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Every Trip Is Different

Each summer, we send out thousands of participants on short-term trips domestically and abroad. Their ministry can look vastly different, depending on the city or country they’re in, but whether they do construction with a local church or run VBS for neighborhood kids, some great stories come from the field each year.

Here’s a collection of some of the great things the Lord has been doing through our domestic teams on the field this summer.

Nashville, TN

We had the perfect spot for the VBS. One problem was that no kids were there. They were all at the water park. We thought that if we played music the kids would come. They didn’t. Then we decided that we should go in a circle around the park and the kids would join in. They didn’t.

So we said let’s just go where they are. And we did and it was awesome.

Sometimes we think that we have the perfect spot, so we shouldn’t go out and go to where they are. But we really do need to go out. Jesus didn’t wait in Nazareth or in Jerusalem his entire ministry. He went to where the people were. We should follow that example.

Read the full post here.

Chicago, IL

June 22-27, we had two teams from Michigan and Ohio come together for a week full of ministry and fun! They did everything from renovating a space in a church basement that will turn into a leadership program for young boys, to street evangelism in some of the city neighborhoods. Kids and leaders alike were stretched and called out of their comfort zones. It was exciting to see God move! When we let go and hand out expectations over to him, he is faithful to lead us and bless us in ways far greater than we could ever imagine.

See some more photos of the trip to Chicago here.

Hilton Head, SC

Last night was pretty incredible, as several of the youth shared different pieces of meeting a sweet old lady, Ms. Edith, at Bloom, an Alzheimer’s care center.

One of the girls in the morning group spent two hours sitting and talking with Ms. Edith. Fourteen-year-old Rachel wanted to know 80-something-year-old Ms. Edith’s stories, but more than that, Rachel wanted her to know that she was loved, beautiful and chosen. Ms. Edith started to voice her worries and anxieties about death, recognizing that she was old and sick. She asked some of the youth if they would go to heaven with her. They said absolutely yes. Rachel had the opportunity to step out in boldness and pray for sweet Ms. Edith to comfort her. Ms. Edith does not get many visitors and is very lonely, so just the act of the youth spending the time to invest in her brightened her day and let her know that God had not forgotten her.

To read more about the youth’s experience with Ms. Edith, click here.

Washington, DC

As soon as we walked through the sliding glass doors, we entered a whole new world. We could feel peace and the presence of the Lord consuming every inch of this place. We could hear laughter echoing through the hallways. We could see staff members smiling and loving on the children. We made our way to the second floor for a brief orientation, and then it was time for us to take part in the fun.

We played with them in the bounce house, we swam with them in the pool, we ran laps with them around the track, we helped feed them, we cleaned up after them, we read their favorite books to them, we sang songs with them, we prayed for them, and so much more.

After the first day, our group started to fall in love with the kids. Minute by minute, lap after lap the children’s personalities started to burst forth and capture each one of our hearts.

By the end of the week, our expectations had been blown out of the water. Our fears had been trampled on and joy overtook any anxiety we had. The precious spirits of the kids and the staff members had stolen our hearts.

This was a week that every person in my group will remember.

Read the full post about our DC team’s ministry with Jill’s House here.