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Iannicelli pointed out that this is the Scripture read the week after Easter. She told us we were being sent, by Jesus, with three things: peace; the breath of the Holy Spirit; and a responsibility to spread the word of God.

Three-and-half hours later, we arrived at Seaville UMC, where we would be staying for the duration of our mission trip.

We traveled from Seaville to Delmont to work on an elderly couple’s home near the Delaware Bay. The home had been raised 10 feet in order for the homeowners to keep their flood insurance. The 10 of us split into two teams and we got to work. Almost immediately, the homeowner, George, came out to greet us, leaning on his cane with one hand and holding his Chihuahua, Rocky, in the other. George was extremely grateful for the help, and was excited to see the work being done, as they had been living in a trailer in the yard for the past four months, after about a year of shuffling between family members.

The inside team was busy hanging drywall. Their task wasn’t particularly easy, as they had to avoid covering any electrical wires so the electrical work could be inspected the following week. The outside team had some difficulties of their own, as they needed to use power tools and the home still had no electricity. Thanks to a very long extension cord from the neighbor’s house, which George and his wife, Pat, were using for their trailer, we were able to get squared away with our circular saw. By the end of the day, the inside team had completed one whole room and the outside team had measured, cut, bolted and spindled one section of railing.

Saturday was a day of full endurance. We knew it was our last day and we had goals of how far we wanted to get before the next team came in. Because it was a Saturday, Pat was home and we got to visit with her for a bit. Pat asked if she could pray with us. We all stood in a circle, holding hands, and she prayed for us and thanked God for sending us.

The dry wall team finished a hallway and stairwell. The deck team completed nearly four sections of railing. We cleaned up the worksite, took a few photos, and headed back to Seaville UMC.  We had dinner at the local diner and enjoyed the fellowship that grew between us all throughout the weekend.

Sunday morning we had one last devotional time together. The Rev. Kirkland Reynolds, from Chevy Chase UMC, asked us what we got out of the trip. One person said it made her want to reach back out to people she’s done mission work with before and reconnect. Another said it made her want to do outreach to the homeless or to seniors on a local level. We all said that we hope this is the first of many young adult mission trips.

Reynolds pointed out that “Our Lord and Savior was a young adult. There is a biblical mandate for us to serve.” He then talked with us about the Emmaus story and how the disciples didn’t recognize Jesus, but Jesus made himself known to them when he broke the bread. The disciples then had to go back to Jerusalem and tell the people that they had seen the face of Jesus and how he made himself known to them.  He wrapped up the devotional by saying, “We are away from our homes and we have seen Jesus and it is time to go home and tell people we have seen him.”