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.
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