Mission Trip

I desperately want to go on a mission trip. I have been on two before and I have this burning desire to go on another.

When I was in the seventh grade, we took a trip down to Harlan, Kentucky and worked with an organization called C.O.A.P. They help low and very low income families fix up their houses. Sort of like a habitat organization except it was centralized just to the Appalachian people. It was a fantastic experience and there was even an article written about our trip in the Christian Science Monitor. Photos from the trip can be seen here: http://www.bdcolenphoto.com/Journalism/A-Trip-to-Harlan-County/8448994_SoYVL#555356633_FZHZk.

My Senior year of high school I went on a mission trip with the Assemblies of God Church I had been attending (there aren't many PCUSA churches around). We took a bus down to Pass Christian, Mississippi. The bus trip was an interesting experience in itself. We broke down numerous times, lost power to the bus (including the bathroom) and then ultimately the bus died somewhere in Alabama and we had to be saved by another bus. Once we finally made it to Mississippi, it was a phenomenal trip. I learned that while Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans there was so much damage in Mississippi that was being ignored. The town we were staying and working it was practically wiped out. The people were living in half destroyed homes or were crowded into other people' homes and yet everyone was so sweet and appreciative of this small little dent we were making. It was an amazing experience.

I want to go on a mission trip. My school has mission trips occasionally but the problem is that they are 99% evangelistically based. Evangelism is not the type of mission trip I am looking for. I want to go on a mission trip and help people whether it be repairing a house, painting a school or doing something with children. I want to help in a hands on way.

I need to find a mission trip to go on and pronto!