Monte Youth Group raising funds for summer mission trips

​      Stacie Geary serves a bowl of chili to Spencer Roorda during the Community Hope Church Mission Trip fundraiser on Sunday, Jan. 11. Youth group members will be traveling to Nashville, Tenn. in June and Jamacia in late July to help with hurricane recovery efforts.

by J.O. Parker
 
       The Community Hope Church Fellowship Hall was filled with church and community members on Sunday, Jan. 11 who were there to support area youth mission trips. Guests were treated to delicious chicken noodle and chili soups along with grilled cheese sandwiches and all the fixings at the event. Youth group members are raising money to take part in two different mission trips planned for this summer.
         There are a total of 48 students going on the mission trips. Twenty-three of the students are traveling to Nashville, Tenn. from June 22-27. The youth will help feed the homeless and perform small home improvement tasks such as painting or building a wheelchair ramp. Youth group members will be traveling to Nashville by bus and each needs to raise $600 for lodging, food and ministry materials. 
         Ava DeWeese, an 8th grader, will be traveling to Nashville for her first mission trip. “It is very sad how many homeless people there are in Nashville,” said DeWeese. “I’m looking forward to this trip and making a difference.”
       Seventh grader Elijah Ahrens is also traveling to Nashville for his first mission trip. “I’m looking forward to learning and understanding what people in need are going through,” said Ahrens. “I’ve always wanted to go on a mission trip because I want to help where I can.”
        Twenty-five students will be traveling to Jamaica from July 19-25. The youth will be performing clean-up work from damage left behind by Hurricane Melissa, one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes on record and the strongest to ever hit Jamaica. It made landfall on Oct. 28, 2025, near New Hope, in Westmoreland, Jamaica with sustained winds at 185 mph. This will be a first-time experience for many of the youth group members to learn about and understand what people who have suffered through the hurricanes are going through. Youth group members traveling to Jamaica need to raise $2000 each for the trip which includes airline expenses, lodging, food and ministry materials. 
        Letisia Wilson, an 11th grader, is going to Jamaica to help with clean-up. She said, “I’m looking forward to going on this mission trip and being a mentor for the youth that haven’t gone before.” 
       “I’m looking forward to learning about different people’s experiences and spreading the word of God to people in need,” said Ethan Desrochers, a 10th grader, who is going to Jamaica.
        Isaiah Wilson, a 10th grader, is also going to Jamaica. He said, “This is the first out of country mission trip that our youth group is taking part in. I’m looking forward to helping a lot of people experience God and helping improve their living arrangements.”
       Paige Wilson, youth group director, said that the youth will learn more about what they will be doing to help once they arrive at the locations. 
       If you would like to donate to the mission fund, please send checks to: Community Hope Church, 501 N. Front St., Montezuma, Iowa 50171. Please write “Youth Misson Trip 2026” in the memo line.
    The church is working with Mission Discovery, based in Nashville, Tenn., to help organize the two mission trips.

      Coyce McNaul, right, a Community Hope Church youth member, hands out grilled cheese sandwiches while Emersyn VanKooten, left, and Vivian VerMeer, middle, fill their plates during the church mission trips soup luncheon fundraiser on Sunday, Jan. 11. The event was held to raise funds for summer youth mission trips to Nashville and Jamacia. Twenty-three youth will travel to Nashville in June and 25 youth are planning to fly to Jamacia in late July to do hurricane relief projects.