What good can youth do on a mission trip?

I found out this past March when I went to Rio Bravo, Mexico. There, more than 350 youth, young adults, and sponsors from Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma were spending their spring breaks on a mission project.

The youth worked in Hands Together Ministry, a United Methodist housing and health project in the Rio Grande Valley. It is coordinated by Oklahoma Conference Volunteers in Mission, directed by Larry Acton. The ministry receives some funding from the United Methodist Committee on Relief, which is part of the General Board of Global Ministries.

Dr. Acton took me to sites where youth were working. I watched them build a sidewalk at a home for low-income older adults, a classroom addition for a public school, a cistern for a village that didn't have safe water, a retaining wall to protect kids from a pool of sludge, and 24 houses for families that have an average of six members each. D

A youth member of McFarlin UMC in Norman, OK, helps construct a house for a Mexican family.

The houses—built of cinder blocks on concrete slabs—are 12 feet by 16 feet and have two doors and two windows. By US standards, they seem more appropriate for lawn-mower storage shelters than for homes. But they delight Mexican families who had been living in dirt-floor dwellings pieced together with abandoned lumber and scraps of tin and cardboard.

I interviewed adult sponsors as well as youth, and through translators I spoke with Mexicans who have received help from the youth and young adults. Here are highlights of four interviews.

Will Andrews

Will Andrews, age 23, of Denwoody, Virginia, is a veteran of several youth mission trips and was an intern in the Hands Together Ministry last summer. In the fall, he returned to the College of William and Mary in Virginia. As soon as he completed his degree in Spanish last December, he headed back to Rio Bravo to work at the mission once more.

"Since I'm fairly fluent in Spanish, I interpret for mission teams and for Mexicans," Will told me. "I help locate families who need our assistance and work with the Mexican masons, preparing foundations for houses so they will be ready for the teams when they get here."

Now that he has lived in Rio Bravo several months, Will knows many local residents. "Life is extremely difficult for most people here," he said. "They take whatever employment they can find, but they never seem to raise themselves out of poverty. Many families live in cardboard boxes and crates they have nailed together. Their shelters have dirt floors. When it rains, water rushes through and the dirt turns into mud. Few have electricity, so they have no refrigerators— and, of course, no air conditioners. They also have no beds but sleep on piles of blankets. Their diets are simple and sparse. Their staples are corn and rice and cacti. Some don't have safe water."

Will says he has seen evidence that mission teams not only improve living conditions for the people they serve but also improve the quality of people's lives. D

An example of the houses that were being replaced.

"What we are doing blows the minds of many Mexicans," he said. "It impresses them that we would take time off from work or from play and come down here and do hard labor in the hot sun. When the young people come, it means even more to them."

Serving as an interpreter for the Mexicans and for the mission teams has convinced Will that the Mexicans appreciate the help they receive from youth teams and other mission volunteers. "I've seen some Mexicans in tears, telling me to assure the groups that they are very grateful. They believe our youth are here because God has led them here, and they believe God is working through them." D

A Mexican family stands in front of their new house.

Will says that serving on a youth mission team has made him more aware of the needs in the world and has deepened his commitment to serve. "While I was here last summer, I developed a deep inner feeling that God is calling me to full-time Christian service," he said. "I've been going through a period of discernment, trying to figure out exactly what my calling might be. And being here in Rio Bravo has helped me feel strongly that I am called to serve in mission."

Similar Views

Many other youth whom I interviewed expressed views similar to Will's. Several said their definitions of poverty have changed. One youth from the United Methodist Church of the Servant in Oklahoma City said: "Back home, we think our families are poor if they can't buy us a new car the day we turn 16. After coming down here and seeing what I have compared to what these people have, I don't think I'll ever complain again about things I don't have and things I want but don't need."

A high school junior said: "After I get out on my own, I see myself still doing mission work. Helping someone who needs and who wants help is so satisfying. It surely beats ski trips or sunning on the beach."

Andrea Nelms

Andrea Nelms—a junior majoring in business management at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas—was on her third mission trip to Mexico. During the 1999 spring break, she taught Vacation Bible School. "The kids were so loving and energetic," Andrea said. "Give a little girl a hug and her face lights up and she hangs around you for the rest of the trip." D

The youth teams went to Mexico to build relationships with the Mexican people as well as to help them build new houses.

This year Andrea's team built a house. "The couple we were building the house for worked right alongside us," she said. "After we got the blocks laid and the roof on, we put curtains on the two windows. Then the couple and their three little girls crammed into the house with our team for the blessing. We prayed for the family and their house. Since they didn't know English and we didn't know Spanish, they didn't understand what we were saying, but they knew what the Bible was and they knew we were praying. When we finished, they hugged us."

As soon as the house was blessed, the family started moving their belongings out of the tarp-covered shelter where they had been living and putting them into their new house. Andrea says she watched the mother construct a bed out of cinder blocks and boards. "She didn't have any sheets or blankets," Andrea explained, "but she had a long bandana, and she laid it on the boards. Then she sat down on the bed, smiled at me, and patted the spot beside her. I knew she wanted me to come and sit with her. So I did. Even though I couldn't understand what she was saying, I understood what she was feeling. She wanted to thank me. It really touched my heart. I was in tears and trying to smile at the same time."

Leo Basquez

Leo Basquez—a 47-year-old scrub nurse who works in surgery at a medical center in San Antonio, Texas—admitted that when his daughter invited him to be a sponsor for their mission team, he hesitated. "I was reluctant to use a week of my vacation," he said. "But after she gave me a little encouragement, I decided to tag along. No words can describe our experience here. We got here last Sunday, and by Monday I was a changed man. It's been a tremendous experience for my daughter and for me." D

Team members Kristen Vasquez and Esmeralda Abigail.

Leo and the youth team he worked with built a house for a couple in their 50s. "The couple's income is primarily from the corn they gather and husk and boil and season and then sell on the streets," he explained. "On an exceptionally good day, they make $30, but there aren't many good days. Usually they are lucky to make $15. And since their work is seasonal, they can't work every day."

Leo says the couple was thrilled to have a new house and especially excited about having electricity. In illustration, he told this story: "When our electrician finished his work, he yelled, 'You're hooked up. Hit the switch!' So our translator relayed the message to the husband, who was outside with us, and he relayed the message to his wife, who was inside the house. She hit the switch. Immediately, she screamed, and I thought she had been electrocuted. But nothing was wrong. She was just overcome with joy because now they had electricity inside their home.

"After we finished their house and dedicated it, we asked the couple if we could take their pictures. They posed for us with the candles that they been using to supply light. It really stirred me up on the inside."

Bill Bache

The youth and the Mexicans they served have not been the only ones influenced by the mission trips. The adult sponsors have been influenced, too. Bill Bache of Killeen, Texas, says he—like Leo—went reluctantly with youth from his church on his first mission trip to Mexico. That was six years ago. But he has gone enthusiastically every year since.

While affirming that each mission has been memorable, he says the second probably touched him the most. "That year," he explained, "my grandson Justin, who was 8, went with us. We visited a family that was extremely poor, even by standards of that area. The mother had a mental illness and was unable to take care of their six children. We bought clothes and shoes for the family. The kids were laughing and chattering as they tried on their shoes. Of course, we were feeling great.

"Then suddenly we saw one child, who was about Justin's size, sitting over in the corner very quietly. We realized we didn't have shoes for him. Justin saw what was going on. Without attracting any attention, he quietly slipped out of his own shoes and gave them to that child. And the child was thrilled. I couldn't get over it. My little grandson gave up his shoes—which were favorites of his. I'll never forget it." D

The Mexican children smiled easily, notes author Boyce Bowdon.

I asked Bill if the mission trips had changed his life. He smiled and said: "They propelled me to answer the call to be an ordained pastor." A retired army officer, he is now a student at the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, preparing for the United Methodist ministry. He devotes at least one day each month to an inner-city mission where he works with the poor, many of whom are Hispanic.

"One of my goals is to become fluent in Spanish," Bill said. He paused for a moment. "I don't know what my life would be like now if I hadn't gone on that first mission trip. Mission work will always continue to be a priority in my ministry."

The Original Question

Going back to the original question, we can ask once again: "What good can youth mission trips do?" I found the answer during the spring break of 2000. What I observed in Rio Bravo, Mexico, convinces me that being part of a mission team can help youth develop more admiration and appreciation for people in other cultures. At the same time, they also develop more admiration and appreciation for their United Methodist church by seeing it in action and being part of its action. Mission experience can help youth become more aware of the needs of others and more grateful for what they have back home. Most important of all, taking part in a mission can help youth discover that God can work through them to enrich the lives of others. And this satisfying discovery can deepen their commitment to be faithful servants of Christ throughout their lives.

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