Another Vantage Point of the Harrah Mission Trip

"I went on this weekend mission trip near Yakima, WA as a leader," Tells my 20 year old daughter Stephanie, "I had been before, but this year I was given more responsibility as a project team leader. Harrah is a weekend I look forward to every year along with a hundred high school students, in fact, once we started promoting this service trip, the spots were filled with eager students faster than any summer or winter camp in our church's history! These teenagers were eager to leave behind their Youtube, texting and Facebook to sleep on the cold ground and work their hands to blisters for a community of people they've never met. I know a 16 year old boy who even took up a yard working job a month prior just to get the money to go on this trip and serve.

While there, I took 15 students with me to a couple's house to do some yard work and clean up their property. This older couple had medical issues, and were unable to maintain their house where their beautiful, eight year old daughter also lived. They had no windows, no running water and no heat. There is no garbage service to take away their waste, so years and years of trash were thrown out the door and windows, growing into piles, carpeting their lawn. When we arrived we couldn't even walk to their front door without having to hop over a wet couch, push aside a broken TV and hear the crunch of glass bottles underfoot. My students worked hard, filling up trash bag after trash bag, only to move those into a trailer, to again move those into a pile at the landfill. But in only two days, we were able to not only tidy up, but fix their house with a wood stove, three windows and for the first time, bring running water into their house. I was so proud of my students who didn't just put their head down and work, but took time to get to know the couple, and to talk to them and learn about their lives and their daughter.

As a leader on this trip, I thank you, you the community we've established here in Vancouver for your support in making this trip, this life changing experience happen. Whether it be your prayers or generous donations of shoes and clothes (we had over 400 pairs of boots donated!) we, along with the people at McKinley Mission, Harrah and Yakima Washing are very grateful. God Bless."