Many people across the country aren’t fortunate enough to have many of the things we do. Millard West students realized this last summer when they went on a mission trip to Winchester, Kentucky, to help paint a house.
Only in eight days, these students majorly impacted people’s lives who needed help. Not only were they able to help these people, but they were also able to help themselves by seeing the reality of some people’s lives. This allowed many students to become more open-minded and understanding of others’ situations. These students were able to see how big of a difference they were able to make by just being there for a short amount of time. Through painting, building, and reconstructing, they were able to help their residents not get evicted from their houses and grow their relationship with God.
“My favorite memory from the trip was when we finished the project and our residents came out to see our work,” sophomore Jaquelyn Collette said. “She was so appreciative of the work that we had done that she began to cry. She could not put into words how thankful she was. She shared that she had not let anyone into her house in 6 years because she was so ashamed of how it looked. She gave us all a hug and told us she would miss us.”
Not only did they paint and clean up their resident’s house but they gave her back her sense of confidence and sureness in herself and where she lives.
One of the other groups on the trip helped construct and paint for a woman with only one leg. She gained many followers on TikTok for being happy and thriving with what she had to put up with in life. Sophomore Shelby Luna was happy to help spend her first mission trip meeting new people and helping the community.
“I didn’t really have anything else to do and I wanted to build my relationship with God,” Luna said. “I loved being able to help and it opened my eyes to what other people go through.”
Not only did the girls take a week out of summer to help paint, build, and reconstruct houses, but they also spent time before the trip fundraising by selling plants and wreaths and playing music Bingo. The girls saw God working in many different ways during the trip and saw a sign from him in the clouds.
“Me, Shelby Luna and two other girls who are from Canada were looking at the clouds while talking about our faith and how it’s important to trust in god,” sophomore Josslin Bahenskey said. “We looked up and saw a cloud in the shape of a cross and then we were talking about relationships and how communication is important and the exact same cloud that was just a cross had turned into a heart.”
Overall, their mission trip was a huge success as they were able to help so many people and grow in their relationships with God.
