A Mother and Son on Mission

When Conor reached Grade 6, the age when Saddleback Kids Small Group (KSG) members and their parents can embark on a PEACE trip together, he and his mother, Jodi, knew just where they would go.

Four years earlier, Conor’s older brother had gone with their mom to Rwanda for his KSG PEACE trip, and Conor felt called to go there, as well.

Leading up to their trip, Jodi and Conor trained with the group of kids and parents who would be going along with them. They studied Rwanda and its history, learned common phrases in Kinyarwanda — the national language of Rwanda — and practiced their personal testimonies to share. 

The kids and parents were divided into several groups, each representing the four purposes Conor had learned in Saddleback Kids: Belong, Grow, Serve, and Share. Jodi was placed in the Serve group, while the theme of Conor’s group was Share. Each group formed lesson plans that would relate to one of these purposes, tying in Bible stories, activities, and crafts.

Once in Rwanda, the group visited preschools, churches, after-school programs, and homes. One of the churches they visited had a KSG discipleship program of its own, and some of the kids were entering KSG 401, which the kids on the PEACE trip had just completed. 

Jodi, Conor, and their group prayed over the kids as they prepared for their own trip to Tanzania. Since the Rwandan students were working on their testimonies for their upcoming trip, Conor was able to share tips with them for writing their testimonies. Keeping with the theme of sharing, Conor also had the opportunity to speak at a teacher training for a church with a KSG program. He used a domino demonstration as an example to show that as we share our love with one person, it can affect many people as that person then shares their love with others.

During their time at the preschools, Jodi and Conor assisted in going through lessons that emphasized not just learning about the Bible, but also applying the learnings. The preschool students loved watching the kids perform skits in which they acted out stories from the Bible.

During home visits, Jodi and Conor were paired with another adult and child, as well as a translator. On their first home visit of the trip, they met a young man named Joseph who expressed interest in becoming a Christian and being baptized. Although he did not feel ready yet to make his decision that day, Jodi and Conor were able to answer his questions and pray for him. Later that week, they were excited to hear that people had seen Joseph going to church. Jodi and Conor also arranged for a copy ofThe Purpose Driven Lifein Kinyarwanda to be given to Joseph as he continues to learn about Jesus.

Jodi was also able to speak to a ministry group that taught women skills, such as sewing and styling hair, to help them find employment, along with teaching them about Jesus. She shared her own testimony about brokenness to the women in this group, discussing a difficult time she had walked through and explaining that, despite the brokenness they have experienced and the hardships they have faced, God cares about them and has a plan for every one of their stories — because for each story, there is someone who needs to hear it.

Just as their mission trip group was able to help the students, teachers, church members, and local residents they visited, Jodi and Conor felt that the people they met truly helped them, as well. Inspired by the gratefulness and joy they saw in the people they met, Jodi and Conor now remember their trip as a reminder to keep things in perspective by focusing on what is important and being grateful for some of the things they might otherwise have taken for granted. Learning about the forgiveness people had shown one another despite having faced unspeakable tragedies also powerfully put things into perspective for Jodi, Conor, and their group.

Jodi and Conor would like to encourage anyone who has been considering a PEACE trip to take the next step toward going. “If anybody’s thinking about going, they should do it, because it’s so impactful and it changes everything,” Conor says.

“It’s just amazing, they won’t regret it,” Jodi adds. “We did make an impact there, but they also make an impact on us … If you’re considering going, please sign up and go. There are so many PEACE trips that go there, not just KSG. [They should] find their niche and go serve because they won’t regret it.”

Learn more about KSG at saddlebackkids.com/ksg

Learn more about PEACE trips at saddleback.com/peace

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