Mission Trip Adventures

By Jodi Genson

Have you ever been on a mission trip? Mission trips were some of the most exciting adventures my family ever had. We traveled to many different places—New York City, Belize, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and even the Philippines! Every trip was full of surprises. Some were wonderful, some were uncomfortable, and some were just plain funny. But all of them gave us opportunities to meet new people, make friends, and share the love of Jesus.

One of the best parts of traveling was learning about different cultures. We loved trying new foods, learning songs in different languages, and watching how people lived differently from us. Every country had its own special flavor, and we felt honored to experience it.

But it wasn’t all sunshine! Some parts were definitely interesting. In Belize, for example, I woke up to discover a huge tarantula crawling across my pillow. During the same trip an opossum tried to chew its way through the roof of our grass hut. Then there were the scorpions that occasionally popped up in the showers, or the huge spiders whose legs you could see peeking out behind the toilet at night—now, that was a surprise no one wanted!

One of my favorite memories happened in the Dominican Republic. Our team was helping with medical clinics, children’s meetings, and evangelistic programs in poor villages outside the capital city, Santo Domingo. I was coordinating children’s programs. We built a puppet theater out of plastic pipes and fabric. It wasn’t fancy, but once our puppet friends—Estella, Joaquín, Pablo, and others—popped up, kids came running from all directions. They loved the funny voices, silly songs, and Bible stories the puppets told.

One rainy afternoon we squeezed into the back of a tiny pickup truck and bumped down a muddy road toward a small village. The rain came down so hard we wondered if any children would show up. But as soon as we set up, they came running! Children splashed through puddles, laughing and jumping, completely soaked but not minding at all.

As we performed, the rain poured onto the roof of our fabric puppet stage. Slowly a puddle of water built up, and the canvas roof began to sag lower and lower over our heads. We talked louder over the sound of the rain, hoping the roof wouldn’t rip. Finally one of the men from the community came with a broom and pushed the roof up so the water spilled out in a great splash. The children shrieked with laughter. Even though we were wet, we kept going, and the kids listened carefully to every story we told about Jesus.

Not every memory was so sweet. On another ride through the countryside our truck had way more people crammed into the back than we should have. We were laughing and bumping along when suddenly—BOING!—a frog jumped into the truck. Many of the people were afraid of frogs. The moment it landed, they started leaping out of the truck! I couldn’t blame them! I wouldn’t appreciate a big frog jumping onto my head either. 

But not all frogs are scary. In Puerto Rico I met one I actually like. He’s called a Coquí. He is a tiny tree frog, only about the size of a penny, but he has a very loud voice. Every night while we were there, Coquí came to our window and sang: “Coquí! Coquí! Coquí!” His lullaby went on all night long. Some locals thought he was annoying, but I found his song kind of sweet.

Of course, the Coquí frog can be a problem, too. Female Coquí frogs lay up to 40 eggs at a time, and they do this five times a year! Since they don’t have many natural enemies, their numbers grow quickly. That’s a lot of frogs! 

The Coquí makes me think of a story in the Bible. When Jesus entered the temple in Jerusalem, He saw people selling animals and exchanging money in dishonest ways. He turned over their tables and drove them out. The people ran in fear, but the children didn’t. Instead they began singing praises: “Hosanna to the Son of David!” The religious leaders didn’t like it at all. They told Jesus to make the kids be quiet. But Jesus said no—He wanted the children to keep singing.

Sometimes talking about Jesus might bother people who don’t love Him, just as the song of the Coquí frog bothers some Puerto Ricans. But Jesus doesn’t find your words of praise annoying. He loves them! Just as the puppet shows in the Dominican Republic drew children to hear about Jesus, your words can attract others, too.

So here’s the challenge: don’t be afraid to share about Jesus. Don’t be afraid to speak for Him, even if some people don’t agree with you. Your song, your story, your voice—they matter. You never know who might hear and decide to follow Him because of you.

Jodi Genson is a retired teacher living in Washington State.