Eva grew up hearing about mission trips like the Service Corps. Her parents, who are Salvation Army officers, met through the program in 2003. She saw friends participate and thought it was a fulfilling way to spend a summer. But it wasn’t until her sophomore year of college when she decided to sign up. She had worked at camp a few summers before but began to feel like God was calling her to something different. 

“I had become comfortable at camp,” she shared, “and through lots of prayer, I felt a nudge to step out of my comfort zone and spend my summer serving the Lord in a way that would require complete surrender to Him.” 

Obedience and surrender are two words she felt the Lord call her to reflect upon while serving in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. She felt God providing challenging opportunities to be obedient to Him and leading her into spaces to practice surrender.  

This is evident in one of her favorite memories. Her team was in the last city they visited, in a small town in Slovakia called Trebisov. It holds one of the largest Roma settlements in Europe. Her team cleaned the corps (church), led two youth programs, and walked around the settlement with some of the kids at the corps. “It was heartbreaking to see families living in such extreme poverty,” she reflected. “However, at the same time, I could see very clearly that God was providing for this community in exactly the ways they needed, through the joy that the children had despite their circumstances.” 

One day, their team was leading songs, dances, group games, a devotional, and a face painting station. On a whim, they added a few water activities, like a water balloon fight, at the end of their program due to the heat — a decision that the team didn’t think much of at the time, but it turned out to be “everything” for the kids. 

“We came to learn that their settlement only had one water pump for around 7,000 people, and the water they did have access to was not clean. So it ended up being very special to these children to play freely in clean water on a hot day.” 

Service Corps was a meaningful experience for Eva. Upon reflecting on her experience, she is thankful for her team. “They encouraged me, spoke truth to me, were quick to step in and help in tough moments, and most importantly, they pushed me to always desire more of God,” she gushed. “We made memories together that will last a lifetime, and it was such a privilege to serve the Lord together.”

The experience was transformative and very stretching for Eva. She encourages anyone who is on the fence about signing up to just do it afraid. “It is natural to be nervous about participating on a mission trip like this, but God will always equip those whom He calls,” she said.