I’ve been leading youth in mission experiences for about twenty‑five years now. And while I guess I could be called a veteran at this point, the reason I still love it is because it’s always new. Yes, some old patterns are trustworthy and true. The youth come thinking they are doing good, and they are. They think they will make a difference, and they will. But what they don’t know is that somehow through this process, the ones “doing” are also the ones humbled by the love that meets them along the way.
They meet people of strong faith who live in a different socio‑economic reality. They see resilience they didn’t expect. And every year, without fail, God flips the script. We show up thinking we have everything figured out… and then the Spirit quietly rewrites the week.
By Tuesday, our real challenge revealed itself. Salkehatchie, the group doing work a month before us, had done their best to shore up the joists without disturbing too much. But once we removed the kitchen cabinets, it became clear that repairing only the exposed sections would leave us with a patchwork floor… and worse, open access for wildlife through gaps beneath the cabinetry. By midday, the truth was unavoidable: the entire subfloor had to come out. Only then could we secure the joists properly and create a solid foundation for the new kitchen floor.
So where was the Spirit leading us this year… and what were we meant to learn?
Maybe that “taking it easy” isn’t really what mission is about. Maybe the point isn’t the difficulty level of the work, but the willingness to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ in whatever situation we find ourselves. The work is simply the vehicle for transformation… and that work takes many forms.
Steady rhythm — nailing down flooring one board at a time.
Unexpected gifts — like a teenager discovering a gentle talent for relocating wildlife.
Morning prayer and Compline — grounding everything we do in prayer.
Shared endurance — thirteen strangers in 104‑degree heat index solving problems, laughing, sweating, and working through frustration.
Holy weaving — noticing that each person brought their own perspective, hopes, and wounds… and trusting that the Holy Spirit was weaving us together into something stronger than any one of us could have managed alone.
So yes, this year was different. It had to be. Every year is different. But in the deepest way, they are also the same. It was another week of letting God work through us… leading us to unexpected places… and showing forth small miracles through our faithfulness.
And maybe that’s the invitation for all of us, not just the youth, not just the volunteers, but the whole parish. Be open to the Spirit. Be willing to let God flip the script. Because the work we think we’re doing is rarely the only work God has in mind… and the transformation God offers is always larger than the task at hand.
God’s Peace,
Joseph+
