Mission Trip Timeline by Agnes Christabelle�

Introduction

agneschristabelle — 2024-09-26 06:19:58 UTC

Youth in Mission is an annual event held by UPHC in which students will give back and serve people in need all over Indonesia. Youth in Mission consists of Personal Mission and Mission Trip. This year, I did a Mission Trip to Cianjur with 35 other people, including the teacher. We started our mission on Saturday, 14 September all the way to Friday, 20 September.

First day - Saturday, 14/09

agneschristabelle — 2024-09-26 06:23:14 UTC

Firstly, we went to a village most impacted by the Cianjur earthquake in 2022. It was very heartbreaking to hear their stories of how they lost their children and/or parents in just a few seconds. Despite our religious differences, they were very accepting of us and even let us gather in a Musalla. After sharing with the residents there, we gave them donations of basic needs. I felt a complex surge of emotions leaving the village. It was heartbreaking to watch them cry and grieve. This really is a lesson to not take things for granted and to live in the moment, because we do not know God's plan for us.

Second day - Sunday, 15/09

agneschristabelle — 2024-09-26 06:23:22 UTC

On the second day, we went to a small church in Cianjur. The church was located in a house. We praised the Lord by performing "Yesus Kekasih Jiwaku." Our singing was supported by a choreography made with the help of a second-year student. We continued the worship with a heart-warming sermon. After that, we also exchanged a few words with the congregation there and ended the event by giving them donations. On that following day, we faced an issue that would make the day turn awful. There was traffic caused by the long weekend near Bogor-Puncak. This traffic was the most dreadful thing ever. We were stuck in our car for over 5 hours just to go back to the hotel. Thankfully God was with us and we were all able to arrive safely even at midnight.

Third day - Monday, 16/09

agneschristabelle — 2024-09-26 06:29:17 UTC

Thirdly, we went to an orphanage quite near from the hotel. The orphanage was called "Panti Asuhan Santo Yusup," and I was a part of the PICs for this service destination. We started the event with some fun Sunday school songs everyone knows. It was a fun start with most of the kids singing along, but everything started going down hill. The teacher forgot the envelopes needed for an activity back in the hotel, so we had to stall time. Some ice breaking was done and I also delivered a material about saving the Earth with my 2 other friends. It had flaws, but I think it's part of the learning process. Turns out the gypsum needed for the final activity also hasn't arrived albeit having been delivered weeks before. Even though a lot of things went wrong, the event still went well.

Fourth day - Tuesday, 17/09

agneschristabelle — 2024-09-26 06:30:33 UTC

The next day, we went to SMP Mardi Yuana. Most of the students there were people from the orphanage we visited the previous day. I didn't interact with the kids during the orphanage visit, but I got to talk and interact with some of the kids this time. They were so friendly and fun to be around. I also got to teach them how to make an origami lily as part of the event. We only had an hour and thirty minutes for the event because they had other things to do after. This was my favorite day of the trip as I got to make these cute new friends all the way from Cianjur. Who knew that this service would not only be a blessing to them, but a big blessing for me too? I got the opportunity to improve my social skills and talk to people. I am usually someone who hates interacting with new people, but with them, I didn't feel drained at all. I was actually looking forward to talking to them again after our first talk before the event started. I think God used this event to help me improve myself.

Fifth day - Wednesday, 18/09

agneschristabelle — 2024-09-26 06:38:43 UTC

Next, we went to yet another church, but this time the church was located in Ciranjang. It was still a small church in a village, but the people were very welcoming. We didn't have worship this time, instead, we gave them some donations. Before that, each of us, including the people of this church introduced ourselves. They all seem so sweet and dedicated. After donations were given, this day's service ended just like that.

Sixth day - Thursday, 19/09

agneschristabelle — 2024-09-26 06:46:16 UTC

Lastly, we went to STT SAPPI. SAPPI is an institution focusing on the study of theology in rural areas. We had prepared an English lesson for the people there. Some people told me their troubles and I tried my best to help explain. I also shared my experience with learning languages. Although I didn't have much of a journey with learning English as I grew up with an English environment in school, I love to learn foreign languages, so I could share some tips that I still use to learn new languages. We also got to explore the campus. There were a lot of crops and animals. It was fun to be in a new environment unlike the busy city.