Mission Trip Thoughts

I recently got back from a trip to Bethany United Methodist Church in Chicago, IL. This was a joint trip between youth from First United Methodist Church in Oshkosh and Waukau United Methodist Church. Five youth and three adults drove down to do some painting and cleaning in the church. It was a very good experience for all. I will share some thoughts and highlights from the trip (for a more religious perspective, see the other blog):

• Our sleeping conditions were interesting. We slept on the floor of the church, as the pews that were down there did not provide much comfort. The first night we discovered some extra visitors, cockroaches. Luckily, if they came by me while I was sleeping, I did not see them...I will consider myself lucky. It made me realize how truly blessed I am for where I live and what I have.
• I got to see a great deal of Chicago that I did not see before. The pastor from the Waukau church did his seminary work in Chicago and he took us all over the city. It made for a lot of driving, but I did appreciate the tour.
• Cara and I had the opportunity to talk a lot about some of the problems that our church is facing. I think we have been able to develop some strategies for how to deal with them. I am actually looking forward to making some progress in this area.
• It felt good to do some volunteer work, especially out of the Oshkosh community. I felt like the painting and cleaning that we did really made a difference for the members of the church. We also donated a new vacuum to them because they did not have one that worked.

If you have any questions or thoughts, let me know. Thanks!