Missionfest provides chance to serve those in need

Missionfest brings an awareness of needs across the globe and offers opportunities to meet those needs. On Nov. 6, under the leadership of Cheryl Mothes, the Osage Centre in Cape Girardeau hosted this year's Missionfest. Tables and booths lined walls, information pamphlets covered tables and representatives from local and faraway missions spoke to attendees of the mission work about which they are most passionate.

"The focus is on connecting the community to mission opportunities," Mothes said. "Our hope is for people to find a mission that they can plug into."

There were many opportunities to find the perfect mission to assist, as hundreds of people came through Osage that day, engaging and, hopefully, mulling over how they, too, might get involved.

It was quite a sight seeing young and old alike standing behind a booth supporting their cause or visiting booths to learn about causes. Missionary work is for people of different races, ages and socioeconomic backgrounds, and that was represented at Missionfest. Mothes herself is an example of that.

"I didn't go on my first mission trip until I was 52," she said. "That was only five years ago ... I always wanted to, but I didn't know how to plug in." Through Missionfest, she is doing her part to ensure that others will know how to plug in and where they might fit best.

Many groups spent their Sunday committed to this cause.

One mission team present was the Southeast Missouri chapter of Kids Against Hunger. Right there, with the help of more than 120 volunteers, they packed meals to be dispersed locally and abroad. How much good can actually be accomplished in just a few hours? According to Mothes, just a few hours yielded 75,000 meals packed and ready. It doesn't take long to make a difference.

Advent Conspiracy was there also. Ten-year-old Harley Radi spoke to attendees about the importance of providing clean water. She told the Southeast Missourian that people spend "$550 billion on Christmas each year and $10 billion on providing clean water." Harley encouraged people not to spend so much money "on Christmas decorations and stuff" but to help others instead.

Whether one gets involved in a local mission or one abroad, whether one packs meals here or serves meals there, whether one gets involved later in life or as a child, there's a place for everyone to serve people in need. Missionfest not only reminds us of this, but provides us with the resources and opportunities to do so.