Not My Own

This June I just got back from one of the best mission trip experiences ever! Actually, this mission trip was the best experience I have had in my four years of being a youth minister. It was just AWESOME! The reason this trip entailed such awesomeness is because I did the best job ever preparing and planning students well in advanced so they could experience the trip's glory to the fullest! It's all about preparing the way! (If you have not read into my sarcasm by now this is the part where I clue you in... I am being sarcastic.)  It all started early fall when we started having conversations with parents about giving students an international mission opportunity. I wanted this for students too, but this sounded expensive, difficult, and like it would involve a ton of planning. The stress of passports and hauling teen's through airports sounded like too much work to me. However, I wanted to make students and parents happy. I also knew this particular group was ready