Going on a mission trip had been weighing on mind for a while. Mission trips are not a new thing to me. Every couple of years my parents go on a 10 day mission trip to the Dominican Republic where they would build a church or a pastor’s house and engage with the local church. They have been doing this for over 20 years now. As a family we went to the Dominican for a combination vacation and mission trip. We got to repaint one of the churches built several years prior by my parents’ group. I also went on a one week mission trip in Shiprock, New Mexico when I was in ninth grade.
I moved to Utah when I was 16. Utah is predominantly Mormon and it is common practice for a Mormon to graduate high school and go on a two year mission. So I know what mission trips are, but up until about a year ago it wasn’t something I was real interested in. Then one Sunday while I was at church the Pastor told a story about spending a couple of months in Asia and how it was one of the best experiences in his life and I started to contemplate taking a semester off college to go on a mission trip. For the next couple of months I thought and prayed about this. With my parents blessing I started to look on the internet for short term mission trips. After a lot of research I stumbled on the Adventures in Missions website, where I saw a host of mission trips, geared toward young adults like me. I narrowed my choice down to two options, Nicaragua and Guatemala. They were very similar and I knew that in both places I serve God’s people. In the end I decided on Guatemala, but God had other plans.
About a month and a half before I was scheduled to leave I received a call from Adventures in Missions. The Guatemala trip had been called off due to lack of participation. I was disappointed but then I heard that they could transfer me to the Nicaragua trip and immediately I felt relieved.
Then a month later I got more news, I was to be the only guy on the trip. This made me hesitate. Did I really want to spend three months with a team of girls? Would it be awkward? Was this God closing the door on a mission trip? In the end, I decided to be open to the experience, to trust God and his plan. I am grateful that Adventures added a male leader to the trip, so that I could be a part of it.
And I am glad that I trusted God and joined the team. The team members are from various parts of the country, connected by a love for God and a commitment to be his servants. In only a week we have built friendships with one another and can see how this experience gives us opportunities not only to serve, but to grow in our Christian faith.
