Youth of the City: Ireland Mission Trip

This was my first missions trip and my first trip out of California. The beauty of the country was overwhelming and kind of exhausting, in a sense. God does so much for us and he never gets tired. He will always be there and He is all-powerful. If anyone else were to try and replace Him, they would fail and get exhausted. Throughout the entire trip, this idea played through my mind. “Indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” Psalm 121. I had been singing this line in choir for months and this trip made me fully understand it.

- Dakota Wood, Age 15

When we arrived in Dungannon, Northern Ireland we did not know what to expect. For some of us this was a first time Missions trip for others it was a first time on a plane! Seven adults and seven teenagers from California- what could we possibly do for this small town of 12,000? We soon realized that all you need in order to leave a legacy is an open heart. We served the community by picking up trash along side a lake, assembling bird houses for a bird sanctuary, we made elementary school students laugh in a class assembly, we sang for the elderly and cared for the poor. It turns out leaving a legacy is the easy part but leaving Ireland, now that was hard!

This trip changed me. I’m so glad that I was picking up trash, praying for strangers, spending the afternoon talking to the elderly, providing teens an alternative to drugs and alcohol, and learning about God! Who needs cruises, buffets, massages, white sand beaches…When you can have one of those cool claw-like grabby things that pick up trash! When most vacations are over, you are left with some pictures and maybe a sunburn. This vacation left me with love in my heart, and a warmth in my soul that I’ve seldom experienced. The greatest souvenir of all!

- Charlie Wood

Northern Ireland changed my life. I wasn’t on drugs or shooting grandmas, in fact, I wasn’t doing much. In Ireland I got to see firsthand people who are living to change their community for the better and I got to be part of it! I was stretched in my faith and people skills. Sure we don’t have many lochs to pick up trash around, but I think our challenge is to translate these things we learned into changes for our community. We can do it.

- Anna Warde, Age 27