What? No phone???

One of the biggest bone of contention that I get about this trip is the policy of no phones or iPods. I've heard every type of reason that they should be allowed. "I need it to sleep," "What if my mom or dad needs me," "but that's the only camera I have!" This is usually followed with whining, complaining, begging, or pleading. The most popular one is when the kids try some reverse psychology, "How come the adults get to have one?" Which is usually followed by the answer to end all questions, "Because I said so." But no matter how much they want it, the answer will still be no. It may seem a little harsh, but this trip has evolved into more than a service project of fixing houses and playing with kids. It has become a weeklong religious retreat where we can focus all of our attention to the true purpose of the trip - to strengthen our relationship with Jesus. Too much of our time, me included, is devoted to checking our phones to make sure we aren't missing anything. And a lot of kids find their value from the amount of likes, retweets, friends, and followers they have. And heaven forbid we don't share every moment of our lives with the world the second it happens. Many of our kids suffer from FOMO - Fear Of Missing Out. Comparing ourselves to everyone else based on social media has created a new type of "keeping up the Jones's" way of living. Trying to "appear" like they are happy or have it all figured out based on their posts is a recipe for disaster. It seems like they can never just be "off" from the world for fear of being left out of the crowd. So this week we want the people on the trip to live in the moment with the people they are with. Share the experiences with one another and not with the device in our hands. It's amazing already the number of conversations that have already taken place. Even during our 2 hour delay, the kids played cards, laughed, ate candy, and got to know one another. If phones were allowed, our time would have been spent texting, tweeting, snapchatting, taking selfies, or zoning out to our music or Netflix. God has a purpose for us this week. Learn to depend on Him when we need someone to trust, depend on, seek for guidance and validation. Not get validation when we get another "like" on our social media. There will be plenty of time to share the trip when they get home. And the best part is they won't be huddled around the phone showing pictures. It might actually be a real conversation.