Youth Network Global Outreach Trip 2024

It all started at District Retreat, November 2022 when a group of youth pastors from our district agreed that it was time, once again following pandemic lockdowns, to facilitate opportunities for our youth to explore how God is at work globally, and how He might be inviting them to partner with Him. Last year 8 of us participated in a vision trip in Ecuador hosted by Rich & Elisa Brown, Inca Link to explore the opportunities, and the outcome of that was a commitment to collaborate together as a Youth Network of pastors and churches to provide a year long discipleship journey for high school students and their adult mentors in preparation for a missions trip. Together, as leaders, we settled on travel dates and laid out this discipleship journey process. Last summer we launched applications and team registrations and since last Fall we have gathered as teams on Zoom for monthly preparation sessions, in addition to the local team building sessions.

Teams from Gregory Drive, Midland, Mississauga Chinese, Owen Sound, Paramount Drive, and West London Alliance Churches departed on their 10 day trip between June 26-29. The stories are many of how the opportunity impacted team members and those on the ground who received them.  

In Quito, Ecuador the Owen Sound team of 7 youth and adults blessed the resident teen moms and their children at Casa Elizabeth with a fun-filled week of VBS activities. They also had the privilege of blessing a young mom of twins on her own health journey by assisting with setting up her new apartment. Most from that team were challenged and encouraged by this young woman’s faith in difficult circumstances.

In Honduras the Mississauga Chinese Church team of 4 had the opportunity to participate in several experiences that forced them out of their comfort zone. This served as a spark to light a flame that will hopefully burn brighter in the months and years to come, as they continue to find ways to be bold for Jesus.

Our Midland team included 2 Ukrainian students on their team who encountered roadblocks immediately upon arriving at the airport to check in to their flight. However, their faith would not be challenged as they persevered to find a way to travel to Costa Rica and successfully join their team there to serve. There they joined the Paramount team and together they were able to share the love of Jesus in practical ways as they worked hard to improve a covered basketball court and recreation space of gathering for the community. One PDAC team member shared how they were excited to feel God’s love pouring out of them as they served. A local village official was touched by their service and hard work and requested that they paint the Inca Link logo on the court floor.  

In Trujillo, Peru the Gregory Drive and West London teams arrived just in time to help the small Inca Link team disassemble a whole garbage dump ministry building which was located on a piece of land which had just been partitioned off to a new owner. What would have taken days for the small team to accomplish was completed in a just one day with all of those helping hands.

What a thrill it has been to witness and support a vision reignited to partner together to equip and mobilize teenagers on mission.  And this is just the first year! It is our desire and goal that this be an annual opportunity. Consider joining our movement and partnership with Inca Link. The beauty of this is that you are not alone but rather doing it in community and in the spirit of collaboration.