Join Us this Summer on a Rural Mission Trip!

You don’t have to go overseas to change a life.

Today millions of rural families struggle to get ahead in low-income communities—isolated communities that often lack the support and resources needed for their children to become successful workers, responsible parents, and engaged citizens.

More than one out of five U.S. rural children live in poverty, well above the national child poverty rate of 13 percent. Those living in rural areas face many barriers to economic opportunities, and often lack access to supportive and effective services and strong community networks.

Yet the promise of a new tomorrow is echoing across the nation’s rural regions as communities learn to address the roots of their poverty and apply lasting solutions. As they continue on this transformational journey, the partnership of those willing to walk alongside them into a better future is vital. Through World Vision’s Mission Trips, volunteers and local residents work side-by-side to upgrade homes, improve communities, and build lasting relationships that help nurture bridges between individuals from across the United States and those who live in Appalachia.

World Vision provides these mission opportunities not only to serve and encourage local families, but also to assist families and church groups from throughout the United States understand and respond to needs here in the U.S. As Mission Trip team members arrive to serve others and help transform rural communities, they often discover that in the process they are transformed themselves.

Serving in these communities is an “awesome privilege,” said Dee Reid, who led a team of young girls on one Mission Trip. “There were so many miracles that I don’t even have time to tell . . . about all of them.”

Your team or family is invited to serve this summer in West Virginia’s e Appalachian Mountains or Ohio’s Morgan County. As families, church teams, and other groups participate in this innovative mission opportunity, they benefit from activities designed to nurture the spiritual discipline of servanthood, allowing participants to apply the principles of Christ-centered community transformation to their lives even after they leave Appalachia.

Join us! Registration Form

Through Rural Mission Trips, visiting teams have the opportunity to:

• Provide physical improvements or new construction for family homes, community centers, churches, or recreational facilities.

• Experience front-line ministry with local children and families.

• Participate in an evening program of inspirational worship and sharing that provide spiritual growth opportunities.

• Spend a day experiencing local culture, enjoying a community cookout, attending a church service, and exploring the unique culture and setting of rural community life.

• Send at least one team leader to the National Rural Ministry Headquarters in the spring to participate in training on transformational community development. This is a dynamic opportunity for leaders to learn some of the nation’s best community development practices, and learn to prepare team members for the mission experience in rural communities.

For more information or mission trip dates, visit www.worldvision.org/appalachiatrips. Or contact Johnny Whitehair, missions director: 304.457.5270.

It’s a week you will never forget.

Join us!

Call us at 304.457.5270 or email: Kris Wamsley

Schedule for 2009

June 14-20 Group Trip

June 21-27 Family Trip

June 21-27 Group Trip

June 28-July 4 Group Trip

July 5-11 Group Trip

July 12-18 Group Trip

July 19-25 Family Trip

July 19-25 GroupTrip

July 26-August 1 GroupTrip

August 2-8 GroupTrip

Spring break and custom trips are available upon request. Please call for information and options.

You are invited to join us in the (almost heaven)

Appalachian Hills of West Virginia

Where the mountain streams run cold

Where the people’s hearts are warm

For more information click here to visit the missions website.