news-record.com

When most people think of missions trips, they think of traveling to another country or building houses for underprivileged families.

The youth at Greensboro Christian Church participated in a different type of service project this summer. Nine students and two adult leaders went to Charleston, W.Va., to participate in the Creation Restoration Project with an organization called Youth Works.

Students focused on environmental issues in the area. One group began clearing a wooded area for a park. Another picked up litter and taught at the Boys and Girls Club. A third group picked tires out of the Little and Big Coal rivers. The students also took a trip up a mountain to view an active coal mine and saw the devastating effects
of mountaintop removal (www.friendsofthemountains .org).

Students gained new insight regarding their personal responsibilities for the environment, as well as learned how to put their faith into action:
 

“This year’s mission trip really was an amazing experience. Whenever I thought of the words 'mission trip,’ I always assumed that it was working with people, but God showed me differently. I was working on a bike trail, which showed me that not only can you do mission work through outreaching to people, but you can be a light simply through the work you do. This trip was meant to show me that I need to humble myself and not take so much in my life for granted. The experience was incredible and topped off my summer. I definitely can’t wait until next year!”

— Carly Lambeth, sophomore, Wesleyan Academy
 

“Our mission trip was a very eye-opening experience. Although I work with children here in Greensboro, working with kids I have never met before and who have been through more than I ever have made me so much more thankful for everything I have. I came back feeling so accomplished and more focused on God.”

— Savannah Shaw, junior, Greensboro Day School
 

“My group on the mission trip was assigned to a street cleanup crew and to work at a Boys and Girls Club. We all picked up insane amounts of trash. I don’t understand how people could let things get so bad. At one point, I actually pulled a weed that had trash growing in its roots. I just wish people would be more aware of what actually happens to their trash when they throw it out their window.”

— Alana Plante, freshman, GTCC
 

“Something that really touched me personally was how much the environment has changed due to the effects of humans. We climbed up a mountain and saw the beauty of the West Virginia mountains and then the effects of years of coal mining that has removed the tops of the mountains.”

— Kylie Simpson, freshman, Southern Guilford High School
 

“As Christians we are called to take care of the environment we have been entrusted with and the place we call home. The week was a perfect reminder of just how often we lose sight of this great task. Overall, our mission experience was life-changing. What better mission is there than to serve our environment while at the same time serving God’s greatest creation, each other by learning about the stories and lives of the people deep in the mountains of West Virginia?”

— Josh Fish, youth minister, Greensboro Christian Church (www.greensborochristianchurch.com)