22 Jul A Taste of Heaven

To the casual observer, Allendale lacks the marks typical of a beautiful city; Allendale isn’t marked by the amount of pretty buildings, Starbucks on every corner, or a surplus of grocery stores, but anyone who has spent time there will agree the people are what make Allendale so beautiful.

This Summer I had the responsibility to plan 2 of the mission trips for Student Ministry to Allendale. From a CE standpoint; I’ve learned things I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t been given the opportunity to be administering this trip. It was a different kind of an experience than I’ve had previously, but one I’m glad I had the opportunity in which to partake.

Through these trips I learned about the bigger picture of Grace Church’s role in Allendale. Our purpose is to build a relationship, create a family, and ultimately empower the leaders of the community. It’s neat to see the attitudes of the leaders at Grace come in and kindly say, “What do you need us to do?

Before this Summer, I never took into consideration the ways helping can hurt. I’ve learned many churches or groups come into a place like Allendale expecting or planning things they want to achieve before they build relationships and gain credibility. Instead, the relationship must be formed before an organization can be effective. Even though we go to Allendale to build relationships and serve however we can, the return effect is two-sided. Our students left affected by the kids, the hospitality of the people, and ultimately the love of Christ exchanged between the people of Greenville and the people of Allendale. I wasn’t working with students and didn’t see the interactions that took place during work sites, but even hearing stories about the bonds made with the kids and the people and how they didn’t want to leave was enough for me to say, “there’s a reason we’re here in Allendale.”

During my Kairos internship, my view of the gospel has been reoriented. The gospel is in every aspect of our lives, spiritual, emotional, and even physical; a new idea for me to consider. Restoration is not only focused on the restoring of our souls and spirituality, but also a restoring of creation, including the communities around us. Before this Summer I never thought the restoration of a community could be an expression of the Gospel.

For me, this experience has been really neat and encouraging to understand the bigger picture of our purpose in Allendale. Allendale is a beautiful place because of the hearts that make it up. Building relationships, connecting, and worshiping with the people of Allendale County gives us a taste of what heaven will be like. It’s a reminder that God is in control; He’s a God of relationships, God of love, and a God who is making all things new.

-Rachel Varughese, CE Kairos Intern