Mission Trip Update: We're Halfway There

I can't believe it's already been a week! So many great things have been happening, there will be plenty of stories to share when we come back. But until then, here's a simple description of what we've been doing on the mission trip.

Day 1: Sunday
The commissioning service was great! The congregation is so supportive of what we do in Bathurst, it was good to be able to get them involved and to say goodbye. As we departed, the ride was surprisingly smooth. We took less stops we didn't get lost or stuck in traffic. That night, we stayed at St.Andrew's in Quebec City. The surrounding area is beautiful, filled with old buildings, sloping sidewalks, and tons of people.

Quebec City

Day 2: Monday
On the road again! Being stuck in a car for two days isn't always fun. When we finally arrived at our destination, most of us were reunited with St.Luke's but Alyssa, Torre, Landie, and Kofi got to see it for the first time. We were especially excited to be able to eat a homemade meal instead of fast food! We were also able to meet a lot of the members of the congregation, and introduce ourselves to them.

Torre is reunited with his Grandpa

Day 3: Tuesday
Glen took us for a walking tour around the town. He took us to the waterfront, the gazebo, the tower and showed us a monument placed in memory of the high school basketball team that died in a bus accident. Later on that evening, we joined up with Chaleur Generation, a bilingual youth group to play soccer. It was great to see some growth in their group as well as ours, and to simply help them out by being there for their events.

The Waterfront Gazebo

Day 4: Wednesday
Before we started setting up for VBS, we started some leader training. We learned this year's songs, and came up with ways to become effective leaders. Everyone chose their stations for the next week. This was when I was reminded why we came to Bathurst in the first place, to serve the community and share the gospel with families through VBS.

Learning the Actions For Songs

 Even though the weather wasn't great, we made some time to visit the beach. Some of us went swimming, while others enjoyed the view or played football in the sand.

Swimming in the Ocean

Day 5: Thursday
Those who had VBS stations started to read their scripts, set up, and decorate. To make decorating more fun, we were put into four groups and had a stained glass window making competition, which sounds a lot easier than it really is. That afternoon, our group split up into three in order to start service projects. One group went to Campbellton to start setting up for their weekend VBS. The second group volunteered at the homeless shelter, folding and organized donated clothes. The third group that I was a part of, helped Eleanor, a member of St.Luke's by painting her house and helping in her garden.

The Winning Stained Glass Window

Day 6: Friday
The Campbellton group started VBS and had a great time even though they only had three kids show up. The rest of us helped Sharon, another member of St.Luke's by pulling weeds in her small farm. Her family usually helps her during the summer, but they have moved away from Bathurst in order to find work. Then we spent another evening playing volleyball with Chaleur Generation.

Having Fun in Campbellton

Day 7: Saturday
VBS continued in Campbellton, while everyone else went to the local farmer's market for breakfast. This is the last year before it gets replaced with a larger market where the prices for tables will go up. In the afternoon, we got some well needed rest and watched Sean win another soccer game.

Read week two here!

Pre-Bathurst Excitement!

All year, I've been eagerly anticipating for the two weeks of July that involve my church's Bathurst Mission Trip. Whenever people ask me what I did in New Brunswick, I find it difficult to come up with a short answer. There were so many amazing experiences and stories, I could go on for a long time. But, I've decided to narrow it all down into five categories. Here are the major ways I saw God working in Bathurst over the past two years:

The Kids of Bathurst
Bathurst is a smaller city with amazing people. Our day camp started very early in the morning, and most of the kids who came had to drive about an hour to get to the church. Last year, I was a crew leader of a group of older girls about 7-12 years old. One of the girls in my group insisted that she was only coming for one day because she didn't like it, and frequently complained to me about the quality of the camp in general. I thought I'd never see her after day one, but lo and behold, she came back every day of the week. On the final day of camp, we had small group time, and this girl asked me for proof that God was real. Before I could even think of an answer for her, the other girls in my group had faithfully given her their own answers. As a camp leader, it's hard to know if the stories you're teaching the kids will be remembered, and sometimes it feels as if they have no idea what you're talking about. Not only did my group understand what we were teaching them, they were teaching one another as well. I was amazed to hear these girls talking about their faith and what they believe to one another and to see God working in their lives.

Music and Worship
After a tiring, but exciting day full of service projects, setting up, cleaning, or running a morning of VBS, we would gather together at the end of the day in our close living quarters, to have a time of worship and share our experiences that day. This was one of my favourite parts of the mission trips, because after all the hard work done during the day, this gave us the chance to praise God for the work we were able to do and to put our focus back onto Him. It was easy to become stressed and tired on the trip, but these debriefs allowed us to reflect on the real reason we were there. In these moments, I was able to push aside all my thoughts or worries of the day or the days to come and keep my focus on God.

Nature, and the Beauty of God's Creation
I was talking to my coworker about Bathurst during my break the other day, and I tried to explain the scenery of New Brunswick. Living in Toronto, I'm used to a crowded, busy atmosphere and being able to take the bus, or walk to get where I need to go. When in Bathurst, we had to drive everywhere since everything is spaced out and far away. When we went to the town square, we could see the ocean and the beautiful sunset in the evenings. We also went to Pabineau Falls  As I sat by the water and just listened to it moving, you could feel God's presence through His creation. Visiting these places was a reminder to me that God created this earth, and that the earth and all it's beauty is His. Watching the water and the stillness of nature in Bathurst brings such a peaceful atmosphere, it's so easy to feel God's presence in the beauty of His creation.

The sunset from the town's gazebo.

Pabineau Falls

The Bathurst Team

Going to Bathurst with a team of great people made the trip an amazing experience. Everyone was excited to travel to a new place. Everyone had their own job, and as a team we all worked great together. Last year, living in a small house with 22 people could have gone terribly wrong. But instead of arguing over space, or complaining about shower times, we were able to survive two weeks without getting sick of each other. I thought I knew everyone in our group pretty well, but after the mission trip, I had learned so many things about them, and the trip had brought us so much closer together, and so much closer to God during this time.

The Team: 2011

The Team: 2012

Sean
If you were to ask anyone from the mission team about Bathurst, they will mention Sean. We met Sean the first year we went to New Brunswick. He's a member of St. Luke's Presbyterian Church and was there on the first day to welcome us. As we began our service projects in the community, he joined us and soon became a part of the group. It was almost as if he had come with us from Toronto. Seeing God work in Sean while we were there made me realize how God can use one person to do great things. It has been a blessing for everyone to see how meeting Sean on the mission trip made a huge difference in his life and in our lives.

Matt gives Sean a Bible before we leave.

Our team leaves for Bathurst on July 14th. I hope you're as excited as I am! Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare for our third mission trip!