“I met an orphan,” Richards said. “On Wednesday, she was gone. Then on Thursday, she told me she found parents, so that’s why she was gone on Wednesday.”
Dodd added, “The girls heard some stories that really changed them. It helps us realize what we have.”
Anderson and Green’s mission work revolved around a place called Boys Club. As one of the only two Boys Clubs in America, they cherished this experience for what it was, challenging and rewarding.
“It’s a place for kids that might have challenges at home,” Anderson said. Dodd added, “Adam encountered a particularly challenging young man, which showed what Adam was really made of. He was real patient. They were buddies.”
All week long, they had a mission theme to aspire to. But, they couldn’t do it alone. In order to “be different,” they had to call upon the name of God.
“During our worship time, the leaders talked about how culture wants you to be one thing, but to be different by serving God,” Dodd said.
Their days began at 7:30 a.m., with a trip to the breakfast hall. Then, ffter a few moments spent in devotion time, they were off to their work site for about six hours.
“The week went by fast,” Seath said. “I was always going fast and working, and before I knew it, it was bed time already.
Dodd added, “The young adults leading made everything fun. They had goofy workout costumes on and did crazy exercises. We would get into a shape to do prayers. There was a trapezoid, heart, triangle and a rhombus.”
The most “coveted time” was shower time. To do so, they headed over to National American University. They never knew what the water temperature would be like; it was always a guessing game.
“On the last day, we finally got warm water,” said Torp.
Post-shower time, the sightseeing began. One night, they visited the Black Hills. Another night they witnessed the enchantment of a powwow.
“The best part was Mount Rushmore because I’ve always wanted to go there,” said Green.
Dodd added, “Some of the kids hadn’t been there before. Some of the kids had been there many times. It’s kind of right in our backyard, so that was fun.”
Daytime hours meant air-conditioned buildings. But when hunkering down for the night, things got a little toasty cooped up in their living quarters.
“Luckily, we had fans in our room,” Mueller said.
Dodd added, “You know what happens when a brick building warms up. We ended up being pretty hot, but we drank enough water and kept cool.”
Based in a downtown area, they were exposed to a new world of homeless people. In no way were they in any danger; their eyes were just opened to a new facet of reality.
“It helped them grow and mature,” Dodd said. “Jesus commands us to serve. ‘Be my sheep.’”
Mueller said he was very surprised to see the Youth Works leaders so enthusiastic the entire time. Doing the same thing over and over again all summer long must get old, he thinks.
“They get one day off, which is Saturday,” Torp said. “And that’s to prepare for everybody coming.”
Dodd added, “Aaron said to me later, ‘I didn’t think they’d [the leaders] be so cool.’ I said I knew they would be.”
Meeting people from other churches and other denominations will never be forgotten. This trip definitely changed their lives forever.
“It showed us that we can try and be like Jesus and be messengers of God,” Seath said.
The only thing really unnerving about the whole trip were the ‘beware of poisonous snakes signs’ discovered at the rest stops along the drive. All signs aside, the kids can’t wait to be a part of another mission trip in the near future.
“We almost lost Maison,” Dodd jokingly said. “He almost went home with the kids from Colorado. Really though, they keep asking when they can go again.”
