Vamos a Costa Rica

Well we've landed in Houston (at which I'm urged to say "Houston, we have a problem"). After sleeping from Chicago to Houston, I'm excited to catch a few more hours on the way to Costa!

Now, what exactly am I doing in Costa? Great question, I'm glad you asked! Honestly, I still am asking the same thing, but now I know a little bit.  For the first couple of days, I'll be doing a work project, putting in a concrete floor in a house in the Capitol city of San Jose. The second stretch continues to be a mystery for me, but by my understanding, there will be another work project and a chance to learn about LeaderTreks' partners in Costa. Finally, we'll be serving near the coast and exploring more of what Costa has to offer, including an apparently very cool national park in the area. 

So there you go! Now you know as much as I do about my life the next three weeks or so.

Sorry this post is so brief, not only do I not know much, but my plane for San Jose, Costa Rica is set to take off in about 14 minutes!!!!

I appreciate the continued prayer and support from you guys back in the cold :). I will be without my phone the next few weeks so please continue to comment and stuff, but I will not be able to reply. 

Love you all!

Ben Hershberger 

Navajome on the Range

Pastor Eugene at Good News Church

Alright. Here we go. I've been putting off writing this post (as many of you who have been waiting to read it know). I put it off because this stretch of the trip, ending about two weeks ago now (whoops), was the hardest two weeks I've experienced in a long, long time. Coming off of the Moab trip, mountain biking and hiking, we were all a little physically tired and not quite ready for what was ahead of us, though we didn't know it yet. We each were assigned different roles for the trip, each of us had a leadership role and was in charge of a different portion of the trip. For example, I was in charge of the worksites, we had someone in charge of cooking, someone for cleaning, for worship, for ministry and an overall leader. This was a new concept for me. I've been on a number of mission trips, but never in charge of one. As the worksite leader, I had to not only find places in the community to work (along with Corbin, our overall leader), I had to come up with all the supplies we would need, and have a plan for how to complete our tasks. As a man who has done very little construction, this meant a lot of time searching online for how to do things and talking to community members, Home Depot employees and my team members for advice.

Dadgum Six and our kids.

Couldn't figure out how to flip this, but it's
my David vs Goliath comic strip!

Upon arrival in the Navajo Nation, on the second of our 17 days on the border of Arizona and New Mexico, we were thrust into leading youth night for Good News church, LeaderTrek's partner in the Navajo. Our ministry leader, Josh, put me in charge of crafts for the night. I had about 90 minutes and limited supplies to come up with a craft relating to the story of David and Goliath for a group of "youth".  At the time, we had no idea how old those we'd be working with were. After a few frantic text messages (thanks Michael) and quick creativity, I decided to go with leading the kids through making a six panel comic strip chronicling David battling Goliath. Of course, I'm not the best artist the world has seen but he kids (who ended up being ages 6-11) were appreciative of my efforts, though they had better drawings than I did. Although we only had a few hours to plan for the night and had never met the kids before, I felt in my sweet spot when I was with them. I felt the same feeling the following Saturday and Wednesday when we got to be with the Navajo kids. Before coming to the Navajo Nation, I knew that I enjoyed being with kids but it pretty much ended at that. My time with the kids in the Navajo may have been the highlight of the entire year so far for me. By having these times with kids where I feel I'm in my sweet spot, using my strengths and gifts God's given me, He's been piecing together the puzzle of where He wants me and how I fit into His plan. Be looking for more on this in my next post later this week chronicling my time in Memphis and how God worked there. 

As much as God teaches me things while I'm using my strengths, He can use my own weaknesses to teach me too. He used both of these tactics over my 17 days in the Navajo, with my time with the kids exemplifying my strengths (relating to the kids, getting to know them and acting as one of them), and my time in charge of the worksite demonstrating my weaknesses (making quick decisions, setting and striving to achieve time goals, and adhering to a strict schedule). Another problem, as I said before, was that I was called on to not only find the worksite but lead them while I was there. Except that I don't know the first thing about construction.  That meant a lot of late nights searching the Internet for construction tips and supplies needed and conversations with those who knew more than myself. Even with these sources, I struggled to have the correct answers (or any answers for that matter) when asked by my teammates. My unknowing how to build things coupled with my being very much a relator (which means I'm not task oriented; I don't stick to schedules well and am chronically late when I'm with people) resulted in slow going on the worksite. This led to a few late nights and long long days.  

Concrete slab we poured for Tom, an elderly man living on
the Reservation. ft Silver Bullet (our trusty van)

Through this struggle of getting little sleep and working well out of my strengths for two weeks, God continued to demonstrate his power. If I was on my own for those two weeks, I would not have stood a chance. Halfway through I would have curled up in a ball and withered away. I spent many hours asking for his energy and wisdom as I struggled through. And, as He tends to do, He showed up in big ways! He provided for me energy to get through when I was certain I couldn't. 

After leaving the Navajo on the 30th of October, we headed for the city of Memphis.  Rather than having a ridiculously long post today, I'll leave you all in suspense a little bit.  Be on the lookout for a Memphis post soon!

Thank you all for following me on my journey, and as always, thank you for your prayers.  I couldn't be where I am without them, and remember, comments are appreciated! Love hearing from you all.

Ben Hershberger

Moab and Extreme 'Mocking

Alright so this post is more than a little late. Sorry about that. Since my last post, I've been to Moab, Utah, Goblin Valley State Park, Utah, and Houck, Arizona, on the Navajo nation. It's been a lot to pack into just over three weeks! Moab was an adventure trip, which means (believe it or not) we did adventure things! Before a few weeks ago, I'd heard of Moab but didn't know much about it. I knew it was in the desert and the mountain biking was supposed to be some of the best around. Well, after spending a week on a bike flying up and down trails around Moab, I can confirm both of those statements. Moab is definitely in the desert and Moab has the best trials I've ever mountain bikes on! Granted that's not saying much as this was the first time I've ever done biking like that, but STILL. 

The biking itself was really hard and I started out on the struggle bus (don't worry though mom, I only fell a few times and I'm still in one piece). My excuse is that it has been a while since I've ridden a bike. Anyways, as the week went on, I became much more confident in my abilities (which were there at the start, just lacking confidence), and was able to conquer some trails that I never would have thought possible before! As far as sleeping in Moab, we rented a spot at a campsite in the city, which was great for drive time in the morning, but it was right near the local high school which meant when the band started practice at 7am, we all knew it. 

After a week or so of mountain biking it was time for a break. So what does my kind of break look like? How about more hiking! Rather than packing all we have in backpacks and carrying them everywhere we go as I did in Montana, this time we set up camp in Goblin Valley State Park in Utah, about an hour or two out of Moab. As much as I loved backpacking, I didn't mind car camp in and taking relaxing day hikes around the area. 

We spent something like four days at Goblin Valley taking hikes through near by slot canyons and through the Valley of Goblins itself. The slot canyon hikes were some of the coolest and most unique hikes I've ever done. About a ten minute drive from our campsite, there was a set of trials that traversed these super skinny canyons. How to explain them... Okay so close you eyes. Imagine the Grand Canyon. Now imagine the Grand Canyon without a river at the bottom and about the width of two of me, and that's a slot canyon. Crazy right? These things were unlike anything I'd ever seen! When I stretched both my hands out I was pushing against both walls at the same time and they were super long too. It's hard to explain but hopefully a picture will help. 

Now, the Valley of Goblins is something that I'm really not able to explain. The best I can do is to say that it looks like how you'd imagine the surface of Mars to look like. Red sand, bright sun, little to no plants. There were small towers of sand and rock that stuck up out of the ground. At most state parks, the rule is you can look at cool things but never touch them. At Goblin Valley, it was the opposite! I was down in the valley climbing on those little goblin things for hours! It was amazing. I even went 'mocking (that one's for you, Paula) between a couple! 

More important than what I've been doing physically is what God has been doing and teaching me through these things. On one of the "relaxing" hikes we took, we got lost and ended up accidentally hiking something like 16 miles (one of the leaders used an app to tell how far we'd gone). If you'd asked me that morning if I could have done 16 miles, I would have said no way. Yet I did it! The week before when we were mountain biking, we started on some pretty basic trails (though they had an unbelievable view!). From those trails we could see some harder ones. On my bike that first day I was looking at those harder trails and thinking "no way could I ever do those". But by the end of the week, I was flying down those "harder" trails! My body is capable of much more than I think. In fact my only limiter is my own mind! It's the same with faith and my relationship with Christ. Through Him, I am capable of literally anything and I am my only limiter. I look at people who have great faith and who are willing to take risks for Christ and who pray and read the Bible everyday. People like my mom, like my leaders from high school ministry at Blackhawk, like my grandparents, and I think "wow, that's great for them, but I could never be where they are". That's just not the truth. The only thing holding me back is my own mind and the restrictions and limitations I put on myself. I've proven to myself on this trip that I'm physically and spiritually capable of WAY more than I thought I'd ever be able to do. God's showing Himself in big ways through adventures in His creation. 

I'm finishing up this post as I'm in the car speeding away from the Navajo Nation on the border of Arizona and New Mexico. That means I already have another post being cooked up! The next stop on this adventure God's got me on is a week working with and learning from an urban ministry in Memphis. I've been considering urban ministry as a long term option, so I'm really excited to jump into my time in Memphis and learn more about what it looks like to serve in an urban setting. 

Thank you all for following along and reading! I apologize again for the gap between posts that was way too long. I'll do my best to keep this next break much shorter :) Also, all of your comments make me smile so keep them coming. 

A huge thank you to those of you praying for me and my adventure! Your prayers are being felt in big ways. No question about that. Please continue to pray that I would be full of energy (sleep is a bit hard to come by), about my plans for next year - that God would clearly show me where he wants me and I would be willing to jump in with both feet, and that God would continue to teach me about Himself and shape me into the man he wants me to be. 

Love you guys and God bless!

Ben Hershberger

The Lamb is Worthy of His Reward

Two posts in a day?! Boy do I treat you guys well. This morning we left from tiny Ashland Montana dark and early (a nice 5am departure) and have been driving since, with more than a few hours to go. It's a long ride, but much much better than the first drive from Wisco to the Bob a few weeks ago. I've gotten to know the guys really well and we've become the best of friends in just a few weeks! It's been really sweet to be able to grow so close so quickly and makes long car rides way better too. That's some pretty evidence of God's hand on the six of us if you ask me! After a bit of a rocky start, God has provided affirming moment after affirming moment. Plus, Corbin loves hugs and being close to people in general (he was a wrestler) so I get that out of my system which, again for those of you that know me well, very necessary for me!

In Ashland we stayed in the basement of a tiny little church for the week. For our service projects we helped split wood at this sweet ranch just outside of town (our directions were to take the second driveway on the right after the road turned to dirt). I got to ride a horse there!! It was beautiful. Kind of like those classic movies where the heroic cowboy rides off into the sunset amid mountains and desert. Except I had to turn around and come back. I think I heard a director somewhere yell "CUT!" before I turned around though. 

We also built a deck for an old man, Russ, in town. This guy was one of the cutest, most awesome old men that I've ever met! He had a bunch of awesome stories about his life. For one of the days we were supposed to be working I spent most of it chatting with him and doing odd jobs around his house. We got to run a Sunday school type thing on Tuesday night and I dressed up like a zoo keeper and hang out with little kids. Pretty much right in my sweet spot there! On Wednesday and Friday we went to bible studies at a church across town. 

The Bible studies were where the most depth of the week came in. We talked about two main things separately at the studies but they connected really well. First was about motives. About living and doing everything for Christ. Not for ourselves and not for others but for Him! This showed up the next day actually when we were working on building Russ' deck. At the end of the day we were supposed to be done, we were nowhere near finished. We were all willing to stay and finish but instead we decided to leave. We decided that had we stayed and finished we would have been working for ourselves. Working to get the deck done for the feeling of being accomplished, the satisfaction of finishing. Instead we left to take a step back and reevaluate our motives and to return later in the week with new mindsets to complete our task for the glory of God rather than for ourselves or even for Russ. The lamb is worthy of the reward for His suffering!

The second was about dying to ourselves, letting Him fill in the space, and picking up our crosses daily. It was an awesome study cause we were with a bunch of old guys (who referred themselves as "graybeards" and us as "the youth") and they had a lot of wisdom to share with us. I'm now regularly rechecking myself and my motives to why I'm doing things. If the answer isn't "I'm doing this for the glory of God" then I need to step back and recenter myself and my heart. For example, why am I here? Am I here to figure out my future and what I'll be doing next? There's too many "I"s and "my"s in that statement. I need to do it all for the glory of God and focus on making that my number one priority. From there all it takes is a ton of trust (easier said than done) that God will use me for the glory of His Kingdom.

Next stop is Moab, Utah for a week of Mountain biking! I've never mountain biked before but I'm excited to get out there and start cruising down mountains on a pair of wheels. I can't wait to see what God has for me on the next leg of my journey! 

Unfortunately I don't have pictures from Ashland yet, but they DO exist! I just don't have them... Hopefully I'll have some pics to add to this post soon. 

Words can't describe how thankful I am to each of you for caring enough to follow me along my journey with God and for your consistent prayer. They really are felt in BIG BIG ways!

It's been beautiful and eye opening to watch God work in myself and in the guys I'm with and the communities we touch. How sweet to be in the midst of a 7 month journey with God! No better way or place to invest my time than in things that are eternal - a treasure that will last me well beyond this life! Or as Buzz Lightyear would say, "To infinity and beyond!" 

Thanks for reading and God Bless,

Benjamin Hershberger

The Dadgum Bob Marshall Wilderness

 What a wild(west) couple of weeks! I got out of the enormous Bob Marshall wilderness a few days ago and proceeded to spend two or three days at a gorgeous cabin on Placid Lake in Western Montana. Although I've only been gone for a few weeks now, it feels like it's been ages since I've been home! The guys and I have begun to form a sort of a ragtag family with each other. We're now calling ourselves the "Dadgum Six". Dadgum is a word that Austin (our resident country boy, the 6'4" offensive linemen) says often and we have adopted and say all the time. It's been really sweet to get know these guys and grow spiritually together. 

In just a few short weeks, God has already taught me a TON! The first few days in Montana were pretty tough. We started with a torturously long and cramped 18 hour car ride from the northern Wisco to the west, then we landed at basecamp in the Bob. The first night, we just set up tents at basecamp and got our bearings and an overview of what the next ten days would look like. At this point, I was not in the best of places and wondering what I had gotten myself into. 

One of the biggest points of emphasis here is timeliness. Those of you who know me know that this is NOT be strong suit. I'm a very laid back, go with the flow, not having every detail planned out kind of guy, so you can imagine this has been a bit of a shock to the system for me! The first few nights in Montana, I really did let satan get a hold of my mind. On trail, however, we studied the book of Nehemiah and the biggest thing that stuck out for me was that the first thing Nehemiah did when God called him to do something or he faced an obstacle was pray. And pray hard. So that's what I did! I started being in constant prayer and conversation with God. Whether it was while I was hiking, making dinner or getting ready for bed, I was talking with God. I'm still in awe of how He replied. After my time of prayer started, the trip did a complete 180. God turned things around and the last stretch of the wilderness and the cabin was incredible. It's been amazing to watch Him work. 

(This was taken from the cabin on Placid Lake after the Bob)

The next leg of the journey takes me to tiny Ashland, Montana, just outside of an Indian reservation to work alongside a small church on construction around the town. I'm excited to meet the pastor (who is apparently very laid back and not great at communicating - sounds like my kind of guy!) and get to know people in the town. 

Speaking of tiny towns, I'm again writing this post from within a van, cruising across the state of Montana. The thing about tiny towns and the state of Montana is that there is very little cell coverage or internet connection. As I'm finishing this up (and in the middle of text conversations with some of you) I'm realizing that here is no service and hasn't been for some time now... I'm hoping that when we get to the town I'll be able to find a sliver of connection to get this sucker posted!

Well shoot. There was no service in Ashland so this update is well over a week late. I've just left Ashland and am headed to Moab, Utah for a few days of mountain biking! Be on the lookout for another post in the next few days here (maybe later today if I don't sleep in the van) depending on what service looks like in Moab. Sorry for the long long been in posts! 

You guys, as you read, God has taught me about the awesome power of prayer, so I want to give a HUGE thank you to those of you praying for me as God leads me through this crazy journey. Love you guys!

Ben Hershberger 

North Woods, Van Rides, and Bob Marshall

This is the first post I'm writing on my phone so forgive me for my many typos that are sure to come. I'm using my phone because I'm back in the van (with A/C) for a loooooong haul across three states to western Montana. 

These past few days I've been at a place called White Buck Lodge in Three Lakes, Wisconsin, right near HoneyRock, where HSM goes for SnowCamp. The lodge was unbelievable! It's your stereotypical classic north woods lodge. Made completely of wood with a ginormous stone fireplace in the middle and a giant moose head above the fire. There's no heating in the lodge, so the fire was our only source of warmth, and boy did we need it! But the best part about this place is that it's on a street called "Chicken in the Woods Road". A couple of afternoons we had some free time, so I of course went 'mocking next to the lake! Turns out I'm not the only hammock fan here - I think there are at least 5 hammocks between the nine of us!  As a group, we have the goal of reading the entire bible, cover to cover, in the next 90 days. We're taking a look at the Bible from 30,000ft and getting a grasp of His whole story. We've also started our leadership training, learning about what kind of leadership types are out there and taking a collection of assessments to figure out our own strengths and weaknesses. It's been a sweet time of discovering more about myself and my new friends along with me. 

So that's one end of the long road trip, waiting for us at the other end is the Bob Marshall wilderness preserve near Missoula, Montana. I can't wait to get into the wilderness! There's nowhere I love being or feel closer to God than deep in His creation. It's also a place where I feel I can connect well with those around me. Something about sitting around a fire (or a hot stove) with a group of guys in the middle of nowhere. Deep and meaningful conversations happen there that with ease that are few and far between in other places. We hit the trail midday tomorrow (Sunday) which is great because it's coming so soon, but it also means we're leaving JUST as the Packers kick off! As much as I love the Packers, I'd choose the backcountry over watching a game just about every Sunday. 

We have a really awesome collection of guys on this journey. Evan and I are from Madison, both heavily involved with Blackhawk HSM, Josh is from Minneapolis and enjoys your typical Minnesota sports, Nordic skiing and downhill skiing. Other Evan is from Houston and loves computers, Austin is a 6'2", 320lb (by his own estimates) offensive lineman from Oklahoma, and Corbin is one of eight siblings running a massive pig and cow farm in Huntington, Indiana. Each of us has something unique to contribute the team and after only 4 days (!!) we're starting to form some strong bonds.

Bryce, one of our leaders, talked to us the other day about the difference between The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. He said Tolkien wrote The Hobbit as a children's book. It's the story of a hobbit going on an adventure.  Though it's a great adventure, chances were he'd return home and back to life as he knew it. Conversely, LOR was described as a journey. Gandalf asked the Hobbit to head east to Mordor, not knowing if he'd ever return home. And if he did, life could NEVER be the same. That's what this gap year is for me. It's a journey. One where I will return home (I promise, mom) but I will not be the same. Life won't and can't go back to the way it was. Exactly how I and life will be different is up to the next seven months and how God works in me during that time. 

Thanks for the comments guys! They're really fun to read. And thanks to those of you keeping up with me! It's comforting to known I have an army of friends and family praying for me and following my journey. Hope this post made sense! Like I said, I'm writing on my tiny phone screen so I'll use that as my excuse for any mistakes. I'll be in the backcountry, far, far away from any type of Internet connection (I can't wait) for the next ten days or so but feel free to text or email or comment and I'll get back to you when I can! 

Love you guys,

Ben Hershberger

Big Vans With Air Conditioning... It's The Little Things

And we're off! Not even 12 hours in and I can already tell this is where I need to be and where I want to be.  The last few weeks leading up to this point have been difficult, the anticipation of going and watching so many others leave for college had me getting antsy and anxious.  I just wanted to get started! My engine was revving but wheels not aloud to spin.  They're finally spinning and I'm headed full steam ahead!

Thanks to momma Hersh for posting these
pics on FB so I could download them!

I'm writing form a hotel room in Carol Stream, Illinois, near Wheaton College and about two minutes from the LeaderTreks headquarters.  Tomorrow morning at 8:00 sharp we'll all pack our bags back into the cramped yet beautifully air conditioned van and head up to a lodge in Three Lakes Wisconsin.  After three days or so there it's off to Montana for an eight day backpacking trip in the wilderness!  I can't wait to see what God has in store for me at these next two stops and beyond.  I may not have internet access at the lodge and definitely won't in the backcountry.  Though it's possible I won't be able to post for a while, know that I am in very good hands, none better actually.  God's hands are the best to be in after all!  Plus I love being off the grid, so don't feel bad for me.

It turns out there are only six of us participants heading out on this great adventure rather than the 10-12 I previously expected.  When I first heard there are only six of us, I was quite nervous to be honest.  I'm the type of guy that likes bigger groups.  I like to be able to bounce around and I get my energy from being with people.  Upon getting here (Carol Stream, just outside of Chicago) and meeting my fellow participants, I couldn't be more excited to have such a small number.  These are guys who I truly enjoy being around (so far at least) and can't wait to embark on the adventure of a lifetime with.  Plus, our 12 passenger van is completely stuffed to the brim with people and bags and I can't imagine fitting anything else in there.  I will say that I have never been in a 12 passenger van with air conditioning.  After traveling around Honduras and Romania in the sweltering heat for hours in large vans with no AC in past years, I'll trade the cramped space for bearable temperatures any day.  Those of you with me in those vans on past trips will completely understand.

My sendoff crew last night.  Love you guys!

I'm thankful for the opportunity to travel the country jumping into adventure after adventure with my brothers in Christ for the next seven months.  Thanks to those of you who have supported me financially and plan to do so yet.  And to my prayer warriors out there, love you guys! Your prayers are already being felt.  I was sent off by a great group of friends around me last night.  I'm blessed to have such a conglomeration of friends and family who love me and support me!  Thank you all for being behind me on this one.  I know that God is going to great things in and through me and the other guys on this adventure.  I couldn't be more excited for the next seven months!

Romania

Romania

If you've read my first two posts you'll already know a few things, 1) I have a lot of typos and 2) Romania (located in Eastern Europe)
has stolen a decent chunk of my heart due to my experiences there last year.  Honestly, it's extremely difficult to put my love for Romania into words.  Those of you who have been on similar trips around the world or to Romania with Open Roads in the past will understand.  The way I described it in my first post is the simplest way to do it.  God's presence is obvious and He is moving in BIG ways there.

A little background and more information on what we will be doing in Romania and why I'm choosing to go back this summer.   Romanians suffered under oppressive communist dictatorship during the Soviet occupation in the late 1900’s (as recent as 1989).  As a result, countless children ended up in state-run orphanages.  Today, these orphans are adults. Adults left with scars, both physical and emotional, resulting from horrendous living conditions in state run orphanages.  Our role in these orphan's lives is to simply show them God's love.  Tragically, love is a foreign concept to many of the orphans we'll be working with due to their upbringing in the orphanages, so we aim to show them love of the purest kind: the love of God.

In Romania, we have the opportunity to partner with an organization called Open Roads.  Although we only get to be with and love on our orphan friends for two weeks, Open Roads is with them all year round.  With that being said, another wonderful aspect and goal of our trip is to bring encouragement and validation to the group of Romanian leaders who work with the orphans year round, loving on them and sharing the gospel. Together, Romanian Open Roads leaders and our team from America will be putting on a week long camp for Romanian orphans.  We are hopping the pond on Tuesday (the 28th of July) which means camp is in just two weeks!

Last year, my biggest worry heading into the trip was the idea that I would be continuously comparing Romania to past trips to Honduras, a country and people I fell in love with early in high school.  As it turned out, I had no issues staying present, a truth I can only attribute to God, keeping me focussed and all in where I was at.  This year, my biggest worry is very similar.  Rather than looking back and comparing to past trips, I'm worried about looking ahead and thinking of my gap year adventure next year.  Doing so could rob the chance for God to work through me completely during my time in Romania.

After experiencing God's power last year, I am much more confident that He will show up again and allow me to be fully present while in Romania.  Another bolt of confidence comes from the fact that I am beyond excited to return to Romania and reunite with my brothers and sisters in Christ that I got to know last year.  I am feeling much more excited than nervous or scared to return.  I can't wait to see what God will do this time around in Romania.

While in Romania, I won't be posting here on my blog, but the Romania team will be keeping up a blog chronicling what we are up to while on the ground.  The link for our blog is hsmromaniagoteam.wordpress.com (side note: COMMENTS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED! We read them out as a large group and love to know that people back home are following along).

If you missed the opportunity to support the Romania team this summer (the trip is now fully funded), I'm still in need of support for my adventure next year! Here's the link to give: https://www.leadertreks.org/about/give/.  Currently, however, prayer for the Romania team in general and specifically for God to keep me in the present on focussed where I'm at while on the ground is more necessary than financial support.

Thank you for reading and for your continued prayers!


Benjamin Hershberger

Madison Missions 2015

From Student to Leader

My team playing with kids and doing some gardening at the
Boys and Girls Club in Madison.

Last week I had the opportunity to lead a group of five middle school student from Sunday to Friday through a program my home church, Blackhawk, puts on called Madison Missions.  The premise of the camp or program is to get middle school students serving in the Madison community.  Throughout the week, the students and leaders essentially live at Blackhawk church, sleeping in the church and showering at local fitness clubs.  The students are broken up into about ten different groups with 5-7 students in each group.  During the week, each group has two service projects each day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.  Projects range from working at a food pantry garden pulling weeds, to serving at a hospice center helping run bingo, to delivering food for meals on wheels.

Me and my team participating in Mad Mish the summer after
my 7th grade year.  I'm on the left in the yellow Brewers shirt.

As a middle school student, I participated in Madison Missions three times, each opportunity I had.  During my time in middle school as a student, Madison Missions sparked my love for service and mission work.  In recent years, that spark has turned into a flame and has become my passion and eventually has lead to me taking a gap year to do mission work!  Having leaders pour into me for a week straight and having the chance to learn from such fantastic adults as a young, impressionable, teenage boy left such a huge mark on my life, I jumped at the first chance I had to return the favor.  That chance was last week!  After being poured into by adult leaders at Blackhawk for so many years, I finally was able to be an adult leader myself.

I got to spend my week last week leading a team of five young middle school students who are in the same shoes I was in just a few short years ago.  The week was not an easy one by any stretch of the mind.  As a student, I never saw all the work that went into making youth ministries and Madison Missions in particular happen.  After putting in the work as a leader and seeing the other side, I have become more grateful for all the leaders that have poured into me over the years and shaped me into the man I am becoming.  Although the week was a difficult one, it was also extremely rewarding.  I got to see God work in big ways last week, through fellow leaders, students, and through myself.

My team this year, chilling in the back of a
pickup truck after working hard in the
Blackhawk food pantry gardens.

The week was an affirming one, as I've been thinking and praying about going into ministry in the coming years.  Last week was my first opportunity to take a leadership role as an adult in youth ministry and I had the time of my life!  Leading this past week has me even more excited for next year (as if that was possible) because I will have more opportunities to lead throughout the year and will learn how to be a more effective and Godly leader.

Thank you for reading and supporting me.  Continued support financially and through prayer would be greatly appreciated!  Here is the link once again for online giving: https://www.leadertreks.org/about/give/.


Because of Him,


Benjamin Hershberger

The Next Adventure

This is a map of what I will be doing next year and where I will be, put together by my wonderful siblings, Jenna and Dan.

After four years of high school filled with travel, Jesus, and studying, I found that I enjoy travel and Jesus a whole lot more than studying.  So hanging with Jesus and traveling is what I’ll be doing next year! Starting in early September, I will embark on a trip spanning seven months and that will take me on wilderness adventures in Montana and Utah, mission trips in Atlanta and Memphis, an Indian reservation in Arizona, Costa Rica and rural Kentucky.  The year also includes the chance to earn my Wilderness First Responder certification, which I’m told is quite prestigious.  Although I'm taking the next year away from school, I've been accepted to UW Madison and plan to attend school there in the fall of 2016.

Romania with Elvis, my Romanian friend

When I first saw the itinerary for this trip I didn't believe it was real!  The kind of trips and adventure I will be on next is exactly what I was looking for out of a gap year.  Throughout my years in high school I've been to Romania and Honduras on mission trips.  These trips have been the highlights of my high school career.  During the winter of my junior year, I learned that Blackhawk Church would not be taking a group of high schoolers to Honduras the following summer and I was devastated.  I had made some strong connections with the people of Honduras and loved being there.  I thought there was no way I could find the same joy and peace in another place.  The next summer, after my junior year, I went to Romania through Blackhawk.  Heading into the trip, my biggest worry was that I would constantly thinking of Honduras, wishing I was there instead, resulting in being distracted and not fully present during my time in Romania.  What I found during the trip was that I had no troubles with being distracted and I was able to be fully present and involved in Romania.  After prayer and reflection, I realized that what I was so attracted to both in Honduras and Romania was God's obvious presence and His work being done in and through the people in both places.

Both the Romania and Honduras trips were just a few weeks long.  Next year I will be immersed in God’s work and movement for a full seven months!  If God can change my life in huge ways in just three weeks, I can’t imagine what he’ll be able to do with seven months. 

Backpacking last summer.  Looking
forward to a lot more of this next year!

After being amazed by my itinerary for next year, I scrolled down and saw the total cost of the trip, $14,250.  At first I was discouraged by the large total, but after continued prayer, I truly believe God wants me on this trip and will not let an obstacle like money stand in the way of His plans!  With that said, I would like to extend the invitation for you join me in my adventure.  The first and most important way you can do this is through prayer.  This will be a HUGE transition for me and it will need to be covered in prayer.  If you choose to join me financially, the best and easiest way to do so will be to give online at https://www.leadertreks.org/about/give/.  Click on the big red "Donate Now" button, enter the amount you'd like to give, click on the donate to line and select "Gap Year" and enter my name in the memo below.  No gift is too small or too large, but greatly appreciated.  I need to have my adventure fully funded by August 15th, so please consider making any donations before then.

If you have any questions please call me at (608) 577-3579 or email me at ben.hersh.jamin@gmail.com.  LeaderTreks also has a website with more details of the trip at https://www.leadertreks.org/gap-year/.

Thanks for reading to the bottom! I will be working on writing posts throughout the summer and as much as I can once the trip starts on September 8th!

Benjamin Hershberger