Projects are a big part of these trips but more important are the relationships that are formed in the process of the work.
The relationships established with the home owners are wonderful but the enhanced relationship with God and amongst the team members is absolutely priceless.
First and foremost, it’s incredible to watch people grow spiritually and increase the intensity of their relationship with God. In some cases, the growth can be seen right before our eyes. “The light comes on” so to speak. God places something or someone in our path that flips that switch and we see things in a whole new light.
Alot of us go with the “human” thought that we’re going to bless the people of New Orleans. While that may happen, God sees to it that working with and for those people ends up blessing us more in the process. It’s incredibly humbling to go to a complete stranger and say to them “I’m here to serve you, what can I do?”
The bottom line is, God is much more about growing us spiritually than He is about what we’re doing while there. The work is only the vehicle for that growth. In reflection is when we see that since we stepped out of our box, God has blessed that step tenfold.
To further increase spiritual growth, there are 25+ of us living for a week or two(in some cases) in 1000 square feet with only two bathrooms. If two bathrooms for that many people doesn’t test a person’s faith, I’m not sure what would! Grace and patience become very necessary and evident. It’s so amazing to see the growing bonds between the team members. It doesn’t matter where you are financially, personally or spiritually, the playing field is leveled in a hurry with these kinds of logistics. Let’s just say there aren’t a lot of secrets in this kind of environment. We pray, we joke, we worship, we laugh(alot) and we fellowship. We celebrate the good things that happen during our day and if someone is struggling, it doesn’t take long for another person to see that and come around them in friendship and prayer. How a person can become so close to others in such a short time, close enough to feel like family is truly a “God-thing.”
We have a lot of team members who return year after year and when they do, it truly feels like old home week. With Crossroads being a larger church with multiple campuses, trips such as these create a relationship bond amongst the team members and campuses represented that may not happen otherwise. A person can sometimes fall through the cracks of a large church, but its activities like these that seal up those cracks.
If an opportunity arises for any of you to go on a short-term outreach, I would highly recommend it. You will never be the same again! It will definitely ruin you for the ordinary!
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