I missed my usual wellness Wednesday blog and podcast last week for a great reason. About 140 teens and adults from the Diocese of Austin and I went on a mission trip to help families in South Texas. During the eight days on mission, we spent our mornings providing a Catholic Summer camp for children, our afternoons repairing and painting homes for those in need, and in the evenings praying at the renewal center at the Basilica of Our Lady San Juan Del Valle.
The people we assisted were thankful for our help, and we did a lot of good by restoring hot water, adding insulation, fixing the home exteriors, and much more. But I believe I and the people on the mission received more for as much good as we may have done for others. Here are five ways the mission trip improved my wellness. You can listen to the podcast here.
1. Sharing in Community Brings Wellness
The opportunity to share in community with others was not just about the work but the shared experiences and the sense of accomplishment that came with it. Nothing is more rewarding than achieving a goal with a community of like-minded people.
At lunch each day, the young and older adults would devise a plan for the afternoon to progress on the homes we worked on. Although each group of adults and teens was assigned a house to repair at the start of the week, adjustments were made during the week so each home project would finish by Friday. Likewise, the teens, each with their assigned station, would plan the activities for the 80 children attending CSC the next day. Even though each team lead had their own goal to achieve, they came together as a community so all could finish.
Another positive aspect of community occurred during shared prayer and shared meals. Because we all ate and prayed at the same time and in the same room, you had people actually talking live with one another instead of staring at their phones. You had time to share your thoughts and soul with others. Our communal prayer further strengthened this sense of unity, wellness, and shared purpose.
As stated in Matthew 18: 19-20: Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
Lastly, our community from the Austin Diocese extended to the community of people we were serving and who, likewise, were serving us. Together, we participated in a closing Mass with the children from the CSC and the families whose homes we were working on. We felt God in our midst as we joined as one community.
2. The Opportunity to Mentor and Be Mentored, Sharing Our Unique Talents
Mission trips bring out each person’s unique leadership skills and talents. You learn from others and can teach others. For example, I am one of the most unhandy older men I know. I took the opportunity on this trip to learn from others how to use some tools (yes, I am that guy who does not know how to use a driver properly!).
On the other hand, I have two talents that came to use. First, I am very determined and not afraid of grunt work, so I took on the tedious task of pulling out nails and removing refuse. Second, as you may have noticed from my podcast, I can make songs and poems at the drop of a hat. So when the Thursday talent came, I made two songs for the Mission team that brought a laugh and some clapping. One called “I Can’t Get No, Sleep on Mission” to the tune of Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones and a version of the Beatles’ “Eight Days A Week” that goes like this:
Ooh, I need to paint the house,
And play with a bunch of kids,
Do everything that my house lead bids.
Ooh. Scraping, painting, lifting, straining,
Ain’t got nothing but love for Jesus, eight days a week.
Eight days a week,
I am working, and I’m praying.
Eight days a week,
I got to get my home done!
As Cardinal John Henry Newman says about talents:
“God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me, which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught.”
Mission trips provide a great way to find and share your unique mission with others and have them share their mission with you!
3. Provides Learning about Different Groups and Cultures
Mission trips also provide learning opportunities about the similarities and differences between groups and cultures. You do not have to fly to another country to learn about a different culture. The sense of discovery and learning about different cultures can be equally enlightening.
Being a Texan, I know something about Mexican American culture, but being at the Basilica of Our Lady San Juan Del Valle brought new learnings. I got to experience my first Mariachi Mass. The worship was powerful and joyful. Also, I learned about the Basilica’s history and the oppression the migrants experienced in Mexico during the Cristero War. Many of the Cristeros – by some estimates, as much as 5 percent of Mexico’s population – fled to the United States to escape persecution for their faith. To learn more about the Basilica, click here.
But as much as there are differences, there are many similarities. For example, walk into any church, including the Basilica or large business establishment, and see a collage of photos honoring local Veterans who served or died defending the US. Likewise, you can see firsthand the strong family bond among the children who attend the CSC.
Besides learning about the Mexican American culture in the Valley, I learned about the different cultures of the four churches participating in the mission. Each had a different take on worship that served to broaden and deepen the faith.
Lastly, the power of diversity was evident in the different age groups. The teens and young adults brought the energy and vigor of youth, while we older adults brought guidance on the importance of staying hydrated, both needed in the heat.
4. The Wellness Benefits of Physical Labor
The mission trip also taught me the positive benefits of physical labor and gave me a greater appreciation for those who labor outdoors. Working six to eight hours a day in the summer Texas heat has a way of cleansing every toxin out of your body to improve wellness. Also, I have never slept as hard or as well since I was in the Army, despite the twin bed. Lastly, I was only doing this for one week in a year. The mission trip made me appreciate even more the contribution of the highway workers, builders, and others working in the heat to bring benefit to all.
5. Renewal of Spirit Through Prayer, Patience, and Kindness
This last reason is the most crucial wellness benefit of a mission trip for the one participating. The nightly praise and worship sessions renewed my spirit as I sang worship songs and shared with my small group. A mission trip is also a great place to improve the gift of patience and see it properly modeled. There are many opportunities to practice patience while waiting for dinner or using the tool you need to finish your task. Patience is one area that I improved on in this trip, having had mine tested and seeing others practice patience correctly.
Lastly, the kindness and love you show on Mission and the same that is shown to you is transformative and improves overall wellness. One act of kindness by one of the people we served stuck with me. One of the mothers whose children attended the CSC stayed up all night making tamales for all the Mission participants on our final day. Each person got two tamales, so doing the math, that is over 500. Besides being delicious, this simple act showed her appreciation and love for all of us and made us feel good for serving others. Now, whenever I need to feel the hand of kindness, I think about that mother staying up all night after her children went to bed to show her love for her children and us. Nothing warms your heart and soul more than two tamales in hand.
