My England Mission Trip

As of right now, the main theme of my blog has been “full circle.” To stick with that theme, I have decided to focus on my mission trip to Sunderland, England as one of the highlights of my summer. During the summer preceding my freshman year, I went on my first ever mission trip to Belize. I fell in love with doing mission work, but have not had the chance to return to it until this June. My team, consisting of eight other students & seven adult leaders, prepared for six months prior to the trip. However, it was not until I was sitting on a charter bus to the airport at 3:30 AM did I come to terms with what I had signed up for. After traveling for a little under 20 hours, my team and I arrived at the Hylton Castle Mission that we would be working with for the remainder of our trip. 

I definitely cannot describe the entire trip step-by-step in under five hundred words, so I am just going to write about my favorite moments:

To begin, I had the opportunity to share my testimony with the church’s family service on Sunday night. In other words, I was able to share my story and how my walk with Jesus has affected it in front of about fifty people. I have never formally spoke in front of that many strangers before; I was so nervous. As soon as I got up on the stage, I could relax. I do not remember much of being on stage (I think I blocked it out), but my team was proud of me and the way I was able to overcome the fear. It was an amazing way to start off an inspiring trip. 

Another one of my favorite memories stems from the days we spent in the primary school. The first day we were there, I was placed in a Year 2 (or first grade) classroom with another student and an adult leader. I loved being able to answer their questions about America, our trip, and our faith. One little boy asked us if our bedtime routine involved jumping in between two beds until we chose one to sleep in. Needless to say, the children were absolutely clueless about America, but adorable and quite respectful nonetheless. I learned so much about the English school system, its knack for order (that the American school system lacks at times), and my fellow teammates. 

Last but certainly not least, our team was able to go indoor rock climbing with the youth group of the church. I initiated conversations with some middle school girls that I had never seen before, and the conversations continued into supper. We all went to McDonald’s after where another student and I were able to sit down with the group of girls. Many of them had been attending church for a long time, but one of them had never even been inside a church. She told us about the struggle she deals with on a daily basis, even beginning to ask us questions about our stories and our reasoning behind what we believe. In that moment, we were able to answer her questions with clarity and provide her with comfort. Everybody involved in the conversations left with a new sense of encouragement.

Even just writing this blog was hard for me; everything in me wants to be back in England right now, serving the Lord wholeheartedly. I am beyond grateful for what I had the opportunity to do and the possibility of going back next summer. Until next time, Sunderland!