Teens put lives on hold to serve others
July 25, 2007
You’re a teen, and you’ve been separated from your ipod, your cell phone and the internet.
There’s no TV or radio, either.
Bummer. You’re in jail, right? On Mars, perhaps? Or maybe you’re stranded in the Mojave Desert?
No! You’re in Taylorsville, North Carolina, on a church mission trip.
And it’s a rush.
“It was the best week of my summer,” said Dana Lowry, who was part of a group of 14 who returned on Friday evening, July 20 after four jam-packed days of activity in Taylorsville.
Didn’t want anything in return
Four days. Not even a week. But we remember life’s moments, not durations of time, and this trip produced its moments.
“We served people and we didn’t want anything in return,” said Stacey Hoksbergen, who was making her fourth mission trip. “When you do something for somebody in your own community, you tend to get something back.”
“But these people . .had nothing to give. We did things for them just because we love Jesus’ people.”
Included in the 14 were Sara and Andy Erselius, a wife-husband team who share a part-time youth pastor’s position at the Presbyterian Church in Montezuma, and Kyla Salnave, who is doing an internship with the church.
The students were P.J. Mahaffey, Stacey and Levi Hoksbergen, Dana Lowry, Austin Hester, Kaitlyn Salnave, Brant Smothers, Bruno Soares, Stephanie Audas, Jessica Long and Marissa Lagaveen.
On the way down, the group stopped in southern Kentucky and spent some time at the home of Heath and Paige (Hoksbergen) Wilson, so when they got to ‘Carolina, they were ready to go.
Taylorsville is in northwestern North Carolina, about halfway between bustling, big-city Charlotte and quaint, small-town Mount Airy, the hometown of Andy Griffith and the real-life version of fictional Mayberry.
But Taylorsville isn’t like Charlotte, or Mount Airy. Or Montezuma, Iowa, for that matter.
A lot of lonely people
“A county commissioner told me they do have some poverty, and a lot of retirees,” Andy Erselius said.
“But it’s so spread out,” said Sara Erselius. “And the houses are run down. It’s an all-rural area,” she said.
While the houses were in need of repair, the biggest need may well have been companionship. The age of the residents, and the distance between their homes, made that need pretty obvious to the visiting Iowans.
The youth went with a different sponsoring organization this year. It’s called “Youthworks.” The Montezuma group linked up in Taylorsville with groups from three other states. They were then split into groups of 10, including two adult leaders.
Mahaffey said the way Youthworks organized the trip "provided for spiritual and social development. It was the best mix of both," he said. Mahaffey and several others mentioned they got a "spiritual high" from the trip. "Regardless of the organization, it's always the same purpose: To serve others as Christ would," he said.
Andy said his group played some games with the elderly and visited a day care center for seniors. That took two days, then they spent two days working on a house. They didn’t finish their work project, but other groups will pick up where they left off.
Sara said her group worked on painting a porch, and Kyla’s group did some landscaping work.
“We worked hard, but we got to know the people who lived in the houses,” Sara said. “Building relationships was important. Kyla’s group really got to know the lady who lived where they were working.”
The groups also spent some time working with youth in local vacation Bible schools.
"You never know quite what to expect," said Mahaffey, who was making his sixth mission trip. "But seeing kids in Bible School was good. It's humbling to work with people who have less than half of what we have."
The mission groups gathered in the evenings for worship. “We would have a speaker,” said Sara, “then we’d split into groups for a little ‘process’ time.
"One night, we knelt down and prayed for each other," Mahaffey said.
“And we had a little free time, too,” said Lowry. “We still had our cell phones, so we could call home then. But we were just busy the rest of day.”
“We built relationships with the people we were serving, but also with the kids from other states,” said Lowry, who went to Mississippi on her first mission trip.
“I thought there was more poverty in Mississippi,” Lowry said. “The elderly in Taylorsville didn’t necessarily look poor, but they were lonely. I just spent time talking with them, and I was fine with that.”
Lowry also visited residents in a mental health facility.
Would she do a third mission trip?
“Yes, every year that I can,” she said. “It gives me a spiritual high. I hope it will help us to show our Christianity to kids in our own community.”
Directly ahead: The school year
Stacey Hoksbergen said it was good to go under the auspices of a different sponsoring organization. “We had to get used to a lot of new things, but then in life, we have to be willing to adapt and switch to new things, too,” she said.
Andy Erselius said the evening times together, “helped some kids open up who don’t ordinarily open up,” he said. “And it reminded kids of why they made the trip.”
“The kids were sharing, growing closer to God and developing relationships,” he said.
“God was at work, regardless of how many went on the trip, or what we were doing,” Sara said. “I learned to stop trying to put my own agenda on things,” she said.
“It (the mission trip) helped to refresh me,” Andy said.
Now, the students and teachers will move toward a new school year. “Our focus now will be to keep the fire going,” Andy said. “We want to reach out to our school and the community.”
For Mahaffey, the community will be at Grinnell College. "What I discovered was that the mission field is every day," he said. "It's right here. That's what hit me the most, as I'm going out on my own now. This was a good way to end my high school career."
Andy and Sara noted all students in the community, regardless of church affiliation, are welcome at their Sunday evening sessions in the Presbyterian Family Center. Junior high meets at 5:30 p.m., and senior high at 7 p.m.
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