111 youth and adults loaded two buses and vans early Saturday morning, June 15 headed for Frakes, Kentucky to offer a helping hand to families in the Appalachian Mountains.

Henderson Settlement or Bust! New Christian community, life-long friendships, transformed hearts and impacted lives will be some of the results of a week of mission work at Henderson Settlement.  

Lots of questions, wandering parents and youth and mountains of luggage were transformed into order, calm and a send-off prayer circle just before the darkening skies opened on Sioux Falls First United Methodist Church parking lot.   

Under the able direction of Pastor Dayne Zachrison of Valley City, ND, Pastor John Britt of Rapid City First and Steve Hilton of Piedmont individuals on the trip will work for four days doing various jobs that await them at Henderson.

The trip home will begin on Friday with an afternoon and evening at King's Island Amusement Park.  The buses will be back in Sioux Falls next Sunday, June 23.   

Please keep the individuals on the mission trip, their bus drivers and the families they encounter this week in your prayers.  Expect first-hand reports from the youth in next week's Mondays@Dakotas. 

Tentative plans for the 2014 summer youth mission trip include travel to Seattle,Washington to help build transitional housing for individuals with AIDS and HIV.  Please include the 2014 trip in your daily prayers, also.

Story by Becky Holten, Director of Camping and Youth Ministries