Sites
The team will be serving at Abundant Grace Community Church in Dallas. The church is comprised primarily of our neighbors in poor or homeless conditions. Besides being deeply committed to the preaching of the Word, various programs at the church feed the hungry and assist youth after school with homework, mentoring, and athletic activities.
The students will be working with the ministry team from West Dallas Community Church as we help with the afternoon recreation program. Then, students will help with Vacation Bible School each afternoon. They will be ministering to children ages five to thirteen who live in the area.
Students will be working with West Dallas Community Church (WDCC) and surrounding ministries. They will be serving the church and children of all ages.
San Antonio is the 7th largest city in the United States, with a metropolitan area population of 1.8 million people. It is rich in Texas history and rich in the beautiful Hispanic culture. San Antonio boasts some of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Texas; and many celebrities, athletes, and successful business people make the city their home. However, in light of San Antonio’s pockets of great wealth, this historical city also has an extreme poverty problem. Nearly 20% of the population resides below the poverty line, and the average income per household is one of the lowest in the state at $18,000.
The team will be serving on the edge of the Cheyenne Indian Reservation, about 1 1/2 hours from Billings, MT. The reservation is home to approximately 5,000 Native Americans and stretches over 445,000 acres of land.
The last 4 days of this journey, we will be backpacking through Big Horn National Forest in Wyoming. Trained LeaderTreks trail guides will lead us through this experience, which offers intense wilderness challenges and rewards participants with spectacular scenery. Students must be able to carry 25 pounds or more for 5-8 miles of difficult terrain for the adventure portion of this journey.
The greater Chicagoland area contains nearly 10,000,000 residents. It is one fo the most ethnically diverse cities in the United States. Besides being the Windy City, Chicago is also known as “The Neighborhood City”. The metropolis is divided into 77 distinct neighborhoods, each with its own name. However, Chicago has an enormous poverty and homelessness issue as well. The Chicago public school system is one of the nation’s poorest. Less than 50% of Chicago’s public school students can pass the national aptitiude test. Women with children comprise 34% of Chicago’s homeless population. There are an estimated 165,000 homeless (according to the Coalition on the Homeless). Many find shelter from the cold in alleys, on the train, abandoned buildings, or on underground streets. Thousands of units of public housing are being torn down each year, leaving more families homeless, and often hopeless. HIV/AIDS, prostitution (male and female), gang violence, and drug abuse are prevalent. All the while, the upper-economic areas of the city grow and thrive. The issues that exist in Chicago are more than just space and money, they are emotional and spiritual.
The team will be going to the Los Angeles, CA, area where the students will be ministering to a variety of poor and oppressed people, many of them homeless. We will be partnering with the Center for Student Missions organization.
Costa Rica is an emerging nation located in Central America. Tens of thousands of children are living day-to-day on the streets of Costa Rica. LeaderTreks partners with the Viva Network to empower the local churches to meet this urgent need. The team will work with a local ministry to provide housing for at-risk children, enabling churches to rescue children from the streets.
The Dominican Republic is the most populated island in the Caribbean. One-fifth of the population lives in poverty, and there are an overwhelming number of orphans. LeaderTreks partners with Kids Alive International and a local church in Monte Plata. Monte Plata is a rural town of about 15,000 people and is one of the poorest towns in DR. It is located in the middle of the country, and the climate is extremely hot.
Honduras is located in Central America and is the second poorest country in the western hemisphere, with an average annual income around $660. The team will be working in a community outside the city of Siquatepeque, which is located two hours west of the capital.
Come alongside one of Bent Tree’s Global partners, Hesed Ministries, as we minister to children through a VBS outreach in a rural primary/elementary school that will target hundreds of children, equipping Hesed’s national volunteers to do future children’s ministry as we serve together.
Continue building relationships with our Russian brothers and sisters in Christ as we partner together with them through a youth/young adult summer camp outreach.
