Mission Trip Wrap Up

I returned last night from an 8 day mission trip near Immokalee, Florida. It's hard to sum up an entire week in a single blog post, so I'll use a list to share with you some of the best snapshots from an amazing experience. Here are a few of my favorite memories...

• Lots of hard work and sweat to help the I-Hope organization which has been aiding hurricane recovery in Collier County since Hurricane Wilma in 2005.
  
• Playing "Light the Fire" and singing songs that reminded me of my days in Root 66.
  
• Leading nightly Bible studies with my teammate Leslie, then discussing the study with the 8 young adults who joined us, followed by prayer and conversation with my friend Matt.
• Going door to door to invite people to a Lutheran Haitian revival service.
  
• Shooting a video for the Amigos Center in Immokalee.
• Serving at the food bank at the Guadalupe Center with Juanita. There I met a young woman named Jennifer and her baby daughter. Jennifer shared with me that she was on drugs during her entire pregnancy and gave birth to a perfectly healthy child. So she named her Miracle.
• Learning a ton of new card games.
• Speaking at the Haitian revival service to a room of over a hundred people who spoke very little English.
• A heart to heart conversation with one of my best friends.
• After celebrating the Lord's Supper on Friday night, Leslie and I were approached by one of our students, who told us that she was rededicating her life to Christ. We prayed together in tears.
  
• Talking to one of our students about her special opportunity to help another student who was struggling and telling her at the end of the week how proud I was of her.
• Watching my first minor league all-star game and home run derby.
• Seeing God grow the seeds of faith in our students and young adults.
  

There are lots more memories and countless stories. I can't wait for our next trip.