In April, sixteen students and four adults packed into vans and headed south to Waynesboro, Virginia. We had a vague idea of what we would be doing once we arrived, but we knew that God would be present and He would work through us.
When we arrived, we unloaded the contents of the vans into the Sunday School classrooms and fellowship hall at Waynesboro Mennonite Church, our home for the week. In these rooms, we would share our time and give our love to the children in the neighborhood surrounding Waynesboro Mennonite Church. We would hear the hearts of Seth Crissman and his sister, Joyce, who serve in the community daily, and we would be challenged.
Upon arrival, we didn’t unpack our bags, but we prepared to meet the children with whom we would spend our evenings. We sang silly songs. We did crafts. We made friends. We watched the excitement on the children’s faces as Seth prepared to share the message, and we learned that this was possibly the only opportunity they had to learn of Christ and His love. So, we made the most of every opportunity to love like Jesus.
During the days, we encountered projects that were physically challenging, time-consuming, and dirty. We chopped trees, sorted clothes, crawled under houses, shoveled mulch, painted walls, and much more. Our endurance was tested, but we knew God was at work. As local people opened their homes and afforded us the opportunity to shower, they shared their hearts for the ministries we were serving. We learned how God was using the devastation of a broken family and a prison sentence for good, and how we had become a part of what He was doing there. Although they did not know us and we did not know them, we became a part of each other’s stories. We were inspired by their passion for helping recently released prisoners and their hope of opening a halfway house founded on the love of Jesus Christ. Though the work was hard, we were reminded that all people need Jesus. We left knowing that God was at work and thankful for the opportunity to know and serve the people in Waynesboro, Virginia.
