Trinity Youth Gallery

Key West Mission Trip 2015

The youth group had a fantastic time during our "Mission: Key West" trip with Riverside Retreat. We departed in the bus after Sunday School on June 14th. We arrived at Key West "Old Stone" UMC about seven hours later. After a good nights sleep we started our first day in Key West at the police horse stables. We spent the day cleaning the stables and tack, and getting to know the horses: Chief, Poco, and Scout. Our second day was spent at Grimal Grove on Big Pine Key. Grimal Grove is an outreach of The Growing Hope Initiative. From their vision statement: "Grimal Grove is more than a destination for tropical fruit enthusiasts. It is a resource for the community including under-served marginalized populations and will strengthen the Florida Keys community." At Grimal Grove we spent the day mulching, weeding and trimming. Our hard work was rewarded with an opportunity to taste some of the rare and exotic fruit grown there. At Grimal Grove we also had a close encounter with a couple Florida Key deer who wanted to share in the fruit tasting. Our third day was spent at the Habitat for Humanity Restore. Here we spent the day clearing the property of Brazilian pepper trees. We also gave the inside of the store a thorough cleaning and arranged furniture. While cleaning around the outside of the building the youth found and rescued a baby tern that had fallen from the roof of the building. Our fourth day was spent learning about the culture and history of Key West. We visited the Key West Lighthouse, the Custom House Museum, the Audubon House, and the Historic Fort Martello Museum. Later in the evening we had a time of fun and relaxation at the beach. Our fifth day was spent at the Key West Botanical Gardens. Here we trimmed bushes and spruced up the historic butterfly garden. We also mowed, pulled weeds and filled in pot holes along the path ways. Friday evening we joined the Key West UMC youth group for a time of fun, fellowship, worship and praise. We departed Key West Saturday morning and by God's grace returned back to Trinity safe and sound later that afternoon. You will all be proud to know that the youth worked hard and truly demonstrated the heart the of a servant. The people at all the organizations we visited and volunteered at were all very impressed with our amazing youth. It is truly a blessing to work with the youth of Trinity UMC. To see more pictures of our "Mission: Key West" and to keep up to date on other youth activities please "like" us on facebook : https://www.facebook.com/TrinityUnitedMethodistYouthGroup