This summer, Mary, Daisy, Wyatt, Maddie, and Abby traveled from the Pittsburgh area to Ferncliff for a week of service. Their mission team included young people from Hiland Presbyterian Church, Beloved Community Presbyterian Church, and Central Highlands United Methodist Church. The three churches regularly combine their youth groups for mission trips because some have only a handful of teens. When they climbed into the van bound for Arkansas, not everyone knew one another.

Daisy summed up the beginning of the trip with a laugh: “They told us to get in the van, and we got in the van.”

At Ferncliff, phones went away, and the team went to work. They inspected and repackaged disaster kits for shipment, built bed parts with Sleep in Heavenly Peace, sanded and stained outdoor furniture, worked in the garden and even scooped manure for Ferncliff’s beloved donkeys, Minnie Pearl and Maybelle.

Working side by side on real tasks, the near-strangers became a team. They could see what their efforts accomplished and that what they did mattered.

“This is the best kind of work to get to know each other,” Mary said.

Wyatt loved the service even when the task itself was not glamorous. Checking disaster-response kits for more than an hour could become monotonous, he said, but knowing the work would help someone made it worthwhile.

“After a day of work, it feels very rewarding to see all that you’ve accomplished and think, ‘We all did that,’ and to see how it can really help,” Daisy said.

The work also changed what they understood about local needs. Building headboards and other bed parts was Maddie’s favorite project. She learned that bedlessness affects more people than she had realized. Abby moved, cut, and sanded wood and liked that she could see the impact taking shape in front of her. The team would not see exactly how many people were helped, but she understood that each board prepared was part of making someone a safe place to sleep.

“The world is very intent on making a lot of people, but especially young people, feel helpless,” Daisy said. “The best way to combat that is to physically do something.

It’s important for the spirit to see tangible, small differences being made. And it’s like, you’re making it.”

Without their screens, they also had room to notice where they were. A small group walked Ferncliff’s labyrinth and visited Ramsey Chapel, the small, old chapel tucked into the woods. Maddie saw God in the quiet and beauty surrounding her. Abby’s favorite break from the work was a mile-long hike up Luke Mountain and a dip in the Blue Hole, a favorite swimming spot at camp. She listened to the birds, noticed how the wildlife differed from home, and admired the vivid greenery, an experience she said she would carry with her.

The beds, kits and cared-for spaces remained behind, but the larger lesson went home with the team. By showing up, working alongside others, and seeing the results, they experienced something stronger than helplessness: tangible proof that they could make a difference.

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Ferncliff’s impact is made possible by a community of people who believe in care for creation, care for others, and care for self. To those who already give, serve, and pray for Ferncliff, thank you. If you are looking for a meaningful way to be part of something life-giving and hopeful, we welcome you into this community of support. Visit ferncliff.org/giving for more information.