Last year's missions trip took Club 8:12 to Machakos for three life changing days! Now they're at it again but this time a little further out. Kitui will be invaded by our teenagers on August 22nd - 27th! This won't be a typical missions trip either because everyone going will be staying in the homes of other teenagers - living and working alongside them and ministering and sharing with them as they do! Here's a quick look at the life changing stuff that happened in our Clubbers during last years trip!

The mission trip we had was life changing for me. First, I was very excited because we were going to visit the children's home in Machakos. Helping around, playing with the kids, and telling them stories showed me that even though I didn't bring them money or food, I still made them happy and they realized that somebody out there cares and loves them for who they are. I realized that I don't have to be the richest person to touch someone's life. I was not happy at all about the hospital visit, because of what I went through with my mom. Visiting my mom in the hospital while she was sick didn't help my heart at all. Since then, I didn't enjoy looking at sick people in the hospitals. I felt I couldn’t speak to patients or even preach to them coz I would only cry remembering the past. So I decided I wouldn't speak. I decided that I would only watch and maybe pray and let other people do the talking. Well, that never happened! Seriously, I have no idea when I started talking. The only thing I know is that I eneded up talking  to one patient for a very long time. I did something I had never done - I shared with her about my  mom and encouraged her that she would get healed. And all of that without a tear! Everyone else had already finished with the other patients by the time I came out of that ward. My mind and heart changed completely from that day on. I was negative at the beginning but at the end I had a positive attitude. Now I can be a doctor without wondering how I will handle patients. God changed me completely. I’m so glad I went for that trip.

Whoa! What can I say? Missions was a great experience, probably one of my greatest since salvation. I learnt how to wage war Ephesians 6:12 style, through prayer, reading the word, and getting out into the field. I had to allow my faith to be stretched as I reached out to the children (that was a real test, my friends!) and to the grownups in the hospital, not to mention practicing my Swahili! It was time to ‘grow up’, time for the hard stuff; the meat. I’m glad to mention that with it came a heart for people, perhaps the most important treasure you can ever find. I did get a certain renewal...I knew Christ better, coz I did what He did! What a blessing that it has been since then. It changed my life! I was more aware of myself, and God’s presence inside and out; if you ever get a chance to go for missions, do not hesitate!

The Machakos missions trip was amazing! Even though it was only a three day missions trip, God did so much in me and through me. All throughout our time of ministry I realized that God can use young people! So many times we, teenagers and human beings, think that we don't have anything to offer God. But that's not true! We spent a few hours at the orphanage showing love to forgotten children and serving them. We prayed for and shared God's love with the patients in the hospital, and as a result some of them gave their lives to Jesus that day. Even some of them were healed! The amazing thing was that when we ministered, and gave our all to others that day, God did so much IN us. Not one Clubber that I talked to, didn't have something to share about what God had done inside of them by the end of the trip. And besides all that, missions was a blast! Let's do it again!!!