Going away to learn more about home, about life

Today's Projo has a column about a recent mission trip by youth from Grace Church, Providence. They attended the Toward Effective Anglican Mission (TEAM) conference in South Africa. This was a gathering of people from around the global Anglican Communion. The trip clearly had a profound impact:

"When we came back it was a big culture shock seeing Providence and the way we live," said Liz Wagner. "It would be so easy to come back here and just forget."

But they can't do that. There was just too much in their week in South Africa. There are lasting images that won't go away, conversations that changed them in ways they're still figuring out. And there's no way to be sure, of course, but there's a very good chance that there are people in South Africa and beyond who understand America a little better because the young people from Grace Church decided to take that trip.

Read the whole article to find out more about this life-changing trip. This is exactly why every parish should engage in mission work, whether it's in Africa or around the corner. These ministries change lives, and that's exactly why the church exists. Mission should not be an afterthought, but an essential part of every Christian communion and of every Christian's life.