How serving others can transform your own heart

For more than 30 years, my church has sent teams to serve at El Sauzal Home for Children. Over the years, I have organized, led, and participated in ten mission trips with high school students, men’s groups, and young adults. Each trip has been unique, but one thing has remained remarkably consistent: people come expecting to help the children, yet they often leave changed themselves.

As a high school group leader, I have seen this transformation again and again. On average, six to eight students choose to be baptized after each trip. Beyond those public decisions of faith, there are often noticeable changes in attitudes, priorities, and relationships. Students who once struggled with authority become more teachable. Phones and social media seem less important. Many return home with a deeper commitment to loving God, loving others, and making Christ known.

The question is why.

What is it about serving at El Sauzal that creates such a powerful environment for spiritual growth?

I believe it begins with a shift in focus. At home, we live in a world filled with distractions. Phones, social media, and constant entertainment compete for our attention every day. During our trips, those distractions are largely removed. Without screens and the pressure to constantly manage an online image, people become more present. They engage in conversations, spend time in God’s Word, and build genuine relationships. In many ways, it feels like a reset—a return to the way God designed us to live in community with Him and with one another.

Another change happens when our attention turns outward. In everyday life, it is easy to focus on what we wish we had, what we lack, or what we want next. Yet at El Sauzal, our teams meet children who often have very little materially but demonstrate remarkable joy, resilience, and gratitude. Serving these children helps shift our perspective from “What can I get?” to “What can I give?” We begin to discover that God’s purpose brings a deeper sense of fulfillment than comfort ever could.

The close community created during a mission trip also plays an important role. Working together, serving together, worshiping together, and studying Scripture together creates an environment where walls begin to come down. People become more honest about their struggles, fears, and questions. They discover that they are not alone and that God’s forgiveness creates a safe place to be known and accepted. Through Christian community, many find new strength to face challenges they have carried for years.

Most importantly, people spend focused time in God’s Word. As they study Scripture and apply its truths to daily life, they are reminded of foundational truths that can easily be forgotten in the busyness of life. They discover again that God loves them so deeply that He sent His Son to bring them into His family. They learn that God loves others just as deeply. And they begin to recognize that God has uniquely gifted them to share His love with a world in need.

When these elements come together—God’s Word, Christian community, serving others, and a renewed focus on Christ—something powerful happens. What begins as a mission trip often becomes much more than a week of service. It becomes a catalyst for lasting spiritual growth.

Of course, the greatest challenge comes after returning home. The distractions, routines, social pressures, and busy schedules quickly return. One of our ongoing goals is helping participants “bring El Sauzal home” by continuing the habits and priorities that fueled their growth during the trip. Spiritual transformation was never meant to be limited to a single week of service.

That is one reason El Sauzal values long-term relationships with churches and mission teams. Through regular updates, prayer opportunities, and ongoing involvement, groups can stay connected to what God is doing and continue growing as disciples long after the trip has ended.

People often come to El Sauzal expecting to make a difference in the lives of children. By God’s grace, they do. But many discover that the greatest surprise is how deeply God changes their own hearts along the way.

By Scott Hollingsworth, Ashland Baptist Church, Oregon