True Disciples Student Ministries: Mission Trip to the Florida United Methodist Children's Home, June 15-19

This June, the youth ministry will be going to Enterprise, Florida to work with the Florida United Methodist Children’s Home. Our church has supported this amazing institution for many decades. If you check their website you will read that, “The Florida United Methodist Children's Home was established in 1908 to provide a home for orphans and other children that had nowhere else to live.” Members of 1^st United Coral Gables have worked at the Children’s Home, volunteered there, and sponsored activities and buildings on the campus.

The youth are very excited about this mission trip. I made a preliminary trip to the Children’s Home in April to check everything out. According to Lynn Bellamy, the volunteer coordinator, we will be working in three different areas. First, we will be working at their resale shop called “Heart & Home”. Donated items are sold there to raise money. We will be organizing their store room and the new donations which come in each week. Some of the youth may get to work the retail floor as well. Second, we will be organizing the kitchen pantry at the Children’s Home. They receive donated items each week which need to be sorted and stored. Third, we will work on the grounds of the Children’s Home doing maintenance items or landscaping work. The youth are also hoping to interact with the youth who live there as well. We have to respect that this is their home and we are the visitors. We have had several discussions about privacy, respect and service and I think the group is prepared to do great things.

The campus of the Children’s Home is beautiful. They have separate bunk houses for girls and boys. We will have our own kitchen and bathroom facilities as well. Our group will divide into four dinner crews each responsible for a breakfast and dinner during our stay. Each youth will have their own ‘mess kit’ with plastic plate, bowl and silverware set and water bottle. This way we use less paper goods, are personally responsible for our own clean-up and work together as a group at mealtime.

I am excited to say we have twenty youth going on this year’s mission trip. We also have some great parents joining us as chaperones including Carrie Bodin, Meg Wright, Jeff Wright and, possibly, Axle Font. The group will have some fun, too. We are planning on visiting at least two state parks to swim, ride inner tubes and explore. At one of the parks, we will make our own pancakes at the sugar mill restaurant which dates back to 1830!

Please keep the youth ministry in your prayers all summer and especially June 15-19. We look forward to sharing our experience with everyone at church when we return. Love wins!