The Messenger - July 2012 - (Page 5)

The Messenger Making Gentle A Bruised World July 2012 Missions, Faith, & Action Goals for Service Trip By Liesel Spangler In a few short weeks, the Youth ASP team will be gearing up to go to North Carolina. As I begin to go through my closet, attempting to find the shirts and jeans that I’ve dedicated to ASP trips, I think about how preparation is a lot more than packing bags, gathering up equipment and getting forms notarized, the demanding week requires emotional preparation as well. Questions start to run through my brain…What are my motivations for going this year? What are the goals of the trip? What spiritual challenges might we face? As I think about these questions and reflect on previous years to emotionally prepare, I pinpoint a few goals for this year’s trip. Using my gifts (and two hands) to show God’s love. I personally have always had difficulty talking about my faith with others unless specifically prompted. This may surprise some, as I’ve never been accused of being too terse, but I never seem to have the words to express the complex emotions that go with my faith. Using my hands instead of my words has been the way that I can show and live out my faith. Helping someone else is my way of telling him or her about God’s love, whether it is on a once-a-year trip or my day-to-day activities. Being open minded to see God where I wouldn’t expect. The week is a week to learn from others. These lessons from my team, the ASP leaders, and most importantly, the families can be a huge blessing if one makes sure to look for the God moments. On my first trip, we were sitting around eating lunch under a tree with our family, Katie and Ken, listening to their life stories. To hear their struggles was heartbreaking, but as the week went on I realized that their pain brought life lessons. I went into that first trip expecting to help, but I ended up being helped by it. Katie and Ken taught all of us about persistence and love, which would later help me cope when I was faced with turmoil. At the end of the trip, after such a short period of time and so much vulnerability, they opened up their hearts and called us friends. Stretch myself out of my comfort zone. In past years, a task or a situation on ASP has always stepped up to challenge me. Most comically, the 11:11 sweaty hugs have been a source of discomfort, which upon admitting publically has brought more hugs than if I had just kept the fact to myself. Whether it is facing up to the inevitable hug time, working under leaky trailer, dealing with hundred-degree heat in the sun, or running away from really big spiders, I have always made a concerted effort to get over myself and get the job done. In doing this, I’ve learned more about myself and my capabilities, and most importantly my faith. Try to treat this like my first trip. I want to recreate the wide-eyed wonder of my first trip, so that I can be open to the God moments, to challenge myself, and to learn new things. After talking to many of the ASP veterans, the joy of a successful week starts to be dulled by so many trips. Over time the repeated experiences of the weeks can feign the sense of routine. If one is not careful, the trip just becomes another job that needs to be accomplished. These trips should be about the people, not just the jobs assigned. One’s first trip is flooded with so many emotions that it is impossible to just consider the task at hand. You want to become best friends with your family, you want to know all of the other teams, you feel like despite the overwhelming need, that you are able to make a difference. I want to keep all of that. 5

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Messenger - July 2012

The Messenger - July 2012
Council’s Corner
Youth Minsitry
Mission, Faith & Action
Our Graduates
Change of Address Updates
Reflections of Gratitude
Behind the Scene

The Messenger - July 2012