By Tom Ganser
CORRESPONDENT
On Aug. 19, members of the Whitewater Rotary Club learned about the mission trip youth from Whitewater First United Methodist Church took to St. Louis, MO, from July 19 to July 27, traveling in a caravan of four vans holding 36 high school students and eight adult leaders.
Two of the adult leaders – Julie Duval and Susan Bresser, pastor of FUMC – and seven students who participated in the trip – James Dedrick, Sally Kate Hixson, Morgan Lewis, Erin and Thomas McManaway, Cheyenne Minton and Brodie Runez – provided an overview and shared photos of this year’s mission trip at the Rotary meeting.
“These amazing young adults have astonished me with their talents and hard work and their acceptance of diversity in the world,” Duval told the Whitewater Rotarians.
“We had kids that represented many denominations. I believe one of the strengths of our program is that these kids invite their friends,” Bresser said.
Dedrick, 14, who joined the annual mission trip for a first time, described several of the projects undertaken to finance the trip, including hosting a pancake breakfast and selling Christmas wreathes and cookies.
Creating and distributing 25 “care bags” to homeless people was the most memorable portion of the trip – his first – according to Runez, 14.
“Mission trip is important to me,” Runez said, “because it helps to build my faith and connection with God. It also is important to me because I can help people out and change their lives for the better.”
One veteran of four mission trips, Lewis, 18, told members of the Rotary that one of the most important aspects of the experience is the fellowship found.
“We have many personalities with 36 youth and 8 adult leaders. But at the end of the trip we develop a bond that is very powerful,” Lewis said.
Erin McManaway, 18, embellished on that following what was her third mission trip.
“One of the most important things that we do when we are preparing for mission trip is we do ‘mini missions,’ different ways we help out the community… getting food for the food pantry, make meals for shut ins and picking up trash along the side of the road,” Erin McManaway said.
“Over the years, the mission trip has helped shape me as a person, giving me an appreciation for what I have here in Whitewater and just the importance of helping to give back,” she added.
Minton and Hixson, both high school juniors having completed their third and second mission trips, respectively, talked about the wide variety of activities that are part of mission trips, including painting houses and rooms; serving in shelters, food banks, resale stores and community gardens; cooking meals for the homeless; and interacting with children, the elderly and mentally challenged individuals.
“On these missions we physically and emotionally work with people in need,” Minton said, noting that mission trips historically have gone to different types of locations, including cities, rural areas and reservations.
“Mission is important to me,” Hixson said, “because you can really see the progress you do in just one week in a community.”
Rotarian Aurelio Callope asked how the students managed to cope during the mission trip without access to cell phones, tablets and other electronic devices.
“To be honest, we really don’t notice because we are so busy helping and being with each other that you really don’t notice that your phone is gone,” Erin McManaway said.
“Every time they travel they are sitting next to somebody different (by assignment,) so not only their connected peers. This is an opportunity to meet everyone,” Bresser added.
In one instance, McManaway said she “got stuck in a van where I was the only girl (besides Pastor Bresser.)”
“They called her ‘Peaches,’” Bresser said.
Other students taking part in the mission trip included: Jacob Austin, Morgan Brahmstadt, Noemie Covarrubias, Brian Craft, Connor and Mitchell Dalzin, James and Thomas Duval, Michael and Victor Fernandez, Sydney Hackney, Amanda and Kelsey Herold, Jeremy Hoesly, Kyle Hoffman, Maggie Hough, Emilie Kachel, Jacob Korf, Matthew Lucht, Jan and Milena Maroske, Peter McCrea, Sierra Minton, Jacob Niemuth, Calvin Otterbacher, Jimmy Smaciarz, Faith Steinert, Ryan Stevenson and Whitney Treder.
Also serving as adult leaders were Tom Duval, Tim and Stephani Hoffmann, Dan McCrea and Tim and Lisa Otterbacher.
