1998 - West Hamlin, West Virginia

Overview

My family went along with Calvary Youth Group on their mission trip to West Virginia, I was at least three years younger than anyone else, but I was still happy to be serving alongside the youth group. Throughout the week, I was involved in different ministries, in spite of my age and I believe that this trip was a huge influence in changing my life.

At a young age, God gave me the opportunity to see how other people lived in other parts of the country. He helped me understand that not everyone has the privileges I do and not everyone knows about who Jesus is, or what He did for them.

Ministry Opportunities

During most of the week, I helped my mom on her team. Each morning we visited a nursing home where I enjoyed visiting the residents, talking with them, hearing their stories, and often playing games with them. It was truly a wonderful time and I enjoyed it very much. In the afternoons, I had the chance to help out with "Kid's Club" which is a special ministry of YouthWorks which can only be compared to an all summer vacation Bible school. We would prepare a lesson to present to the children and then spend the rest of the time hanging out, playing games, making crafts, and just being friends.

One day of the week, I had the opportunity to travel with another group to their mission site. This was the home of the Smith family, a Mennonite family who were living in a very run down home. Throughout the week, the team was working on their house fixing it up. The day I had a chance to visit, I was able to help Mrs. Smith around the house. We baked homemade crackers, soup, and I was able to hear her stories of what it was like to live as a Mennonite.

Baptism

I was baptized that summer in a rock quarry near where we were staying. While I do believe that I was sincere at the time, looking back I am able to see that part of the reason I was baptized at that time was because the high schoolers were doing it. I did trust in Christ with my salvation, but at that point, I'm not sure if I understood what it meant for me to trust Him with my entire life or exactly what being baptized meant. In fact, I remember someone asking me about my baptism after I returned home and I wasn't really able to explain what had happened, I just knew that I loved God with the limited knowledge I had of Him.