2025 Youth Trip to North Carolina – Day 4
Today’s 2025 Travel Blog comes from Jen Diebling, the aunt of one of our travelers. As a reminder each teen traveled with a “serving companion”. More on that later.
My name is Jen, and I’ve had the tremendous joy of joining the GS travelers. Immediately upon meeting the GS team I was enveloped in love. Both fellow adults and youth alike welcomed me with smiles, offers of help, and genuine curiosity to get to know me. You certainly don’t need me to tell you what a wonderfully open, mature, kind, fun-loving group they are.
Wednesday brought closure that looked like goodbyes, laughter, sweaty bus rides, and bumps in the road- both literal and figurative. Our team worked diligently to finish up their work at the Avery Habitat House, bidding farewell to the children who will eventually move into the home so many have poured their hearts and souls into. Another team came alongside Casting Bread, to organize, shop with, and clean, as well as serve a hot meal to those in need of one. Some served more scrumptious meals at the Farm Cafe, overwhelmingly impressed by the delicious food offered for all. The Hospitality House team served meals, and organized and sifted through mountains of donations in both the attic and pantry, something that their minimal staff just doesn’t have the time to do.
At the Restore, our crew deep cleaned, moved furniture, painted and beautify the space for those visit. Our many sites this week afforded us the opportunity to see the wide breadth of those supporting this community from the inside out.
These days of service to the communities have been a testament to the heart work that it is to run a nonprofit. Sarah has beautifully empowered your young people with the ability to notice, ask questions, and dig into why things operate the way that they do, within the structures and policies that are at play in our economy and communities. I believe this will foster young people ready to gracefully enter work, both volunteer and paid, as thoughtful and discerning participants. This work can be slow, feel inefficient, or even seem futile. And yet, it has been a lesson in patience, grace, and selflessness. Isn’t that, after all, what Christ would most desire for us to learn?
There is no way to know the ripples of goodness that acts of service may create, and in fact, God might have orchestrated this entire week for the benefit of just one. Our God works in the most creative and clever of ways, and I am grateful. Grateful to Him, and to you- the countless community members who have given, prayed, and surrounded your people so that they could envelop another community in their love.
It has been a pure, unadulterated joy to witness the beautiful community of humans you all have shepherded, facilitated, and fostered. They are kind. They are helpful. They love to find joy in every moment. They are compassionate, and have empathy. And they walk confidently in the gifts they have been given both internally and externally as athletes, musicians, artists, friends, and children of God. I was truly in awe of the way these young adults enjoyed and embraced the presence of their parents while still staying true to who they are with their peers, which is a tough balance to strike!
What an unbelievable blessing it is that young people can be watered and fed in this rich soil during their most foundational and vulnerable years. I believe their character, and their confidence in their faith allowed both members of the group and members of the community to ruminate on what is “true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable” It brings me hope for the future and what an honor it is to have been invited and included.
