Youth Mission Trip Reveals Call to Be Open to the Holy Spirit at St. Francis, Edisto Island

“And maybe that’s the invitation for all of us, not just the youth, not just the volunteers, but the whole parish. Be open to the Spirit. Be willing to let God flip the script.” ~The Very Rev. Joseph Smith

For the week of July 19-24, members and friends of St. Francis, Edisto Island opened their hearts to host a youth mission group from St. John’s, Shandon (in Columbia, SC) through Home Works of America. In addition to insurance, this fantastic program provides a construction manager and all supplies needed throughout the project. This was the third year in a row that the Very Rev. Joseph Smith, rector of St. Francis, Edisto Island, has led the efforts to bring in youth for mission work in the community. Additionally, he was joined for the second year by Allyson Radford, his former youth minister from the church he served previously in Pennsylvania. While most of the hands-on work was done by youth from Columbia, members of St. Francis (and additional people in the community) cooked three meals each day for the working team, as well as for the family they were serving. “Food insecurity is a real issue on Edisto, and so we make sure the family has three hot meals a day while we work on their homes,” said Father Joseph.

As for the work they completed, the team made a real difference for the family they served. They completely replaced the subfloor and flooring in the kitchen, as well as the cabinetry, while also eliminating the places where many rodents had made a home. Additionally they added a new hood for the oven, replaced flooring and light fixtures in the bathroom and kitchen, installed smoke detectors, and repaired a number of drywall holes throughout the home. With the exterior, the group repaired and painted soffit and fascia (to keep out bugs and other critters); cleaned and stained the front deck; cleaned, stained, and added new railing to the back steps; and cleaned the exterior of the home. Finally, they cleaned out under the home where debris was creating a hospital environment for rodents.

Members of St. Francis already plan to return when the weather cools to repaint the interior of the home as well.

The team also found some time during the week to visit the family they helped last summer. In addition to the significant work that was completed at that home last summer during the week the project was led by Home Works of America, which created a healthy living space for the youngest members of the family, members of St. Francis continued to complete projects restoring the home even after the mission team left. In fact, they still provide two hot meals a week to the family.

Father Joseph wrote a beautiful reflection about the work that he shared with his congregation through their church newsletter. We invite you to read his words below and hear what he took away from this important week of service:

Open to the Work of the Spirit

Written by the Very Reverend Joseph Smith, rector of St. Francis, Edisto Island

I’ve been leading youth in mission experiences for about twenty‑five years now. And while I guess I could be called a veteran at this point, the reason I still love it is because it’s always new. Yes, some old patterns are trustworthy and true. The youth come thinking they are doing good, and they are. They think they will make a difference, and they will. But what they don’t know is that somehow through this process, the ones “doing” are also the ones humbled by the love that meets them along the way.

They meet people of strong faith who live in a different socio‑economic reality. They see resilience they didn’t expect. And every year, without fail, God flips the script. We show up thinking we have everything figured out… and then the Spirit quietly rewrites the week.

By Tuesday, our real challenge revealed itself. Salkehatchie, the group doing work a month before us, had done their best to shore up the joists without disturbing too much. But once we removed the kitchen cabinets, it became clear that repairing only the exposed sections would leave us with a patchwork floor… and worse, open access for wildlife through gaps beneath the cabinetry. By midday, the truth was unavoidable: the entire subfloor had to come out. Only then could we secure the joists properly and create a solid foundation for the new kitchen floor.

So where was the Spirit leading us this year… and what were we meant to learn? Maybe that “taking it easy” isn’t really what mission is about. Maybe the point isn’t the difficulty level of the work, but the willingness to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ in whatever situation we find ourselves. The work is simply the vehicle for transformation… and that work takes many forms.

  • Steady rhythm — nailing down flooring one board at a time.
  • Unexpected gifts — like a teenager discovering a gentle talent for relocating wildlife.
  • Morning prayer and Compline — grounding everything we do in prayer. 
  • Shared endurance — thirteen strangers in 104‑degree heat index solving problems, laughing, sweating, and working through frustration.
  • Holy weaving — noticing that each person brought their own perspective, hopes, and wounds… and trusting that the Holy Spirit was weaving us together into something stronger than any one of us could have managed alone.

So yes, this year was different. It had to be. Every year is different. But in the deepest way, they are also the same. It was another week of letting God work through us… leading us to unexpected places… and showing forth small miracles through our faithfulness.

And maybe that’s the invitation for all of us, not just the youth, not just the volunteers, but the whole parish. Be open to the Spirit. Be willing to let God flip the script. Because the work we think we’re doing is rarely the only work God has in mind… and the transformation God offers is always larger than the task at hand.

God’s Peace,

Joseph+