Thursday, July 18, 2024

I’m thankful for the opportunity this past June to go on a short-term mission trip with an amazing group of people, including my wife and four kids. Weeks like the one we just spent in Pikeville, Kentucky, can do so much for the people who serve and for the people of the communities that have the opportunity to be served. 

Author and Pastor Mark Batterson said, “Change of Place + Change of Pace = Change of Perspective.” 

As we drove home, I continued to be amazed at how serving in small ways can make a big impact. It takes time and intentionality to make that possible, which is part of the gift of short-term mission trips. 

We intentionally took time away from our typical responsibilities to focus on serving people in a new community, sleeping on air mattresses, and showering at the YMCA. We often didn’t have the right tools or the best plans, which knocked down our efficiency and caused an internal struggle for the adults in the groups but not for the students or people we were serving. It was like God was whispering to the adults, “Just be present,” and we found that God had something for us when we did. Most of the time, it was a conversation or a relationship to focus on. Oh yeah, right, God, I got it. 

As we returned to a life full of responsibilities and schedules that are probably a bit more crowded than they need to be, my prayer was that we take the time to slow down and be present in our local community the way we did in Pikeville, Kentucky. Our projects were never actually about the work we were trying to accomplish; they were always about the people and the relationships. 

Hopefully, we were able to leave Pikeville and its people a little better, because I know we are all a little better for the work God did in us during the past week. 

Oh yeah, right, God. I got it...but I’m sure I’ll need a reminder again in the future.