2026 Mission Trips:
(Click for each trip)
This year’s VBS theme was Illumination Station: Shining a Light on Who Jesus Really Is. Each year at VBS, kids learn about the Gospel and what Jesus did for us, but this year was different in that the Gospel was woven into the teaching every single day. It was an invitation to look at the second “I am” statement recorded in the book of John.
Every day, the kids learned a truth about Jesus that we learned from his statement that He is the light of the world. Those five truths (Jesus is God’s Promised Son, Jesus is God’s Perfect Son, Jesus is the Powerful Son of God, Jesus is the Proven Son of God, and Jesus is God’s Plan for Forgiveness) were driven home each day in rotation areas including music, rec, snack, crafts, and Bible. The kids also learned in their missions rotation about reflecting the light of Jesus to the homeless through Last Call 4 Grace. Throughout the week, they raised over $3500 to purchase an outdoor supply shed that will store donations made to Last Call! This shed will help support the work that Rachel Wheat and her team do every week to care for the homeless.
Some of the specific highlights of the week for the kids were painting “stain glass” on the church windows, playing with glow-in-the-dark pick up sticks in rec, and watching an epic light saber battle during Wednesday’s opening rally. But some of the highlights for the adults may have been a little less "flashy”:
Our teen helpers and adult volunteers this week were amazing. Many of our teens displayed great maturity and patience as they supported kids with special needs, loved on campers every day, and continually asked the question, “What can I do to help?” Also, our church staff this year took teamwork to a whole new level, supporting VBS up close and personal. Whether counting donations, addressing and stamping postcards, participating in skits, scooping ice cream at family night, or running sound and lights for our special skits, VBS was supported well in practical and tangible ways, demonstrating that we are a team on mission together.
More important than any craft or skit, kids at VBS were given multiple opportunities to consider giving their lives to Jesus Christ, and we know that their hearts were stirred as they asked good questions. Please pray that the seeds that were planted will be well watered and that God will draw these kids to “never walk in the darkness, but (to) have the light of life.”
Every day, kids were welcomed into a place built just for them: high-energy games and field activities, hands-on crafts, a fun, messy day, and songs and dances that had the whole camp singing and smiling. Our team of more than 25 leaders showed up early, stayed late, and poured into and prayed for every kid by name. There were 60+ kids (ages 11-17) who came to Summer Slam throughout the week!
This week was about more than fun (though there was plenty of that). Kids heard, many for the first time, that they are known and loved by Jesus — and several made faith decisions before the week was over. Response cards told stories of real heart change, and leaders had meaningful one-on-one conversations with kids all week long. The positive response to the Gospel was so fulfilling and exciting to hear.
One leader shared this story: "There was a young boy named Jack who arrived stoic, reserved, and unimpressed, keeping his distance for the first several days. I was determined to get him to at least smile. I tried for a couple of days, asking questions, making jokes, dancing like a fool. Nothing worked. Midway through the week, something shifted. He started loosening up. By the final day, Jack was smiling from morning to afternoon, singing and dancing with everyone else. On his response card, Jack shared that he had stopped believing that the possibility of Jesus was real after his Gran passed away. But after this week, he wrote that he learned he can trust Jesus. Jack has already signed up for the extended overnight camp coming up in just a few weeks. God is good!"
Please keep this camp in your prayers, that the seeds planted last week will be watered and begin to sprout as the kids learn more about Jesus! Please also pray for the local leaders as they continue their work with the youth in their area!
He Came Looking for Me!
We were beginning to start another workday. As a team, we had made our way to the house of Maresma Ayala and her three boys. Before we began our work, we gathered in the three-room, half-finished concrete home. For the next couple of minutes, Maresma, through a translator, told us her story. As she began speaking, tears were rolling down her cheeks as she began to describe to us a story of loss. Within a span of months, she experienced the loss of her brother, the loss of the father of her children, and finally the loss of her home, which had burned down. She mentioned that during this time, she was far from God, but then the story took a turn from loss to looking. She mentioned that at the lowest moment of her life, she got word that someone was looking for her. She thought to herself, who could possibly be looking for me. She began to wipe the tears away from her cheeks. This someone was a man named Wilson. Wilson, who is not only a local pastor in the area but also a staff member of Family Life Missions. After a couple of weeks of asking around the community, he finally found her. She said with a voice full of excitement and expectation, and pointing at herself, “He Came Looking for Me!” Then she said these words to tie it all together, “It wasn’t simply Wilson, looking for me, but the entire time, it was God looking for me.”
This is the fifth summer our church has sent a team to Catacamas, Honduras, to partner with Family Life Missions. This summer, we had a team of 13 people make the trip. What I have grown to appreciate about Family Life Missions is how they go looking for people in Catacamus, reminding them that God came looking for them.
Our mornings began with our team leading a devotional for the children who attend school on their property. Without fail, after each devotional, the children would linger around wanting to give us a hug or a high five. Our team did a phenomenal job showing these children that God came looking for them.
But most of our day was spent in the community. While in the community, we were involved in several things, including leading a vacation bible school for the children. We were even able to do our VBS at a local school in the community! We renovated two houses for two different families in need of a safer home. Lastly, we led a health fair in the community, talking about physical, emotional, spiritual, educational, and social interaction. But our main message to them was, “God has come looking for them.”
As I stood listening to Maresma, words, “He (God) came looking for me!” I couldn’t help thinking about the irony of our mission trip. Yes, we had spent the week encouraging the people of Honduras by our words and actions, “He (God) came looking for them.” But what had occurred simultaneously can only be attributed to God. The week taught us an important lesson: “He had come looking for us as well.” He came looking for us through the stories we heard, the conversations we had, the laughter and tears we shared. Thank you, Honduras, for reminding us this entire time, He has always been looking for us!
Our Memphis Missions Trip was an incredible reminder that God is always at work, even in places and circumstances that can seem overwhelming.
This year, we took 16 students and 5 adult leaders to partner with StreetReach Ministries in one of the most impoverished and crime-ridden areas of Memphis. For more than 30 years, StreetReach has faithfully served this community, caring for both the physical and spiritual needs of its residents. Through a food pantry, a private Christian school where most students receive scholarships, after-school programs, community support, and summer Backyard Bible Clubs, they have been a consistent display of the love of Christ to their neighborhood.
Our team had the privilege of leading one of the seven Backyard Bible Clubs hosted throughout the 6 weeks of summer. Each day, our students walked the neighborhood, going door to door yelling “Bible Club!” inviting children to join us for games, crafts, songs, Bible teaching, and small group discussions. While those activities were important, what stood out most was the opportunity to build relationships with the children and families in the community.
Many of these kids are hungry for attention, encouragement, and genuine love. It was a blessing to watch our students step into that need with compassion and care. They played games, listened to stories, learned names, gave hugs, and showed the love of Christ in countless small ways throughout the week. You would have been incredibly proud of them. I know I was.
Throughout the week, we taught the children that God sees them, knows them, loves them, and invites them into a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. Through Bible stories, conversations, songs, and small groups, we were able to share the hope of the gospel with dozens of children who faithfully showed up each day.
One of the most encouraging parts of the week was seeing our students grow in confidence as they shared their faith. For many, walking through neighborhoods, knocking on doors, and inviting strangers to Bible Club felt uncomfortable at first. But by the end of the week, they were eagerly looking for opportunities to connect with kids and talk about Jesus. Watching God stretch their faith and use them to minister to others was one of the greatest joys of the trip.
I would also be remiss if I didn't recognize the incredible team of adult leaders who served alongside our students. They were truly an all-star group. They led small groups, played games, built relationships, handled challenges, encouraged students, and consistently pointed people toward Christ. Their willingness to serve wherever needed was a tremendous blessing to our entire team.
The week did not end quite the way we expected. CRAZY hard rain and lightning forced us to cancel our final day of ministry, which was disappointing after spending the week building relationships with the children in our neighborhood. Yet even in that disappointment, God was teaching us something important.
Our students had to trust that the same God who brought those children to Bible Club knew exactly where they were when we left. They had to trust that God knows every child's name, every need, every struggle, and every opportunity they will face. They had to trust that while our week of ministry had come to an end, God's work in that community had not.
That lesson may have been one of the most important things we learned all week.
As we drove home, I found myself overwhelmed with gratitude. Gratitude for StreetReach and their faithful ministry. Gratitude for the students who stepped out of their comfort zones to serve. Gratitude for the adult leaders who gave up a week of their summer. Gratitude for a team of young men and women who welcomed my guidance and loved on me also. And gratitude for a church family that supports opportunities like this and allows students to see firsthand what it looks like to live on mission.
God went before us, was with us throughout the week, and continues to work long after we returned home. I could not be more thankful for or proud of the team that represented our church in Memphis.
Prayer Requests:
- Pray for the children and families we met to continue hearing and responding to the gospel.
- Pray for the staff and volunteers of StreetReach as they continue serving their community throughout the summer.
- Pray that our students would continue living as missionaries in their homes, schools, teams, and neighborhoods.
- Pray that God would continue to use the relationships built this week to draw people to Himself.
- Pray for our students who felt the Lord’s nudging to not ignore His gentle hand and be obedient to live as true disciple-making believers!
The Arizona/New Mexico mission trip is a one-week trip to serve with the Across Nations ministry. Across Nations' mission is to equip Native Americans to exalt Jesus, encounter His goodness, and extend His kingdom.
tangible expression of God’s love for all people and of our desire to help fulfill God’s mission to make disciples of all nations.