Scoops of Service: How Faith and Fun Shaped Our Journey

Ice cream and summer are meant to be together. There is something about summer that makes the cool, silky texture of ice cream taste like manna from heaven. On our recent Servant Mission Trip to the Silver Valley in Idaho, many of our youth had several firsts: their first time to the Pacific Northwest, or their first real “unplugged time” (no cell service or Wi-Fi). But one of the firsts they won’t forget is the time they got huckleberry ice cream.

It got me thinking about how we talk about going on a servant mission trip.

Unfortunately, we often get caught up in the emphasis of these trips as the servant component, as if it were the whole ice cream cone. But really, it is only part of what makes up the metaphorical “service mission trip ice-cream cone.” We do spend significant time helping others, which is sweet. But if that’s all we are doing, we don’t need to go all the way to Idaho. A servant mission trip has many layers that come together to make for a delicious and heavenly experience.

Let me explain.

The cone is the base to any good ice cream cone (waffle is my favorite). It provides the base and holds the rest of the cone while you enjoy the toppings. For me, the cone of the mission trip is the most important part: the faith formation aspect of the trip. I challenge you to ask any of our youth what the A1 core value of the trip is, and they will say faith formation. I'm proud to say we lived out this core value in so many meaningful ways that, for many of our youth, their most lasting memory was how deeply they felt God's presence at camp.

The next part of the ice cream cone is the ice cream itself (peanut butter and chocolate are my go-to). This part of the trip is leadership, both of self and others. These trips are a chance for our youth to explore the many flavors of who they are in this world. They will share more about the leadership roles they had, but one interesting one was writing and leading a 10-minute Bible study as pairs. Each one had a really great question or insight that brought Scripture alive in a new way. I was very impressed.

The whipped topping and sprinkles are the fun that gets added to the trip. From the van rides singing at the top of our lungs, to the adventures of zip lining and whitewater rafting, the flair of every trip is special.

This trip reminded me that servant mission work isn’t just about what we do, it’s about who we’re becoming. Layer by layer, moment by moment, God is shaping us. And what God creates is more beautiful than anything we could design ourselves.

So mark your calendars:

August 10 at 11:30 AM

Come hear our youth share their stories.

Come support them.

Come, and you will be inspired.

Pastor Tim