“So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so you may regain your sight” (Acts 9:17).

The summer mission trip is a staple for most youth groups. Usually this involves travelling to some distant community, organizing work teams, and providing assistance to the local population.

During the years, I’ve often wondered how our mission excursions would be different if we considered how our hands are used by God. Of course, we can pound a nail, clean a gutter or rake a yard filled with leaves; but our hands also can be used to touch people, offer presence or support, or to lift others up from those dark places of depression or hopelessness.

The latter are especially important to incorporate into any mission trip. We may go to help people build a home, restore a room or re-shingle a roof, but in doing these types of repairs, we cannot forget we may have been sent by God to repair broken hearts or broken lives, as well. While we are working on bricks and mortar or wood and stone, we cannot forget the people who inhabit these structures. People, or course, are most important.

Centuries ago, God sent Ananias on a mission. He was to go and offer care to Saul, to lay hands on him that he might be able to see clearly. God could have done this directly or immediately, but God chose to send a messenger, a missionary. God sent Ananias. Ananias offered his hands to restore Saul’s sight.

As you go about planning a mission trip, don’t forget these important factors. Don’t just go to pound nails and replace windows. Make it a point to interact with the people. We don’t go on a mission just to give to others, but also to serve with them, to learn from them. We are to move alongside others, to be one with them. There is much to learn; and when our faith moves in action, we are living out the gospel in word and deed.