When I ponder the past summer, I am taken back to where it all began; filling out the MLab application to be a summer missionary. It was February 22nd and 22 days after the due date, but I felt the Lord calling me to apply, so I did it anyway.
Flash forward a couple of months, and I had a job in New Orleans (which feels totally weird because being a summer missionary never once felt like a job). I was walking through security at the airport before I actually processed what was happening. I was leaving my home, with only 2 suitcases, for the entire summer to serve with people I didn't know in a city that I had only been to a handful of times. I was leaving my comfort zone in order to do what I knew God was calling me to do, and through that the Lord was bringing me closer to Him.
The immediate bond I felt with the rest of the MLAB staff made it apparent to me that I was called to NOLA for more than just a mission experience. The Lord had brought me there to experience a genuine faith community. Having people who you know are seeking the Lord and having His will pour into you is one of the greatest gifts, and some of the best moments of the summer were when I got to spend time with the fellow staffers. Walking alongside them, doing life with them, and seeing the ways we all grew over the summer are things I'll always remember.
Reminiscing, I can honestly say that I have never eaten more chicken wings, laughed more, had less sleep, and drank as much coffee as I did with the incredible staff at MissionLab. Through the community God put around me and the work God put before me, I learned two major lessons.
Relying on the Lord More Than Ever
Throughout the summer, with each coming group, I first learned to rely on the Lord more than I ever have, while also learning more about who He is. With the exhaustion of each new day came new opportunities, new challenges, and new ways God showed Himself to me. I could not have done any of it without Him.
There were days when I genuinely did not know how we were going to make it through — when the schedule was impossible, when the need felt overwhelming, when I had nothing left to give. And in every one of those moments, God showed up. He provided. He sustained. He reminded me that I was not there in my own strength, and that was always the point.
That kind of dependence is hard to manufacture. It takes being put in a situation where you genuinely cannot do it on your own. New Orleans gave me that. MissionLab gave me that. And I am so grateful.
Seeing People the Way Jesus Sees Them
The second thing I learned was how to truly see people. When you're serving groups week after week — students, adults, families, volunteers — it's easy to start seeing people as a task to manage. But God kept breaking that in me all summer.
He kept putting people in front of me who needed to be seen. The student who was struggling with their faith. The volunteer who needed encouragement. The person at the ministry site who just needed someone to sit with them. Every single one of those moments was a gift.
I went to New Orleans thinking I was going to serve people. And I did. But I came home having been changed by the people I met — by their stories, their faith, their resilience, and their joy. New Orleans has a way of doing that to you.
Come and Find Out for Yourself
If you're reading this and you're feeling even a small nudge toward applying to be a summer missionary — do it. Even if it's past the deadline. Even if you don't feel ready. God doesn't call the equipped; He equips the called.
I applied 22 days late, and it was the best thing I've ever done.