Two churches on Guam – the Ypao SDA Clinic Church of Ordot and the Korean SDA Church – collaborated with several health professionals from Guam Seventh-day Adventist Clinic as well as with Pastor Mar Laurin of Guam’s Northern SDA Church to conduct a successful youth mission trip during Spring Break 2023.

This group focused their ministry in two locations on Saipan: (1) the Seventh-day Adventist church and village of Kagman, and (2) the Saipan Seventh-day Adventist School.

Comprised of 18 youth and 11 adults, the team accomplished a great deal during the week-long mission trip. During the day, the main activities included helping with school improvement projects like painting, cleaning, organizing and leveling out the playground at the Saipan SDA School. Alongside Guam SDA Clinic professionals, many of the youth learned how to do medical screenings, such as blood pressure and blood sugar tests, on residents who lived in Kagman village. In the evening, they conducted Vacation Bible School for the kids in Kagman with lively song services, engaging crafts and an inspiring puppet show.  

Besides these three main areas of service, the youth also conducted morning devotional talks and helped prepare meals for a crowd of hungry teenagers. 

The youth could really focus on service because for a whole week they were without computers and phones. One youth said they slept better because of "no screen time". 

It was a full and busy week, but the youth enjoyed the trip because together they were helping others and making a difference in people’s lives. They faced many challenges during just the door-knocking ministry. As they walked from home to home to invite people to the meetings and offer literature and health screening, the youth overcame the pouring rain, intimidating dogs and even rejections. Yet, they had a memorable time and bonded, even over their down time – chatting over a meal, playing ping pong or having fun with table games. Their friendships deepened and this made for great team work!

Be inspired by the youth themselves as they share their experiences during this impactful trip:

MEDICAL OUTREACH

Anthony Lee, 9th grader, said:
‍“We met this woman, Gloria, who was friends with a lady named Margaret. Gloria said she and Margaret go for walks around Kagman and they try to eat healthy. Gloria told us about her neighbors and after we checked her blood pressure and sugar, she took us to her neighbor. The day we met her neighbor was the third-year anniversary of his stroke. We checked him and prayed with them all. They were so grateful! Gloria was grateful and gave us turnovers. 

It was cool to have seen Margaret ask God to give her a sign. God used us that day to answer her prayer and we got the joy and privilege of telling her about God and healthy living practices.”

Abigail, 8th grader, said:
“A medical career is something I am considering, and doing medical outreach on this trip was a very positive experience.

My eyes were opened to see how much people were in need of medical help. Some of the people we saw were very sick and were not getting the medical attention they needed.  

Some of them said that they don’t want just medicines that sometimes make them feel worse, but they want lasting solutions. This gave me a greater desire to teach them good health habits and share with them the love of Jesus.”

VBS MEETINGS

Charlotte Oh, 9^th grader, said:
‍“I'm so glad I was able to go to Saipan. I liked seeing the children have fun while learning more about Jesus. Helping the Kagman community also led me to understand the joy of being God's disciples.

VBS was held nightly at the Kagman Church. Jasmine Lee and I, as song leaders, started off the VBS program with a few songs. Then the kids would go to the tables to do a fun craft led by Abigail. We ended VBS with a short puppet show. I think the children enjoyed watching the puppets and many in the audience had a smile on their face by the end of the show. On the first day we had a few kids come, but by the last day, there were many more! Helping and leading the VBS program was a fun experience and so rewarding.”

NIGHTLY EVANGELISM SERIES

Jasmine Lee, 10^th grader, said:
‍“We had a VBS program which preceded the evangelistic talks by Pastor Mar. His series was entitled 'Complete'. On our first day, almost no one showed up except the few church members that usually attended the church. But after praying and praying, as the days went by, the rows began to fill up with more people. I even recognized some people who I visited with the medical group and was able to invite them to the program. I sang with the praise team before the sermon started, and while I sang, I would look around at all the faces and see such joy on their faces. The fact that standing up there and singing songs to God was already such a ministry to people really made me feel so moved that I could touch people. 

As the days passed, the church was filled with so many people. On Wednesday, Pastor Mar made his altar call. It took a little time but soon, four women slowly stood up. It really touched my heart to see that these women chose to give their hearts to God. I felt like tearing up at the time.

On Saturday, we had our church service and the room was filled. At the end of the service, Pastor Mar gave a call to anyone who wanted to give their lives to Jesus. Slowly, people started to go up. The same four women that wanted to be baptized went up and ten others also made a decision to follow Jesus! The Holy Spirit definitely hit them all. One lady was bawling as she went up. I started tearing up. Later in the evening, the four got baptized and we sang 'Amazing Grace'. I am so glad I got the chance to be a part of doing God’s work and be able to witness the changes that happened. I hope the church continues to grow while we are not there and God’s ministry spreads.”

A YOUTH REFLECTION ON THE TRIP:

Sam Jung, 11^th grader, said:
‍“After coming back to Guam, I have thought about the mission trip a lot. The time went by so fast. Even though I could have used my spring break time to be at home, relax, watch videos, and hang out with friends, I chose to go on the Saipan mission trip. I am glad I made that choice because it was more rewarding to be on the trip serving others than staying home. And, I was with my friends, serving others which made it more meaningful and fun. When we went out to the community in Kagman and we saw people in great need appreciate our medical help, it brought joy and satisfaction. This kind of happiness you can’t find when you are not in service.  

Personally, I drew closer to God because our daily routine started and ended with worship. In the morning, we had devotional time led by the students and, in the evening, we were blessed with a powerful sermon by Pastor Mar each night. These spiritual highlights, combined with the fact that we fasted from our phones and computers, helped us draw closer to God.  

I look forward to our next mission trip.​”