Trip to South Korea

Well, today is the day! We leave for Costa Rica tonight and I couldn't be more excited. As I prepare to leave for my second international mission trip, it brings back so many memories of my first. I remember the call to go to South Korea and the peace I felt while I was there. It was a once in a lifetime trip and I have so many wonderful memories from my 2 week stay. We did so many things while we were there and also met so many amazing people. It would be hard for me to recap the entire trip and put an experience that was almost indescribable into words. 

 

For my last "missions" blog post I'll be leaving you with pictures, which speak volumes over words. I will say that this trip shed so much light for me and gave me so much perspective. I never understood how difficult Christians across the world have it and how lucky I am to live in a country with freedom of religion and acceptance of the Christian faith. I have never appreciated the worldwide Christian community more and realized how much we all need each other. Every single person I encountered in South Korea was beyond sweet and caring. They all took such great care of us and treated us with great respect. The Korean culture is full of humility and service to others, something I believe the U.S. could learn from. It was hard for me to leave Busan because of the connection I made to the city along with the connections I made to the people I met. I never knew I could meet girls my age from the other side of the world and that we would have so much in common, that in 2 weeks time we would become lifelong friends. So please enjoy my pictures from Busan, South Korea, a place and people that will always hold such a special place in my heart.

 

 

 

My awesome team!

 

Busan is a seaside town and that means lots of beautiful ocean views!



We hosted a campus ministry party!

 

 

My favorite Korean food - Kimpop!

Our hosts - love these girls!

 

 

Sharing our testimonies and singing worship music for a Korean high school.

 

Helping campers learn to bake a cake!

Korean Karaoke

 

 

 

Karate Lessons

 

 

Teaching English at a Korean college

 

Busan has such breathtaking views!

 

Korean soda

South Korea -- always in my heart <3 p="">

Mission Trips Part 5 -- Dallas, TX

Thank God it's Friday! This week has actually gone by pretty quickly for me, but nonetheless, I am still very happy that it's Friday. This time around I am writing about my fourth and second to last mission trip experience. If you are getting a bit bored with this little segment then just hang in there because I only have one "mission trip post" left (besides the one I will write about Costa Rica). Speaking of, 1 week from today Josh and I will be on a plane to Central America! :)

 

One of the last things I did before graduating college was go on a mission trip to Dallas, Texas during Spring Break 2011. This trip was definitely different for me because it was the first mission trip I had been on that I wasn't fully excited about. I was going through a rough time in my personal life and had signed up for this trip prior to knowing I may not be in the best mindset for missions. I was hesitant, but I trusted Dallas was where I was meant to be. Going to Texas ended up being really good for me and God truly met me where I was at during that week. He allowed me to reach out to others who were struggling while I was feeling broken myself. He gave me the peace, patience, and strength to joyfully serve on that trip while I was going through a hard time. As much as I was there to help others, God also used the trip to heal me and work in my life. Pretty awesome how He can do both at once.

 

 

Like any other mission trip, there was a lot on the agenda for our week in Dallas. One of my favorite daily activities we did was help out at a day camp for some of the local kids. These kids came from lower income families and knew very little about God. That's where we came in! We had so much fun with those kids and in only a week, I became very attached to my little group. We played games, did crafts, ate snack, danced, sang, and most importantly had Bible story time. I had an awesome group who really wanted to learn more about the Bible, which is always encouraging. I loved spending time with those precious little people and man, did they fill my heart with happiness!

 

 

 

I went with a fun group and we really enjoyed our time in Dallas. We stayed in a little apartment and slept on the floor. It wasn't glamorous, but it made for the perfect home during our stay. Our group cooked together, ate together, had daily devotionals together and we even got to go to a professional basketball game together!

 

 

I experienced one of my least "glamorous" mission trip moments on this trip. A lot of people think mission trips are so clean cut and glossed over based on the pictures they see or what other people tell them upon returning. The reality is that mission trips can also be really dirty and downright nasty! Our group helped clean out some government housing that had been abandoned. These people knew they couldn't pay rent and instead of just moving out, they decided to trash the places first. Just imagine going crazy and destroying your whole house while throwing food, trash, and any other nasty substance you can think of everywhere. We put on our gloves and went to work. It was an experience, but one I am thankful for. Talk about the lesson of humility.

 

We did a few other random things while we were there including helping organize a massive closet. Well, there was more to it than that. Basically, there was an organization that had a lot of donated clothes and we organized them into different sections, so that local people could come in and find what they needed. The clothes were free to the public and it was a really cool ministry. We also helped serve food to high school students and joined a local church that Sunday to aid with their Sunday School classes. It was pretty cool because their children's Sunday School classes actually met at different kid's houses each week. That's what you do when you don't have a big fancy church building like we are used to. The week put a lot of things in perspective for me.

 

 

 

I think this trip taught me that God can always use you, no matter what shape you are in, as long as you are available. He can also heal you and work in your life through the most unexpected circumstances. God is pretty awesome like that! This trip taught me to push back my emotions, so that I could do what God was calling me to. How often do we let our feelings get the best of us and we give up on something we know we should be doing? This trip taught me that God is bigger than my emotions and feelings. He can give me joy through anything and that joy can be spread to others. Joy isn't based on our present circumstances. Joy is something that the Lord gives us that no one and nothing can take away. And that's a gift worth spreading.

 

Lately

Lately, I have been enjoying summer. I have had many lazy days.

Lately, my life has slowed down and I love it. I've been able to breathe and take everything in.

Lately, there has been a lot of talk of the future. My fear of change is once again revealed.

Lately, I've been praying a lot. I've really been relying on God, realizing I can only do so much and the rest is in His control.

Lately, God have given me peace. He has given me joy. He is guiding me through the tunnel where I can't quite see what's ahead, step-by-step He's getting me through it. I'm learning to trust.

Lately, I've come to the conclusion that if you really want something, you will make it happen or at least die trying. All excuses will fall and true determination will come through...if you really want it. If you really want it, nothing will keep you from it. If something is keeping you from it, maybe you don't really want it.

Lately, I've been able to spend time with friends. I'm so thankful for so many of my friendships. I leave feeling encouraged and always have a blast. Laughing with them is so good for my soul.

Lately, I've let go of control. Like it was actually mine to begin with...

Lately, I've accepted the fact that I can only give so much to different relationships and the rest is on that person. I'm content knowing I'm giving my best and the ball is in their court. I realize that not all good things last forever.

Lately, I've taken a lot of walks. I've spent a lot of time outside, with my family. Those are the moments I cherish.

Lately, I'm reminded that everything in life isn't perfect. And that's okay.

Lately, I'm embracing what's ahead of me and letting go of what's behind me, whether that be people, places, or stages of life. I realize new doesn't always have to be bad.

Lately, I look forward to the future. And I'm excited. Although it's the unknown, I do know that the best is yet to come.

Mission Trips Part 4 -- Brunswick for the Summer!

Happy Wednesday, everyone! With the countdown until our Costa Rica mission trip dwindling, I thought I would share another mission trip experience with you as the days until my departure for Alajuela draw near (16 days!!). My third mission trip was spent in Brunswick, GA during the summer of 2010. It was such a great experience for me and really helped shape my faith due to the amount of time I was there. Let me tell you about it :)

The summer after my junior year of college, I decided to participate in the summer missions program again like I had the previous summer when I went to Mississippi. NAMB (North American Mission Board) is the organization that helped sponsor my trip. This summer, I felt God calling me to something bigger and challenging me to go for it. I decided to sign up for a summer-long mission trip! I signed up for a few different places and Brunswick (which was my first choice) was the winner! I was so excited to spend my summer "at the beach" right next to St. Simons Island and Jekyll Island. The trip itself was more challenging than I ever expected, but it was also more amazing than I ever expected.

I moved down to the Golden Isles for the summer at the end of May. My mom and my brother accompanied me and that definitely eased my nerves. Although this trip was much different than my previous two, I really wasn't that nervous. I was so excited and ready for whatever the summer away from home brought. Of course I missed my family and friends, but Brunswick and my team soon became a comfort and a home for me.

Only half of the team was there for the first few weeks of training and we started off by going to missionary summer training in Toccoa Falls, GA. It was a long drive up to North Georgia (where I had just come from the week before), but we made it a fun drive filled with car games and good conversation. Our training went well and the time allowed us to get to know each other more as a team.

 

When we got back from the training, we visited Savannah for the day. I have always loved Savannah and really enjoyed getting to see the town. We needed to become more familiar with the city because we were going to be visiting it many times over the summer.

 

 

The rest of our team finally arrived (there were 6 of us in all) and it was time for the groups to start coming beginning in early June. Our purpose for this summer (I probably should have mentioned this earlier) was to have teams of churches come and visit each week and we would aid them in ministry. Each week over the summer, we would have new teams come in and we would each be assigned to a team. In the mornings, we would take our teams to different neighborhoods/apartment complexes around the community and host a VBS for the kids. We would break for lunch and resume ministry in the afternoon. During the afternoons, each team would do a different outreach activity around the area. One team would go to the nursing home and play bingo or sing for the elderly. One team would go to the St. Simons pier and make balloon animals, as well as, do face painting for the kids walking by. Another team would go and do beach ministry which included anything from playing beach games with the tourists to passing out water bottles to families on the beach. Each Sunday while our teams left for the week, we would go to local churches and share what our ministry was doing, as well as, introduce ourselves and our leader to the congregation.

 

 

 

Our job as the summer missionary helpers was to assist with anything and everything. We went everywhere with our team each week and really bonded with them. We helped and guided each activity and also participated in each ministry ourselves. We built great relationships with all the local kids we met during VBS each week. That was the benefit of us being there all summer; we were able to build long-lasting relationships. The schedule above is what a traditional week looked like for us, but there was so much more that happened "off-schedule".

 

 

We helped a local church who majorly lacked VBS volunteers one week and ended up helping run the VBS each night after a full day of ministry. Super tiring, but so fun! We hosted a summer revival for middle school and high school students where I got to share my testimony. I had never written my testimony before and this was the first time I had taken the time to capture my story on paper. I was beyond nervous, but so glad I had the opportunity to share my story with these young students. Our team helped out with World Changers, as well as, SuperWow on Jekyll Island. One week a church was short volunteers to take their youth group to Fuge camp, so myself and another team member spent the week with the youth group at camp which was awesome!

 

 

I had an amazing summer in Brunswick. I had a blast with my team and we became really close. It was hard to leave them when everything came to an end. We had so much fun together and I can say it was one of the most fun summers I've ever had. I am always the responsible one and the one who rarely lets loose, but that summer, I did! I was silly, goofy, and even loud and obnoxious. It was really good for me to let loose and have some fun for once while doing ministry, who knew?! I learned more than I could even write down from that summer and grew in my faith so much. I studied a lot of scripture and built friendships that I still have today. As I am writing this, my mind is filling up with so many memories from that summer. With every mission trip especially the long ones, there are always challenges and struggles, but they only made me stronger throughout the trip. (One of them being living in a house without air-conditioning during a scorching South Georgia summer...can you say melting?)  Before we left for the summer, we got to go on a weekend trip to Disney World and that was the icing on the cake for me! It was a blast and a perfect end to a summer where I let God have control...and He turned it into something wonderful.

 



Mission Trips Part 3 -- San Diego, CA

Good morning! I wanted to continue on my journey of sharing my mission trip experiences with you guys. The second mission trip I went on was to San Diego, CA and it was one of my favorites! This trip was over Spring Break of my junior year of college (Spring 2010). A group from my BCM campus ministry decided to do a Spring Break mission trip and I was excited to go with a group of people I was already familiar with. It was really cool to be doing something that would make a difference over my Spring Break instead of just taking a beach vacation. I had only been to California once when I was a baby because I have family that lives there, but I hadn't returned since. There was always something that allured me to California and made me want to visit again. I knew to expect beautiful weather and beaches, but soon enough I would get to know the beautiful people who resided there as well.

 

We got up really early and headed to the airport. The flight wasn't too bad and because of the 4 hour time difference we arrived at about the same time we had left Atlanta. We were excited to be there and to see what God had in store for our trip! (Side note: This was also the first mission trip I had ever raised money for and it was just amazing to see God work while I was trying to raise enough funds to make my trip possible. I'm sure you figured out by now that God did in fact provide for my trip and I actually ended up with more donations than I even needed!)

 

 

The first thing we did after getting settled was go out and do some team building activities. I was a little thrown off by this because I was expecting to go out and do ministry, but looking back it was a great decision. It allowed our group to bond right away and practice working together as a team which would be crucial over the next week. We also took some time to find a place of solitude and spend time alone with God before we starting ministering. I found this to be very helpful because it allowed me to focus and be reminded of what my purpose there really was. It was easy to get caught up in all that is California, but I was there for a specific reason: to share the Gospel.

 

 

We were able to stay at a Christian mission organization, but at the moment I cannot remember the name of it. They were an amazing group of people who had come together to minister to the people of San Diego and to show them an unforgettable type of love. See, California is very different than Georgia. California is much more liberal and much less like the padded "Bible Belt" our group was used to. There is not a church on every corner and not everyone had heard about Jesus since birth. This Christian organization was only one of a few in the area and they tried their best to make up for it. 

 

Because of how our trip fell, the next day ended up being our free day during the trip. We were excited to explore the city and see the different sites. We ended up at La Jolla beach and it was beautiful! I absolutely love the ocean, so in a sense this whole trip was like a dream because we were constantly surrounded by the breath-taking waters and gorgeous sunsets.

 

The next morning, we got to work! We were quickly informed upon our arrival that San Diego is home one of the biggest homeless populations in the world. Because of the warm weather, many homeless people can live in San Diego year round and remain safe from the freezing or boiling temps. There were many different organizations that worked with the homeless and we were fortunate enough to team up with one of them. The San Diego Rescue Mission was where we spent a few of our days in San Diego helping with various tasks and having our eyes opened to the reality of homelessness. We toured the property which contained many rooms, bathrooms, and eating areas for women and children to stay in, wash up, and get fed before heading back out to the streets during the days. Each night, hundreds of people would line the streets to try to get a night's stay in this place. It was crazy for me to even think about. We helped serve the homeless lunch while we were there (another service that they provided) and we even went to a food pantry and talked with many of the homeless people while they were waiting for their meal. One of my most vivid memories of the trip was gathering up food and walking the streets handing it out the all the different homeless people we saw. It was scary but very eye-opening. We had some great, Godly conversations and surprisingly those people had a lot more joy than even I had. They didn't rely on "things" to keep them happy. God had given them joy and peace through their unfortunate circumstances. They had used this time to grow closer to the Lord and had many wise things to say. It was a pretty great night and I learned more than I ever expected from the homeless.

 

 

We helped out with some churches while we were there. One day we helped a group who was currently planting a church. A few people and their families were starting from scratch and had slowly gained a following. Our group helped pass out fliers to the local neighborhoods informing them of this new church arrival and seeing if they were interested in being a part of it. We also visited a few different colleges and aided with their campus ministries. It was fun to interact with college students from across the country.

 

 

We did all of our traveling in this van...it quickly became our home! We had a blast together over that week and learned so much. Our group experienced so many different parts of San Diego and our eyes were really opened there. The people that we got to interact with for the week were just wonderful and you could tell the heart and plans they had for this city.

I loved California just as much if not more than I thought I would! I had such a great experience on this particular trip! "Greater things have yet to come; greater things are still to be done in this city." I truly believe that about San Diego. Although the Christian popular there is small, the ones that are there now have such a passion for the people of San Diego. I had peace while leaving knowing that this city was in good hands.