“They lied about the continental breakfast.”

That’s what I wrote on a sticky note and left behind in our room — mostly as a joke, but also a little bit of truth. I didn’t know that phrase would end up summarizing a trip that was way more chaotic, powerful, and unforgettable than I ever expected.

The homeowner we helped literally shouted “Praise Jesus!” when we finished. Because of what our team did, she could finally qualify for homeowners insurance. That alone made the whole trip worth it — knowing we helped give someone security they hadn’t had before.

But of course, it wasn’t all serious. The night before the real work started, we spent nearly 4 hours in the hotel pool playing chicken and being absolute menaces. On day one, I got stung by a wasp — my finger swelled up and stopped moving, but I took a 5-minute break and jumped right back in the swelling eventually went down but the next day i woke up and my entire left hand was swollen and it didn’t start looking normal until the next day. Later, I was wrapping rags around my head to beat the heat and ended up looking like a distressed snowtrooper in the organization’s official YouTube video.

At worship, I was smacking the pews so hard out of sheer hype that my hands actually started hurting. I regret nothing. Holy enthusiasm comes with consequences.

Somewhere along the way we named a dead cockroach in our room “Contavious.” A staff member sang The Greatest Song in the World and told us how a rat in someone’s bed earned her the nickname “Remmy.” Another rat ran across someone else’s foot. Meanwhile, another youth group was apparently driving RC cars on the roof of the church.

And on the last night, I let the people I met — the friends I’d laughed and worked alongside all week — sign the free shirt I got on day one. That shirt’s covered in names and memories now, and I don’t plan on washing it anytime soon.

So yeah…

Wasp stings.

Roof RC chaos.

Dead cockroach mascots.

A woman shouting praise to God.

And a shirt full of names that mean a lot more now than they did when I first showed up.

That’s the trip.

That’s the memory.

That’s the mission.

And the story of Johnah was the focus

Jesus I thank you for a wonderful week