Wednesday, March 21, 2018

i opened my inbox only to find an email that the executive director of montreal's YFC wrote as he was watching the students present their trip to those who weren't there, himself included. the email read: "thank you for your investment in our kids' lives and the example you were to them. you inspired them to live differently and see people differently."

my heart couldn't help but explode.

you see, i don't always get to see the fruit (result) of a trip like this. don't get me wrong; i spend almost 24 hours with the students while they're here. i get to be a part of their learning experience and process and witness (some of) the change they experience, but my 'job, with the exception of a few follow up phone calls/meetings and the few relationships i may carry on, ends when their trip does. so hearing about the evidence of change in the youths' lives, from someone who wasn't on the trip especially, is invaluable to my team and i.

so many people are affected by a trip like this: the students, the team as a whole, the organizations that work day in and day out to make a difference in the heart of our city, our friends on the margins of society, and those who have the honour of leading such a trip, including myself.

below are some of the students' comments taken from their end-week evaluations:

"i learned in an entirely new way that there is really no difference between the "haves" and "have nots", homeless or housed."

"being with different kinds of people has stretched me in positive ways that i'm thankful for. simply learning how to interact with everyone has been a unique experience as oppose to just "sticking to your comfort zone."

"i learned how to manage people when they were upset, and to understand my teammates better. i realize that God has a plan growing everywhere, you just have to look for it. and i am also a bit more compassionate."

"i learned that humility, patience, perseverance and compassion can make so much difference"

"i learned to be more patient with people and i felt more connected with God while i was on this trip"

"i felt God's presence when certain people were telling their stories."

"God taught me to be a more Godly leader."

"i've never been this happy"

"the world is so much bigger than myself and problems beyond my capability to fix, but by helping the world one problem and one person's life at a time, i can make a difference with help from the Lord"

"personally, i grew a lot. i learned to show how i really feel when i usually throw those feelings out. i feel that my relationship with God improved immensely".

"i learned that numbers (in regards to an issue) doesn't mean as much as i thought it did. you need to think about who the people on the street really are and remember that they have a story".

"i grew in my faith in my Heavenly Father. right before the trip i was really stressed about it, but i learned to pray when my team and i were walking in the city. i prayed about anything. i learned to put a smile on any ways - even when i was feeling sick or hurting inside because of what happened right before the trip"

... and the list goes on. (a list i will continue to read and reflect on.)

so, as you can see from the above comments, we can (thankfully) check off every goal we had for this trip:

- the team was able to connect with one another and appreciate their team (and the importance of teamwork) more.

- they realize how life-giving and 'easy' serving others can be and how it helps us take our focus off of our own problems and life (even if it is temporary) - see last comment.

- they grew in humility and compassion.

- they acknowledge that while 'homelessness and poverty' is a mass city-wide (and global) issue, it is made up of unique stories and individual people.

- and most importantly, students experienced (and connected to) God (something that isn't forced by any nature, but naturally happens on a trip like this), grew in their relationship with Him and were moved by His desire for us to love and serve Him and others!

and as for me, i did, too.

i'm still processing what i experienced personally, but i will say this: i am even more confident of the call on my life now that i have seen a seed that the Lord planted in my heart seven years a go come to fruition.

to every single one of you who have given to me and/or 'my' ministry, pray(ed) for me, or sent me an encouraging text or email throughout the duration of the trip, thank you for planting seeds with me! i couldn't have done it without you!

"i planted the seed, apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow". (1 corinthians 3:6)

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