The Youth Minister asked Michael

June 10-16, four adults and sixteen youth embarked on a mission trip to Indianapolis , Indiana . They worked at various locations such as the Boys & Girls Clubs, Habitat for Humanity, and VBS for inner city churches. There were over ninety participants from various states participating in mission.

The Youth Minister asked Michael, one of the youth, to write about his experience on the mission trip. The following is a report of the mission trip through Michael’s eyes.

Sunday:

We’re staying at Christ Lutheran Church , in a neighborhood similar to the one by FCC. The people in charge here are really nice and welcoming, and the church is big. The room the boys are staying in is a about the size of the chapel. There will be seven other people staying in our room; hopefully they won’t mind listening to Ben’s music being blasted all of the time. The drive here took around 3 and ½ hours, the girls in our van spent most of the time sleeping or texting each other. Greg Jr. slept and listened to his iPod while I stared at passing fields trying to fall asleep. Pretty boring drive, but things should pick up soon. Everyone will be split up into different work groups, so I doubt anyone from FCC will be together.

Katherine, Tallie, and I are in the same “crew” which is a pretty weird coincidence. We’re going to be helping at a local youth camp for young kids. The woman in charge of my group, Debbie, is really funny and perky; so it looks like this week will be pretty fun. The other two people in my group are an incoming college freshman named Andy and a 14-year-old named Danielle. They both seem pretty nice. The ceremony at the end of the day went over rules, what to do in your crews, and what to expect the next few days. There was a musical performance, Melissa and Katherine both sang. I can’t believe we’ve only been here seven hours, everyone is already making friends and I am getting to know the people from FCC better than ever.

Monday:

I got to know my crew a lot better today. We went to the “Save the Youth” building in downtown. There were around 25 kids there, and we helped the counselors for several hours; organizing a game of dodgeball and supervising the kids as they played and did other activities. The staff was really nice and we are lucky to be working there this week.

Tuesday:

Today was pretty cool at the “Save the Youth” building we are working at. A few kids asked me to play foosball with them, which hopefully means that they are beginning to feel comfortable around us older kids. Jenn, one of the staff here, told Katherine and me about some of her life experiences and about how God “messed with her life plan” so she could serve the people that really need help. She’s only nineteen, but she is well-spoken and I know she believes that God is very present in her life.

Wednesday:

Our crew continues to have more and more fun every time we visit Save the Youth. Today we played dodgeball and kickball, and I am quickly becoming friends with Dani and Andy. I think the biggest reason we’ve bonded within our crew is because Debbie, our adult leader, is always doing ridiculous things (she uses oils for medical purposes, she stretches in open fields while yelling at us, etc.) so we all make fun of her (good naturedly) as a team. Debbie really is nice though; just a little “out there.”

The evening program was more intense than I expected. It was really shocking actually. They showed a short film meant to show what Jesus gave up for us. Set five years in the future it was about a little boy whose blood could stop an epidemic that was sweeping across the country. His parents have to make an agonizing choice, and eventually the little boy choosing to “be with God in heaven” and gives up his life. A lot of people broke down and cried, and it was unlike anything we had ever done at church, youth group, or camp.

Thursday:

It was sad to leave our worksite for the final time. Everyone had made friends with the kids there and knowing that we will probably never see them again put a downer on the day. I haven’t only made friends with the kids at Save the Youth, but also the people in my crew and people from FCC.

Friday:

I can’t believe how much everyone has opened up! Last night Greg Jr. took it upon himself to lead our youth group devotional. He just grabbed a book, gathered six or so people and we had a devotional. Greg Jr. was easily the quietest person on the trip for the first 4 days. Today, he took a leadership role.

Today we went to King’s Island , an amusement park in Ohio . I had never been on a roller coaster before, but everyone promised me I would be a junkie by the end of the day. They were right! I realized this week that I was never really friends with most of the kids from FCC that came on the trip. Sure, I saw them for a few hours every Sunday and fake smiled my way through conversations with them, but now I actually know these people. We were all thrown into this situation, and we just bonded naturally. Ben and I are pretty good friends now, and we had both fun today at the amusement park and serious discussions back at camp. Lauren and Greg Jr. have really hit it off, two people I never would have pictured as friends. It really is amazing to see how much closer everyone has become thanks to this week at camp.

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