Essay On Mission Experience

There is nothing greater than to have the opportunity to get to know people from another culture. The past week that I have spent with the Lakota people on the Cheyenne River reservation was an unbelievable experience. The people I met, places I visited, and the tasks I performed shaped me into a better individual and gave me a larger perspective over the entirety of God’s work. As I have come to find out, when you go out into the mission field you are affecting more than just the lives of those you are serving, your changing your own life for the better. In addition, I realized that at the end of the day it doesn’t matter who you are or where you live, we all have a chance to do something special and all we have to do is stand up and do it.

I brought along an air mattress to sleep on so I could sleep wherever there was a spot open. The location of the building was also really nice because it was close to the basketball courts, the playground, and the artesian well. In addition, Clea made us feel right at home with her kids and dog. I am the kind of person who can live in any kind of situation, yet I was incredibly pleased with the living arrangements for the week. I could not have asked for a more homely setting surrounded by loving and caring people. This also taught me that mission trips are not about how you are meant to live, but how you can impact the lives of those you encounter. This accompanied many other lessons and ideas that changed my life for the

The biggest lesson I learned was that a mission trip doesn’t necessarily have to be all about helping someone in need. A Native American man came in and spoke to our group about our future experiences. He explained that with all of the mistrust and abuse of the “white man’s” power to restrict numerous Native American’s land, the best thing that we can do is to simply make friends and connections with them. People before us have lied to and broken the trust of the Lakota people and it is our job to help repair the damage that was done. I completely believe that these people have been wronged for the past two centuries and few people have made any kind of attempt to repair the damage done. One of the most memorable experiences for me was our visit to the Wounded Knee cemetery. It put into perspective the catastrophe that was caused by the misuse of power and permanently scarred the image of the Native American people. The same concept of Hitler’s mass genocide comes into effect when you consider the large-scale murder of men, women, and children of the same race. It really makes you realize how important it is to have morally sound individuals in situations where powerful and influential decisions are made. However, the Crazy Horse monument has been a shining light for Native Americans and will eventually be one of the largest and iconic symbols of the Native American society. I am really excited