Thank you for praying for the 20 churches and over 275 students and chaperones who participated in Mission Madness at Richmond’s First Baptist Church! What an incredible weekend of worship, service and connection! Together, we put in around 875 service hours spread over 13 mission sites and partners. The students did everything from planting crops in gardens that provide food all over the greater Richmond and Petersburg area to sorting food and clothing at pantries, to landscaping at school, homes, and public spaces. Hear Stephanie’s reflection of her experience:
Mud is not as it seems- you think you could step out and be on hard ground, but then in reality sink down another foot and a half.
Mukshah and I accompanied the 9th and 10th grade girls from Richmond’s First Baptist Church and joined a group from Harrisonburg Baptist Church on a mission trip with the organization, Sails Angels. It is a nonprofit group that uses the people in the community to clean up the trash that collects on the side of the James River in Varina.
We boarded two different kinds of boats—a motorized fishing boat and an interesting contraption made of three canoes connected by bamboo poles. Some climbed into the motorized boat, while others stepped onto the canoe setup, each group choosing what felt like the best fit.
I rode on the canoe with some of the girls, and from there we could see how things unfolded as people stepped out onto the muddy shore. With the help of our volunteer guide, we worked together to navigate the mud—steadying ourselves along a long tree log and using it like a balance beam to reach solid ground.
The theme of the weekend was based on Exodus 35 and 36 where God gives Moses a list of what is needed to build a tabernacle. God uses the people’s passion, skills, potential, and community to make a beautiful creation to allow them to connect with God and each other.
In small groups, we discussed the spiritual gifts of the students and how they could use their training to help in God’s world. One of our girls recognized her gift of training as a gymnast. When we were out on the James River in a canoe, we were challenged to figure out how to not only get to shore, but also get a heavy box of trash bags to shore as well. Haley’s skill of being comfortable on a balance beam allowed her to be the perfect person to step up in that time and place to solve that problem.
We were not only able to collect ten bags of trash and find interesting treasures along the way, but get back into the canoes without drowning in mud. I am thankful for the gifts that God gave us to use in the small ways to be a part of something big and meaningful.
Stephanie Ransome is an active deacon at Richmond’s First Baptist Church where she uses her skills as a Hanover County(VA) Public Schools music teacher to help lead children, youth and adults in the worship ministry and in formation ministry.