Musings & Younger Perspectives:
Experiencing God’s call while in mission in Appalachia
By Pastor Karen Yokota & Forrest Tufte
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From August 1 to 9, 2015, eager youth members and youth leaders from Puyallup UMC ventured out of their comfort zone to Manchester, Ky. located in the heart of the Appalachian mountains. For a week, we stayed in God’s Closet or aka “Goodwill on steroids,” a clothing warehouse that provides free clothing to those in need. While in Manchester, our youth made a deep impact by providing assistance, love and healing through the Gospel.
The Mission Team engaged in the local community through a few major service projects. Each day in the mornings, they worked on repairing a house by rebuilding a new fire pit, deck, and replacing the gutters. In the afternoon, they brought Vacation Bible School to kids in an apartment complex teaching camp songs, Bible stories, crafts and games.
The youth learned how to become leaders by doing service and working hard each and every day – they were divided into different teams to help lead the different aspects of planning and strategy, encouraging their peers through teamwork, teaching, accountability, building, cleaning and cooking. In the evenings, these avid learners and teachers, devoted a few hours to studying the Book of James and learn how to apply the scriptures in their daily lives. That week, the teens witnessed deep issues of poverty, and how substance abuse affect communities, families and individuals.
Forrest Tufte, a young person from Puyallup UMC, provided this reflection from our mission trip:
This year’s mission trip to Manchester Kentucky is one I won’t forget. Not only did we all grow closer together as a team, but we all grew closer to God in one way or another. Whether we had questions about God or had a struggle leaving the kids we were working with on our VBS program, all of us on this mission had an unforgettable experience.
I had a very personal calling from God. On our last day of mission work, we were running a VBS Program. I went to take a 6-year-old girl and her brother home to her mom’s friend’s apartment. When we got there, her mom’s friends said that she wasn’t there. The young girl said she thinks her mother was hiding and possibly doing drugs. That hit me like a ton of bricks.
As I returned to God’s Closet (the place where we were staying), I started crying and couldn’t really deal with it. In that moment, God called out to me. Not exactly with words, but somehow I understood that I needed to make a difference in people’s lives; I needed to help be part of change in people’s lives. It was here that I made a decision that I’m going to follow what God told me to do. I’m going to live out my faith and do what the book of James says.
I’ve got the support from my fellow youth and from all of the adults in the youth group. The things we experienced in mission is something that I am privileged to have experienced. It might have been a bit rough for some and very emotional for others, but it’s something we won’t forget. With the support of our families, friends, and the church we were able to do something not a lot of people have the opportunity to do.
