Friday, July 29, 2016

Friday Favorites: Mission Trip Edition

Happy Friday, friends!  I am doing something a little different on the blog today, but am really excited about it!  My beautiful, sixteen year old daughter, Kendall, just returned from a nine day mission trip and has agreed to share a few of her favorite things from her experience.

Yes, I asked my teenager to write an essay on her summer break, but you know what?  She happily agreed because she is thrilled to share her passion with everyone!  Often times we worry about the future generation, but if our future is in the hands of the kids that went on this mission trip; we will be just fine.  They gave up part of their summer to help others.  They are selfless, loving and compassionate.

OK, take it away Kendall....


This was my second year to go on this mission trip. Last year was my first time to ever go on a mission trip and El Paso and Dell City stole my heart. Since the day I left I have been wanting to go back! I have such a indescribable love for it! The people are some of the most welcoming people ever, and it is truly my second home. The list could go on, but today I am sharing five of my favorite things about my experience in El Paso and Dell City this year....




Reuniting and New Faces 

When I went back on my mission trip I hoped I would see some familiar faces, but one of my favorite things was to see two little boys that I bonded with last year and thought I would never see again. My heart melted when they said they remembered me too! It was so neat to come back a year later and catch up with them again. I also loved bonding with people I just met this year, too. 





The Music

Our mission trip team leader, Griff, loves the band Needtobreathe. Last year the whole 12 hour ride there and back we listened to themand let me tell you I know a lot of Needtobreathe songs now!  Right before we left on the mission trip this year, Needtobreathe came out with a new album called Hard Love. By the end of the trip I had bought the whole album on my phone and was jamming to all the songs! The words are inspiring and meaningful! Don't get me wrong, I still love my country music, but nothing beats catchy songs worshiping God! One of the lyrics to their song Be Here Long says:

"Close my eyes and think of you 
Go to sleep and dream of you 
We don't get to be here long 
I gave you the best of me 
Love you more than anything 
But we don't get to be here long"

Someone in my youth group said that this reminds them of our time in El Paso and I agree, those words describe it perfectly. 

Here's a video of some of us jamming to the new Needtobreathe song Happiness in the van.


Kendall from Emily on Vimeo.


Loving and Serving

Early on in the mission trip I wasn't feeling too well, and it was amazing to see how the people who lived in El Paso were so helpful to me. They gave me food, prayed for me, and just loved on me. My job, and my youth groups job, was to help them and to share The Word, but that role switched and they were taking care of me! I want to thank all the people in the youth group who helped me, and give a special thanks to the people who took care me from El Paso.





Lifetime Friends 

One of the coolest things about the mission trip is going on this journey with other people who share the same love for God and El Paso as me. While I am bonding with kids and other teens, so are my friends! I think this week brought me closer to my youth group. Here's a picture of us looking at the stars, and looking at the lights from Mexico.




Bonding 

God works in mysterious ways! God put me, a 16 year old, who lives in a small town, who knows a tiny bit of Spanish with some kids who only speak Spanish! It's crazy how you can bond with someone who doesn't even speak the same language as you! We had some people translate, but we didn't have to talk to bond. I think the neatest thing is that we don't speak the same language, we live different places, we are raised totally different, but the main thing we have in common is that we love God!


Thank you so much to my sweet Kendall for being my Guest Blogger today.  That girl is going to do great things!  She is such a blessing to me!  If you want to get caught up on my other posts from this week:

On Monday, we celebrated Christmas in July...



On Tuesday, I did a little experiment between the pricey Yeti tumber and the WalMart version, Ozark Trail.  Check out my results!


 On Wednesday, I shared what we've been up to this month with my What's Up Wednesday post.  .  


Hope you have a fantastic weekend!  I'll see you back here on Monday for a little something new I'm trying out.  

Emily

I'm linking up with my Friday regulars...










22 comments:

  1. Good for you sweet girl - great post:)

    And I LOVE the idea of Christmas in July - amazing!!

    Laura
    www.blackcoffeebeautiful.com

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  2. LOVE your daughter's heart! I love hearing how mission trips affected those needing help AND the helpers. Glad she was willing to share! Hope you all have a great weekend!

    Katie @ Cup of Tea

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    1. Thank you so much, Katie! She has definitely found her passion.

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  3. I love her heart! Kendall, you will never fully know the imapact you are leaving on these children's lives. What a blessing you are to each of them!

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    1. Thank you for your kind words, Erica! That's exactly what I tell Kendall, she is planting seeds in the life of these kids. I'm so proud of her!

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  4. Kendall, you are such a fabulous gift of light! I just love this sharing of your time in El Paso. I bet those kids were so excited to see you because that smile just radiates love. Keep on being the hands and feet! Never stop! You are going to move mountains for so many people with that servant's heart. xoxoxo

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    1. Thank you, Amanda! She was so excited to see some of the same kids as last year. I'm sure those kids look forward to the soccer camp & VBS our church does for them all year.

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  5. A servants heart is a gift and Kendall, you are amazing!!

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    1. She definitely has a servant's heart. She is a hardworker and has a heart full of compassion. I can't wait to see where it takes her.

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  6. What an amazing heart, experience, and post! Kendall, thank you for sharing this with us. Have a wonderful weekend and I am excited for Monday's post!

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    1. Thank you for stopping by, Jenna! I was excited Kendall agreed to share her experience on the blog. Have a great weekend!

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  7. Such a beautiful post by your sweet Baby Girl! I'll be praying that God continues to use her to minister in the lives of others.

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    1. Thank you, Laura! I love that she's found something she's so passionate about, and it honors God. I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

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  8. What a great post and sounds like a great trip!

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    1. Thank you! She had a blast and is already counting down the days until next year's trip.

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  9. wow, she sounds amazing and I'm glad she had such a great trip!

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    1. Thank you, Dara! She's pretty special to us! Have a great weekend!

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  10. I'm soooooo proud of my granddaughter! She truly is "grand"! Kendall, you are such a blessing to so many people, including those young 'uns in El Paso! Love you!

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  11. Love this post so much! What an amazing experience to got to serve and end up being served. Sounds like a great trip and an awesome summer. She is a treasure.

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  12. Oh I love this so much! I pray that Mason’s fire for Jesus never burns out and that he wants to serve like this one day! I love Needtobreathe, too! I can tell that she got so much out of this trip and know that she poured into the lives of others that were there. You’re raising an amazing lady, sweet friend! Love her heart!

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  13. OMG!! This is the greatest post!! You have one wonderful daughter there Emily!! Love that she has such a heart for the Lord and love what she does!

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