Reflecting on our week in New Jersey

This past week was incredibly eye-opening, to say the least. Between working on a house for a single mom and her two kids who had been affected by the storm and helping organize the backyard of a disabled war veteran (he was quite a collector!), I was exposed to experiences which truly made me reevaluate what my blessings are in life. I was quick to call the war veteran a "hoarder," and I regret that - I learned that, like many other people, I am so quick to judge people based on a brief exposure of their existence. I learned that our job as Christians is to love one another (just as Jesus did), not judge - that was never God's intention for us as brothers and sisters of Christ. What really made the experience special to me was being surrounded by the people in my church family - it's amazing how much you can bond with people when you put your phone down and talk to people for a week!

Overall, this year's mission trip was different from last year's because we were working with natural disaster victims rather than strictly impoverished people, but I know I don't just speak for myself when I say that I grew so much closer to my friends, and more importantly, God, this week, and had a complete blast while doing so. The challenge will be to keep my currently very strong relationship with God and my church family constant after this amazing week.

The main theme we learned this week is the recurrence of water both literally and symbolically in the Bible. I was reminded this week of how much I physically and spiritually need God (like I need water), and that He is powerful and omnipresent (just as water is). I have loved our trip to Bayville this year and wish I could do it over again!

-Amanda Kuhn