Eyes Wide Open

My husband has been taking youth and adults to UKANDU Chicago for six years and I finally got to go along this year! (Special thanks to my Mom and Dad, and my sister Natalie for taking on my three kids for the week.) UKANDU is a mission trip that focuses on helping Lutheran inner city schools and churches through projects and encouragement. But it is so much more than that. The team of pastors and dce's that put it together really focus on the spiritual growth of the teens and adults that attend. Their goal is to equip and encourage the participants for acts of service both on the trip and when they return home. They do a great job of meeting this goal.

It was an incredible trip. Our church joined with 9 other congregations and a total of 194 people to serve and bring hope and encouragement wherever we went. The theme this year was Eyes Wide Open. My team was a Vacation Bible School team and we went to St. Paul Lutheran Church, Dorchester. We led VBS for 8 kids and had a wonderful time getting to know one another.

   

This trip was a wonderful change of pace for me. I was able to step out of mommy-hood and focus on other areas and gifts in my life. The trip challenged me to keep my eyes open for opportunities for ministry (formal and informal) and not hide behind my kids. While my calling to motherhood is valuable and important, it cannot be an excuse not to serve in other ways that God has called me.

There are so many more details I could write about this trip; about how I had to conquor a fear of Chicago traffic, was honked at three times, but survived the drives. I could share about our midweek trip down to Navy Pier and boat ride on Lake Michigan. I could share about our worship experiences that had me in tears every night. Or the amazing "God stories" from the week. But all of that would take too much time right now. So perhaps I will share more at a later time.