Mission Trips

Mission Trips

Get involved and make a difference in the world through service to individuals and entire communities through mission opportunities outside of our church walls! Mission opportunities vary from year to year vary from year to year depending on need and the movement of the Holy Spirit in our midst. Learn more about where we have served and join us in service to others!

LOCAL:

KIMBALL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL – Kimball Elementary School is a Seattle Public School located a block away from our church. During the year, several volunteer opportunities exist to serve at the school. One outreach opportunity is serving as an after-school reading tutor encouraging and helping a small group of students to improve upon their reading and comprehension skills by using a system of books matched to the child’s reading ability. At other times, volunteers from our church have worked on short term projects to support the school including preparation of the school grounds and welcoming students back to school with new fall school supplies.

STATE AND NATIONAL:

YAKIMA NATION, WASHINGTON STATE – In July 2010, the Blaine Memorial UMC Youth Group served at the Yakama Nation Reservation (Toppenish and Wapato, WA) during a week-long mission trip. This youth group spent a few days painting houses and a few days running Kid’s Club (A Vacation Bible School), while learning about the Yakama Nation’s history and culture, all the while relating these experiences to their personal faith walks.

APPALACHIA – Blaine Memorial UMC teams have served at the Red Bird Mission in Beverly, Kentucky in 2012 and 2015. At one of the sites, volunteers repaired termite damage in a woman’s home including the floor and two windows. These volunteers also installed wood paneling and trim and painted the inside of her home. At another site, a mission team built an underpinning (metal covering) for a trailer home’s foundation to provide more warmth int eh winter and prevent water pipes from freezing.

CAMP MEKOKIKO, HAWAII – A team from Blaine memorial went to Camp Mekokiko in Hawaii to help Rev. Ted Lesnett build a 36-acre Retreat and conference center for church groups and families to have a place to worship and meditate in the great outdoors of Hawaii. Tasks included building foundations for cottages, tiling restrooms at campsites and laying water lines for cottages and restrooms.

GLOBAL:

NICARAGUA – Two teams served in Leon, Nicaragua, through work with the non-profit organization El Ayudante (“The Helper”). In 2014, the first team of 12 helped build a home in the village of Mount Sinai and conducted dental clinics in and around Leon. In August 2015, a team of 27 served by building two kitchen additions and two latrines, holding a Vacation Bible School for the Nicaraguan Christian Home children and running dental clinics. We are blessed to be able to help El Ayudante develop long-term partnerships with the local community and their leaders by working with them on these short-term mission trips.

GUATEMALA – We have sent two teams to Panajachel, Guatemala to serve the indigenous/Mayan people. We worked with the organization, Mission Guatemala. For more information, please see their website, missionguatemala.com. Service ministries include working in a dental clinic, offering Vacation Bible School for the village children, and providing assistance in various construction projects (installing new roofs, pouring cement and building a latrine).

HONDURAS – A team from Blaine served in Honduras for a short-term dental/construction mission. The team worked with Honduras Outreach Inc. (HOI), a non-denominational Christian organization. General information can be found in the HOI website www.hoi.org. We served home visits (praying with people), Vacation Bible School for the children, dental clinic, construction (installing new roofs, pouring cement, and building a latrine).

JAMAICA – A team from Blaine served in partnership with the Praying Pelicans Missions group. This team served through the dental clinic and home construction and held a Vacation Bible School for the local Jamaican people.

To learn more or to volunteer for a future mission opportunity, please contact Donna Sejikima at blaineoffice@yahoo.com.