On Friday, July 8, Trinity sent out a group of 24 high school students and 6 adult leaders for a 10-day mission trip in Mescalero, New Mexico. Throughout our time working with Mescalero Reformed Church, our students were a blessing to the community by helping lead worship, watch kids, and hang out with teenagers during the church’s evening camp meetings. During the day, they also participated in multiple service projects, including yard work at the church and local homes, laying rock for a driveway, painting the church’s nursery, and repainting foursquare and basketball court lines.
On Thursday evening, our group visited a coming-of- age feast for a local Apache girl. Experiencing the rich culture and traditions of the Apache people opened the eyes of our students to a world outside of what they grew up with and know. The girls were able to dance around the fire with the local Mescalero people, allowing them to take part in the celebration and learn from this different culture.
On the last couple of days of the trip, the group visited the Carlsbad Caverns National Park and toured the caves before making the trip home, arriving back in Orange City on Monday, July 18.
While in Mescalero, our group witnessed the movement and leading of the Holy Spirit as they made connections with and grew close to the Mescalero Apache people. The children were a joy for our students to invest in, and the adult congregation members inspired them to be a light in even the darkest places. The students were also reminded through their service work that some of the most mundane or small things can be a huge blessing to others.
Scroll through our photos to see some of how our students were blessed and were a blessing to the Mescalero Reformed Church.
