The Intern-ist: From Nada to Blacksburg, VA

July 28, 2008

Last weekend, 12 teenagers, 3 adults from Nada and one intern, loaded up and drove to Blacksburg, VA, where we held a retreat courtesy of the members of Blacksburg Baptist Church. This was the culmination of discussions about having a “reverse mission trip.” Groups from the Nada community travel to the towns of those giving their time and resources to further build on the connections between Nada and that particular church. In the winter, some of the Nada women visited the group from Hominy Baptist Church in Asheville, NC, and now the youth visited Blacksburg, VA.

The enthusiasm for this trip to happen was overwhelming at times. At first, we thought there might be 6 or 7 teenagers who would go. But as we discussed it more and the possibility of going became more reality, more people wanted to be involved, both in Nada and in Blacksburg. Everything from our gas to where we stayed to our food to our fun was completely provided for, without which this trip would never have been possible in such a short time span.

The kids had a great time with all the activities we planned, even the ones we didn’t plan, like Twister. The most surprising of all the activities was being on the campus of Virginia Tech; it brought to life the places they had seen on television - they were there. It also spawned some really thought provoking conversations about accepting people, anger and future consequences of present actions. I enjoy any opportunity to hear out loud what my teenagers think about.

I hope this becomes a trend for future trips; it being new, we have the flexibility to explore the possiblities. This trip, the teenagers were able to take the time to look inside themselves, while experiencing an outside world different from their usual one. The members of Blacksburg Baptist Church were able to see the importance of their bonds with the Nada community. In all, the trip was an amazing opportunity to see God at work.