by Christian Education & Youth Director Sara Bright

We had a great experience at the Heifer Ranch in Perryville, AR. I had heard about the ranch through another church that has gone in the past. However, I liked the idea of the ranch because it was something different than our usual mission trips that take us into a city. Most of our kids are from our small town but do not have much experience with a working farm or ranch so we thought it would be a good chance for them to have a completely new experience.

We had 17 people total go on the trip, 3 of us were adults while all but one where middle school students.

We are very lucky in our church that the congregations supports us very well. We do all of our fundraising in the church building. We have put on all church dinners, bake sales, and other small events to earn the money for our trips. We are very lucky.

While we were at the ranch there were times when the youth did not seem to be understanding the purpose of what we were doing. They just thought of the jobs as tasks that needed to be accomplished and that our global village experience was just a game to win. When we returned home I was amazed with what they wanted to share with the church. They had realized that they are very fortunate to have what they have while others have nothing. They realized how important it is for everyone to work together. Unfortunately we have not been able to get together yet since our trip to start after trip projects or discussions. I am hoping we can do that soon and put some of the things that we learned into action.

I would recommend this trip to any group that is thinking about a new experience for a mission trip.