Mexico Mission 2015

Missions have always been my favorite trips. The time spent together in a van, the back breaking and exhausting work and the great times we get to play together strengthen our faith in the one who gives us life, Jesus Christ. The spiritual development of students is missing this crucial element without these missional experiences, which place them outside their comfort zones and push them through their own discomfort to a place where they truly put others before themselves. That’s why we do these trips.

I often hear from many well meaning people “how can we justify the expense of taking kids so far away when there are just as many needs in our own backyard?” I understand the question; I don’t take it as a critique rather as an opportunity to share why getting outside of one’s cultural comfort zone is so important. Jesus said it best, “let those who have eyes to see, see”. I am often blind to the poverty, addictions and hunger that plague people in our own community. I know they are there but I rarely have the eyes to see. Our young people are watching us and they are learning to see just like we do. We take students on these trips so their cultural comfort zone is stripped away. They work hard and get frustrated with each other. In their exhaustion and commitment to loving God by loving others and without their cultural comfort zone in place, something mysterious happens–God gives them eyes to see.

Missions trips give students 1 week of seeing with God’s eyes. This year, students will be giving up their spring break to complete construction projects for Mexican churches, they will spend the afternoons putting on a sports ministry camp for children and their evenings in worship, devotional reading and prayer.

The hope is that they will come back with eyes to see. That they will be more in-tune with what Jesus is already doing in the community around them. The hope is that by getting away, they can come home and be used by God to change their world.

Will you pray that God will give you eyes to see how you can support the Student Ministry of Good Shepherd and specifically how you can be a part of supporting the students going on the 2015 Mexico Missions Adventure to Ensenada, Mexico? Please stop by our information table on the courtyard between worship services on Sunday mornings to see how you can be involved!