The missions trip to Atlanta has been the best week of my life, with so much spiritual growth and doing things beyond what I am comfortable in. I was the shy, quiet one and was very nervous about all the homeless ministry that we were going to do. On Monday night, which was the first day, I was very discouraged and just had to share what I was feeling. I talked to Holly about my pain, thinking that I just could not handle it alone, and she was so encouraging. She spoke to me about trusting in Christ not my own strength and having the power to stop the thoughts of discouragement. David, one of the wonderful leaders from DOOR, noticed my reaction that night during what was called “reflections” and wanted to speak with me the next day. We talked about how to overcome my shyness and told me to share my thoughts with the rest of the group. On Tuesday night in devotions with the group I spoke about what I was dealing with even though it was hard and made me vulnerable. When I was finished speaking, Will mentioned some of his struggles and then the others spoke as well. Through my speaking I grew to understand so much more about my friends. I learned that part of being a Christian means breaking out of your pride and admitting to things and through that others speak up and we grow closer in Christ. We all have issues that we deal with but sometimes we do not want to feel vulnerable or break down our pride. Doing this really prepared me for the rest of the trip.
Thursday was the day when we be talking with the homeless and bringing lunches to the streets. This was the day I was afraid of and I felt very nervous when we went out to talk. I saw others from our team begin to speak and did not know what to do. I saw a man sitting by himself smoking and decided to talk to him. It was weird at first but turned out to be a great conversation. I started talking to other people and realized how strong they were in their faith. The person I talked to first was a very smart man who loved science and reading. I came to understand that we could learn from these people, and that they are not just dumb homeless people on the streets. They are real people and have such strength even when faced with persecution and hopelessness at times. They have passions and brains just like we do. It was so amazing and I was so privileged to speak with the people there. The trip has challenged me to go beyond what I think I can do and trust in Christ because I can not do it in my own selfish ability.
- Nicholas Haufler
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