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Youth Mission Trip From July 7th until July 14th, 18 youth, two college student leaders, and four adult leaders participated in a mission trip to the impoverished inner city of Vancouver, British Columbia, where drug and alcohol abuse and prostitution were epidemic. Because of last minute changes in Tammy’s schedule and mine, I went in Tammy’s place. It was a privilege and blessing for me.
We worked at six different sites. There were four soup kitchens
and drop-in centers, a children’s camp at one of the churches
for the children of the neighborhood, and a food bank that served
all of the ministries in the area. The mission week was offered
through an organization called ‘Youth Works!’ which
develops the relationship with various work sites at locations
in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. They develop the relationships
with mission organizations and set up work sites where youth teams
from all over the country come and work for a week at a time.
In previous years, Chapel of the Cross young people have worked
in Mexico, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Appalachia. Each year
the challenges are new, and the experiences are profound, and
God’s presence is very evident. The following are some reflections
from participants in the mission trip.
The mission trip was a very powerful experience for me. Seeing
how some of the people lived really made me realize that sometimes
I take for granted a lot of the things I have. However, now that
I no longer focus on the material things in my life as much I
find that I have a much stronger realization and relationship
with God. If it wasn't for the mission trip I would most likely
not have realized what I know now and therefore not have the same
faith in God I now have.
As for the mission trip, I enjoyed it a lot. It was my first trip,
and my first experience of that nature. I really enjoyed the opportunity
to meet so many new people. My experience working at the Harbour
Lights Salvation Army is one that will probably stay with me for
a long time. I got the opportunity to experience things in Vancouver,
such as our street walk and the friendship with the people of
Harbour Lights, that are most likely once in a lifetime chances.
I know that I am a little bit changed after our week in Canada,
and look forward to next year’s trip.
I think the thing that has stayed with me the most is the connections
that were made not just with Chapel of the Cross participants
but also with our Canadian friends and the Youth Works leaders.
One of the most memorable occasions was the way the children at
Ward Memorial Baptist Church were at first skeptical of me and
of my group’s being there. Then they opened up to us as we
did to them and they had a great time. My goal while being there
was to make sure they were happy and it was good to see that carried
out. I saw God at work many times a day, but always when we were
singing. Whenever we sang you could see that He was touching each
and every one of us and that he was bringing everyone in the room
closer together. I have discovered what I believe to be a piece
of myself I had not quite discovered as a result of this trip
and experiences. I guess you could say it brought me closer to
myself.
What an amazing experience we’ve shared. Vancouver is such
a gorgeous city with a side that no one wants to talk about; and
the Downtown East Side is definitely not in the guide books. The
job site we all went to really helped us understand the needs
of the people that live in that area. My group worked at the Greater
Vancouver Food Bank. That was an experience in itself. While we
didn't interact with the people we were helping, we did manage
to accomplish a great deal of work. We sorted and cleared a very
large area by the end of the week, which was satisfying...only
to have the Food Bank staff put more boxes out for us to sort
replacing what we had done. That was a sign to us that the work
of the Food Bank is constant and volunteers do make a difference.
I really enjoyed working with the kids at Ward’s Memorial
Church. It was amazing to see how so many children from so many
backgrounds could get along and play together. There were some
who were pretty well off, while others had almost nothing. We
live in a world where people believe money is so important, so
important that it can cause them to become greedy or to do crazy
things. Sometimes people are judged only by the amount of money
they have. However, these kids didn't care about money at all;
I don't think it ever crossed their minds when they were making
friends. They taught me that there are many things more important
than money - love, friendship, and honesty, and also what’s
for lunch, whose turn it was on the computer, and who was picked
to help lead the singing. I wish everyone could see all people
as equals, like the kids at Ward’s Memorial did, then I believe
everybody would be happier and the world would be a better place.
The thing that I remember most from my Vancouver mission trip
is the faith that most people I talked to exhibited. I met many
drug/alcohol-addicts that straightened up their act and changed
their whole life to embrace God. I also remember the conversations
I had with people right off the streets and their smiles as we
talked. When I think back upon this mission trip, I remember the
faces of the people I met or saw rather than the surroundings
of inner-city Vancouver.
Street Church is probably the experience that has stayed with
me most. It was amazing seeing these people who had no material
possessions give themselves to God. The fact that I was able to
interact with them has left an
imprint that couldn’t have been created by just seeing them
on the street or in an alley.
From this mission trip, we experienced a beautiful city environment
in some areas; and then, in others, it made you reflect on your
life. I discovered that I should cherish every moment I have to
live because I’m not throwing my life away like some of the
druggies or prostitutes on the streets. The walk our group took
in the ‘bad’ part of town showed me that one bad decision
could turn your life for the worst and that you always have to
be aware of every decision you make, whether it may be caused
from peer pressure or just stress. Although the walk was an upsetting
one, it taught me about keeping with my faith and to live life
to the fullest, but smartly and safely.
This trip for me was a very different trip. Not only was it a
different environment (the inner city), but it also was the first
trip I’ve been on where I began to appreciate the other groups’
style of worship. I’ve always felt very alienated from the
other churches during the worship service, but this time I made
a more personal connection with some of the other participants.
This connection helped me to realize that their style of worship
is not so strange; and that, for them, this is the way they show
their love of God and their faith; and that is always a good thing.
It doesn't matter how we worship, we all believe more or less
the same thing and we should be accepting of each other.
...The work we were doing is a lot less labor intensive [than
previous mission trips]. It was a very challenging week mentally,
and I have learned of the hardships of homeless people with addictions.
I feel that I have grown as a person from this trip, and I will
always remember it.
The mission trips have always made me look at my life differently.
This trip finally made me realize that the people on the streets
could be any one of us. Most of the homeless became that way when
they weren’t much older than I am. I guess this trip made
me realize not to take my life for granted because one day I,
or someone I’m close to, may be down on their luck like the
people in Vancouver are. This experience brought me close to people
who I never thought I would be close to, and I think only an experience
like a mission trip can create bonds between people that can never
be broken. |