Letter to the Youth Missions Team

When our teenagers left on Monday for their missions trip, Mark and I wrote them a letter that I thought I would share:

Youth Missions Team –

We are so excited that you get to go and have this amazing experience. Our prayer is that you take away from it all that you can!
Here’s some thoughts from your senior pastors as you go:

• Even though you’ve spent hours preparing, go into this trip thinking about what you have to learn rather than what you have to give. Our fancy technology and resources don’t make our church or community better than theirs. They have something to teach you as well. Find out what it is and hold onto it dearly. When you are teachable, that is when God will be able to really use your life.

• NEVER complain. Don’t even allow yourself to complain about how hot it is. Your words have the power to make or break your growth experience. If it’s hot, train yourself to find what is worthy to speak about. You’ve got one life…are you going to spend it focusing on all of the tough stuff? If so, it will be a long and difficult life for you. If you train yourself to see and say what is beneficial and life-building, you will find that making a difference will come much easier.

• Value each other. Love one another above all of the faults and fights. Don’t allow ANYTHING to come between you and another Christian. Galatians talks about how we should treat non-Christians well, but our brothers in Christ even BETTER! We’re family. That’s a privilege and such an honor.

• Honor your leaders. Make sure that this trip is a blessing for them. As you’ve been learning lately, leadership is extremely difficult. The Bible says that good leaders deserve double honor. That means Kris and Joe deserve about a billion times the honor!

• We love and believe in you so much! We’re in your corner, cheering you on, praying for God’s anointing in your life. We know what God says about you and we happen to agree with Him. We are calling out to God for your lives and believing that He’s going to show up in amazing ways.

Live with abandon and serve your guts out! We look forward to the stories-
Mark and Stacy