|
God has created a big world and filled it with great diversity. We believe that it is important for students as well as adults to be a part of what the church is doing in the world around them. At least once a year a group of youths and adults have the opportunity to travel out of our home state to assist with needs beyond those with which we are familiar.
Every summer our youth board a bus and travel to a Native-American Reservation, a large inner-city, or a rural area where they spend a week engaged in the ministry of Jesus. It is a transformational time in the lives of our youth. Often this is their first time to see poverty, injustice, and racism up-close and their first opportunity to make a positive difference.
Occasionally Grace Covenant will sponsor an inter-generational trip: for example, an international trip to Mexico, where youth and adults spend a week learning about life in another country while helping improve the living conditions there. There are also periodic opportunities for members to participate in denominational trips to Guatemala.
This summer, GCPC youth who have completed 8th through 12th grade will travel to South Dakota. On this website go to the youth page and click on the Mission Trip reports to see their daily updates.
Last August a group worked with the Cornerstone Foundation in Belize, whose goal is to help people help themselves and to help organizations and social service offices meet their goals within the community. Following is an e-mail post from Wednesday, August 4.
It’s only Wednesday and we have already experienced and seen so much. This trip has gone so far beyond my own expectations as an opportunity for us to grow and learn as a group -- but I didn’t want all the responsibility of putting our experiences thus far, so I delegated. (-Leah)
“I have been truly inspired by the people we have met and the mission we have accomplished.” –Matthew
“Since setting foot off the airplane I have fallen in love with Belize: the people, climate, cities, and temples of this country have forever changed my life” –Chris
“The people here have been so welcoming and open about our trip thus far. Everyone just wants us to have the best possible experience.” –Amy
“The experiences with the people at Cornerstone, the mission sites, the resort, and the experiences we have with each other have truly made the trip! I will never forget Seth doing the Single Ladies dance.”- Paige
“These are the people and the stories that can force you to look at life from an entirely new perspective, one that will stick with you as long as you live.” – Bryan
"The connections made here, both with Belizeans and with one another, have been amazing and will always be memorable. Thank you for helping us on this journey.” – Marcia
“Being so far out of my comfort zone has been difficult, but I have had the incredible opportunity to see the world from a different perspective. I am so thankful for the chance to learn from this experience.” – Meredith
"I am extremely grateful for this experience. The people I have met have been amazing and the sites are too beautiful to fully explain. This trip forever changed the way in which I view my life and the lives around me.” - Jamie“The discussions we are having during vespers in the evenings are amazing! We are all being confronted with experiences we have never had, meeting new people from very different backgrounds and needing to depend on each other in a place outside of our comfort zones. It gives us great new perspectives about why we are here.” - Miles
“I feel very blessed to be back on a trip with GCPC. As iron sharpens iron, this trip and these people have sharpened me.” - Seth
I have been continually awed by the reception locals have given us. It’s easy to be a stranger in a foreign land, but not here in Belize! Just as the bible tells us “Do not forget to welcome strangers, for by doing so some have entertained angels without knowing it”(Hebrews13:2), So it is true that I have been blessed by the angels of this town. – Dan
“I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to leave my day to day life, venturing into an unfamiliar, beautiful country, with a mission of gaining new insight into human life and the way Christ works through all of us.” - Eric
“Being in Belize, with this group of people, has been beyond eye-opening, and I have no doubt that this trip will change my life.” - Hilary
Thank you again for being such a huge part of our mission, and making it possible for us to be here and have these incredible experiences. They’ll be more (much, much more!) to share on Sunday, so we hope to see you at one of the services!
Warm Regards, The 2010 International Mission Trip Team
|
