Mission Trip

I spent much of past week on a mission trip with my daughter, Katie. It was a family trip sponsored by the church where she is on staff. The event was sponsored by Youthworks. We joined families from a small towns in Nebraska and Missouri for four days in the Mountains of northwest Arkansas. Part of our team worked fixing up local homes and doing clean-up. Katie and I spent our mornings at a senior center and then worked at the local Boys Club in the afternoon.

The small town we were in is economically depressed, like much of ruarl America. We were told that 40% of the people lived below povertry level and that 70% of school kids qualified for free lunches. The contrast between the senior citizens and the young children was stiking. The seniors for the most part were happy and contented. They were just looking for companionship and someone who would listen to their stories. On first glance the kids appeared to be normal, active 5 - 10 year olds. As I got to know them I discovered a lot of hidden anger and frustration.

I learned some valuable lessons during the week:

It was a real joy to see families on our team working together. Some of the kids who were part of the team were similar in age to kids we were ministering too. They pitched in and worked along side their parents. Hanging out with the families 24/7 provided the opportunity to see how these parents related to their children. For the most part they modeled servanthood, patience and love. I will give them credit. While many families vacationed in the mountains or at Disney World, they worked side-by-side in rural America. I would encourage all families to try to make such trips part of their future plans.

Secondly, family dysfunction does not know economic boundaries. During my career working with middle and upper class families I have crossed paths with many dysfunctional families. I usually attributed the dysfunction to the hectic lifestyle and materialistic society we live in. In this case, poverty and the economic reality only exacerbated the situation. These families did not have the resources or experience to deal with it.

Lastly, love is the ultimate antidote. It was overwhelming to see the response once the kids discovered that I genuinely cared and loved them. One-on-one they would respond. I can't recall a time when I have received as many hugs as I did last week.

As I reflect on the experience, I wish it were possible to get those two groups together. The young could learn so much from the senior citizens. In the end only love and relationship really matter. What a powerful lesson for a community. What a awesome responsibility for all parents.