And in conclusion

Whewwww!

The mission trippers are home!  It was quite a week.  I want to tell you about what we learned and did--but I also want to tell you a few secrets about mission trips.

So here's what we learned.

We learned a lot about tornados and their aftermath.  The stories we heard were heartbreaking.  The storm came up quickly and caught people off guard. Many literally ran for their lives.  The destruction was massive.  161 lives were lost.  Hundreds and hundreds of home were lost.

We learned about resilience.  We worked with a non-profit group called Rebuild Joplin.  And that is just what they are doing.  They have committed themselves to restoring homes.  It was great to be a part of their vision.  The non-profit will be shutting down in November.  Why?  Because they have completed their mission.

We learned about the dreams of young people.  We met three young women in their twenties.  They all work for Rebuild Joplin and they have all decided that serving others will be their life's work.  One is preparing to be a social worker and--get this!---she wants to teach foster kids the construction skills she learned through Rebuild Joplin.  She wants to continue restoring lives--but she wants to restore the lives of teens in foster care.    We were totally inspired by these young women.

We learned about mudding and sanding drywall and we have all decided to keep our day jobs.

We learned about the apostle Paul as we read the book of Philippians each morning and evening.

Now for the secrets!  Have you ever been on a mission trip?  You may think mission tripping is not for you--but here's my conviction:  everyone can go on a mission trip.  It is an amazing experience and a great way to grow in faith.

Secret #1:  you laugh a lot on a mission trip.  The first night we stayed in the church we set off the motion detectors and their alarms.  Two women from our bunch went to try to turn them off--only to run into two police officers who came to check out the alarm.  We must look pretty harmless--there were no arrests.  We laughed our way through the week telling stories, dribbling dry wall mud on our heads, eating ice cream.  A week of laughter heals the soul.

Secret #2:  Friendships grow on mission trips--and who doesn’t need more friends?  One woman who went with us was a friend of Jo's.  By the end of the week--she was a friend to all of us.

Secret #3:  Lots of opportunities for good food.  We visited a street fair the last night we were there. Ever had something called a "cheap date"?  (Not that kind of cheap date--this is a food.)  It is a date wrapped in bacon.

Secret #4:  It is something like a slumber party--the evenings are spent telling stories (more laughter).

Secret #5:  Spending a week in service is like a Soul-Spa--you come home refreshed in spirit.


So we are home and holding dreams of the next mission trip.


Hope you will come along.


Pastor Cindy

 Cheap Date

The crew being silly after we were all done