.
But at Joni & Friends, that didn’t create a wall between those with and without disabilities. People went out of their way to interact with disabled people, talk with them, and have fun with them.
The people with disabilities there were valued, accepted, and befriended. It was amazing. And it was because of Jesus.
That’s what I learned from my mission trip! Have you gone on a mission trip? If so, tell me about it in the comments!