Youth Fellowship: The Joy of Living on Mission
The Sunday after returning from Jeremiah Project (JP), a number of people asked me how it went. My answer was that though I had so many potential reasons to complain — It was so hot outside! No A/C in the bunks! The work was hard! — I actually couldn’t stop gushing about what a great week it was. And if you’ve ever gone away on a mission trip, I bet you know the feeling. I went on mission trips in high school and college, and they were always some of the most fun and memorable times in my life. JP was the same. You don’t look back and think about how hard the work was or how uncomfortable the conditions were, you think about the bonds that were formed when a group of people decided to come together and commit to a specific purpose: to live on mission.
I worked with some of our high school girls and we spent most of our week building a staircase for a homeowner. On Thursday, the homeowners that were served during the week by the various work teams were invited to our camp to be served dinner. The homeowners also had an opportunity to share how they were impacted by JP. Our homeowner came to dinner and also shared with the camp about how wonderful the young people were that had spent the week with him, how much of a difference the new staircase was going to make in his life, and how he hoped he could give back to JP next year. He even stayed for our “evening program” in which our very own Matt and Teryn Morgan led us in worship, games, reflection, and teaching.
After evening program, our homeowner shared how hard it is to live alone. Some of the other homeowners we spent time with during the week also spoke about being alone or feeling unseen. One of the most valuable lessons we learned at JP is that more important than the physical work we did for these homeowners was our presence with them. Our young ladies did an amazing job being present with our homeowner, listening to his stories, asking him about his life, and showing him the love of Christ by helping meet not only a physical need, but the emotional and spiritual needs of being seen, heard, and cared for.
The week wasn’t just all work and no play, however. The students had a great time with the water balloon volleyball tournament, tubing down the river (even among the spiders and water snakes!), numerous runs to Dairy Queen and Sheetz, and getting to know students and leaders from the other churches present. Many games of Uno and nine-square were played during free time. Participants were asked to write notes of encouragement to each other and put them in little brown paper bags that were taped all over the walls of the main building. I witnessed many of our students furiously writing so they could give each person they had met a note before the week was over. It was great to see our Redeemer students’ friendships and bonds deepen with each other and these new friends as they worshiped, worked, and played together.
As you read the testimonies below from some of our students and leaders that went on the trip, I think you’ll see that the common line running through them is how impactful it was for them to serve others and to enjoy the special joy and unique bonds of friendship that form through serving with others. The paradoxical truth is that though we go to be a blessing to those we serve, we often come away being more blessed by those we serve.
Sarah Holloway
Youth Fellowship Parent
Jeremiah Project Volunteer
Josiah M. (rising 6th grade):
“The staff at Jeremiah project were super nice and it was encouraging to see everyone willing to work and make sacrifices for everyone else. The home owners who we were there to serve were also really generous and kind, even though we were there to help them and not the other way around.
I was worried about being the only boy going but I immediately made new friends from other churches and got to know the girls from our youth group much better too.
And it was a lot or fun to work with so many power tools. Even though it was a service trip, it felt like fun instead of work.”
Madelyn Holloway (rising 7th grade):
“My favorite part about JP is that I had the ability to help people. Normally I'm too young to do things, but JP had a variety of tasks for middle-school age kids. I really loved that we made a real difference in these people's lives, and it was't just a couple days. We had a whole week to change people's lives.”
June Marotta (rising 10th grade):
“I really got to see God’s love through the leaders there, the way our work affected the people we were serving, and the beauty of the land around us. I felt like I was able to grow in my faith through evangelizing to some of the non-believers there. One of my favorite memories from the trip was going tubing on the third day with the other people from Redeemer. I got to know the leaders and other students better and the river we were on was beautiful.”
Lauren Bleam (leader):
“It was humbling for me as a leader to see the positive attitudes of the students and their willingness to serve in any way that was needed. They showed God’s heart toward the people we were serving by being eager to talk with the homeowners and listen to them.
One of the homeowners also showed God’s love to me in several small, powerful ways. She was continually seeking to serve us, providing food and encouragement, even though we were there to serve her. She participated in the devotional time and it was clear that she has a strong and vibrant faith. Seeing such strong faith in the midst of difficult experiences and financial struggles was beautiful.
I was blessed by the beauty of nature that surrounded us, especially the morning quiet times with the Lord while looking out over the misty mountains. The river tubing was also refreshing, as we were able to witness gorgeous scenery and swim in the clear, cold water.”