I have been part of Granada for six years and recently went on a college mission trip to the Bahamas.
We spent our trip painting, working with youth, and delivering food. Though the entire trip was wonderful, I was impacted most by two events. When we worked with the church’s youth group, Mark Norman taught on being made in the image of God and I noticed some kids seemed confused or awed. I have never been in a youth group where the kids have never heard the Gospel or God’s unconditional love for them. Listening to their thoughts and questions on the topic was amazing because I got to be a part of their growth, and they helped me with mine.
I am studying to become a social worker and I want to spend my life working in fields like human trafficking or rehabilitation. When our team distributed food to poor neighborhoods in Freeport, I was moved to action. It is so easy to forget about people who are starving, living in squalor, and lacking bare essentials. I forget all the time the many ways God has blessed me. We must see the need in places like Lewis Yard and support programs like XReach. When you meet people like Alex, a quadriplegic who still manages to read the Bible everyday, your heart changes forever.
We go on mission trips expecting to impact the people we are serving, but really it’s the other way around.
