by Deanna Gulick
As Chester will tell you, Mission Tour is about the experience. Tour is a time of taking ourselves out of our usual comfort zones so that we can become closer and strive towards a common goal. Tour is about using these new experiences to feel a closer connection to God. Tuesday night we went to serve dinner at the MCV Hospitality House and all the youth and leaders worked together to serve dinner to the residents. As the youth prepared, served, and interacted with the people there I believe we had one of those moments.
We all came together to serve those who were experiencing a difficult time in their lives; we helped them to feel loved, cared for, and special. I think that by allowing us to interact with the residents and form new friendships with them, we grew closer to God. It was difficult for most of us to begin a conversation with those who are currently patients waiting for transplants or going through cancer treatments, as well as their caregivers. However, by making the first move to get to know them, we opened the door to discovering more about ourselves and the similarities between those residents and ourselves, and through this I believe that we experienced God.