<p>My kids have been doing mission trips through our church since they were in 5th grade. They started in country: Savannah, GA and Miami, FL. As they got older, they’ve moved out of country: Bahamas (orphanages and schools, not beaches), Brazil and Canada. Our kids have had to earn their mission trip money. The church pays 1/2 because of how the congragation supports missions for youth, but the students are to raise the other half. So, my kids have gotten jobs, dug post holes, done yard work, baby sat, whatever’s needed to earn their 1/2 of the money (even though we could pay for them). So, not only have the kids been helping people for years, but they’ve also learned that they need to be committed enough to the trip to pay their own freight. But there’s a sense of community service already instilled in them for when they’re not on these trips. I remember talking to my D about Bright Futures … a means that Fl. kids can earn scholarship money by doing community service (along with grades and test scores.) Both she and my son were surprised that what they’d been doing for years would count for service hours. Seemed really weird to them. </p>
<p>zebes</p>