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Youth
Mission Trip to
Princeton, West Virginia , June 2005
A Youth Mission Trip is a lot like a good onion: it looks pleasing to the eye from the outside, but to enjoy the full taste you must slice into it and experience the different layers.
On June 19th, ten Senior and Middle High MPC Youth and four adults set out to West Virginia to work and play, witness, share and grow. The recipient of our love and energy was Diane, a single working woman, who lives in a small home, in a poor neighborhood, in a small town. Our job was to improve the exterior of her house. We painted, landscaped and hauled away all the stuff that can accumulate in a back yard as a house is passed from one generation to the next.
Each day we labored about the house and in the evening we excitedly returned to town to visit with Diane. She warmly received 14 of us into her tiny living room which adorned with family photos. We updated Diane with our daily progress and she shared stories of her family and life. We learned that Diane had gone through extensive physical therapy following an accident. During her rehabilitation God came to her in prayer and encouraged her to do more with her life, so went back to school and now works as a social worker serving the disabled.
The neighborhood we worked in was much different from our own. Early on, many of the long-time residents of the neighborhood came by to greet us. Many were curious why a group of youth from the
Shenandoah Valley might spend a week working in their neighborhood. Some had their own stories of how previous mission trips had touched their lives or someone they had known. We gathered trash from vacant lots and parking lots and received “thank yous” and friendly waves. We also became acquainted with some of the characters in the neighborhood and observed the demons of alcoholism and drug abuse at play in people’s lives.
Our mission project was one of several going on that week. We staged at
Concord
University with eight other Youth groups from all across the East. In the evening the groups gathered for prayer, song, sharing and witness to how their lives were touched by other’s while in service to Christ.
It is hard to slice into an onion and not carry the odor and taste away with you. Here are some of MPC’s Youth’s comments about their mission trip:
“I learned that knowing what people are coming from helps you understand them better.” – Julianne
“It feels good to help people.” – Michael
“I learned that helping people can show them how good it feels and they may help others” – Xavieria
“I learned that people can really make a difference when they have fun doing it.” – Jacquelyn
“I learned that first impressions aren’t always right . . .” - Rachel
“I hope we can share our experience with others and encourage them to participate in other mission trips.” – Chelsie
Youth: Rachel Dobroth, Julianne and Jacquelyn Jones, Chelsie Reed, Xavieria Gaskins, Nathan McDonald, Marcus Sensabaugh, Ben Haines, Michael Bullis, Colin Green
Adults: Dale & Dorothy Dobroth, John McDonald, Shawn Green
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