Eighteen youth and four adult leaders from First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Glencoe recently returned from a mission trip to Northern Idaho. They participated in Idaho Servant Adventures (ISA), a week-long high-energy, action-packed service-leadership camp that brings students from youth groups across America together to repair and transform homes, lives, and communities. The First Ev. Lutheran group, along with groups from Good Shepherd Church and two other area churches, traveled more than 1000 miles by motor-coach to the Silver Valley area located in the Idaho panhandle. Once nearly half of our nation’s silver was extracted from Shoshone County mines; after the mines went bust in the 1980’s, this area is now one of Idaho’s poorest.
The goals of the trip were to…Enjoy God’s Creation, Grow in Faith, and to Serve Others. Surrounded by beautiful mountains, trees and water, the group was “hugged by God’s creation” and enjoyed awesome outdoor adventures! The faith-building program included professional staff and mentors, speakers, devotions, Bible studies, and leadership development programs. The groups volunteered by doing simple, yet very necessary work, in area homes and community buildings - painting, gardening, home repairs, digging, cleaning, and organizing. This outreach - interacting with the people, sharing stories, and learning about each other made a significant impression on all!
On Sunday, July 8, the group presented an overview of their trip, sharing photos and experiences. Over the past year, many service and fundraising activities helped to raise monies to pay associated costs.
Links:
[1] http://www.glencoenews.com/category/section/news