Is moving dirt missions?

Today, we went to Camden, New Jersey to a church where some members fo the Simple Way are involved with. The church is very run dow, so the small service they have is held in the basement. We got to check out the main sanctuary which was very run down, but so beautiful at the same time. The room was filled with amazing stained glass windows that made me visualize how the church would have looked like back in the day when it was up and running.

We were sent here to clean up the around the church. Our plans were to sweep, mop, and paint some of the columns in the basement. There was a lot of dust, which made some of the members not feel so good  because a lot of them have dust allergies. I wasn't feeling so good either because of the shoulder pain I had been experiencing. On top of that, there was a gas leak in the kitchen... so that wasn't so safe. For me, I knew my heart was in a condition where it would be hard for me to work and have a good attitude at the same time. At that moment, I had thought about a previous mission's trip I took where we were moving dirt, derooting tree trunks, and cutting away foliage so it didn't clog the drainage system for a facility that housed battered women and children. During our debrief, my youth pastor asked us, "Is moving dirt missions?" Wow. It totally hit me because these trips aren't the typical mission's trips with a VBS or anything like that. So was our work still of substance? If what we do with our hands can better the lives of others and allow them to experience God more in some shape or form then yes, moving dirt is missions. As a team, we prayed for God to protect our bodies, change our attitudes, and shift our hearts. Almost instantly when we got to work, I felt so much better. Physical pain was still there but my heart was in a MUCH better place that it was previously before we prayed.  

love, steph chow