Church of the Ascension - Mission Trips

Mission Trips

Every summer students have a chance to attend one of our Mission Trips. We usually take students in grades 7-12. Some trips are local, while others are national. Student Ministries has a three year goal for all senior high school students: They will have the chance to first take a local trip, then a national one, and finally an international trip.

This focus is based upon the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20).

Summer Mission Trip for Ascension Student Ministries Summer 2008

We just got back from a great week of working in the East Liberty Neighborhood of Pittsburgh. What a week. Check out our video and some pictures.

“I felt Jesus love me for the first time this week,” says one student. It was moments like this that made me remember why it is we put so much work into one week. From both the leader and the student perspective, it was a very eventful, exciting, and life changing experience. We worked on a total of four different worksites all in the East Liberty section of Pittsburgh. The two sites that I got the privilege of working on were being repaired and refinished for families to rent or buy. They gained a new perspective of their own neighborhood and without even knowing it, were excellent witnesses of God’s people. It was probably the most physical work that I have ever done on a mission trip but I felt that more than ever, we made difference. I do strongly believe that because our church is a city church, we are called in an incredible way to help our city. The youth did that this week. They didn’t do it for fun, for leisure, or to get away for a week. They did it to help others who are in need because they love the Lord. I was proud to be a part of this “wonderful and beautiful group of young people,” as my friend and fellow leader would say.

Kristen Pungitore
Summer Intern

No different from many of the other students, Naomi loved doing demolition. She was challenged by the difficulty of the task, but enjoyed hitting things, breaking things, and destroying things that were going to be built into something new. Naomi felt good that she was helping rebuild something of worth in her own community. She prayed during the week that her group would be able to finish a sufficient amount of work and she felt that with God’s help, her group succeed and went above and beyond. This is true for all the worksites. The students got more work done than they thought they could in the beginning of week. Naomi enjoyed the educational aspect of the book of Philippians discussed by Christine Curley. It was the first time she had ever read the book in it’s’ entirety. Not only did she enjoy building stronger relationships with Ascensions finest students, Naomi also thrived on being the only African American in the group!

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