By Emily Griekspoor
Riverwalk Church of Christ, Wichita, KS
In mid-June, a number of high schoolers from my youth group at RiverWalk Church of Christ traveled to Fort Worth, Texas for a mission trip. We weren’t really sure what we were going to do or what would be expected of us. We just knew that we wanted to make a difference and have some fun. After the 6 hour drive to Fort Worth, we settled into our hotel rooms and prepared to attend the orientation that would inform us on what we would be doing throughout the course of the week. We had the opportunity to learn a little bit more about the children we would be spending the week with and what our responsibilities would be. The kids we would be working with don’t have a lot. In fact, they have nothing compared to all of the conveniences we have.
Each of us was assigned our duties for the week, to ensure that every day was successful and well prepared. We were also asked to not have cell phones, watch TV in our hotel rooms, use cameras, or listen to iPods all week. This was so that we could understand a bit about how the kids we would be working with did not have all the modern technology and luxuries that we were accustomed to. After the first day we settled into a familiar routine. The buses picked up the kids and we waited at the park for everyone to get there. Volunteers from TCU came to lead a sports camp and then everyone came back to Fortress for songs and lunch. After lunch, groups went to three rotations that centered around the daily lesson. After the kids left in their buses, we cleaned up and prepared for the next day.
Another opportunity we were given was very unique. We were divided into three different groups of about 4 or 5 each to have an Urban Experience. Basically, one group would go out into Fort Worth every afternoon and do different things that showed us how people lived in the area. The group that experienced the activity would come back and make a presentation to the rest of the group. Each group experienced something different. The first group went out into urban Fort Worth and met and talked to people living in the area. The second group created a budget for a single mother with 3 children. The third group used that budget to “grocery shop” for food for a month. It was an amazing opportunity to experience what these people go through every single day.
We all took away different lessons from working at Fortress. Some of us gained an appreciation for how hard it is for families to live with a limited budget. Some of us discovered what it really means to live out your faith by serving. And some of us realized how little we need to truly be happy. Whatever we learned, I am confident that it will shape our lives and make us the people God intended for us to be. Fortress changed us. Fortress changed us because God wanted it to change us. That’s the reason we were there. Sure, we impacted people and made a difference. But the people at Fortress - the kids, the staff, and the interns – they impacted us too! The relationships we developed meant so much. We loved the kids and we received love in return-a simple exchange of the passion and dedication that God gave us when He created us.
I will never forget the people I met at the Fortress ministry. They taught me so much. They taught me how to love, how to serve, and how to be a Christian example. I will never forget the awesome impact that was made on my life and I will never forget the relationships I established there.