Mission Trips Part 2 -- Mississippi (Disaster Relief)

Good morning! It's time for another installment of "Mission Trips" documenting my mission trip experiences thus far. This post I am going to share about my first mission trip experience -- going to Mississippi to do disaster relief work.

 

I finally got up the nerve to sign up for a mission trip the summer after my sophomore year of college (summer 2009). It seemed like a great idea at the time. The trip was somewhat local, in Mississippi, and it was only a week long. I thought this would be a perfect starter trip for me! I went with 4 other college students and a great college campus BCM leader. We loaded up the van and set out for our destination. The first few hours were a little stressful because I quickly realized that I had forgotten my cell phone. It wasn't the biggest deal in the world, but being that it was my first mission trip, it would have been nice to communicate with my family while I was away. (Some of the girls let me use their cell phones throughout the trip to call my mom and it was probably a blessing to not have a big distraction like my phone.) I also got really nervous about an hour into the drive. It finally hit me that I was going on my first mission trip, something I had never experienced, with people I hardly knew. Luckily, that anxious feeling faded quickly. The trip ended up being a blast!

 

Our purpose for this particular mission trip was to assist with disaster relief work. We stayed at a little camp with cabins, bathrooms, and an eating area. There were other groups there too and each day the different groups would set out on different disaster relief projects around the area. This particular area of Mississippi was hit very hard by Hurricane Katrina. There was still so much damage in the area that hadn't even been touched 4 years later. Funny enough, we actually got assigned to do most of our work on the property of the camp. We helped shovel, move things around, and clean out spaces. It was definitely not the glamorous part of helping with disaster relief. We were assigned to do the stuff that wouldn't get recognized and that people might not even know about. But that was the beauty of it. Our group learned a lot about humility during that trip. We worked hard during the days and hung out with the different groups at night. I really bonded with all the girls on the trip and they soon became comforting to be around while I was away from home.

 

We also visited New Orleans on our one afternoon off during the trip. It was so much fun! It was my first time in "Nawlins" and I loved it. We toured the city, ate delicious sea food, and went to Café Du Monde for dessert. If you have never been to New Orleans, I highly recommend it. It's a beautiful city, the kind where you can just walk the streets and be entertained. I also recommend going to Café Du Monde because the beignets and hot chocolate are out of this world. (Josh and I went there for a night on our honeymoon and I loved it just as much as the first time!)

A random part of this trip was finding a litter of puppies at the camp during our stay. They had no home, so a girl in our group volunteered to take them back with us. Her aunt had a farm for them to live at. We made the 8 hour drive back to Atlanta with these adorable pups in tow. Needless to say, I was in love with them. But it's really funny to think back about how crazy we were and how nice our leader was to allow us to bring them along for the ride.

 

My first mission trip to Mississippi do to disaster relief work was such a great experience for me. It drew me closer to God and allowed me to develop many friendships on the trip. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and was surprise at how easily I adapted. If you have never been on a mission trip, you should totally do it! Some of my fondest memories are experiences I have had and the people I have met on mission trips. You really bond with everyone around you, but most importantly, you learn so much about yourself. It's a great learning experience and a tangible way to deepen your faith.

 

 

 

 

Mission Trips - Part 1

In light of the adventure I am about to go on this summer (on a mission trip to Costa Rica), I thought I would highlight each of the other mission trips I have gone on up until now. I get a lot of questions about the locations and the activities done on the trips, so I am going to take the opportunity to share the details and pictures from each of my mission trip experiences.

I have to start off by saying that I am by no means some mission trip expert. Because of my testimony, you may already know that I didn't even become a Christian until late high school/early college. From there, it took me a few years to settle into my faith before I felt confident enough to go on a mission trip to share the Gospel. Although this is the way I thought it should be handled, I will say that you are never too young in your faith to share it with others and serve others. Once I truly gave my life over to Christ during my sophomore year of college, I felt an immediate tugging on my heart to do missions. I knew it was my duty as a Christian to get out there and share the Good News with others. It was my duty to selflessly serve others and be a light of Christ to them. If I wasn't willing to do this, who would?

I was a part of a wonderful ministry in college called the BCM (Baptist Collegiate Ministries) and they really helped shape and form me into a more mature and less intimidated Christian. They offered a program called Summer Missions where students from all the BCM's in Georgia would raise money all year long and at the end of the year, the money would go into a big pot. That money was then used to send any college student that wanted to (there were no restrictions) on a mission trip over the summer. They had summer-long trips and week-long trips. They had trips to different towns within Georgia and trips to different continents. Little did I understand at the time, how much of a blessing and amazing opportunity this was. I went on three trips through this program: Mississippi, Brunswick, and South Korea. All three were great experiences and cost free, which is a big deal for a broke college student. This program provided us with opportunities that we would never have been able to afford otherwise. I also went on two trips through the BCM over two different Spring Breaks: San Diego and Texas.

So there you have it: a summary of my mission experiences thus far. I am going to do this as a series, so that I can go into each trip in detail without making one long, massive post. Hope you enjoy hearing about my experiences on the mission field! I would love to hear about yours! :)

I Can't Do This Alone

Over the past 9 months, I have had the pleasure of being a part of two special groups. The first being a girl's Bible study for the average 20 something and the second being my Sunday school class at my church. Both of these groups were answered prayers for me.

When I was in college, I was a part of a few different small groups and came to really enjoy and appreciate them. I was able to bear my heart and bond with those in the group through similar struggles, joys, and circumstances. You see, these ladies helped me understand the true need for fellowship in the Christian walk. I finally understood how essential other people are in our faith. Yes, you can do it alone, but it is so much more fulfilling to have others walk alongside you. I experienced fellow believers praying for me, encouraging me, and holding me up through the trials in my life. I learned so much more in a group than I would have ever learned on my own and it was truly a joy to be a part of these small groups.

Since I graduated from college, I have lacked that close bond of fellowship in my life. I didn't have a group of people to learn from and rely on. I didn't have a group of people to pray for me or for me to lay my heart out to. I struggled to find friends in the same phase of life as me and something just felt off about the few groups I did try out. At the end of last summer, I prayed for a group of people to come in to my life and allow for that close bond again. I wanted to learn and be pushed. I wanted to be surrounded by a few people who were in the same phase of life as me and would understand where I was coming from. I wanted to be held accountable for all these great intentions I had but never carried out. Well, that prayer was answered beyond my expectation. This year I was blessed with two different groups of people. Both of them are completely opposite and God definitely taught me that you can learn something from any group of people if you are open and willing.

The first group came about when one of my good friends asked me if I would be interested in starting a Bible study for young, married women. She asked at the perfect time when I was desiring to be around some women who were also newlyweds. Not that I didn't love my single friends, but being a newlywed, I knew there was so much I could learn from other married women. There were also struggles and joys that I wanted to share with people who I knew would understand. The group started this fall and has been nothing but a blessing in my life. I have grown so much through this group and the books we have studied. The material has been inspiring, but the women in the group far outdid anything I could have read. I learned so much from all of the ladies in this Bible study and finally got the fellowship that I had been craving. We laughed together, cried together, and shared our burdens and fears. Most nights we would lay it all out on the table and I would leave feeling nothing less than complete fulfillment, the courage to keep going, and the challenge to be a more Godly woman. I was so deeply encouraged by this group and it was a confirmation of how crucial fellowship is in my walk.

The second group is not as traditional as the first, and that was the beauty of it. I first started attending Mountain View UMC in June of 2013. I was interested in joining a Sunday school class, but because I went to the early service, my options were limited. I ended up joining a class full of older people. To be honest, I was a little hesitant at first and nervous to see how I would fit in to the group. The impact this group has had on me has been a complete surprise and I have loved every minute of it. I have learned so much from this group of older believers and have been very challenged by their faith. They have really been there for me and encouraged me during hard times. They have consistently prayed for me and asked about specific things I have mentioned months later. They pay attention to the details and they care. They are such a sweet group of people and my eyes have been opened to the wisdom they carry. We have also read some great material in that class and going through it together allowed me to learn more and ask questions that I couldn't answer on my own. Reading it together allowed our study to be rich instead of just mediocre. The group effort allowed us to dig deep. I love my Sunday school class and am so thankful for our weekly meetings that I always look forward to. God had a different idea with this group and it ended up completely surpassing my expectations.

God has created us for many things, but one of the essential things that we have been created for is relationship. We have been created to have relationships with one another. God made us that way. He allows those relationships to spur us on and fill us up. Oh how different the Christian walk would be if we did not have each other. I am so grateful for the relationships and times of fellowship that God has given me. If you do not have others in your life that you can rely on for those important times of fellowship and relationship, I deeply encourage you to find a group or a few different people that can be that for you. It is such an essential part of my faith and I can't express the impact that these people have had on my life.

Just Say No

I don't know about you, but my life is pretty hectic...all the time. I'm always busy. I always have stuff going on. It's hard to get a spare moment to just catch my breath. The thing is...I bring most of this on myself. I am one of those people-pleasers. I can't ever say "no". I want to be involved in everything. I want to help everyone out. I almost feel like I am disappointing people by choosing to opt out of an activity, so I rarely do it. I don't take enough time for myself because I consistently say "yes" to everything and anything. I need to learn to take a step back and just say "no".

It's so hard to be selfish sometimes, with that people-pleaser instinct constantly lurking within me. I really don't like letting other people down, but I have come to the realization that I truly don't do enough for myself. I pile on the activities and it all becomes too much. Even good activities can become overwhelming if there are too many. I need to simplify my life and start taking the time for me. In our world today, I feel like we are all constantly running, always on the move. It's "normal" to have a full schedule and almost seems lazy to sit at home for the evening and just do nothing (at least for me). I feel like we have an added pressure to be busy and with the plethora of functions/clubs/Bible studies/church activities/get-togethers...it's easy to succumb to that pressure. It's easy to get bogged down with a busy schedule and suddenly realize you are running yourself ragged. It's easy to become drained from the race I feel like I am running.

I need renewal. I am burnt-out. I'm taking this as my summer challenge: to just say no. I have a lot of spring activities that are wrapping up soon and I believe the summer will be a perfect time period for me to just rest. I want to relax and give myself the chance to breathe. I want to cut out the clutter from my life that sometimes causes more stress than benefit. It's time for me to do something for me. It's a necessary selfishness that must take place. I need a new focus, on the things that truly matter. I don't know if any of this resonates with you, but if it does, I challenge you to do the same. Take a step back and learn to say "no" sometimes. If we really want to be the best people that we can be, this time of renewal and rest and even selfishness is necessary. I'm learning to start saying "no" to others and "yes" to myself.

Costa Rica

I am here to tell you a little bit about our big adventure this summer. We are so excited to be going on a mission trip to Alajuela, Costa Rica. Alajuela is the second-largest city in Costa Rica after the capital, San José. Alajuela and its surroundings are famed for having "the best weather in the world". There is also a mountain, a rain forest, and the ocean within a small area -- such a variety! The main exports of the region are coffee, sugar-cane, maize, beans, tobacco, citrus fruits, strawberries, tubers like cassava, flowers and ornamental plants. I have been told that if you want to try the freshest fruits, then you need to go to Alajuela. If you aren't quite sure where that is (like I was), here is a map :)



















We are taking the trip with a group from Josh's dad's non-profit, Unto the Least of His. Josh and I are quite excited because it will be our first mission trip together. We have both done many trips, but we know there will be a special aspect added while serving with your spouse. Josh has actually been on this trip many times, so he is much more familiar with the area. I have never even been close to Costa Rica and I can't wait to see all that there is in this beautiful country.

We will be there for 1 week and we will be doing a variety of activities. Our team will be running a Vacation Bible School for the week. We will be working with the local children and teaching them about the Bible, as well as, building relationships with them. We will also be doing service projects and helping out with construction related things in the community.

The local language is Spanish and rice and beans is a very common meal there. I have been told to expect that particular dish almost every day. The area we will be visiting is very poor and the people there have very little. Our goal is to love on these people and encourage them while we are there. We want to share the hope of Jesus with people who might feel hopeless.

We have created a fun video to tell you more about our mission trip to Costa Rica. Enjoy!

http://vimeo.com/91854798

If you are interested in supporting our trip, please visit our GoFundMe.com website. :)

http://www.gofundme.com/joshandbrittanytocr