NEVER BE THE SAME Caiden McDowell shares how participating in a youth summer mission trip changed his life

YOUTH SUMMER MISSION TRIP

“...THE EXHAUSTION WAS EXHILARATING. GOD WAS GLORIOUS AND EVER-PRESENT.”

Hello. My name is Caiden McDowell and I had the privilege of going on the 2018 Youth Mission Trip to Broken Bow, Oklahoma. My family and I attend church in our hometown of Zachary, however, my Grandparents have been members of FUMC for many years. When my Grandmother called and offered me the opportunity to go, I must admit that I was pretty nervous at the thought of spending a week in a strange place, with a bunch of people I didn’t know but from the moment I got on the van, I knew it was going to be a great week. I’ve never been one that struggled with shyness, but I was amazed at how everyone was instantly my friend and I was accepted into the youth “family.”

In Broken Bow, the days were long, and the work was challenging. For our group, it seemed that everything that could go wrong, did. We were tasked with building an awning for the bathroom so that the churchgoers had shelter from the elements. First, as we tried to set posts, we kept hitting an underground concrete holding tank; so we dug and dug and dug some more. Finally, we went out far enough to avoid the tank, but this forced us to get longer support boards, which halted all work for a while. the measurements off and compounding the problem. As a solution, I tied a rope to the support beam and pulled it back so that it was straight, which was a lot harder than it sounds. In the end, we came together as a team and got it all done, and the sense of satisfaction was palpable.

I was amazed at how I saw God through every single person there, working hard, doing things that maybe they weren’t used to doing, yet never giving up on the mission, on themselves, or each other. I watched everyone, confronted with obstacles and fatigue, refuse to give up and instead respond with patience, grace and love. I know we couldn’t have done that without God’s spirit. I felt closest to God when we were at worship, able to focus 100% on Him, surrounded by His presence.

I feel as though my life will never be the same. I have gained mentors and, hopefully, life-long friends. I wouldn’t trade being able to go on this trip for anything. The sweat was sweet. The exhaustion was exhilarating. God was glorious and ever-present. I loved every second of it! I’ve never been one that struggled with shyness, but I was amazed at how everyone was instantly my friend and I was accepted into the youth family. NEVER BE THE SAME BY CAIDEN MCDOWELL

Once we got all of the beams up and were laying the rafters, we noticed that as we laid more rafters, the support beam was bending out more and more, making

ABOVE LEFT: Caiden securing rafters. RIGHT: Kale Wetekamm, Director of Youth Ministry, Jack Savario & Caiden working together to cut framing boards for a new sidewalk built for Kullichito United Methodist Church.