Students reflect on mission trips
May 15, 2017
During April, students were released for their spring break vacation. Many students this year, decided to go on a mission trip with their youth groups to countries like Guatemala and Nicaragua. These students were sophomores Abby McMichen, Morgan Gossett, Amanda Kronenberger, Lindsey Fulks, and Harrison Soles; juniors Eric Flandermeyer and Jack Bragg; and seniors Keegan Gossett, Emily Blum, Connor Whittle, Andrew Schlappi, Drew Sage, SeKoixa Gonzalez, Meghan Kiern, Hannah Gillepsie, John Childers and Savannah Soles.
The youth group from United Methodist Church traveled to Guatemala. Senior Cal Davison said, “I was so excited to go when I learned that the village we were going to was the same one we’ve been going to for the past three years.”
Senior Meghan Keirn said, “I was super excited to go back. It was my fourth year going plus, I was more excited that I’d be able to continue my growth in the relationships I had made over the years with some of the children and villagers.”
Senior Emily Blum said, “It was my third time going, and I was so excited to see all the kids that I have known from my past missions. This time, I wanted to get something out of my mission trip that I never got before. I found that I need to have this mind set of being open to God’s plan for me and the changes he wants to make.”
While on the mission trip the students were able to build stoves for some of the villagers. Meghan said, “Building those stoves are going to really improve their lives. There was just so much smoke. Now they don’t have to deal with that anymore.” The youth group also worked on building a hut on the beach.
Cal said, “It was to extend the missionary building. We made a concrete path from the missionary center to the hut on the beach.”
Other small groups held Vacation Bible School for the children. There, the youth group played games with the children, traditional and new ones to both the village children and the youth group students. Meghan said, “I loved hanging out with everyone and playing with the children. Being there with them helped me realize the importance of the impact someone can have on others.”
Emily said, “We had soccer, football, baseball, jump rope, face painting, tug of war, bracelet making, and parachute tossing.”
The youth group from First Baptist Church went to Nicaragua. Josie Nelson, a 2016 McIntosh graduate, said,”I think it’s safe to say this team really liked the baby chicks in Nicaragua!” However, the baby chicks were not the only things the students bonded with.
A leader from Choosen Children ministry told the youth group that it could’ve taken years to get into a school to talk about Jesus. The group simply walked up to the school and asked if they could return the next day to talk about the gospel. Some students participated in Vacation Bible School while others worked on construction or within the church to sing. The construction group built a drain within the partly finished baptistry. The group donated some fans to the church to keep the inside cool and comfortable. The youth group also made a plan to buy chairs for a new church in a different community and raised more than $600 for Bibles for the school they visited. For three days, students worked in these groups to bond with the villagers.
Sophomores Morgan Gossett and Lindsey Fulks said they enjoyed leading the children to Christ. Lindsey said, “I loved learning and singing songs in Spanish and being able to help lead those songs.”
Morgan said, “I learned that I don’t really know Spanish as well as I thought, but it was still fun.”
Senior Keegan Gossett said, “The trip was never about the tourist day. It was about being there for the mission and for the glory of God.”
Cal said, “I hope some youth will consider Romans chapter 12, verse 2. ‘Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you able to see what God’s will is– his good, pleasing and perfect way’.”
Emily said, “Galatians 1:10 was an important verse to me on the mission.”
