Testimonials

Life-change Stories

Jesus is changing lives every day through people just like you on Group Mission Trips.

Students

Why Serving Joplin after a Disaster Hit was so special

This was Worden UMC Youth Group's first Group Missions Trips that we chose to attend following the devastating tornado in Joplin, Missouri of 2011. Looking back, of the 4 GMT's that I was a part of this was so special and my favorite for many reasons:

Students

Stepping out and Trusting God

My name is Samantha, and my group and I served in Grand Rapids, Michigan, from June 19-24, 2016. When we were assigned jobs for our crew, I immediately wanted to be devotional leader. I don't know why, but it popped out of the page at me.

Students

What I learned On My Mission Trip

This week has been one of the most life changing weeks. My youth group went on a Week of Hope mission trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan. We got to help out at a camp called Camp Zion in Grandville. It's a free camp for kids from 2nd grade through 6th grade.

Students

Life-Change on My First Mission Trip

This past week has really been such an amazing experience. I got to serve at a Workcamp in Valdosta, GA. I've really grown as a person this past week. I've gotten so close with God. I've worked hard on being bold this week, and I will continue to try to be bold.

Students

Best Weeks of my Life

The following life-change story comes from a Language Arts class paper submitted May 2016 by a high school freshman. We give this paper an A+!

Students

Life Changing Trip for a First-Timer

This was my first mission trip EVER. It was also my first time with Group Mission Trips, and basically my first time being with a bunch of people that I have never met prior to this trip. The mission trip I attended was in New Bern, North Carolina.

Students

Small Steps to BIG Changes

I am from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and this was my very first mission trip. I went to Nashville, Tennessee with my youth group. I was then put into crew four, which ended up being a crew of all girls who I've become very close with. 

Students

Group Mission Trips Changed my Life

What can I say about Group Mission Trips? This trip changed my life. I loved meeting people and working with them to help put their lives together after a devastating tornado ripped through Joplin, MO. This was my first mission trip but thankfully not my last!

Students

Mission Trip Gave me a New Voice

My name is Dylan, and I served on my first mission trip from mid-June, 2017, in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. Two major changes happened to me on this Workcamps trip. One is that during worship, I sang so much louder than I ever have before.

Students

My Life Took a U-Turn

This past year, I have been sucked into the pressures of society more and more. But while I was on my mission trip, I was happy the entire timehappy to serve people I didn't even know. During the week, I made a promise to God to try my best to uphold and worship him, and stay on track.

Students

How the Road Impacted Me

"Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things, because I am going to the Father." John 14:12

Students

He's Here

My church and I served this week on a Group Mission Trip in Pittsburg, PA. On Monday, the lesson was about the doubts that you have either in your relationship with God or God directly. One of my biggest doubts is that He's not there.

Students

A Talk That Changed My Life

On Wednesday night of my mission trip, there was a time when we could pray and talk to God alone. After this whole session, I was able to get my courage up and go talk to one of the Red Shirt Staff.

Students

No Longer Stuck at a Crossroad

A few years ago, my dad passed away due to a heart attack. A month afterwards, my mom decided to fight for custody of me as I was living with my stepmom. Eventually, she gave up, but that event put a hole in the relationship between my mom and me.

Students

Loved and Forgiven

I've always had a hard time with accepting someone else's love and forgiveness because I've felt that I was so undeserving, even when it came to God's love and forgiveness. I knew that His love is unconditional and His forgiveness is never ending.

Students

Traveling "The Road" to Life Change

The 2017 Group Mission Trips theme is "The Road." This year was my 4th Workcamp and the closest one we lived to. We traveled a whole 3 hours and 40 minutes down "The Road" from Greenbay, WI to the big town of Racine, WI. 

Students

Recognizing the Call to Serve Internationally

Meet Olivia. In March, Olivia participated in her first-ever mission trip to Léogâne, Haiti. As a senior in high school, Olivia decided she wanted to do something different over her spring break and recognized her call to go. Follow along as we share Olivia's journey that led her to Haiti.

Students

The Beauty in Simplicity

My name is Leah and my youth group from Our Savior Lutheran Church has been on three Week of Hope mission trips over the last four years. In English class this past year, I was assigned to write a memoir about a life-changing experience I have had.

Students

My Mission trip Enlightenment

Before coming on this trip, I really did not want to go at all! I thought, "Man this is gonna suck, I'm not gonna meet anyone new, and I'm gonna be super bored." My mom said I should at least go once to give it a try, so I was forced to come regardless.

Students

Restored on The Road

It's been incredible to serve God and His people in California for the past week! I could never have imagined completing the various tasks we've tackled, i.e. completely transforming an overgrown plot and cultivating it into a blessing for its community.

Students

God in every thing in every day

Before going to Peru this July, I did not know what I would experience. I had never been on a mission trip before so I was very nervous. I could not imagine the way I saw God move. Doing God sightings everyday helped me discover God moving every day.

Students

Pursuing an All-In Faith

I recently served on a Group Workcamp in Busby, MT. I haven't had the best experience on past mission trips and started out the week with a negative attitude.

The second I met my crew things changed. I saw God's light radiate from them and decided to turn my frown upside down.

Students

Stepping Out of Comfort

Each year at Group Workcamps I always come back with a different way of growing closer to God. On my third Group workcamp, I grew closer to God in many ways. The residents, crew, and other participants were the ones who gave me such a memorable experience.