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The Enlightenment Tour 2008

My Experience on The Enlightenment Tour 2008!

I first found out about The Enlightenment Tour when it was featured in Insight magazine in December 2006. Insight, however, is not available in Trinidad and Tobago. My brother-in-law, who is a pastor, attended a conference in Alabama and brought back this magazine with him. The information in the article about The Enlightenment Tour appealed to me. I admired the two young brothers, David and Michael Boyd, who choose to make this ministry their main priority in life at the time. I decided that I wanted to be part of The Enlightenment Tour 2008—I wanted to reach out to America’s at-risk youth and share God’s love with them. 

The Enlightenment Tour 2008 was truly a blessing, not only to the more than 1,000 people that we ministered to, but also to me, as a delegate. I got great joy out of being part of a young, driven, and enthusiastic team. On this tour I gained great insight into how much people are hurting and are in need of a message of hope and peace through Jesus Christ. It illustrated that America also needs missionaries.

Each city we toured offered its own unique experience. Although the messages we presented were the same, the young people’s responses differed from city to city. I was always excited to see the way the kids and youth listened to us and interacted with us. They always asked very intelligent questions and made valid comments. What was the highlight of it all? Many young people responded to the call to invite Jesus into their lives, and they accepted age-appropriate Bible studies.

I particularly enjoyed the Vacation Bible School program we held in Killeen, Texas. I was in charge of a class of about 15 kids, and I got so excited as I shared the story of The Good Samaritan with them. Then, during our craft time, my class made scrapbooks. One of my students wrote the story in her book, all from memory. It thrilled me to know that those kids remembered not only the story but its moral—why it’s important to treat everyone as they’d like to be treated.

Visiting Boys and Girls Clubs and Community Centers was a very different and interesting experience for me. There are no such institutions in my country where young people can go and have the opportunity to get involved in sports and other constructive activities. I even shared this with a group after speaking with a young man who told me that he wasn’t happy at the Club. I had to let those kids know how privileged they were!

Our team made presentations on respecting parents, sibling rivalry, and social and emotional issues such as, loneliness, relationships, shame, fear, and forgiveness. We also sang the theme song, “Jesus Cares,” which I know touched many hearts. Some kids made comments such as, “Thank you for coming to speak to us and showing us that we can do positive things—even become like you guys.” We realized that these young people hardly experienced people speaking to them about positive alternatives, praying with them, or reassuring them that they can become whatever they want to be when they grow up. On many occasions kids hugged us as we were leaving and said, “Thank you.” It touched me to know that something we said might have changed a child’s life forever.

Assisting at the Ronald McDonald Houses, where families of sick children can stay, was also new to me. I’d never even heard of Ronald McDonald Houses prior to the tour. It’s a wonderful concept. It made me happy to assist in making a few of them a little more comfortable for their occupants.

We also did a puppet show at Children’s Hospitals, which I found to be a lot of fun. Not only was it fun to actually put on the shows, it was fun to see how engaging it was to the kids. The puppet shows dealt with eating healthy foods and loving and being respectful to parents. Our puppets even sang a song called “Party in my Tummy.” The kids loved it. We knew we were bringing some cheer to them.

One of my favorite activities was handing out literature to people. We gave away hundreds of pieces of literature, and I believe someone will be drawn closer to God as a result. One time we were passing out literature on health in Atlanta to a group of men. One of them looked at the book and said, “Look at this! We were just talking about this!”

I smiled. I knew God had led us to them at that point in time.

Those were some of our main activities on The Enlightenment Tour 2008. One other thing that stood out for me was our Bible study time. We realized how important it was for us to be spiritually nourished as we ministered to others. Together we studied a Revelation Seminar, and it generated a lot of discussion each study time. We shared experiences with each other, shared things about what we’d read or heard in the past about Revelation, and we prayed together. Spending time like that contributed to the bond we delegates now share.

I’m grateful that I got to meet everyone who was part of this Tour. Each person added a rich and diverse ingredient in making The Enlightenment Tour 2008 what it was, not only while we were on mission activities, but also as we traveled together. I encourage every young Christian person to be part of the next Enlightenment Tour, whenever it’s offered again.

Thank you, David and Michael, for making The Enlightenment Tour 2008 happen. It was an unforgettable experience that offered excellent opportunities to meet and influence at-risk youth and share God’s love with them. Ultimately, it helped me grow closer to the Lord. I believe God has much more in store for The Enlightenment Tour, Inc. This is just the beginning of something magnificent!