Where did you go?
Laos, Xiangkhoang
Mission Details:
The duration of the trip was 10 days, we went with a small team of 7 people. Four from Melbourne and three from NSW.
1. What did you do/task?
We were hosted by Namtipsavan Bilingual School which is a kindergarten, primary school—up to grade 3—and an English language center. During our time at the school, we taught English to the Kindergarten kids and also facilitated a STORMCo program in the afternoons for the local community kids. During our STORMCo we shared stories on different values such as love, patience, and kindness, played games together, and participated in other fun activities such as cooking classes.
2. Most challenging moment?
The most challenging moment for the team was on the first day, we didn’t really know what to expect and we ended up with around 90 kids who couldn’t really understand English, so we had to change a lot of our program at the last minute to make it easier for them to understand which was a bit stressful.
3. Best moment?
We brought a Ukulele with us for our STORMCo program and one of the kids took an interest in it, so after teaching her how to play throughout the week, we ended up giving it to her as a gift. It was such a small gesture for us to give the instrument away but to her, we really made her day. She was so grateful, and it was a reminder to me that our acts of kindness can change people’s lives no matter how big or small they are.
4. Why did you decide to go on this mission trip?
I decided to go on this mission trip because I had heard a lot of stories about how great Laos is, and how God is working through the people there and I wanted to be a part of it, to make a difference even if it was just in a small way.
5. How did you feel before going on the mission?
Before going on the mission trip, I was a little bit unsure of what to expect. Laos is a communist country so I thought it would be a lot more difficult to navigate sharing Jesus with the people over there, but we had guidance on what we could/couldn’t share from the locals, and it wasn’t as restrictive as I thought it was going to be.
6. How did you feel after returning?
After returning, I wanted to go back straight away haha. I loved the people, the culture, the food, and the warm weather especially living in Melbourne!
7. Biggest lesson you learned on the mission trip?
The biggest lesson I learned from the trip was to just go with the flow. There were a lot of things that didn’t go to plan, and that wasn’t a bad thing, as everything ended up being even better than what it originally was when we planned it.
8. What advice you would give to someone wanting to go on a mission trip for the first time?
Be open to new experiences, meeting new people, and doing new things. Really take advantage of the country or place that you’re in, go sightseeing, and do things you wouldn’t normally do. Make sure you make the most out of the trip as much as you can, and most importantly let God lead.
