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Who Knew Connecticut Was in Ecuador?
Throughout their entire senior year at FPC, members of the graduating senior class of 2006 were told their "mystery" mission trip was taking them to Connecticut. Even their parents were in the dark until an afternoon e-mail on the day of the trip departure provided all the details of the destination of their sons and daughters.
The "mystery" mission trip has become a staple of the youth missions program at FPC-Nashville and serves as a reminder that the faith journey of a Christian is filled with mysteries and surprises that God chooses to reveal to us at His appointed time. How we respond to those revelations can make a profound impact on our lives for years to come.
Below is the story of the impact this year's mystery trip had on members of the class of 2006 as seen through the eyes of one participant, Liza Darwin.
"I woke up confused. As I glanced around the tiny room, I was unsure of where I was. I stepped out of bed and my friend reminded me, "Don't brush your teeth with the water." Suddenly the last few days came flashing back to me. I was in Quito, Ecuador.
It was about 10:30 p.m. the night before when we finally stepped off the plane and walked tiredly into the deserted Quito airport. After spending 17 hours in various airports, I was relieved to finally know where we were going. I was among the 25 high school seniors of First Presbyterian Church who chose to participate in the traditional Mystery Mission Trip.
The annual Mystery Trip is a mission experience for students who recently graduated from high school. The location of the trip remains a secret until the group boards the flight headed toward the final destination. For almost six months prior to the trip, no student knew where we were traveling. We were only given a short packing list and the instructions to drink 96 oz. of water a day to prevent altitude sickness.
Everyone on the trip jumped blindly into the experience without knowing where we were going, so we had very few expectations. I had been on four church mission trips in summers past, so I thought I had a good idea of what was to come.
Like most American teenagers, I was not aware of the problems in Ecuador prior to the trip. It's not that I didn't care about the problems in South America. Through media attention, I was more familiar with regions such as Darfur and the Sudan.
Our mission work was organized through Youth World, a Christian organization based in Ecuador that is involved in several different ministries in the area. The group spent the most time at Argelia Alta, a neighborhood ministry in the mountains outside of Quito. Argelia Alta is both a church and a school for the local children, many of whom live in poverty.
These children at Argelia long for love wherever they can find it. All I had to do was tell them, 'hello,' before I had five squirming children on top of me. Although they have seen so many problems in their short lives, their smiles and laughs reminded us that they are still just kids.
Loving the children, helping them with schoolwork, and teaching them the Bible kept leading me to a feeling of frustration. As easy as it was to create a huge smile on a child's face, I knew it would be much more difficult to create physical change in this struggling neighborhood.
I felt guilty each day as I waved goodbye to the children I had spent hours getting to know. I almost felt like it was wrong to develop such a close relationship with a child, only to have to say goodbye at the end of the trip.
It was frustrating to witness the problems in Ecuador because it seemed difficult for this group — these 25 Nashville teenagers — to create change. Ironically, this sentiment changed when our mission led us to the local dump.
As we drove down the winding rode and the scent of trash began to waft through the air, I knew we were getting closer to the dump. However, it wasn't until I saw the one-story-tall trash pile and workers in green uniforms that I realized many of the residents actually live right outside the dump.
The Quito dump is a community, and families have worked there for generations. They even live nearby, in tiny houses made of wood, steel sheets and bricks. Until recently, the workers carried their young children on their backs as they sorted through the trash. The only "baby sitter" for their kids would be a large cardboard box. The children had nowhere to go during the day, so they helped their parents sort though garbage.
A nursery was established about a month ago for the children of dump workers. Finally, these babies have a safe haven while their parents are at work. I spent several hours in this nursery, and this was where I felt most inspired. A group called Extreme Response had been working for years to create this nursery, and finally their efforts have come to fruition. Babies no longer spend hours attached to their parents' backs in the dangerous environment of trash and dump trucks.
It was not until we saw the dump that we truly believed we could make a difference for these children. From that day on, we were inspired to create a positive change in their lives by involving our classmates and the Nashville community.
One of the main questions I struggled with in Ecuador was why the world was so divided in terms of housing, food and quality of life. How can some people have so much, and others have so little?
After this trip, I felt more strongly than ever that those who are given much in life are expected to give much in return. Each person must have a sense of responsibility to help those who are less fortunate. Who would have ever believed that a small group of teens would be inspired by a dump in Ecuador? All 25 teens vowed that this experience would be the cornerstone of a life inspired by service — we all believe that great things will happen."
Click here for more Ecuador trip photos.
The rising college freshmen members of First Presbyterian Church who visited Ecuador recently are: Elizabeth Baker, Syracuse University; Billy Billington, Washington and Lee University; Lindsay Boyd, Clemson University; Alex Brandon, Southern Methodist University; Molly Campbell, Rhodes College; Teddy Christenberry, University of Tennessee; True Claycombe, University of Georgia; Daniel Curry, University of Tennessee; Liza Darwin, Vassar College; Will Fitzgerald, Southern Methodist University; Katie Fredericks, University of Georgia; Adair Freeman, Baylor University; Martha Freeman, University of Miami of Ohio; Mary Hancock, Auburn University; Ashley Hill, Auburn University; Brad Kennedy, University of Tennessee; Callie Kestner, University of Alabama; Hannah McMillan, University of Tennessee; Ellen Morphis, Sewanee (University of the South); Parker Prevost, Auburn University; Keith Simpkins, University of Tennessee; Jillian Thompson, University of Virginia; David Wheeler, Duke University; Will Whitson, Furman University; and Louden Wright, University of Tennessee. |
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