SENIORS

Seniors: Ross Kellar, Matt Markella, Matt Dyroff, Cari Librett, Frances Anne McDonald, Christa West, and Ian Brown.

I spent my last week on missions tiling a house with my dad David (DKELL) all week. It's so crazy to think that it was my last year here, but I am thankful that I was given this opportunity. My group successfully finished tiling all the areas we were given at the beginning of the week. I couldn't be more thankful I was able to leave knowing I accomplished the task that was given to me. It was such an amazing year, wishing I could come for more, but this trip all four years has made me realize I want to keep doing community service at college, through Habitat for Humanity, or if the college goes on a mission trip somewhere. This trip has truly made a perfect ending to my soon to be finished senior year.
ROSS KELLAR

I'm not quite sure where to start with this week and the amazing journey that it has developed into. This week in New Orleans has been everything I wished for and more for my last high school mission trip with St. Johns. From playing bingo at the senior center, to mucking horse stalls at Lori's barn, to blessing a house on my last day, it has been an amazing experience to say the least. Four years ago I walked into the youth group room of our church not knowing a soul. I had just moved to Duxbury from Atlanta and was in the midst of figuring everything out. The kids in the room were so welcoming to me from the start. Little did I know, those kids would change my life. On my first trip to New Orleans I was not sure what to expect. I had heard of mission trips and St. Johns' active mission team was a huge part in my parents decision process to choose a church close to our new home. Being an only child, I did not know much of what to expect. The experiences that I made on that trip only led me to grasp for more experiences and developing friendships just like those that came out of my trip. Ever since, my experiences have only been better. This trip has introduced me to my best friends, my fondest memories, and so far the most faith-driven chapter of my life. Looking back on my last four years, I can truly say that I know that God led me to Duxbury to be a part of this trip. Thank you to the seniors throughout the years who set the example for me that I hope I presented this year, thank you to the chaperones who have been there for me every step of the way, thank you to the friends I have made through this trip, thank you to the parents and parishioners who make this trip happen for us, and most importantly thank you to my fellow seniors who have been there for me since day one making me laugh, cry, scream, and love passionately. I can't wait to continue mission work throughout my life. I am who I am today because of this trip.

Frances Anne McDonald


Missions week seems to go by faster and faster every year, but this past week went by in the blink of an eye. Whether I was mudding, sanding, painting, weeding, or grooming horses and mucking stalls, the work day seemed to have ended just as soon as it started.  I am able to say without doubt that time truly does fly when you are having fun.
As I look back through the years, I can remember being a freshman thinking of how much time I would have until my senior year. I never expected that my future would be handed to me so soon.  Just the fact alone that I will be boarding my final missions train home in less than 6 hours makes me wish that I could relive all my missions experiences over again.
The church community, missions trip, as well as the people involved in my experiences have shaped and molded me as a person and better prepared me for my future. The friendships and memories that have been made over the past four years are life long. Because of missions, I am growing into the best version of myself that I could hope to be, and for that I am eternally grateful.
- Christa West

For the last four years, this mission trip has been one of the most important parts of my life. Throughout the years, every senior has warned me of how fast time goes by and how bittersweet my last mission trip will be. Yet, until this week I never fully grasped the reality of how fast my last trip would go by. This year I was fortunate enough to work on a house completing tasks that I have done in previous years such as painting, sanding, and mudding. However, I still had a lot to learn and learned how to do flooring and priming and even got to wash and brush horses on a Rescue Ranch that we also went to last year. As much as I wish I could be boarding the train again next year to go on another missions trip, I am so incredibly grateful that I have experienced four trips and I am also thankful to those who have made it possible for us to go every year. St. John's, family, friends, and of course the missions team have impacted my life in ways that I can not even begin to describe. Missions and this missions family has changed me and helped me grow into the person I am today. I hope I can continue to grow in the next coming years through more mission work. Thank you to all of those who have supported us and made this trip possible!
- Cari Librett

Often times in our society people say that they have a "second family."  Their has never been a time in my life where I have felt so in touch with a group of people both emotionally and spiritually.  It is really crazy to me how 4 weeks total over the course of 4 years has such a profound impact on your life.  Sometimes it just takes time away from home and your regular routine to realize how much those back at home really mean to you.  Missions has taught me that love is the most important thing in your life and at the end of the day what you have and were you have been means nothing if you never were able to reach out and touch someone else's life.  Missions has given me the opportunity of a lifetime.  It allowed me to form a deep bond with the city of New Orleans and the people I have met.  Missions helped me realize my strengths and weaknesses both on and off the work cite. I have met some of my best friends on this trip.  I see God in every person involved in this week long journey and I think that speaks volumes to the kids we are working with.  To wrap this all up I want to leave you with one quote, in the words of Lee Brice, love like crazy.
-Matt Dyroff

This trip has shaped who I am today, it really has. From freshman year to today, my last night in New Orleans as a senior leader, it's all been a crazy rush, an incredible blur. The amount of good I've gotten out of coming to this incredible city home to incredibly inspiring people, it's been exhaustingly wonderful. The countless stories I've heard, the people I've met, I can't even start to list all the people who have touched me on my trips with their stories and their smiles. The opportunity to go to New Orleans during my April Vacation...  on a 36 hour train ride... for four years... I can't imagine what kind of person I would be if I hadn't wandered into this group freshman year. To come to a city that has been through a lot with people who have been devastated, deprived, hopeless, and revived. Through my four years, when I build a fence, sheet-rock a house, put up dry-wall, install a window, mud walls, tile floors, set up framing, landscape farms, volunteer at community centers, repair walls, prime ceilings, and countless other things I can't even remember, it's all for the people here. There is nothing like the former/future homeowner visiting the house you're working on and seeing a look of gratitude in their eyes, having them thank you and bless you for your dedication. People on the street have come up to me and have personally thanked me for just being here, too. They will see me on the streets of New Orleans, and will smile or say hello or thank you, because just the fact that we are there shows them that they matter. That this nation, no matter the distance, doesn't leave it's own kind to dry. With such a great group, in and out of Louisiana, I wish I could do this every year. The experience is like none other and the fact that we make the most out of every minute we are here makes this trip mean that much more. I wish I kept more pictures, maybe a journal of all the people I've met and things I have experienced going on these trips, because every single one has really hit me one way or another. And even though I haven't done that, I can confidently say that I have made the most out of every second for the past four years. And to whoever reads this, I want you to know that every year has been worth it.
-MATT MARKELLA

It is currently 2 am and in two hours we are to awake and leave New Orleans and get on a train, leaving behind a trail of hard work. I personally spent the entire time on a finishing project. At first it was two bathrooms and a series of little fixes that needed to be taken care of. Yet, today or should I say yesterday we met the owners and it was no longer a project. It was a single mother and her two kids just trying to move back into their home. My final year I was joined by my brother and sister. Much to the surprise of all involved there were no major battles and we all worked hard. As a family we grew closer together and with the all the connections made here in this city I have gained a larger extended family. NOW I NEED SLEEP! Good NIGHT!
IAN BROWN