Sulphur Grove Youth Home Page

2007 Memphis, Tennessee Mission Trip, July 22-28, 2007

My week in Memphis was a week of blessings all around. For me, it was a time of bonding and growth. I got to know several other youth much better, and our friendships really developed through mission work. I built confidence in my reconstruction skills - I even crawled under the house to insulate new plumbing. I realized that even though we were all dirty, sweaty, tired, and yes, grumpy, it was all worth it because we were helping two people who couldn't help themselves. Our homeowners, Charlie and Wanda, are each on disability and cannot phyically fix the huge problems in their house. They have been Christians for several years but they have not been active in their faith. It was so wonderful to see them recieve a Bible of their own (with super-large print!) and hear them talk about praying! I knew that all the work was worth it when Wanda walked into her newly painted kitchen. All she could do was smile - "I've always wanted a yellow kitchen." She told us later it was the best summer of her life because some kids had taken the time to fix up her house. - Kelsey Fritschie

What makes a mission’s trip successful? Is it the teamwork? Is it the jobs we get done, and the pace we do them? How about who does the most work? It’s none of that. What makes a mission’s trip so successful is the heart in which you do the work and the way you show God’s love through what you are doing.
July rolled around, a lot sooner than I had expected. Before I knew it, I was in a van full of youth on my way to Memphis, Tennessee. My time at SOS (Service Over Self) was different for me for a number of reasons. Last summer, I traveled to Samara, Russia with Carly Schneider and Aaron Wenzel for a Youth Conference and earlier this summer, I went to Costa Rica. On my international experiences, I’ve noticed that everything seems sort of “jumbled.” Tennessee was different for me because there was set times for everything. We had a time to worship, a time to work, a time to eat (or lack there of), a time to relax, to goof off, and a specific time to sleep. It was a change to work from 8 – 4:30, come back from working and shower, and then eat and worship. Working was different as well. In the morning, we’d get all packed up for the site, and as soon as we got to the site, we all worked. We did more work on our first day than our SOS team leader Eric expected. The team was always looking for more work to do. Our homeowner’s, Charlie and Wanda even said something about our team’s determination. They were pleased. We always ate lunch and did devotions on site. Our devotions were really good, too. It’s amazing how in different situations, you see different ways God is working. When we would do our devotions, it was amazing to see the youth I have always known open up and participate. It was such an awesome trip. There is too much to sum up in just this paragraph. - Abby Clark