My wife and I went on a little trip recently. It was fall break at Gardner-Webb and I was asked to lead a group of GWU students on a short-term mini mission trip to Red Springs, N.C. Somehow I agreed and also volunteered my wife’s services. There were sixteen of us in all. Our assignments included painting classrooms in a church, leading a church service, visiting underprivileged children in a group home, and hosting a youth group in need of encouragement. These college folk didn’t seem to mind me calling them kids. In typical kid fashion, their conversations invariably reverted back to kid humor topics involving various bodily functions- belching being the least uncouth of these subjects. I have discovered that no matter what social class, educational level, or extent of spiritual commitment, young folk conversations will eventually explore the topic of gas. Add to that the reality that these night owls could wake the dead at night with their singing, shouting and silly shenanigans. Unlike my wife and I, they functioned well on three to four hours of sleep. But alas, I will complain nor pick on my new friends no more. These college kids were far too inspirational to ever illicit anything resembling a complaint from me. They were always willing and eager to serve. They cleaned and painted without complaint. Two of them got up every morning at 5:30 a.m. to fix breakfast for everyone. When it came time to pray, there was always a volunteer. Their patience was unprecedented. A combination of fuzzy directions, a partially functional GPS system, and my faulty sense of direction- led to our being lost (I prefer to call it being turned around) quite often. Instead of complaining or getting frustrated, they would jump out of the van at our turn-around-spot and take pictures next to road signs and landmarks. A hoot these kids were. They displayed their music, singing, and speaking abilities not only when they led the church service, but around the camp as well. Come to think of it, I didn’t mind being awaken to the sounds of “Our God is Mighty to Save” at 1:30 in the morning. And the hide and seek game they played til all hours of the night was called “Christians and Romans,” with Jesus being the eventual hero. With the minor exception of a few hilarious mucous references, the skits they performed were clean and wholesome. They displayed remarkable tolerance for their individual differences within the group, and for the ones they encountered in the community. At one point, they gathered in a circle in a McDonald’s parking and prayed for a man who was down on his luck- after making sure he received a meal inside. And when a gentleman from the local church gave them $160 to “go out and have a nice meal,” these selfless kids promptly gave the money away a few hours later to a youth group leader in need of some funds to jump-start a potential youth gathering. I’m glad we went on the little mission trip with the college kids. Sure, they may be uncouth at times, but I sleep well knowing they will be in charge someday. And I sleep especially well now that I’m back home and they’re not keeping me up half the night.