Whenever we take youth on a mission trip, there are always a couple things we as youth leaders worry about. The most dangerous potential of any mission trip, especially from suburban white churches, is the “white savior complex” that can often arise from the work that is done. Many churches often sweep in for the week, eager to help those less fortunate, without considering their own privilege or even what really may be needed in the community, and head home after a week of work feeling better about themselves. The other concern is that, even if the week has meaningful moments, the youth will go home and back to the exact same life before, rather than be changed by the mission trip in a positive manner by being challenged by things that make us comfortable.
I can firmly say that, after this week, any of these concerns for our UPC youth were put to rest. Our youth had many struggles throughout the week, including suboptimal living conditions (20+ people to a room, no pillows or blankets for the first two days), getting preached to by a much more evangelical type of Christianity than they were used to, and struggling within their hearts at understanding both the historical and current problems the Native Americans communities have faced. They were able to handle the first problem with grace, accepting the conditions as best they could with minimal complaint, but the last two struggles are where I believe the growth was most significantly made. Often at chapel, these youth heard language about God and God’s work in the world that neither them nor I agree with. The mission site was run by a group a Baptists, who at times suggested such ideas as a male God, that only Christians go to heaven, and placed an emphasis on evangelism that the youth were not used to. However, though these youth were frustrated at times by these religious differences, this sparked what was the best and most thoughtful discussion on religion I’ve seen these
youth participate in in my three years here. The youth used this as a growing opportunity to think introspectively about the language they would use to describe God, and how they understand how God is at work in the world.
The other significant growing point I saw was during our home group (where the churches split into individual youth groups to talk about their favorite and least favorite parts of the day) on Thursday night. The youth showed a level of compassion and empathy beyond the capacity of most people. They expressed their emotions, struggles, and fears for the pain and struggles evident in the Native American community. As they learned about the history of America’s interaction with the Native American’s throughout the week, this only intensified their desire to help. Their was a clear expression of our youth’s hurting for these people, and wanting to help even beyond the week, but simply not knowing how or feeling unable to solve the larger problems these communities continue to face: a struggle of seeking to retain their own culture amid hundreds of years of the United States seeking to assimilate the Native Americans into our own culture.
This was easily the most powerful, impactful, and incredible week I’ve experienced working with the youth here at UPC. It’s hard to put into words the joy, love, and pride I felt for these youth as they not only did important work throughout the week, but thoughtfully and critically engaged in many of the difficult questions we as Christians have asked for centuries. The future is so bright with these young people, who serve not only as our future but also our present. Thank you to everyone and anyone who supported us in any capacity on this trip. We could not have made such an incredible journey without you.
-Austin, UPC Intern
