Pre Teen Mission Trip: York, PA

Well, it has certainly been a busy week to say the least. We left last Sunday at 5 a.m. with six 11-and-12-year-olds for a 10-hour trip to York, PA. We were headed for a Group Week of Hope short-term mission trip, and had no idea what to expect.

When we got there and checked in, we found that we were staying at a brand new Christian school in the area. We spread out our things in the classroom we had been assigned (I was in the girls' room, of course--which was much calmer the the boys' hall, so I hear
d!). Our two female adult leaders and two girls shared our room with two other groups, whose leaders were very helpful, as they had been there the year before. The girls in our group quickly made friends and played Ninja games and fun things during free time! I forgot how squealey and loud middle school girls can be! But they had a blast.

The town of York is a small town, but had a very urban feel. Our team was split up into two groups of five (two adults, three kids each) and given different jobs. My "crew" consisted of Ron, the other male sponsor, and Jack, Evan, and Lilli. We were assigned to go to a local park and work with an organization there. The Park Organization was like a summer camp program for the local youth. They met there in the morning and had a team of staff that played with them and did activities until the evening. Sometimes they would go swimming, bowling, or roller skating. While we were there, it was their last week of camp, so we had a carnival on Monday, went roller skating Wednesday, and had a picnic on Thursday.

I met this little boy at the park who was six years old and absolutely adorable. He didn't want me to leave the first day, and I became quickly attached to him. We had a fun time playing and I got to share with him how Jesus loves him and will always keep him safe. We even invited him to pray with us one day, and he did! At the park on the last day, we dug for worms and made "worm roads" in the mulch. He truly touched my life, and I pray that we will meet again in heaven someday!

The other crew in our group consisted of Andrew, Mary (the children's director at church and the other adult sponsor), Morgan, Harrison, and Curtis. They were assigned to go to a women's rehab center and do landscaping tasks. They had to clear a huge area of brush, which was no small task in the heat. They also helped a family there move out of their trailer and clean it. It was the general feeling that they probably had the harder task, seeing as how we were playing with kids most of the week, but by the end of the week they had the place looking great! We also kept explaining to the kids (and reminding ourselves) that God put us in the place he did to stretch us out of our comfort zones--and I think we all learned a lot!

We did get one afternoon off, and we were able to visit Hershey, PA--and Chocolate World! It was really need. We took a tour that showed us how they made the chocolate, and they got our stomachs growling by pumping chocolate through the air vents! We also saw a 3-D movie, and even got to taste-test some of the chocolate. It was very yummy! Then we got to make our own candy bar. I had white chocolate, raspberries, cookie bits, and chocolate chips in mine. Andrew had milk chocolate, chocolate chips, pretzel bits, and raspberries in his! We even got to design our own covers and then watch them be made on the assembly line. We had to wear awesome hair nets, gloves, and aprons! We also spent time in the gift shop getting souvenirs. Andrew got a Reese's t-shirt and I got a ceramic coffee mug with a Hershey kiss on it!

I was so proud of how our group of kids stepped up and took leadership roles, which was a big focus of the camp. They helped lead worship every morning and evening session, and they did a great job! We were so proud! They also all had roles in our crews for things they were in charge of doing, and they did a great job! I was so impressed with the questions and answers they had during our devotion times. You can tell they are really thinking about their faith and starting to make it their own. One night in particular, the message was focusing on Christ being in us and how he died on the cross so that we can go to heaven someday, and almost all of the kids were crying and all were touched emotionally. You could tell they really understood the impact of what Christ did and how much he loves us all. It was such a special time!


We got up extra early on Friday to pack up and go home--a difficult feat considering how tired we were! We were on the road by about 8:30 a.m., and we drove to Gettysburg, PA, which was about half an hour away. It was really neat to say that we've been there, but we could have spent all day there and still not seen everything. So we visited the visitor's center and chose one place to go see, which was the National Cemetery where Lincoln gave the Gettysburg address. It was really cool to see some of the battlefield and cannons and to be in such a historical place.

After that, we made our way home. The kids did a good job, but we were all stinky, tired, and ready to get out of the car by the time we arrived home. We were welcomed back by Bill, our senior minister, and a crew of parents and staff excited to see everyone back safe and sound. We chatted excitedly about all we had done and kids started getting out souvenirs to give their parents and siblings. But after a long trip, everyone was ready to head home for bed.

It was truly a great trip, and the Lord tested and stretched us all. Most importantly, Andrew and I feel recharged and refocused coming back. We're not sure what the Lord holds for our future, and for me, I'm not even sure what the Lord holds in the next couple of weeks as far as my job, but we know one thing for sure: He is in control and loves us deeply!