Youth Mission Trip

YOUTH MISSION TRIP

INFORMATION

at a glance

Summer may feel far away, but our plans for a 2022 Mission Trip are already underway!

For more years that I can count, our teens have selflessly given up a week of their summer in order to make a positive impact on the world around them and to bring hope to hurting communities. For over ten years now, our church has partnered with the organization, Group Mission Trips, in order to serve communities and people all across the country who are in need. Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Maryland are just a few of the states we have served in.

It is my prayer that your student will join us this summer as we prepare to impact the community of Erie, Pennsylvania on July 10-16th.

What do we do on a mission trip?

Whatever is needed in the community we have committed to serving. We will mainly be working with disabled and elderly residents who are on fixed incomes and cannot physically or financially repair their homes. We won’t know exactly what we will be doing until we get there, but will most likely be repairing porches, painting homes, building wheelchair ramps, and other home repair projects. In the evening, after our work is done for the day, we will have a chance to gather together, eat food, learn about Jesus, and just have fun with one another.

What if I don’t know construction or how to paint?

That’s okay! Most people don’t unless they’ve been on a trip before. You will have adults and other peers to guide you along the way.

Who can come?

Grades 9-12: students entering 9th grade after the summer of 2022 to those who graduated 12th grade in 2022.

Cost?

The cost is $440 per student, plus money for breakfast on the way there and lunch on the way home. This covers the cost of transportation, meals, housing, camp speaker and musicians, t-shirt, and the materials used to repair the homes we will be assigned to.

A $40 non-refundable deposit is due with your registration on October 3rd. The remaining $400 is not due until June 26th, 2022.

Fundraisers?

While this price may seem intimidating at first, please note that our church offers many fundraiser opportunities throughout the school year to help our students pay for this experience. Most students pay little to no money out of pocket when they make an effort to attend the fundraisers.

Some fundraisers we hope to have this year are: youth led Wednesday Weekly meals, Euchre Tournament, Musical Instrument Performance led by Siok Lian Tan, Variety Show, and Giving wall. If cost is still an issue, and your teen has made an effort to attend the fundraisers, then please talk to me, Danielle Burkhart, there are people in the church who would love to support any youth who needs the extra assistance.

What will your student gain?

Group Mission Trips provides a great way, in a safe environment, for your child to gain skills they will use as adults:

Leadership – Your child will be assigned to a supervised crew of 6 where they will fulfill 1 of 6 specific roles and work together to complete a service project or repair a resident's home.

Teamwork – Your child will come together with other youth from different states and backgrounds, working as a crew to accomplish a goal that is bigger than each of them individually. They will make a lasting impact by providing a source of hope to those they serve.

Problem Solving – Your child will work with 4 or 5 other youth and 1 adult to transform a home or serve a local agency where they may come up against obstacles, such as miscommunication or difficult people. Every year crews find creative and clever solutions to accomplish their tasks.

Confidence – Your child will learn they can work with many different people to serve and accomplish huge tasks on their own. Many often arrive thinking they do not have the necessary skills or cannot do this without parental assistance, and leave knowing they can positively influence and change lives.

Compassion – Your child will work with people from different walks of life which may be different than those they come into contact with at home. This gives teens and pre-teens a great perspective – the reward is as lasting for them as it is meaningful to those they serve.

Spiritual Growth – Your child will attend morning and evening interactive programs that guide their faith in Jesus to become more powerful and real. There will also be devotions during lunch and opportunities to discuss all they are experiencing with our youth group.

Safety

It’s too early to say what covid-19 precautions will be in place this summer, but please rest assured that I and Group Mission Trips will be taking extra care to ensure the safety of our students and the community we are visiting. Some guidelines instituted on the 2021 trips included: daily health screening survey of the participants, dismissal of participants who exhibit symptoms of covid-19, following local guidelines for mask mandates and social distancing, extra sanitization and cleaning, additional sleeping rooms to promote social distancing, limiting work crews to be only of the same youth group rather than a mix of multiple youth groups, and more.

Now What?

Students who have attended mission trips with Group Mission Trips have said they grew closer to God, grew closer to people in their youth group, and they wanted to attend another trip! Not one student who has participated in a trip since I have been here has ever regretted the experience. Parents have seen their kids come home excited, positively impacted by their service experience, and committed to continuing their spiritual journey with Jesus.

If you would like to sign your student up for this event, or if you have questions about the mission trip, please contact Danielle Burkhart via email or phone.

If it is after the registration deadline of October 3rd, please still reach out! I cannot guarantee your student a spot after October 3rd as Group Mission Trips only offers so many spots, but we can still check and see.

My email is danielle@howellfumc.com or you can reach me by phone at 517.546.2730 x 205 from 10am-4pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays or during normal youth activities.

Sincerely,

Danielle Burkhart

Depart

Sunday, July 10th

Return

Saturday, July 16th

Destination

Erie, Pennsylvania

Grades

9-12

Cost

$440