When I reflect on our 2007 teen mission trip, there is so much to share with you!  I want to praise and extol and honor our great God.  He is good.  Psalm 66:16  "Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me."

I wasn’t the one to accompany the youth on this trip.  There were others better equipped and suited to the task.  I have five kids who need me.  I need to see to the demands of my home. And yet, God opened the doors for me to be “the one.”  Even as I packed for the kids and myself, I questioned Him.  I only saw my deficiencies.  On Sunday night we arrived to be introduced to the TEAMeffort staff and our first chapel service.  These were college-aged kids who superbly handled the Word of Truth.  The worship was heartfelt.  The speaker spoke the truth I already knew:  God had sovereignly planned for each one of us to be there.  He wanted me there that very week for His purposes.  He wants YOU reading this for a purpose!  He has placed you right now in this church for His glory!

 
God reminded me of many things through the chapel services, but even more through the people he placed there.  The other youth leaders were devoted servants of Christ.  They shared ways in which they balanced the demands of their families with that of leading youth activities.  They shared their struggles in their church.  We prayed together and for one another.  It was so encouraging --- Mississippi, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania --- all praying for one another – wrestling towards similar goals – young people eager to serve – knowing Him and sharing this with others.  The kids from our church were selfless servants to others.  They worked tirelessly on the least desirable tasks, they slept in the least-desirable accommodations, they saw needs and met them without any reminders.  They were the hands and feet of Christ.  I was the proud “mama duck” strutting around with my “ducklings” as we worked, ate, and traveled. 

 
And, now, I’m home.  That vision of what youth group can be – youth committed to working together as a unified team to be a light in our community – a light that shines because we love one another and others – is what I’d like to bring alive here in Susquehanna County. 

 
Psalm 118:28-29
You are my God, and I give thanks to you;
You are my God, I extol you.
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.