Two weeks ago, Orange Lutheran students – including myself – set out to Bear Branch, Kentucky for the Orange Lutheran Missions Program’s annual “Appa” mission trip. During our week-long trip to the Appalachian mountains in Kentucky, we served one of the poorest regions in the country with an organization called Big Creek Missions.
Big Creek Missions is a transformative mission in Eastern Kentucky whose purpose is to build relationships in the community, meet their needs, and make a difference in the name of Jesus. The organization was founded by Kevin Rogers, who transformed an old elementary school into a permanent, year-round mission. Our team slept in bunk beds built into old classrooms, ate meals in the school’s former cafeteria, and even held morning and evening meetings in the gym. Throughout the week, we completed eight construction projects, decorated the town for Christmas, built and delivered beds for local families, and worked in the Big Creek Food Pantry. I was primitively nervous about being assigned to do construction jobs, however, in hindsight, I am extremely grateful for the jobs I did with my team and it’s evident that the Lord was right there, guiding us the entire time.
It was amazing to see how all of my peers on this trip were not only there – willing to serve – but also how open they were to God that week. During every evening meeting, every group gathered together as a team, and everyone was given an opportunity to share their “God moment,” if they felt they had one. Almost everyone who shared had either explicitly or implicitly claimed that in the process of them making an effort to serve others, they themselves had been served and fulfilled. In my personal experiences, I was deeply moved by the stories and testimonies of people in the community. Some of the most poverty-stricken families are filled with the most compassionate, hard-working, and God-fearing souls; which is a true attestation to their unwavering faith and satisfaction. On the Sunday of our trip, our entire team also had the wonderful privilege of attending a local church service in the community. The members of the congregation were beyond welcoming. It was beautiful to see that even in such a little town, the Lord can manage to bring people together for support in His name. On the other hand, it was also just as beautiful to see how the Lord can manage to bring teens together to serve in His name.
Being on the trip introduced me to so many peers that I hadn’t gotten the chance to connect with before, and even friends I got to reconnect with. Moreover, having the chance to disconnect from the hustle and bustle of daily life at home and to be stripped of technology was exceptionally nice, as it facilitated genuine and personal relationship building amongst the team. In essence, I am so very blessed to have served alongside our team of 156 old and new friends in Bear Branch, and even more blessed that through our trip where we sought out Christ, we were found – and changed.
