Road Trips that "Refresh the Soul"

Our NieuCommunties team here in San Diego recently hosted a group of high school students from a church in Seattle. They were here for about a week on what we call a “Road Trip.” A Road Trip is basically an intensive, experiential introduction to our NieuCommunties Apprenticeship (Click here for more details). Although we are able to tailor these to the specific group we are hosting, their main focus serves to give others the opportunity to taste, see, learn and experience what it looks like to follow Jesus by living every day on mission in the context of covenant community as we do here in NieuCommunities.

What did that look like?

• Shared meals in our homes and in local businesses
• Prayer, worship and listening
• Teaching on the life of Jesus and what it looks like to live on his mission EVERYDAY in our local contexts
• Serving and sharing life with the poor and homeless in Golden Hill
• Going on extended prayer walks through the city while listening to the Spirit and seeking Kingdom eyes.
• Trip to Mexico to share in the lives of our brothers and sisters across the border
• Engaging and coming alongside local churches in our neighborhood
• Hearing testimonies of current NieuCommunities Staff and Apprentices

In fact, Janny was able to share of our experience with NieuCommunities since we came on board almost one year ago. It

was so fun for her to able to articulate the hopes, challenges and priceless value this life and ministry has had on each of us.

It was this youth groups “mission trip” and it certainly served as a blessing to our community and neighborhood. But more than anything, it proved to be one of the most transformative experiences of these teenagers’ lives. They realized that to live on mission as a follower of Jesus doesn’t require them to “go” somewhere else to do ministry, but that they have been called to be missionaries right where they live…that the life of a disciple of Jesus requires submission of all aspects of life to the authority of Jesus and the advance of his Kingdom.

As a huge testament to the leadership of our team down here (Janny and Ruby were here, but I was still returning from my recent trip to Israel/Palestine/West Bank), the Senior Pastor of the teenagers’ church said, “I have been on a billion ministry trips, but this one was far and away the best trip I have ever been on." Fighting back tears, he shared what he had seen God do in each of the students this week, and it was huge stuff. Maybe just as significant, was what he shared this week had meant to him. "It refreshed my soul."

And I hope that’s true for all of us when we encounter and take seriously the life of the Risen Jesus. May it “Refresh our soul.”