Have you ever seen a group of teens on fire — not physically, but spiritually? They can make a huge difference, as seen by many in the Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, area.
Teen Pathfinder Mission Adventure (TPMA) took place March 24–31, 2019. For anyone who is not aware of TPMA, it is a mission trip tailored to be less costly than an overseas mission trip. It's also a fantastic opportunity to make a difference in our own neighborhood, the Pacific Northwest.
This year we had the opportunity to work and grow alongside 87 teens doing things like building decks, railing and stairs; raking leaves; chopping wood; cleaning windows; and more. The best part of the week, as has become tradition, is that complete strangers learn to work as a team and by the end of the week become a family.
Teens traveled from Orcas Island in Washington Conference; Caldwell, Idaho; Libby, Montana; and across the Upper Columbia Conference, to participate in a week of serving, worshipping and fun. For some, this was an environment unlike anything they had ever experienced. For others, this week was a chance to step into their God-given gifts of leadership
Carissa Torquato, from Hayden Lake (Idaho) Ponderosa Pathfinders, shared a memorable moment she experienced during TPMA. After washing windows at a nursing home, one of the residents came up to her group and said, “Thank you guys so much! I didn’t realize for one thing how dirty the windows were and, for another thing, how happy you guys could be washing windows of all things.”
Teen Pathfinder Mission Adventure is not just a mission to our own communities but to our youth. They learn to work as a team, forge new friendships, learn more about God’s purpose for them, and best of all ignite unquenchable, spiritual fires for God in each other and their community.
