A Week of Blessings

BY LAURA MCNALLY

Teenagers scared me (even though I have one and almost two of them!), I preferred to work with little kids Angel Wing choir style, I didn't think I had the skills to relate to a group of them, not to mention sleeping on an air mattress in a room full of people...my excuses were all lined up!

Laura McNally feels blessed to have
served with youth like Willa Dunkum.

So, when Adam Williams, our minister to students, approached me to consider chaperoning this year's Mid-High mission trip to Raleigh, NC, all of these thoughts were at the top of my mind and on the tip of my tongue. However, somehow I felt a little nudge to give this some deeper thought before rattling off my list of reasons why I couldn't possibly be suited for this role. I thought a little bit about how stepping out of my comfort zone may be a real chance for growth and I thought a little bit about how giving up some of the creature comforts I was so used to (and took for granted) may help me to develop more of a servant's heart, and I thought a little bit about how helping people in the community of Raleigh alongside those youth could help me show and feel God's love, which was something I was called to do.

So, I said yes!  Though I worked a lot on my positive attitude in preparation for the trip, I was still privately picturing myself muddling through the week and hoping just to survive until Friday.  Little did I know I would not just survive, I would thrive!

What a joy it was to be around our enthusiastic, kind-hearted youth and what a privilege to see them serve with willing and open hearts!  I got to develop relationships not only with our youth and our other adult leaders, but with the youth and adult leaders from other churches as well.  

We all learned together how "We love because God first loved us" (I John 4:19), which was our theme for the week. Though hard work each day at our service sites (including manual labor at places like Raleigh Parks and Rec, Shepherd Youth Ranch and various food pantry sites, or relational work at places like nursing homes, childcare centers and clothing closets), we learned to show God's love by putting aside our own needs and focusing on the needs of others.  Through fun nighttime activities like a downtown scavenger hunt, science museum trip, an amazing, joyful and passionate worship service at an African-American Baptist church, we all grew closer as we showed God's love to each other. Though group worship each evening, we connected to our God in very meaningful ways.

After all the blessings I felt in my life during my week with the mid-high youth in Raleigh, I can safely now say that chaperoning another youth mission trip is solidly on my bucket list!