Forty service-minded teenagers and chaperones from western Washington volunteered for this year's Local Teen Mission Trip in July. This year they chose Friday Harbor in Washington's San Juan Islands.
"The United States, like any country in the world, is a mission field," says Byron Dulan, Washington Conference outreach ministries director. "The Local Teen Mission Trip is offered as an opportunity to illustrate to young people that they can serve God anywhere."
The teen missionaries spent a long weekend upgrading and improving the San Juan Community Garden on the property of Friday Harbor Church, spreading God's word through literature evangelism and serving the community through service projects such as landscaping, gardening, building, painting, music performance and ministering to children.
"It's a great experience working on a mission field that is sometimes overlooked — right on our own turf," says Komar King, a teenage participant.
The Local Teen Mission Trip is in its third year, with teen volunteers previously serving in Chehalis, Wash., and Burlington, Wash. The trip was co-sponsored this year by the Island Churches. Washington Adventist Community Services, which traditionally coordinates this mission trip, is exploring local church and community partnerships for future mission venues.
"It was wonderful to serve God outside my comfort zone without having to go too far," says Timmy Kosaka, teen participant. "We have our own mission field right in our backyard."
View a mission trip photo gallery at washingtonconference.org.
Teen volunteers repair a sign, spruce up Friday Harbor Church's community garden, distribute literature and help with community service projects as part of a Local Teen Mission Trip in western Washington. (Komar King)
The Local Teen Mission Trips combine the energy of teenagers with a homeland mission trip to make a difference in the community and in the lives of young people. (Komar King)
