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FIRST MISSIONS TRIP
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The Media Fast is all said and done. More to come on that shortly.
During the Media Fast, I was able to lead my first missions team of students to Teen Challenge Jamaica with Mike McGarvey. Mike is a missionary with Global Teen Challenge and leads short term missions teams, as well as to plug-in interns around the world to help with Teen Challenge Mission and vision. For more on Global Internships, click here.
Heading into the trip, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. To be honest, I've lead multiple trips with college students and been on trips with high school students but wasn't sure how it was going to shake out. I can say now, I was BLOWN AWAY! Our students did a phenomenal job and I couldn't have been more pleased with the trip. Here is condensed version of what we did:
- Monday, August 2nd - Travel, long layover in airport, Ninja
- Tuesday, August 3rd - Scrapping, sanding, painting walls (Lobby)
- Wednesday, August 4th - Scrapping, sanding, painting walls (Office and Chapel)
- Thursday, August 5th - Feeding Ministry to Homeless Drug Addicts (mostly crack cocaine)
- Friday, August 6th - Finalizing Teen Challenge Renovations, Street Outreach
- Saturday, August 7th - Free Day
- Sunday, August 8th - Church for 4.5 hours (yep)
- Monday, August 9th - Travel, short layover, run
Words can only say so much. You view massive photo albums here and here. Scrapping, sanding and painting was a joy because we were able to interact with the Teen Challenge students and have a chance to know some of the guys we would be ministering with. This helped further in the week when the students would share their testimonies during devotion time or we would lead a chapel service. In both cases, the time spent working with the guys made it all the more valuable.
The ministry we did with drug addicts and the street outreach are what messes with your heart. When you see someone living under a bridge because they can't quit the pipe, that will mess with you. When you meet people who are willing to do whatever it takes to score some drugs, that will mess with you. To meet a man who recognizes he needs to change, commits to change, only to quit two days later, that will mess with you.
Yet to see our students jump in unabashedly and go after it, no matter the risk, that will light a fire in you like nothing else. It's been four years since my last missions trip. Each time I get what you call "the missions itch." You serve on the mission field and you just want to go back. With this trip, I found that my desire to go back was strengthened because when you see a student experience and serve on the mission field, that look in their eye is beyond any mission's itch you could ever experience.
Take a look at the pictures, they will help to put it into perspective. I would like to thank Mike for his HUGE help on this trip. He was able to work out a fantastic week and without him, we probably wouldn't have entered the mission field this year. Second, I would like to thank Anthony Richards, Executive Director of Teen Challenge Jamaica, and the rest of his team. Their hospitality, welcomeness and passion were fuel for our week. Incredible blessing to us.
