Mission Madness Reflection

by Houston Blake, Chester Baptist Church Youth Member

If you know me, then you know that Mission Madness has been a part of my life since I was thirteen. CBF Virginia has developed such a special place in my heart these past few years. This year marked my last year of Mission Madness, as I am a senior. This was especially bitter sweet. Over the years I have learned to walk in my faith step by step, how to give and receive hope, what it means to be a neighbour, the importance of bearing witness to Jesus Christ, and the beauty of God’s beloved community. This year my group worked at the Valley Mission homeless shelter in Waynesboro, Virginia. We walked in greeted by the joyful smiles of the many different people staying there. Our group dedicated our afternoon to cleaning, disinfecting, and reorganizing the children’s area. I had the honor of working alongside my youth pastor, Alice, who happens to be pregnant with her second baby. Something about watching her leadership and motherly like love no matter what she is doing, always inspires me to do my best.

As lunch approached we started making sandwiches. I enjoy helping prepare  lunches because I love the idea of serving the people I am already serving a community with. We were short on lunch supplies, but our group took the time as an opportunity to get to know one another while waiting for our food. This is a special key part to the beloved community. In this beloved community not everything is perfect. Not everything happens the way we plan it. Not a single one of us look the same or all come from the same places. Some of us may not even know each other. That is what makes the beloved community so wonderfully complex. All of these uniquely designed imperfections, coming together for one purpose: to serve with love. Often there are times where I catch myself thinking I am not enough for the beloved community. Then I remind myself that the beloved community is not excluding. The beloved community is us. It is you. It is them. It is the most outcasted, broken, and abandoned. It is me. We are the beloved community. Mission Madness, you are one of the best things to ever come into my life. Thank you for opening doors for everyone to be a part of this beloved community.