PCC sent a team of 4 (three youths and myself) to Saskatoon over the February break from the 14th-21st to be a part of SOAR SK (a Multiply Missions program geared more towards youth in Saskatchewan) to get an introduction to missions work and serving in our local communities!

Our team will share some of our highlights from the experience later this month, and we would love to chat with you more about our time at SOAR, as we were so blessed by the many prayers from PCC over the 8 days. 

We were so encouraged by the hospitality of SOAR and West Portal, as they put in so much work to ensure that we were equipped, encouraged, and challenged by all the different speakers and sessions they hosted. They provided meals daily to keep us nourished and warm (in the -40 weather!), places to debrief and sleep, and even showers, too!

As a small and new team, we were all a little anxious going in about how things would go and how logistics would work for us and had to put our trust in God that SOAR would be an experience that would grow our faith and open our hearts and eyes to what God can do for those with open hands.

Missions trips are an amazing opportunity to challenge yourself and put your faith into action by practicing placing trust in God and letting Him take care of your needs. We weren’t sure exactly where we would shower, but a local church and another person offered to open their doors and let us use their showers willingly. We weren’t exactly sure where we would stay each night, but a nearby church, Hope Fellowship (an MB sister of ours!), let us spend the week there, and it became our own little retreat space! They even had a plug-in spot just for our van so that each morning, it still started!

Some of the best memories and moments in discipleship happen over extended trips with people where you can’t avoid each other. This can be scary, as clashing personalities will undoubtedly emerge in these situations. Still, there is also no better way to come together with a team than through intensive shared experiences. Our team did not have a long history together before going on SOAR, but seeing the growth and friendship that blossomed over the span of a week is an incredible testament to how the Holy Spirit can work in open hearts that are willing to serve and love those around us. 

Serving is often the main draw of a mission trip, and rightfully so. The opportunity to make a meaningful difference for a community or group of people is something that inspires. Our team was partnered with Sherbrooke Community Center, which is a long-term care facility, where we got to help them set up some different activities for the residents to participate in and simply connect and have some conversations (and many chess games) with them and get to know their stories and try to encourage them. While sometimes, we might not see the immediate benefit of what we are doing, we can trust that God sees our actions and promises a reward for faithful obedience. Jesus called his disciples to take care of the least and the most vulnerable, and this was a great opportunity to live this out practically.

Finally, one of the most essential things in missions is to debrief. Reflect on what you’ve done, learned, and experienced, and process this with the team that you were with. In our busyness, this is so often overlooked in our day-to-day lives, making it so positive to do consistently this week. Our team, along with other SOAR participants, would discuss different experiences and our takeaways from devos or sessions and take intentional time to pray for one another and prepare for the next day or whatever was coming next. This allowed us to process things more openly as we grew more comfortable with each other and the process. We took a slower-paced approach to the week despite it being filled with activities. 

We had a blast at SOAR and look forward to returning next year! Thank you again for all the prayers and support from our taco salad lunch! Seeing and feeling our PCC family come around us was truly humbling!

Chris Reimer is the Youth Director at Parliament Community Church in Regina, SK, located near Harbour Landing. As a church, we offer programs for all ages, from children to youth, young adults to Seniors who are part of our Heritage groups. We are also diverse in cultural backgrounds but share a desire to grow as disciples of Christ together.