Read how some special teenagers are changing the lives of people in communities throughout the United States.
Unspeakable Joy From A Grateful Resident – My wife decided recently that she no longer wanted to be married to me. I was forced from my home. I was homeless. The kindness of God’s blessings has provided so much love and loyalty, unspeakable joy, a movement only God could have provided. The teenage workers were respectful, timely, efficient, and effective. Their work was flawless. Each student was courteous, and the tasks were completed beyond my expectations. Without this help, I could not have moved into my home. It was such a change of perspective. So often I see teens on the streets and their manner of dress, their language, and intimidating behavior is what I thought the next generation was going to be.
However, these young people have caused me to have a change of thought! These young people are an inspiration! They are the best and brightest and give me hope for the future generation. My prayers will always include each of them. God’s favor has blessed these individuals and more than I could ever repay with money, time, or work. Never could I have purchased or done the work that was needed to have adequate living arrangements. I am limited by health problems and financial circumstances. My life quality literally improved by these students’ hard work. I would never have dreamed this would be possible. It was an unexpected but appreciated blessing. I’ve gone from homeless to heavenly.
A Life-Changing Weekend – This summer I had the opportunity to venture out with my youth group to New Paris, Ohio on a Group Mission Trip. We traveled in our van for 8 hours from New York. Throughout this mission trip, I saw God in innumerable ways, so many it is hard not to name them all here. A major way I saw God in our work was through my hard-working crew, who went above and beyond what was required. We were asked to paint the underside of the roof and to construct a wheelchair ramp for the resident’s husband, who had difficulty getting down the harsh step to get outside.
On the first day working on the wheelchair ramp, we found we were unable to begin construction due to the concrete base outside the door, which prevented our using well-supported posts to stabilize the ramp. When faced with this obstacle, my group pushed past the wheelchair ramp, waiting until a RedShirt could help us determine our plan of action. We began to paint the underside of the roof, and our leaders noticed that the resident’s fence was in poor condition.
Although this was not a part of our job description, and we could have avoided this extra work, it was clear we had been inspired by God, and we took down the fence to repair it’s posts and mix concrete to stabilize the wood. By the end of the weekend, we had done at least 5 other important projects for the resident, including the completion of the wheelchair ramp and the painting. It was inspiring to see the residents sitting on the porch outside together for the first time in months, and to see her dogs in the backyard safe behind their new fence.
With humble beginnings going back to the early 1990s, Group Mission Trips has been working with and helping communities across the United States and the world. As the non-profit mission ministry of Group Cares, we work hard to bring meaningful service to the communities we serve. Since our beginning, thousands upon thousands of mission trip participants have racked up millions of volunteer hours serving people in need.
All these years later, one constant remains true: We strongly believe in providing opportunities for teenagers to encounter Jesus through serving others either in their own backyard or halfway across the globe. The Group Mission Trips legacy of lasting impact continues. To learn more about how you can volunteer or support their work click here.
On MissionFinder, we have over 1,000 ministries offering opportunities like this to serve at home and around the world. Does your church or organization need help organizing mission trips? Check out our partner site, MissionMinder.com. Their easy-to-use software will help you manage all the details for your short-term mission trips and team members online. Unlimited Trips. Unlimited team members. Easy online fundraising for your team members. Try it free for 30 days. Learn more here.
