Coming Back to UNI, My Post-Mission Trip Analysis
As most mission trips are, the last one I went on was amazing. I have been telling people I had a lot of fun and we got a lot of work done.
I had so much fun for 2 reasons …
- I helped other people. It is pretty simple, but as a lot of people know, you get a great feeling when you volunteer or share and help someone else. Well, I spent about a whole week helping others and that is almost too many good feelings for me to handle. :-)
- I tried something new. Between some of the seafood the Gulf Coast is known for, the digging in the dirt, and the putting into action of skills I had seen on IPTV, I tried a lot of new things. And I enjoyed most, if not all of them.
The question some of us are asking is how does our contribution to the Gulf Coast help others? On the top, it seems like we worked for some people who could have done the work on their own. In some ways, if the city of Biloxi had enough free stuff available to give all that to us, they could give it to someone else or use it for rebuilding. But God wanted to make sure some Iowa farm guys and gals got to dig around in the dirt and sand. He knows we know about grass, weeds, soil, and hard work. Some others might have known how to do what we did last week, but I think we are good at it and I think God thinks we are good at it too. That is why he sent us there. I personally don't mind helping out a city. After a city is built, a city can help its residents. It can provide help that an outsider cannot. It can assist in the rebuilding of lifestyles. In some ways, a volunteer can only help with the rebuilding of a structure.
I think it took me a long time to change back into school mode. I spent about a week giving of my time, energy, and talents. Then I was expected to focus on myself again. It is hard and as someone else has said before, it is unfair how that is how college is set up: everyone has to make sure they are getting their good grades and no one has time to be concerned about anyone else's success. The first day back, I was uninterested in learning. The second day back, I was readjusting. Today I am better, but still finding it hard to focus sometimes. I wish there was a better way to transition back after a great experience like Ocean Springs and Camp Victor.
It is great that I will be able to look back at the friends and photos I have from the trip. I met someone new. I grew my friendship with someone else. I recreated (I hope) an even better relationship and friendship with a third person. And between the 9 of us who went on the trip, we have about 500 photos, multiple blog posts, dozens of memories, and when added to the accomplishments of the Guatemala group, enough excitement to blow the roof off the LSC!
Thanks for reading and please let me know, in public or private, if you have any suggestions or comments about my thoughts/feelings.
Sincerely,
Kevin
