Mission trips are a blessing to volunteers, beneficiaries

During the summer months many churches sponsor mission trips around the country and abroad. The timing is good for students, who are out of school for the summer, and others who take vacation time to minister to those in need.

In June, seven students and eight adults from Notre Dame Regional High School went to Montgomery, Alabama, to provide assistance. The work included an outreach to the Resurrection Catholic Missions grade school, helping elderly individuals clean apartments, painting and delivering Meals on Wheels, to name a few activities.

The summer mission trip is an annual event for Notre Dame students. This year, however, the trip had an added educational theme. The students visited Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, the church the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. served as pastor. There were other sites to visit and stories to hear -- including a visit with the Rev. Bernice King, a daughter of King and his wife Coretta Scott King.

Opportunities like this are especially important for young people. You learn things you may have missed in the classroom. It's also about experiencing the history you read, visiting landmarks and hearing first-hand accounts.

Thank you to Notre Dame for the efforts to help students engage with service and to learn important history on the trip.

To all the organizations and churches that send people on mission trips, thank you. It's vital that everyone learn to live a life of service. Helping others in need and looking beyond ourselves has its own benefits. Those receiving the help also are blessed.