Thoughts from the Road - Part I

Travel Day - Thursday, July 16, 2026

This morning we packed up our belongings at St. Andrew UMC in Colorado, loaded up the vehicles, and pointed them toward Kansas.  Every mission trip is different and yet still the same.  We have the same rhythms - get up in the morning, fix breakfast, load up, head to our work site for the day.  We return in the afternoon, have some free time to shower, a group starts dinner, we eat, have some time together, blog, and go to bed.  This year, our schedule was purposely not as detailed or strictly enforced.  It was to help us feel a bit of the uncertainty that the homeless feel.  They aren't sure where they will sleep at night, where or when they might get their next meal, if the are safe, will their possessions be taken, and so many more uncertainties.  We knew where we would lay our heads at night and that we would be safe.  It was a good lesson for us.  We had three first-timers with the group.  It was great to watch them integrate with the whole group.  I look forward to getting to know each of them more closely as we find other ways to serve as Christ's hands and feet. - Barbara

The most important thing I learned about this week was the necessity of dignity. When going to St Andrew’s food pantry this word was repeated a lot. They purposely made their pantry more like a grocery store and also limited volunteers to being out of high school so that people going to the pantry didn’t have to chance seeing a classmate. It’s important for everybody to treat homeless people with dignity and respect as they face a lack of this on the street.  - Cora

Across the whole trip I had a great time and learned a lot of about the different situations people can be put into unwillingly, whether it be due to mental illnesses, neglectful or abusive parents, or even tragic scenarios of loss. These situations can lead them down wrong paths in the future which may snowball into homelessness and may make it even harder to rebound back into society. We learned how big of an affect trauma can have into leading people into homelessness and why it should be prevented as much as possible to give people that much more of a chance to succeed rather than falling to the same fate as people before them have. The trip was a big learning experience where we learned to share, help, and think about stuff like homelessness and helping others. - Zach

This week was a great combination of mission work and group bonding time. We packed lunches, learned about homelessness and, my personal favorite, handed out hot lunches. For bonding time we did a variety of things such as chess and group activities devised by Barb but my favorite was simple card games such as speed and phase ten played with many of the mission trip members. It was a great mission trip with much to be great about. - Caleb

My memorable experience was DRM Denver Rescue Mission, I was impressed the way they partner with College students for volunteer hour requirements & have previously served 700 meals! They had an organized kitchen & the clients were polite. Upon entry they had a self paced orientation- very organized! Leticia from the Philippines (who was the director) had just arrived to Denver 3 weeks ago! We served almost 300 meals. The entire Mission Trip was an eye opening experience being the hands & feet of Jesus. - Pam

This Mission trip was a blast, as they always are. I sincerely enjoyed spending the past week with 11 awesome people. My favorite moments are the small ones, like playing Chipzi, making crosswords, and looking for license plates wherever we go. Staying at St. Andrew was amazing and one of my favorite missions on this trip was helping at the food pantry there. As I said earlier this trip was great and I’m excited to go next year.  - Anna

Our various mission activities centering around homelessness issues were collectively effective and relevant as they built a layered exposure to the overall issue and touch points. I particularly related to attending the Afterhours Service and the Network Coffeehouse, especially walking the Stations of Homelessness.

The fellowship shared throughout the trip, and getting to know everyone on a much deeper basis, was my other main takeaway from the trip. The building of common memories and shared experiences will carry forward indefinitely. - Joel

I am so grateful for this week on the Mission Trip.  Serving alongside this wonderful team of youth and adults, and experiencing the beauty of Colorado has been a real joy.  I wish everyone could experience the Stations of Homelessness as we did.  I’m coming home with a deeper understanding of the complexities surrounding homelessness, and a stronger desire to find ways to help in our neighborhoods and communities. - Melanie

Mission Trip Reflection

One of the biggest experiments on this year’s mission trip wasn’t one of our service projects; it was our schedule.

Unlike previous years, this week wasn’t built around long construction projects or predictable routines. Instead, we spent time learning, listening, serving in different settings, and responding to what each day presented. That meant plans shifted; meal times varied, prayer routines shifted from one day to the next, and the team was kept guessing. Flexibility was a necessary. 

This structured structure was purposefully, used to help the team grow in their understanding of the struggles that come with experiencing homelessness.

During our final evening debrief, I asked the group what that felt like.

The answers were thoughtful. They mentioned that it was uncomfortable at times. People missed consistency and knowing what to expect.

Then I asked a different question: What stayed consistent?

The answers came quickly. The people. Our leaders. The building where we slept. Breakfast being available every morning. The vans. The fact that we were in it together and that we continually and compassionately stepped up for one another.

There are important lessons we learn from routine, discipline, and predictable rhythms, but there are some lessons we can’t learn from those circumstances. Resilience, adaptability, and trusting one another when life doesn’t unfold according to plan take a different tactic—uncertainty.

For many of our unhoused neighbors, uncertainty isn’t a week-long exercise, but part of everyday life. Part of my goal this week was to acquaint our mission team—in a safe and gentle way—with the difficulties such uncertainty creates. 

While our experience can never fully mirror that of our homeless neighbors, I believe or can help us better understand the emotional weight that comes with not always knowing what tomorrow will bring.

What encouraged me most this week wasn’t simply that our youth and adults adapted to the unstructured structure. It was how they adapted. They cared for one another. They stepped up without being asked. They served with compassion. They asked honest questions. They wrestled with difficult topics and pushed past easy answers.

It was a beautiful picture of what John Wesley envisioned when he spoke of personal and social holiness—allowing God to shape our own hearts while loving our neighbors in tangible ways.

Whenever you try something new like this, you wonder how it will be received. Watching this group embrace the week with openness, humility, and remarkable thoughtfulness has been one of the greatest gifts of the trip.

We are blessed with incredible youth and adults at Leawood UMC, and I am grateful that I get to keep learning and serving alongside them. - Tyler