Youth Experience Joy of Service

Working together, spending time with friends, and service were rolled together into one weekend at the Local Teen Mission Trip in July.

Fifty-four teens and chaperones descended on Chehalis, Wash., with the theme "Stand Up, Reach Out and Experience Joy."

Youth from across western Washington were joined by a group from Wyoming. By the end of the weekend, comments included: "I enjoyed meeting others and helping them with what they needed." "I enjoyed the look on people's faces (when we helped them), and I also enjoyed meeting new people from all over the place."

Many of the projects involved continued recovery from December 2007 flooding. These included hauling away debris, digging drainage under a house and installing fresh insulation. Other projects included painting picnic tables for the county fairgrounds, weeding and maintenance work at a state park.

A cumulative 443 hours of service work, plus 114 Sabbath outreach hours were given.

Featured in: September 2009