A Trip That Brought Me Closer to God | 让我更靠近神的旅程

My name is Jerry Shao. I am a rising senior in high school who participated in the 2025 Honduras Mission Trip.

I was born and raised in Shanghai, China. I moved to the United States at the age of 9. Before coming to the United States, I never had the chance for any interactions with Christianity. It was only after I came to the United States that I started learning about God. Growing up in a non-Christian household, it is rather difficult to believe. The church I attend has helped me deepen my faith in God slowly but surely. I have thought about getting baptized for half a year now, but I was looking for a boost to push me over that line. And that is one reason why I joined the 2025 Honduras Mission Trip.

Another big reason I chose to go on this mission trip is that I lack time for myself. After high school started, I felt like I was getting less and less time to spend with myself and with God. Everything I did was put on my college resume. Not only do I have to work hard during the school year, but my summer schedule is also packed. Internships, community service, volunteering... It felt like preparing for college was stripping away my life. It didn’t feel right. This year, same deal, I packed my summer schedule to the brim, except that I left out a week or two. I knew that leaving out a week or two for myself and for God would ease my burden. So, that’s why I joined the 2025 Honduras Mission Trip.

Before going on the trip, other than the puppet show, I thought we would hear sermons every day and read the Bible. But I don’t think my expectation could be more wrong, because this is probably the most fun I've had on a trip. Preaching Evangelism to the Honduras kids was surprisingly really fun. As teenagers, we never ran out of topics to talk about. We also made many new Honduran friends and added each other on social media. Since the Wi-Fi in Honduras was really poor, I mostly stayed off my phone. But I think this is part of what made this trip so special. The fun we had off-screen was something I rarely experienced in the United States. Seeing the kids in Honduras that we worked with laughing and smiling, I felt a warm feeling inside.

But reality soon kicked back in as we visited their homes. One of the families was about to be evicted because they were unable to pay their rent. And knowing that even though those kids lived in such poverty, they were still able to smile with such purity, I was embarrassed by myself. I was embarrassed by those times when I complained about how my room was too hot, and those times when I complained about how I couldn’t eat my favorite snack. How on earth is there any reason for me to complain about that stuff when some of those families couldn’t even have a roof over their heads? And that’s probably the biggest lesson I took away from this trip: to be grateful for what you have, because many others do not.

During the mission trip, we also visited prisons, and it was completely different from what I expected. I have never gone to a prison before, so I was terrified at the start, but after we went in, they all smiled and were grateful for us to be there. During worship, they were all singing with such passion. During the testimonies, they listened to us with such respect.  All of them seemed way more passionate about Jesus than my own church members. And when we handed them stuff, almost all of them said: “Dios te bendiga”, or “Gracias” at the end. It was a very touching experience, as I would have never imagined the prisoners acting like this.

Ultimately, I wanted to express my gratitude to the teams from my Honduras Mission Trip. Every one of them was so courageous and so much fun to be around, especially the youth. We all had a wonderful time together playing cards, laughing at dumb jokes, and singing in the back of the car. I also believe I grew closer to God during this trip. It was an experience I will remember for a lifetime. Thank you for listening to my testimony.

我叫Jerry Shao，很快就要升入高中四年级了，我参加了2025年的洪都拉斯宣教之旅。

我出生并成长于中国上海，9岁时移居美国。在来美国之前，我从未有机会接触基督教，直到我来到美国后，我才开始认识神。因为我成长于一个非基督徒家庭，所以信仰的建立并不容易。然而，我所在的教会一直在慢慢地、持续地帮助我加深对神的信仰。半年前我就在考虑受洗了，我一直在寻找一个能推动我跨出这一步的契机，而这正是我参加这次宣教之旅的原因之一。-

我选择参加这次宣教之旅的另一个重要原因是，我缺少属于自己的时间。上了高中之后，我感觉自己越来越没有时间独处，也没有时间与神相处。我所做的一切几乎都成了大学申请简历上的一项内容。不仅在学年期间要努力学习，我的暑假也被安排得满满当当——实习、社区服务、志愿活动……为了准备大学，我牺牲了自己的生活。这种状态让我感到不对劲。今年也是一样，我的暑期日程依然排得很满，但我特意留出了一，两周的空档。我知道，为自己和为神留出这段时间，能够去反思，去亲近神。这就是我为什么决定参加这次宣教之旅。

在出发前，我原本以为在那里除了木偶剧表演之外，每天都会听讲道和读圣经。但事实完全出乎我的意料，这次旅程可能是我参加过最有趣的一次。向洪都拉斯的孩子们传福音出奇地有趣。作为青少年，我们总有聊不完的话题。我们还交了许多洪都拉斯的新朋友，并在社交媒体上互加了好友。由于洪都拉斯的Wi-Fi信号非常差，我几乎没有碰手机。但我觉得这也是让这次旅程变得如此特别的一部分。我们“离屏”的快乐是我在美国很少能体验到的。看到那些孩子们开心地笑着，我内心感到无比温暖。

然而，当我们去探访他们的家时，现实迅速回到眼前。有个家庭因为交不起房租，马上就要被驱逐了。可即便这些孩子生活在如此贫困的环境中，他们仍能露出那样纯真的笑容，这让我感到羞愧。我为自己曾抱怨房间太热、吃不到喜欢的零食会不高兴而感到羞愧。在有些家庭连屋顶都没有的情况下，我又有什么资格抱怨这些微不足道的事呢？而这大概就是这次旅程带给我最大的启示：要对自己所拥有的心怀感恩，因为许多人并没有那么幸运。

在宣教过程中，我们还去了监狱，那完全颠覆了我的想象。我以前从未去过监狱，一开始感到非常害怕，但当我们走进去时，他们却都面带微笑，真诚地感谢我们的到来。在敬拜时，他们唱得非常投入；在听我们分享见证时，他们表现出极大的尊重。他们中许多人对耶稣的热情远超过我教会中的弟兄姊妹。而当我们向他们发放物品时，几乎每个人都会说一句“Dios te bendiga”（愿神祝福你）或者“Gracias”（谢谢）。这是一次极具感染力的经历，因为我从未想象过囚犯竟会如此温和与真诚。

最后，我想向这次洪都拉斯宣教之旅的团队表达我的感激之情。每一位队员都非常勇敢、非常有趣，尤其是青年们。我们一起打牌、讲幼稚笑话、在车后座唱歌，度过了美好的时光。我也相信自己在这次旅程中更接近了神。这会是我一生都难以忘怀的经历。谢谢你们聆听我的见证。