A few weeks ago was the start of Vida Missions and we hit the ground running. The first week of June was spent in leadership classes and drama prep. After 3 months of discipleship training and 5 months of outreach, all of us Vida220 students were more than ready to finally assume the title of “staff” for the summer!
I was very excited to help lead the youth group from Rock Hill Vineyard. When we got to our outreach location and settled into things, we were surprised at how different it was from our expectations. While the other teams labored in the heat, pouring concrete and battling swarms of angry mosquitos, we enjoyed amazing weather, playing ping pong with the youth, painting our church, (and dare I say it) hot showers- a rare treat! To sum it up, this was not exactly the challenging missions experience our team had been expecting. We were still in the central valley of Costa Rica and not far outside the city. In debrief one evening someone even remarked that it felt “like normal life”.
Throughout the week, my mind kept going back to Ephesians 4:1-3.
“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
When Paul tells them to live worthy of their calling, he’s not saying they need to be willing to suffer and be persecuted for their faith. Instead he truly captures the heart of Jesus: be humble, be patient, love one another. Most of the time, our location is decided for us, including how difficult it will be. But in that location, where the Lord has placed us, we are commanded to live worthy of the Lord who has called us there.
On our outreach we truly experienced this through the overwhelming love and hospitality shown to us by the pastor’s family, the small ways we were able to serve the community, and the unity we felt as a team. It was a beautiful example of living and serving as the body of Christ for the glory of God.
May you live a life worthy of the Lord this summer – whether your location is hot and hard or beachside and sunny. This is the life that glorifies Him.
By Allison Swartzentruber
Vida220 Student
