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