envelop spinner search close plus arrow-right arrow-left facebook twitter

Mission trip impacts lives 2,000 miles away

by Mike Vandermause on June 30, 2015

Marissa Graf’s mission trip to Puerto Rico with the High School Ministry in mid-June included important lessons in how to deal with adversity.

Marissa, who attends GBCC and will be a junior at Appleton West, lost her wallet, got cut when she stepped on a sea urchin and had a lotion bottle explode in her bag. Yet through it all, she refused to feel sorry for herself.

“I was especially impressed with Marissa,” said Bobby Buffington, the GBCC high school ministry coordinator. “She had a tough week. All kinds of stuff piled up. Yet she had a consistently cheerful attitude."

Marissa and four other students, along with three adults, were part of the GBCC contingent that participated in the Lead 222 trip to Puerto Rico. Their week included doing service projects and leading a Vacation Bible School.

But Marissa received extra credit when it came to handling less-than-ideal circumstances. She said the key was to find God even in the midst of trials.

“You can’t let it get you down,” Marissa said. “Don’t get stuck there. You have to stay positive. It was really hard but I learned you have to lean on other people."

What was supposed to be an enjoyable afternoon at the beach turned into an ordeal when Marissa stepped in a water pothole onto a sea urchin. “That really hurt,” Marissa said. “It was bleeding. The entire week I had to soak it in vinegar. But I realized with pain comes healing. God doesn’t let you avoid pain. He pushes you through it and heals you through it."

For Jordanne Hanson, who will be a sophomore at Bay Port, the highlight of the week was getting to take part in a church service in Puerto Rico.

“It was really cool worshipping with the Puerto Ricans,” Jordanne said. “There were translators. It was cool to connect with them through the language barrier, just being able to feel unified. Their pastor said we are one church and it’s true. We are one church."

The group’s living quarters at a church in Puerto Rico was rustic. There were outdoor cold-water showers, porta-potties, and electricity brown-outs on a regular basis. Everyone slept on air mattresses, which wasn’t so bad unless one didn’t stay inflated.

“My air mattress had a leak,” Bobby said. "Every two hours I had to blow it back up."

But like Marissa, Bobby gained new perspective through the experience. “As soon as complaints started popping up in my head, first off, even what we did have was so far above what a lot of people have,” he said. “I found myself humbled by that. I still had a lot compared to the standards of the world."

There were times when the group did mundane projects, such as pulling weeds or chipping paint or picking up garbage.

“A huge part of it is where your focus and motives are,” Bobby said. “The goal isn’t to glorify yourself and make yourself look great. The goal is to do what God wants and offer the week up to him.

"I sensed throughout the week I needed to trust I was doing this for him, even if it doesn’t seem like it makes a huge difference. But we’re doing it out of a sense of serving him. This was not always as shiny and glorious as I imagined it would be. But God can still use it."

Besides Marissa and Jordanne, the GBCC high schoolers on the trip included Jordan Bain, Nathan Van Buren and Isaac Preston. Among the GBCC adults, Buffington was joined by Mary Gerndt and pastor Pete App. The group joined other groups from Chicago and California.

Bobby was impressed with how well the GBCC high school students got along. “The five of them seemed to bond really well,” he said. “They had a really good time. They were really tight. It was fun to see them interacting."

Jordanne was surprised by the connection she felt with other people on the trip. “I loved how we felt connected and unified,” she said. “Not only with the Puerto Ricans, but with people from Illinois and California. It was cool to be one group."

One of the service projects involved helping a woman named Anna, who used her home as a safe house for domestic violence victims. Marissa was particularly touched by Anna’s servant heart.

“It was so interesting that she felt God pushing her to be the hands and feet of Christ,” Marissa said. “We did a service project for her and it affected her so much. It might have been the smallest thing but she appreciated it so much. She was an amazing woman."

Despite some of the trials she experienced on the trip, Marissa said her next goal is to go on a mission trip to Africa.

Bobby is already talking about going back to Puerto Rico next year.

“Getting out of my comfort zone and seeing a bigger picture of the world was so valuable,” Bobby said. “It was exciting to watch God use our team to impact lives 2,000 miles away from Green Bay, through even the simplest acts of service."