Go into all the world and preach the Gospel (Mk 16:15)
In the first week of this term, the College Pastors took a team of 8 students ranging from years 10,11 &12 to Agnes Water on a Mission Trip. We did not choose Agnes because we think we are any better than the people who live there but rather because the connections we have there allowed our students opportunities to participate in a large range of experiences. We are told in the bible to always be prepared to give an answer for the hope we have in Jesus (1Peter 3:15). However this is something students often find hard to do in front of their peers. By taking students somewhere else they often feel less intimidated and are more confident to step out of their comfort zones.
While we were in Agnes our students had the opportunity to serve in a variety of settings. In the local church, they ran a Kids Club, Youth Group, Sunday School and they participated in the Sunday morning service.
Discovery Christian College was kind enough to invite us into their school to lead the chapel services from prep through to grade 10 and while we were there our students cooked a pancake breakfast for all the students in the school. The local Op-Shop provided an opportunity for our students to serve in the wider community. There, our students assisted with some of the many jobs that needed doing as well as cooking a BBQ breakfast for the local residents.
Back at our accommodation, the team were given opportunities to share devotions, pray and sing worship songs. Then on Saturday, they enjoyed a well-earned break snorkelling at Lady Musgrave Island. We could not have been prouder of the way these students represented both our college and God over the course of the week. We received lots of positive feedback from the locals. It was both a privilege and a blessing to witness God at work in their lives as they trusted him to do things they had not previously been confident enough to do. Over the course of the week, we watched the team grow in unity with many new friendships being formed.