Community Corner

On a Mission from God: Volunteer Youth Group Cleans Lemon Grove

Teens were part of an interdenominational summer mission with Week of Hope.

Some people might put “youth” and “community service” together and come up with “court ordered.” But not Week of Hope. When they put the two together, they create faith in action for teens who volunteer from all over the country to put their strength into service where they’re needed.

If you saw a youth group cleaning up around town recently, you saw a contingent from the Week of Hope mission at work. Five young people, ages 14 to 21, who provided cleanup help around Lemon Grove’s City Hall and fire station were part of a larger group at work in the county doing a variety of community service.

The First Baptist Church of La Mesa hosted the group, said Jim Wieboldt, crime prevention specialist at the Lemon Grove Sheriff's Station. He is currently serving as an interim pastor for the church.

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“The get to do fun things, too. It’s not all work,“ Wieboldt said. “They go to the beach. And some of these kids from the Midwest have never seen a beach.”

Week of Hope, based in Colorado, is an interdenominational nonprofit group that organizes summer youth missions. Young people come together from across America to build new friendships and learn empathy and compassion for others through service in the name of Christ.

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Around town, the youth group cleaned windows and did other put-off chores. At the fire station Amy Sorensen, 14, of Phoenix, said there was a lot of dust and a couple of spiders to deal with.

The team was made up of Sorensen, Andrew Mann, 15, or Phoenix, Ethan Velazquez, 15, of Fresno, Zack Hood, 17, of Phoenix, and Brooks Noble, 21, or Lakeside. They each came from different churches and hadn’t met before the trip. Nonetheless, they worked together like old friends.

Finishing up at the fire station, Sorensen was asked what was next.

“The beach—I hope!”


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