2022 STM Reflections
Anna Cai:
During the last week of June, I had the privilege of going on a short term domestic mission trip with 25 others as part of the larger Joni and Friends Family organization which exists to provide practical care to people living with disabilities. The Joni and Friends Family Retreat offers a safe and accepting Christ-centered, fun camp environment for individuals affected by a disability along with their families. I won’t get into the miniscule details of each day (though feel free to ask me about them!), as what I really want to get into are the three larger lessons I took away.
First, I was reminded of how easy it is to live a joyful life. My camper was a bubbly and energetic 15 year old girl who was born with arthrogryposis, a condition characterized by stiff joints and underdeveloped muscles. This means her enthusiasm and vitality was confined to her bright purple wheelchair (her favorite color!) as she could not walk or easily use her upper limbs. This did not stop her, however, from wanting to live in the fast lane. If you just so happened to pass by us at camp, what you would have seen is a blurry figure propelling herself back and forth in a flash of purple yelling out “EXCUSE ME!”. After pushing her up the hill from games and back down another to bible she would turn to me and say,“This is a good workout for you Anna”. She never failed to make me, and everyone around her, laugh. One day she even made a few of us do laps with her around the courtyard. I say a few of us because after running 4 rounds with her, only one of us could go on. While I tried to catch my breath, she already found a new volunteer to take her, hair flowing in the wind and shouts of delight echoing in the air. Any volunteer nearby watching the spectacle couldn’t help but smile. She taught me that you really don’t need much to be joyous—despite her challenges, this girl had so much happiness and light inside of her to share. It was her ability to appreciate the mundane things we often don’t think twice about, like getting from place to place and eating, that really inspired me to do the same. I share another story, of how during meal times, her food had to be cut up and often took her three times as long to finish as using her hands to eat was not as natural of a thing for her to do. Yet, she loves eating— I don’t think I’ve ever met another human who loves and appreciates food as much as she does. After every lunch meal she would lick her lips clean and declare, “That was so good! What’s for dinner?” And I found myself responding every time “I have no idea, but I can’t wait.”
Secondly, I understood how deep love can be. This retreat, although largely focused on the camper, was also about their families. Every meal was enjoyed by the volunteers with the camper’s whole family. Talking with my camper’s parents, I learned that they are mom and dad to eight children. Four their own, and four adopted. My camper and her sister, who also has arthrogryposis and attended the retreat, were two of the adopted children. The parent’s love towards their children who aren’t biologically their own was still so apparent and abundant though, it redefined for me what love is and can be. They set a beautiful example of what it means to truly love unconditionally, and through them I was able to see God’s vast and perfect love for each and everyone of us. At Joni and Friends you are surrounded by all sorts of people who society often deems difficult to love— those who cannot communicate and are nonverbal, those who will scream in your face and run away, those who cannot show you love back. But all you feel while at camp is love. This envelopment of warmth was especially present during the talent show on the last night of retreat, where many parents and families went up to perform but not before sharing their struggles and what the particular song or act meant to them. After all these performances, the individuals were met with teary eyes, loud applause, and standing ovations. Parents who understood the hardships of fellow parents. Parents proud of their own child or the child of a new friend of theirs. Campers cheering for one of their own. Volunteers happy to have connected with such incredulous people that were only strangers a few days ago. If there is one thing I will never forget from Joni and Friends, it’s the people and the constant overwhelming amount of love and support that is present.
Third, I learned the true definition of serving. This short term mission trip was actually my fifth. By now, anyone in my place would have expected to know what it means to serve, yet it was not until this trip where I feel like I truly learned. And what I learned was this: to give without expecting anything in return. A lot of volunteers shared how they felt this retreat taught them what it actually means to die to the self and I can see why. A lot of times the strength to go on was only able to be found in God. When you had a camper who could never express approval or their gratitude to you in a way where you would know it, it’s hard to keep giving all your love and energy. But to wholeheartedly serve is to do just that and remind yourself that we even have this capacity to give because of our Lord who modeled what sacrificial love looks like first. One of my favorite bible verses that this whole week of servitude reminded me over and over of was this: “We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19). Joni and Friends taught me invaluable lessons of how to live, love, and serve, and I am so grateful for the experience. I hope that one day maybe you too will decide to experience it for yourself too.
Eshan Hu:
Hi, my name is Eshan Hu, and I have attended mission trips since 2017. This year’s mission trip was with Joni and Friends, a family retreat for people with disabilities at Spruce Lake, PA. As volunteers, the majority of us were paired one on one with a person with a disability while we seldom had the role of taking care of siblings or running stations. Throughout the retreat, we would stick with our camper the entire day from 8 am to 8:30 pm, with a two-hour break between 3-5 pm. Everything from eating meals together with their family or going to different activities would be spent with the person with the disability. This was so the parents could relax and enjoy bible ministry and other activities while knowing that someone else was taking care of their child.
Initially, I was a bit nervous about the mission trip this year as I had never been around such a large community of people with disabilities and did not know what to expect. The volunteers had one and half days of training from when we arrived on Sunday morning to Monday afternoon when we met our families. I didn’t think I was ready from these first two days of camp because there were only 5-10 minute breaks during the training, and I was already exhausted. How could I keep up my energy throughout the rest of the week? However, the retreat leaders emphasized from day one that we should rely on God’s power and strength, not our own. Thankfully, through God’s help, I became more and more energized as the week went on and had a great time with my camper. The person I was assigned to was a 27-year-old named Kaitlin Ashway, who was in a wheelchair and was non-verbal. The biggest challenge I faced with Kaitlin was not being able to communicate with her freely. She could understand everything we said but could only respond in limited vocabularies, such as yes or no, while everything else she said was incomprehensible. The first time I met her, I immediately ran out of things to say and felt very awkward around her parents. However, as I began to observe how she interacted with her parents and friends, I noticed the things she liked and disliked and communicated with her by asking the same questions or saying specific words. I was blessed to have Kaitlin as my camper as she loved listening to worship music and singing. Throughout the day, we would listen to worship songs, and I would sing with her wherever we went, whereas previously, I was not very comfortable singing out loud in the presence of others. Her favorite song was “How Great Is My God” by Chris Tomlin, and it showed me just how much God has worked in her life and that she loves Him so much. In addition, the other campers I met at missions have deeply touched my life as they were all so positive and happy all the time that I couldn’t help but smile the entire day. During worship sessions, everyone sang so loudly and boldly or in their own way through their actions if they were non-verbal, and it helped me realize that everyone was worshiping God so freely because it was about Him rather than us. No matter how out of tune you are or if you can’t sing, Joni and Friends had multiple worship sessions every day because it was the time when God could communicate with us and us with Him as he understands every part of us because He created us. I can only imagine how much joy the campers feel when they worship God because even if most people in their life can not understand them sometimes, there is assurance that God completely understands how they think. Lastly, I am so glad I met so many supportive people and leaders because when I felt tired or didn’t know what to do, they were always there to help me. Overall, I think this experience has changed me as I can appreciate and be patient with those I do not understand initially and open up a more caring heart for those around me.
