Topsail, North Carolina -Hattie Milligan

                A few summers ago my youth group and I went on a mission trip to Topsail, North Carolina. It is actually pronounced like “topsoil” not “topsail.” My youth group and I made some of the locals really mad when we mispronounced the name. Anyways, Topsail is pretty much surrounded by ocean. It was one of the prettiest beaches I have ever been to. It was a nine day trip and it was about a fourteen hour drive. We split the drive in to two days, though. The beach was actually our smallest priority at Topsail. We went to help people. That was what our minds were focused on.

                At Topsail, we actually helped a mother and her daughter with their houses. We painted, landscaped, fixed broken boards, and played with their children and grandchildren. It was literally so hot. Our leader made us take a break every thirty minutes to an hour. We put so much effort into their houses and at the end of it all, they actually looked really great.

                Working on their houses wasn’t our only adventure though. We were supposed to work Monday through Thursday and go to the beach that Friday and Saturday. However, a hurricane moved in. We were supposed to leave that Saturday but ended up leaving that Thursday. It really sucked. We did not just go home though. We stopped at the Billy Graham Library one day and then actually went to an amusement park the next. The Billy Graham Library was really touching. It wasn’t just a library. There was a museum that showed all that God had accomplished through Billy. The amusement park was literally the most amazing one I have ever been to. The roller coasters were so insane. Even though we wanted to be on the beach that Friday and Saturday, we had a blast at the other places we went to.

                Our mission trip to Topsail, North Carolina was definitely one for the books. My youth group got closer to each other and to God. It didn’t go as planned but sometimes that makes things even better.