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Madison Stumbough packs a lunch at a men’s homeless shelter in Minnesota. Ten students recently went on a mission trip with the Bonner Springs United Methodist Church.

Actions speak louder than prayers in the case of 10 Bonner Springs junior high youths and five adults who just returned from a mission trip with their church.

“In mission work, youths really seem to pick up that it’s our need as Christians to be involved,” said Brad Wheeler, associate pastor of the Bonner Springs United Methodist Church. “I try to emphasize the importance of getting involved and really making a difference for God. It’s a whole other part of us as Christians being responsible for one another.”

The mission trip took the group to Minneapolis, Minn., from June 28 to July 2. Dividing the trip between work and play, the group spent two days volunteering with two different outreach organizations.

The first day was at Simpson Housing Services, a men’s shelter for the homeless.

“I’ve never seen a homeless shelter like that,” said Abby Ward, 13. “They told us that Minnesota has so many people living on the street, and that house provides for them and takes care of them. It helps them get back on their feet.”

The group spent the day packaging lunches for 50 of the homeless men. Each bag contained sandwiches, chips and water to last them two days while they went out to work.

“It was cool to think about the personal connection, and that what we’re doing would affect someone so quickly,” Wheeler said.

The next workday was at an organization called Feed my Starving Children. During this experience, the youths boxed food ingredients to be shipped to other countries. Each bag they packaged contained a scoop of chicken, vegetables, soy and rice nutrients that scientists have decided are what starving children need most.

When the bagged ingredients reach their destination, they are added to a pot of boiling water, and nutritious meal is served to nine people. The Bonner Springs group made 60 boxes with 36 bags in a box, meaning the group help feed 2,160 servings of food to starving children.

Wheeler said it was probably this experience that had the greatest effect on the students. While at the organization, the youths were shown a before picture of an 8-year-old boy who weighed 21 pounds. Wheeler said the boy in the photo looked sad and had little hair.

Then an after photo was shown when the boy had been served the packaged meals for 6 months. He then weighed 55 pounds, had all his hair and was playing and smiling.

“To hear about the kids that got that food, their faces on the picture before were kind of hopeless, but their faces on the after photo, they are all happy and stuff, and they looked like a different person,” said Madison Stumbough, 12.

This was Stumbough's first mission trip with the church. She said she decided to go because the church had just finished its Mission Possible project that renovated the home of a Bonner Springs resident, and she wanted to do more.

“It helps (youths) know that they can do something, and it’s not just adults that can do something,” she said. “Lots of time you hear, ‘Oh I cant do anything. I’m not strong enough to do that.’ But then when you go on (a mission) you can tell that you can make a difference.”

The next mission trip for the church will be with the senior high group, who will travel to New York City and work for various homeless shelters. The group leaves July 24 and returns Aug. 1.

With the help of Youth Service Opportunity Project, the group will find volunteer opportunities throughout the city. Their jobs will change each day, and Wheel said he’s not exactly sure what to expect from the experience.

“I think mission trips are for people to be put in places they may not be real comfortable, not ever dangerous, but I like to push us in areas we would never go,” Wheeler said. “I think it helps youths understand there are other things beside themselves. When they understand real people in need in this world, it helps them start to look at Christ in a different way and deepen their Christian faith.”

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