My Summer as a Missionary Part 1- Lake Junaluska

My summer started off with a mission trip to Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. Our guest speaker this year was a man by the name of Shane Claiborne. Shane lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and works for an organization called the Simple Way. He lives in an abandoned warehouse with several homeless kids and their families. Shane told us several stories about things he has done in his life.

The first story he told us was about when he met Mother Teresa, which was a blessing because very few people can say they've had that honor. Shane told us that Mother Teresa told him, "You don't have to come out here to Calcutta to help people. You can stay in America and find your own personal Calcutta to help people." That pretty much means that you can help people who are having a hard time in your own backyard and not have to leave your hometown or home country.

As the week went on, Shane told us about a time when he had a "Jesus party" in a park with some homeless people. They served communion and sang Christian songs for most of the night until they were arrested. Shane said he walked into the courtroom the next morning wearing a t-shirt that said "Jesus was homeless." The judge called Shane over and said "I never knew Jesus was homeless." Shane replied "Of course he was. He never stayed in one place when he taught his disciples and healed people." Hearing Shane's response, the judge dropped all of the charges and let Shane and the others walk away. That story was truly amazing and I definitely sensed God's presence during the entire week that Shane spoke.

The last two days, we had another speaker come and talk to us. His name was Will Boyd from Invisible Children, an organization that raises awareness of the war in Uganda, Africa and informs people that children are being abducted and forced to kill people that they love. After viewing the DVD that Will brought with him, I felt a calling to do something to help. I'm still not sure what it is that God wants me to do but I'm sure he'll tell me when he thinks I'm ready for it. Like my youth minister, Joe Torrence, said "The revolution begins with us." I believe that statement and I think we can all make a difference and help the Invisible Children of Uganda. God Bless.

The week impacted me because I saw God in all of the people I worked with during the week. The presentation on the Invisible Children changed my life by making me realize that there are terrible things going on all over the world, not just here in America but in other countries as well. The most important lesson I learned is that one person CAN make a difference despite what other people might think. The trick is to figure aout what I can do as a citizen of the world.