Each year the youth from JKPC have the opportunity to make a difference in someone else’s life through the
Youth Mission Trip. In 2003 they spent a week at the Choctaw Reservation in Choctaw, Mississippi. They
cleaned up and repaired homes for those in need and shared the message of Jesus Christ and God's love with the
children.
Here's what one member of the mission trip had to say after returning.
The experience of the mission trip to me was truly indescribable. It is very hard to put into words the
happiness, fulfillment, sadness, reality, sweat, and tears that these trips bring. As someone who has now
been on four mission trips these last four years, I could be called a veteran. Even now, though, I find it very
difficult to compare them. Each one brings along so many new emotions and memories that are in no way
comparable to the past trips.
This year's trip to the Choctaw Reservation was not at all what I had expected. To be totally honest, I had
no idea what to expect. I, myself, had never been to an Indian reservation and could go only on stereotypes
as bad as that sounds. One of the great things about this trip was being wrong.
I learned the Choctaw people are truly amazing and generous people. We were welcomed into the community with
the utmost respect and kindness. The children at the Kid's Club were all so willing and eager to find new
friends and learn about God. Some of the kids who at the beginning of the week who were reluctant to join in
the activities and never spoke a word, were by the end of the week dancing and singing about God with the
rest of us. That to me is what mission trips are all about.
These past four mission trips have taught me more about God's Love than in ten years of Sunday School. This
year especially I felt something in me had truly changed. Now, I almost felt like I understood it. This is
what I needed to do. This is how I could be God's hands and feet. By working on houses in communities to make
decent shelter for our fellow men and women and to work with the younger children of the community so they
could have the same opportunities in the church we all have had.
When I was ready to give up, God was there to give me a push and when we were dancing and having a good time,
God was cheering us on.
Each year the youth from JKPC have the opportunity to make a difference in someone else’s life through the
Youth Mission Trip. In 2003 they spent a week at the Choctaw Reservation in Choctaw, Mississippi. They
cleaned up and repaired homes for those in need and shared the message of Jesus Christ and God's love with the
children.
The experience of the mission trip to me was truly indescribable. It is very hard to put into words the
happiness, fulfillment, sadness, reality, sweat, and tears that these trips bring. As someone who has now
been on four mission trips these last four years, I could be called a veteran. Even now, though, I find it very
difficult to compare them. Each one brings along so many new emotions and memories that are in no way
comparable to the past trips.
I learned the Choctaw people are truly amazing and generous people. We were welcomed into the community with
the utmost respect and kindness. The children at the Kid's Club were all so willing and eager to find new
friends and learn about God. Some of the kids who at the beginning of the week who were reluctant to join in
the activities and never spoke a word, were by the end of the week dancing and singing about God with the
rest of us. That to me is what mission trips are all about.
These past four mission trips have taught me more about God's Love than in ten years of Sunday School. This
year especially I felt something in me had truly changed. Now, I almost felt like I understood it. This is
what I needed to do. This is how I could be God's hands and feet. By working on houses in communities to make
decent shelter for our fellow men and women and to work with the younger children of the community so they
could have the same opportunities in the church we all have had.