Scripture Whoever says, “I abide in him”, ought to walk just as he walked. 1 John 2:6
A Word of Hope
This year Cathedral of Hope Sr. High Youth embarked on a Mission trip unlike any other. On July 11th, eight of us drove for thirteen hours and through the night to McCreary Kentucky to work with Appalachian Service Project.
The Appalachian Service Project receives over 100 applications and requests for assistance per center and per town they serve. A group of leaders visits the homes and screen the families before voting who they can assist.
Our Youth Ministry had a family we would work with making their home safer and dryer. Our Mission trip theme this year was “Becoming” and our scripture was 1 of John 2:6. Caring for a family away from the comfort of our homes was a challenge. We spent ten days away from home sleeping on air mattresses, along with eating cafeteria food and sandwiches during our work days. Our work days were from 8 am to 4 p.m. The work we did was challenging and at times frustrating. But it was during this time that I truly saw our teens transforming in their character and becoming Christ- like.
I often heard our teens talking to the family expressing their desire to help and giving them hope. 1 John 2:6 says that we ought to walk as he (Jesus) walked. Our teens listened attentively to the needs of the family we served. They cooked for them one afternoon and gave them words of encouragement all though the week. They learned to become a team and learned to be good stewards of resources. Our teens understood wasting materials would mean another family would have to wait for more to be ordered. They learned to measure twice and cut once.
It is not easy to step out of our comfort zone and try new things. For our teens they learned to leave their electronics behind; their comfortable showers and beds. They learned to trust in God that the work they were doing would truly benefit a family in need. For some of us stepping out of our comfort zone might mean learning to trust again in friends, family or even in God. Jesus was a visionary who helped those in need regardless of their status in society. I believe that to abide in Christ and walk as he did requires an effort on our part to operate in a graceful manner. We might not all be able to go on a mission trip of this magnitude. But in our everyday life we serve others by living authentically, responsibility and treating others with care and love. May we remember to take one day at a time learning about what it truly means to abide and walk through this earth as Christ once did.
Prayer Loving God, thank you for Jesus. May we speak, live and share with the world your grace and love for others. Give us strength as we learn to step out of our comfort zones as we learn what it means to truly be Christ- like.