By: Sarah Gaines
As I reflect on the opportunities I’ve had to serve with Christ Church Cranbrook, mission trips stand out as particularly transformative in deepening my relationship with my faith. Before my first mission trip to Louisiana, I had never felt as strongly connected to God as I had hoped. However, within the week I was there, my perspective on faith and how it applies to my everyday life was drastically changed.
In 2020, Hurricane Ida devastated the city of LaPlace, Louisiana, and the Youth Ministry at CCC organized a mission trip to help rebuild the community. Initially, I wasn’t particularly excited. I was struggling with my faith on a personal level, feeling deeply disconnected from God. However, I recognized that the trip offered me a chance to refocus on my relationship with Him. I made a personal vow to put my all into serving, and that commitment allowed me to reconnect with my faith in a way I had never experienced before! Through this trip, I discovered a deep love for serving others.
I had the privilege of helping repair the home of a woman whose life had been devastated by the hurricane. Her unwavering kindness and gratitude were truly inspiring, and it was a joy to serve her. It was through this experience that I realized how even the smallest actions can have a significant impact on someone’s life, which only deepened my appreciation for the work we were doing. This experience reinforced my passion for serving others and the sense of fulfillment that comes from forming connections through service. I continue to carry this feeling with me, and it continually strengthens my faith.
Even to this day, I feel most connected to God when I am serving. My relationship with Him grew immeasurably during that week in Louisiana, and it has remained strong ever since. As I have learned through the mission trips I have taken, work that may seem small can have a monumental impact on another person’s life! Whenever I am serving, listening to the stories of the community around me reminds me that our presence itself serves as a symbol of hope and peace to those who may be struggling. These trips have provided me with invaluable opportunities to grow spiritually, and I have been able to form many meaningful connections through shared service experiences and stories. Since Louisiana, I’ve known that I will always have a place to serve and strengthen my connection with God through Christ Church Cranbrook’s ministries. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to continue growing in my faith and to serve alongside others who share the same mission. Because of these opportunities, I remain committed to making my faith a central part of my life.
Sarah is one of our youth participating in our youth mission trip in Costa Rica this Summer 2025! If you would like to help support our youth serving in Costa Rica, you can click here to sponsor. There are currently 27 spots left to sponsor, as of March 18 2025!