From Savannah: Connecting with Local Hands and Feet

By Jess Bunger, Associate in Ministry of Discipleship at Gateway Trinity Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, FL. Jess recently returned from a YouthWorks trip to Savannah, GA.

Right now there are 19 eager servants busily preparing for a week of service in Savannah that begins as they start their journey very early Sunday morning. The theme of the week is #FirstLove. We were unable to love: Unable to love God. Unable to love others. But God loved us anyway. Not with a flimsy, only- when-it’s-convenient, once-in-a-while kind of love. But with a deep, all-of-the-time, for-all-of-time kind of love. A love that takes root and gives life. A love that fills us, changes us, flows from us into the world. And so, we are able to love: Able to love God. Able to love others. We love because God first loved us. Please keep the community of Savannah, the #YouthWorks Savannah Staff (Erik, Alli, Rachel and Noah) and these servants in your prayers this week: Jason Algeo Jenna Algeo Jake Binkowski Josie Buffington Matthew Drayer Gianna Drayer Kaycie Gabel Erin Gear Sydney Green Alexa Gruber Kayla Gruber Eric Imarino Cam Lohr Ashley Young Jordan Lohr Joe Sarracino Chaperones: Jess Bunger Karen Duda Ron Schoonover

A photo posted by Gateway Trinity Lutheran (@gatewaytrinity) on Jun 18, 2016 at 7:43am PDT

When I announced to the congregation that the youth group had chosen to serve in Savannah, GA with YouthWorks in 2016 I immediately heard skepticism in the air — Savannah? Are you sure this is not just an undercover vacation? Will you just spend the whole week on River Street or will you actually be doing projects and serving people? After setting up 10 of these trips with YouthWorks I was prepared for this type reaction because I had heard the same thing when we prepared to serve in Washington DC, Boston, the Adirondacks, etc.

One of the many fantastic parts of these trips is that YouthWorks sets up the opportunity for participants to see beyond the bright and shiny locations we usually frequent as tourists and instead meet the soul of a city through connecting with the local hands and feet already on the ground doing God’s work. By partnering with others and sharing God’s love in simple ways, participants are given the chance to truly dwell in a place and encounter people in an genuine way. While the perfect veneers showcased in magazines and travel blogs are lovely to look at, I have never left a YouthWorks community without a deep, authentic love for the people and place regardless of whether or not I had beautiful photos to share afterward.

The first day of service went very very well and then we headed to the beach for fellowship and worship… Tiring but very powerful day. Thank you for the continued prayers! #yw2016 #gatewaytrinity #firstlove #lifetogether

A photo posted by Gateway Trinity Lutheran (@gatewaytrinity) on Jun 21, 2016 at 4:01am PDT

Once again, the trip our youth group took to Savannah this summer provided exactly that experience. We drove on side streets, fed people, played games with kids, and served in agencies and organizations that the larger public would never know were there. We fell in love, not with the cobblestone of River Street, but with the people of Savannah. This trip also provided something I never anticipated for a student I have known for just over a year now.

Week after week this young lady has come to youth group meetings looking solemn, hardly saying a word and just barely tolerating my weekly attempts to coax her into participating. When she indicated that she wanted to serve on this trip I was shocked but excited to see what God would do. What happened as we served in nothing short of a miracle. By providing her a time and space to focus on other people, she allowed herself to be more vulnerable and open to what God was doing in the community, in herself and also in the group. Before we started our journey I never could have imagined that God would move so boldly in this young lady.

Yesterday was our last day of service before we head back to Fort Myers. WHAT. A. WEEK. These last 5 days were Powerfully Transformative and we were led by an absolutely amazing staff from @ywmissions. Each of us on the GTLC team are looking forward to continuing to discern all we learned. Join us in praying for the people we served in Savannah this week as well as all this who served along side us at the agencies and organizations. There are so many people who fill this community with love year round and it was a blessing to see a glimpse into that this week. #firstlove #yw2016 #lifetogether #gatewaytrinity #service

A photo posted by Gateway Trinity Lutheran (@gatewaytrinity) on Jun 24, 2016 at 3:21am PDT

Year after year, God uses these trips to share the love of Christ with people and communities through humble partnership and mutual respect. These trips are a means to remind the participants that our own perspectives are limited and that when we are open to letting God use our hands and feet for the sake of Jesus, anything is possible, even moments of selflessness and growth for closed off teenagers, even grace filled surprises for tired, veteran youth workers.