Eric

从VBS课堂到流鼻血插曲，Eric的首次宣教旅程充满「爱与合一」——神以意想不到的方式更新他的心，坚固他的信心。
From VBS classrooms to an unexpected nosebleed, Eric’s first mission trip overflowed with love and unity—God renewed his heart in unexpected ways and strengthened his faith.

这是我第一年参加 YSMP。出发前，我对 Whiteriver 或者印第安保留区真的不太了解。我去年夏天才加入这个教会，正好是去年 YSMP 团队回来的时候。我记得听了一些见证，但说实话，没听懂多少，主要是因为当时我英文还不太好。

      出发前我唯一知道的，就是 Flora 提到那个地区毒品问题很严重。但我真的不明白这些问题会对人们的生活产生多深的影响。
    我知道宣教不是度假，而是要服事神，但我不太确定「在宣教中服事」到底是什么样子。我不知道该期待什么。出发前我有一个希望，就是至少能跟某个人有一次深入的对话。这并没有发生，但神给了我更好的东西，祂以意想不到的方式更新了我的心，坚固了我的信心。

VBS：学习服事小朋友
    这次行程最有意义的部分之一，就是我教 VBS 的经历。本来我报名当助教，因为我没有教主日学的经验，特别是教小朋友。但我们到了以后，我被安排教学前班。一开始我压力很大，完全不知道怎么教这么小的孩子认识神，但我对自己说：「神给了我这个职分，所以我应该尽力而为。」
    我真的很感恩有机会教他们。我在跟孩子相处方面学到了很多，希望能继续在我们教会的儿童事工中用上。
    第一天，我准备得很充分。我准备了很多游戏和活动，甚至担心准备得不够多。结果我担心的完全不对——我刚进教室两秒钟，孩子们就冲到各个角落去抓玩具，完全失控。不管我叫多少次让他们坐下来听，他们都太容易分心了。第一天我根本没能分享圣经故事，我觉得自己完全失败了。
    那天晚上，我意识到需要改变方法，所以我建议零食组在户外活动结束后直接在教室里发零食。这样孩子们吃东西的时候会安静地坐着，我就可以利用这段时间来教课。感谢神，这招有效！接下来两天顺利多了。
    我很惊讶这些孩子在短短三天内取得了这么大的进步。他们开始更好地听课，更专注，甚至更清楚地表达自己的想法。有个叫 Isabel 的女孩，三天里表现都很好。最后一天，在我的鼓励下，她成功背出了记忆经文，我为她感到很骄傲。
    透过这些 VBS 课程，我看到了神在孩子们身上的工作。我意识到，虽然他们还小，但神非常在意他们，祂可能正在透过他们培养未来的传道人、牧者和当地领袖。这个经历真的很感动我。

挨家挨户：面对贫穷，分享希望
    这次行程另一个重要部分，就是挨家挨户发传单，邀请人们参加 VBS 和我们的晚间聚会。第一天，我跟另一个教会的 Hugo 牧师一起去。他教我怎么接近人、怎么敲门、怎么开始对话。
    我记得有一家，六只凶猛的狗在离他两码远的地方狂叫，但 Hugo 牧师一点都不犹豫，他一直喊，直到主人终于出来。我被他为基督接触别人的勇气和热情打动了。
继续发传单的过程中，我变得更有信心了，甚至拦下路过的车子发传单。但当我走过这个社区时，我被看到的景象震惊——那种贫穷程度、废弃的汽车、到处的垃圾、用木板封住的窗户，还有与世隔绝的人们。很多房子的状况都很糟糕，主要原因之一就是吸毒。有些老人独自生活，没有家人，也没有交通工具，这让我意识到他们中很多人是多么绝望和孤立。他们真的需要一位救主。
    有一个女人让我印象深刻。当我给她传单时，她说：「哦，VBS 是这周吗？好的，我会来的。」后来我明白她为什么那样回应——Whiteriver 的一些家庭其实每年都盼著 YSMP。在 Phoenix 的闭幕聚会上，有个女孩分享说，她在保留区长大，小时候总是喜欢去 VBS，现在长大了会帮助 YSMP。她满脸喜乐和爱。那一刻让我明白，这次宣教真的很有影响力，我们分享的福音和撒下的种子，可能会永远影响一个孩子的生命。

敬拜和祷告：信心得坚固
    我真正感受到神同在的时刻之一，就是 VBS 结束后每晚的敬拜和祷告。每天晚上，YSMP 团队会聚在一起敬拜、祷告、分享。当我们一起唱歌、举起祷告时，我感受到每个同工服事神的热情和爱神的忠心，圣灵充满了整个房间。
    我特别喜欢韩式祷告，就是大家同时大声祷告，感觉很有力量、很合一、充满信心。对我来说，这是与神对话、与祂建立深厚连结的美好时光。那个空间更新了我的心，坚固了我的信心。
    那些充满力量的时刻让我意识到，我多么需要神在我的生命中——不只是在宣教的时候，而是每一天。

流鼻血：在基督里被爱与合一
    不久之后，发生了一件意外的事。星期一晚上，我流鼻血流得很厉害，可能是因为天气干燥加上水喝得不够，整整流了三十多分钟。我按照 Jonathan 牧师的指示处理，最后血终于止住了。

    但真正让我难忘的，是周围所有人的反应。
        Jonathan 牧师给我搬了把椅子坐；Flora 给我纸巾和水，说会提醒我多喝水；Greg 把手放在我肩膀上为我祷告；Frances 一直陪着我，还设了定时器记录我应该按压鼻子多长时间来止血；之后 Jordan 轻轻地帮我擦掉脚上的血；Enoch 根据自己的经验提醒我要去看医生。还有很多其他人过来关心我，问我怎么样。

    我真的很感动。因为流鼻血，第二天我没能去挨家挨户发传单，有点难过。但我意识到服事有很多种方式。我改成帮忙做手工和画画，同样很有意义。

    那天晚上躺在床上，我开始思考——我受到的所有关怀，不是偶然的善意，而是从神来的。没有基督，我们都是陌生人；没有基督，我们不会这样彼此相爱。我们可能会过著像 Whiteriver 那些人一样的生活，孤独、绝望、失去连结。但在基督里，我们合而为一，我们是一家人。

那晚，我深深感受到对基督的需要——被爱的需要、被拯救的需要。我还意识到另一件事，就是合一的重要性。这其实是我们教会今年的主题：和睦同居。星期五晚上，我们刚学了《约翰一书》，讨论了爱我们在基督里的弟兄姊妹意味着什么。所以现在我问自己：我真的爱我的弟兄姊妹吗？我怎样才能更爱他们？

结语
    真正激励我的一件事，来自当地教会的 Jon 牧师。他分享说，多年来有许多神的伟大仆人都是从 YSMP 出来的，这个宣教能持续几十年是有原因的——神在使用 YSMP 培养未来的领袖。听到这些，让我意识到，这次行程对我来说可能也只是个开始。
        YSMP 远不只是一次旅行，它提醒我神是谁、我多么需要祂，以及祂的爱透过我周围的人能有多大的力量。我想继续读圣经，继续服事，活在神呼召我们进入的爱与合一中。

以下为英文版：

This was my first year attending YSMP. Before going, I didn’t really know much about Whiteriver or the Indian Reservation. I had just joined this church last summer, right around the time last year’s YSMP team returned from their trip. I remember hearing some testimonies, but honestly, I didn’t understand much, mostly because of my limited English at the time.

The only thing I knew going into the trip was that Flora had mentioned how serious the drug problems were in that area. But I didn’t really understand how deeply those issues affect people’s lives.

I knew that a mission trip wasn’t a vacation. It’s about serving God. But I wasn’t really sure what “serving on a mission trip” would look like. I didn’t know what to expect. One thing I hoped for before the trip was to have at least one deep conversation with someone. That didn’t happen, but instead God gave me something better. He refreshed my heart and strengthened my faith in unexpected ways.

VBS: Learning to Serve the Little Ones

One of the most meaningful parts of the trip was my experience teaching VBS. Originally, I signed up to be a TA because I had no experience teaching Bible study, especially to kids. But when we arrived, I was assigned to lead the preschool class. At first, I felt a lot of pressure. I had no idea how to teach such young kids about God. But I told myself, “God gave me this role, so I should try my best.”

I’m really thankful I got the opportunity to teach them. I gained a lot of experience working with children, something I hope to continue using in our church’s Children’s Ministry.

On the first day, I came in prepared. I had lots of games and activities ready, and even worried that I might not have enough planned. But it turned out I was worried about the wrong thing. Just two seconds after entering the classroom, the kids rushed straight to the corners to grab toys. They were completely out of control. No matter how many times I called them to sit or listen, they were too distracted. I wasn’t able to share the Bible story that first day, and I felt like I had failed.

That night, I realized I needed to change my approach. So I suggested that the snack team serve the snacks in the classroom right after outdoor time. That way, the kids would sit down quietly while they ate, and I could use that moment to teach. Thank God, it worked! The next two days went much more smoothly.

I was surprised at how much progress the kids made in just three days. They started listening better, focusing more, and even expressing their thoughts more clearly. One girl named Isabel behaved really well all three days. On the last day, after I encouraged her, she successfully recited the memory verse. I was so proud of her.

Through these VBS sessions, I saw how God was working in these children. I realized that even though they’re small, God cares about them so much. He may be raising up future preachers, ministers, and local leaders through them. That experience really moved me.

Door-to-Door: Facing Poverty, Sharing Hope

Another important part of the trip was going door-to-door to pass out flyers and invite people to VBS and our evening programs. On the first day, I went with Pastor Hugo from another church. He taught me how to approach people, knock on doors, and start conversations.

I remember one house where there were six aggressive dogs barking just two yards away from him. But Pastor Hugo didn’t hesitate. He kept calling out until the owner finally came. I was impressed by his courage and passion to reach others for Christ.

As I continued to passing out flyers, I became more confident. I even waved down passing cars to hand out flyers. But as I walked through the neighborhood, I was shocked by what I saw: the level of poverty, the abandoned cars, trash everywhere, boarded-up windows, and people living in isolation. Many of the houses were in terrible condition. One of the main causes of this is drug use. Some elderly people lived alone with no family or transportation. It made me realize how hopeless and isolated many of them felt. They really need a Savior.

One woman stood out to me. When I gave her a flyer, she said, “Oh, the VBS is this week? Ok, I’ll come.” Later I realized why she responded like that. Some families in Whiteriver actually look forward to YSMP every year. At the closing rally in Phoenix, one girl shared that she had grown up in the Reservation, always loved going to VBS as a child, and now helps with YSMP as she’s grown older. She was full of joy and love. That moment helped me understand how impactful this mission trip really is. The gospel we shared and the seeds we planted could help shape a child’s life forever.

Worship and Prayer: A Strengthened Faith

One of the moments when I truly felt God’s presence was during our nightly worship and prayer after VBS. Every evening, the YSMP team would gather to worship, pray, and share. As we sang together and lifted our prayers, I felt every minister’s passion for serving God and their faithfulness in loving Him. The Holy Spirit filled the room.

I especially loved the Korean style of praying, where everyone prayed out loud at the same time. It felt powerful, united, and full of faith. It was a beautiful time for me to speak to God and build a strong connection with Him. That space refreshed my heart and strengthened my faith.

Those powerful moments helped me realize how much I need God in my life—not just on mission trips, but every day.

The Nosebleed: Being Loved and United in Christ

Not long after that, something unexpected happened to me. On Monday evening, I got a really bad nosebleed, probably because of the dry weather and not drinking enough water. It lasted for over 30 minutes. I followed Pastor Jonathan’s instructions and eventually the bleeding stopped, but what really stayed with me was how everyone around me responded.

Pastor Jonathan brought out a chair for me to sit on. Flora gave me tissues and water and said she’d remind me to drink more. Greg prayed for me with his hand on my shoulder. Frances stayed with me the whole time and set a timer to track how long I should hold pressure on my nose to stop the bleeding. Afterward, Jordan gently wiped the blood off my feet. Enoch, based on his own experience, reminded me to see a doctor. Many others came to check on me and asked how I was doing.

I was really touched. Because of the nosebleed, I wasn’t able to go door-to-door the next day. I was a little sad about that, but I realized there are many ways to serve. I helped with crafts and painting instead, and that was just as meaningful.

That night, as I lay in bed, I started thinking. All that care I received wasn’t just random kindness. It came from God. Without Christ, we would all be strangers. Without Christ, we wouldn’t love each other like that. We might live lives just like those in Whiteriver—alone, hopeless, disconnected. But in Christ, we are united. We are family.

That night, I felt the deep need for Christ: the need to be loved, the need to be saved. I also realized how important unity is. That’s actually our church theme this year: unity. On Friday night, we had just studied 1 John and talked about what it means to love our brothers and sisters in Christ. So now I ask myself: Do I truly love my brothers and sisters? And how can I love them more?

Conclusion

One thing that really inspired me came from Pastor Jon at the local church. He shared that many great servants of God have come out of YSMP over the years, and that there’s a reason why this mission trip has continued for decades. God is using YSMP to raise up future leaders, and hearing that made me realize this trip could be just the beginning for me too.

YSMP was so much more than just a trip. It was a reminder of who God is, how much I need Him, and how powerful His love can be through the people around me. I want to keep reading the Bible, continue ministering, and live in the love and unity that God has called us to.

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