"If you're not uncomfortable, you're not really growing."

This past week, I had the opportunity to go on a mission trip. At first, I didn't really want to go. We were going to be doing Backyard Bible Clubs in apartment complexes. What if I didn't tell the stories right? What if the kids didn't think the music was fun? Who in the right mind would send their kids to strangers for two hours?

But on Sunday afternoon, nine of us loaded up in the church bus and headed off to the mission center. I had done some research beforehand on the mission center, but was not prepared for what it was actually like. (Not that it was bad at all. It was really nice, it was just not what I expected.)

The first thing we did was canvas at the two apartment complexes we were going to be at during the week. A lot of people took the flyers, but only few seemed somewhat interested in what were going to be doing.

We began the actual Bible Club on Monday. At the morning camp, we had a 6th grader and a 4 year old show up. I thought for sure that the 6th grader would not enjoy the music, stories, crafts, and games; actually, he enjoyed every bit of it, and he came almost every morning. We had other kids come throughout the four days, but we never had more than 5 kids.

At the afternoon camp, we had a larger number of kids come. They all had fun and loved every bit of it. There was even a salvation made by one of the girls at this complex. 

We did a block party at each of the apartment complexes. 

 These were really neat because we got see the kids interact with their families and friends. We fed everyone hot dogs and hamburgers, and the kids got to play on a Moon Bounce and Slip 'n' Slide.




While all the kids and people at the mission center were inspiring, it was the ones from my church that inspired me the most.



 Coming from a small town, we're usually afraid to step out of our small town ways. This mission trip was far from our comfort zones. We were in a big city, knocking on strangers' doors, sharing our faith to those who may not understand it, and sleeping on the floor and couches. 

But the teenagers and adults from my church never got discouraged. If someone didn't want to accept the flyer, we invited them to the block party anyway. If only one kid came to the Kids Adventure Camp, we still stayed enthused. If it got too hot, we drank some water and kept going. 

The ones from my church inspired me to never get discouraged in my faith. 

Back: Braygan, Justin, Mason, Me, Leigh Ann, and Casey
Front: Laura (my mom), Jace (my brother), and Claire