“It was a really special time. It was something I never really experienced before. It was my first mission trip ever, so I think that was really an eye opening experience for me and for other people.” Now, just a few years later, Matt coordinated the entire Mission Trip.

 

For Matt, one of the most meaningful facets of the local Mission trip was the simplicity of it all. A mission trip at home is going to be noticeably different from one in another country, and for Matt, that’s where the beauty of the work they did shined. 

 

“The work we were doing wasn't glamorous. It wasn't really interesting. It was like community service. It was just groundskeeping work,” he says, “I think of Therese of Lisieux, the little way of evangelization. Small acts living for God is almost the whole point.” 

 

The simplicity of the mission trip is what makes it different. It is very common on many mission trips to actually see very substantial and immediate fruits of your mission. That could be a house built, a well dug, plants harvested, or a wealth of other things. This mission trip didn’t quite have that, so the students relied on doing little things with lots of love to get meaning out of their work.

 

A very special moment of realization occurred for Matt while having dinner with one of the host families one evening during the mission trip. Matt recalls that most of the families who hosted were in very similar situations - older children, some out of the house, perhaps even used to cooking for large groups of people. There was one family, however, that didn’t fall into this category. The family was young; they had 4 really young children (including a baby). In the midst of the chaos of being a young family, however, they still offered to help out the group of 12 college students with dinner for the night. 

 

“Seeing them gave me a lot of inspiration and hope that you're able to live out a Catholic life,” Matt said. Sometimes college students wonder what their life will be like after college, and more importantly, what their faith will be like after college. This family was a great example to Matt (and all the students) that living a fruitful life of service is possible and well-worth the effort.

 

The Tallahassee mission trip was more than just a way to spend spring break for these students. The trip provided a unique opportunity to grow closer to Christ through service to one’s own community, and proof that you don’t need to travel far or build amazing structures to serve others. As St. Therese of Lisieux pointed out, small acts of living for God are enough.