On Mission

On June 6, Juliana and I left in our highly anticipated trip to Salyersville, Kentucky for our church's summer mission trip. Several people from our church went there last year and had arranged to journey there again. We actually teamed back up with a youth group that was there at the same time last year as well.

Juliana and I slept in the library all week. We froze each night and traded sweatshirts and jackets. At night, we played Clue and Scrabble in the gym with friends.

My job for the week was kitchen duty. This consisted of waking up at an hour reserved normally only for farm animals, donning my "bacon makin' shirt and arriving in the fabulously outfitted kitchen and manning the griddle. I was on "meat duty" every morning and cooked up pounds and pounds of bacon, turkey bacon and sausage. I was admired by stray dogs for miles.


After breakfast, we cleaned up and prepped for lunch. After lunch we cleaned up and prepped for dinner and snacks for soccer camp. After dinner, we cleaned up and prepped for breakfast the following morning. I spent more time in the kitchen in five days than I did in the five weeks prior. Or since, if you must know.

Juliana's main vocation for the week was storying for the soccer camp. Our church drove vans into the communities and picked up children and brought them to the church for a couple of hours of sports, food and Jesus. Juliana's job was to MEMORIZE four stories (120 verses) straight from the Bible and to present them in story fashion. She would not start working on one until the previous one was out of her mouth and she could "clean house" in her brain for the next one. She presented the stories to all of our church and the other youth group each day after lunch.


Our church also hung drywall in the unfinished upstairs, cleared out storage items to a nearby facility, and did pressure washing work for members of the community. One of the ladies sewed "salvation dolls" to represent to children what happens when Jesus becomes Lord of our lives.

Lisa and I motivated each other all week to head to the park across the street and log our miles in. I'm pretty sure she looked just as ridiculous as me until right before this picture was taken. Maybe not.

J and I had to leave a day early in order to get home in time to leave for the beach. We drove halfway and spent the night at mom's and made it home by lunch the following day. I hope she treasures memories from her first of many mission trips. I hope she remembers the nine year old girl who was chewing snuff, and the conditions of the homes we saw as we were able to travel with Tim and Lisa on the last day to do van pickup. I hope she remembers what it was like to see children who are truly hungry, both for nutrition and for Him. I hope she remembers what it was like to be a messenger for Jesus.