What comes to mind when I say Mission Trip? Kenya, China or perhaps Honduras? In this case, I'm thinking of Vancouver Island where a group from Bethany visited the mission base of Esperanza ministries this past August. Group members were the Kurt Dale & Delene DeForest Dale and their kids Jordan, Julia and Jenna, Curt & Brenda Burnett, and Mike Christensen.

Esperanza Ministries has been a Christian presence on the coast for over seventy years and currently ministers primarily to First Nations people who live on the coast.

We joined two other church groups spending a week working on projects at the mission, getting to know each other better, meeting those from other churches and meeting the staff at the mission. Individuals and churches partner with the mission in prayer, financial support and working on the needs of the mission base in order to free staff for the work of ministry. We worked on an extension to the dock, helped build a new office for the fuel dock and worked on a new house being built. We had a great week.

Next August we hope to return to the mission. Have you ever visited a mission or met a missionary where they work? It is an important opportunity for you or you and your children to experience missions in new way and to meet Christians from another culture, whether Kenyan, Chinese, Honduran or in this case Canadian.

Consider including a mission trip in your plans for this year, where ever you go.