Senior Trip 2012

On May 26, 2012, my senior class of twenty-six people set out for Garden City South Carolina for our senior trip. When most people think of the term "Senior Trip", partying, drinking and many other outlandish things come to mind. As high school seniors we want to have one last blowout party with our frineds before high school is over and we have to move into the real world. My senior class decided to do things a little more differently.

At 5am  Portersville High School senior students loaded a school bus and headed for South Carolina. Yes, thats right, a school bus. We laughed and played games and did all the things you would do on a sixteen hour "car" ride but when we arrived things became much different. Sure we went to the beach and went shopping, walked on the board walk and stayed up too late but our senior trip had a little more meaning. We decided months in advance that we were not going to have a typical senior trip, we were going to South Carolina, where it was ever so tempting to stay at the beach all day, and volunteer. That's right, we turned our final week together on our big senior trip into a missions trip and it became the best decison ever. We all took turns cooking meals, not always the best idea, and we got up by 7 am at the latest. We split into groups and drove to places in need in several parts of the state. We donated time to several food banks in need of our help and we did spring cleaning in churches. We landscaped, cleaned, and witnessed  to peoplel at homeless shelters and drug and alcohol rehabiliation centers. We painted playgrounds and sang and danced and played games with wonderful people at the adult day care center. We picked up trash in the state park and along countless public beaches. We got pooped on my seagulls and found crabs on the beach. We played guitar on the balcany and had late night talks.  We spoke of God and we showed people in our actions what it means to be Christian. We had devotions on the beach and we marveled in God's beauty as we watched the sun rise over the water. We prayed furvently for one of our classmates who lost and diamond necklace from her Grandmother at the beach and we were rewarded when we found it buried in the sand a few days later. We met, converted, helped, and become friends with people that will have lasting relationships with. We baked in the southern sun, got covered in dirt and paint, and we did it all for God's glory. Twenty-six High School Seniors.

So when people ask me how my senior trip to the beach was, I tell them. I tell them about our service and how I'm sure that over one week twenty-six people have never become closer. I share with them that I can not imagine a more fun or rewarding trip then the one I took with my classmates. So no, we did not have a typical senior trip but I for one, would not trade my experience for anything. I love what we did, I love who we became, and i would not trade that wonderful experience for anything.