As one group of youths  from Mary of the Visitation Church returns home last week from out east, another group is prepping to hit the road to for one week down south. 

 

Doug Watercott, MOTV’s director of youth ministries, was just discharged from supervising 19 middle schoolers to mission work in Milwaukee and is now (today) helping 29 high schoolers make the trek from Minnesota to Missouri to care for the disabled in Kansas City.

 

 

Watercott, Tanya Schmidt, Chris Studer and Renee Hildebrandt chaperoned nearly two dozen eager middle schoolers to Hales Corner in Milwaukee, WI just last month. The trip was to include a visit to a Feeding America warehouse to sort through perishable foods to determine what can go to food shelves and shelters.

 

Their other escapade was to visit a homeless shelter and help put in paving stones for a walkway, paint structures and help with some sorting. They also received a life-changing tour from a former resident of the homeless shelter.

 

Willie Dotson, a larger-than-life, gladdening black man, gave the Becker and Big Lake kids a tour of the Repairers of the Breach homeless shelter where he once resided. Dotson explained to the youths that throughout his life, he made some critical decisions that affected his future that led him to being homeless. Dotson said he fell in disfavor with the law, ended up in prison for 18 years and missed major milestones in his life including his own graduation, birthdays and the deaths of his parents.

 

Dotson said he came out of prison with no family, no home and no job or education. He even showed the kids a place by a tree he used to sleep under when people thought he had passed away.

 

“Dotson’s story was powerful,” said Watercott. “It was from the heart and the kids just gravitated to him.”

 

 

Overall, the youth mission trip was a great success until they returned home and found out their beloved  motorcoach had died. The bus was playfully nicknamed “prison bus” and had been used for many years on many trips all across the country for events, mission trips and the sort.

 

Watercott was horrified to find out the 1991 prison bus was out of commission since he had less than a week to get the high school group ready for their trip down south. Through prayer, conversations and providence, Watercott was able to find a coach bus 16 years newer from Vision Transportation in Big Lake for just $15,000.

 

“The bus is important to our trips,” said Watercott. “It’s more than just our transport. It is a vehicle where we experience community, we bond with each other and build as a team.”

 

The middle schoolers who participated in the trip were Elysa Amberg, Lily Berger, Nick Berglund, Daelyn Brannan, Ellie Buntrock, India Chrisler, Jasmine Chrisler, Austin Clemen, Ben Dumonceaux, Ella Dumonceaux, Carly Hagberg, Blake Hildebrandt, Paige Johnson, Adam Jurek, Emily Meyer, Ella Scherber, Cody Schmidt, Sophie Studer and Lauren Winter.

 

 

Watercott this time was joined by Jocelyn Johnson, Tracy Johnson, Kelly Jurek, Sherry Meyer, Mary Ellen Richter and Jim Richter as adult chaperones for the 29 kids going to Missouri.

 

The goal of the mission trip to K.C. is to do a lot of odds and ends for disabled people including building and repairing decks, building wheelchair ramps, doing routine housework and painting any structures deemed needed.

 

Watercott said he was super excited for the fact the site they’ll be at will feature several keynote speakers who will be sharing their personal stories with the teens.

 

“Kids connect to stories and it affects them when they see how God has changed one person’s life so drastically.”

 

The site will also be featuring several bands that are sure to uplift and inspire the high schoolers during their down time.

 

The high schoolers who traveled the nearly 500 miles are Jasmine Johnson, Mary Goenner, Rachel Eisenreich, Morgan Meyer, Jack Hagberg, Nick Radunz, Claire Voigt, Megan Nelson, Amber Vogl, Allison Schmidt, Josie Berger, AJ Buntrock, Logan Jurek, Alex Berglund, Abby Larsen, Elsie Gaffaney, Adam Thelen, Bryce Brannan, Hunter Malisheski, Alex Lumley, Ashlyn Croal, McKayla Ewing, Emma Henneman, Megan Gamble, Faith Madsen, Kalyn Sherman, Jackie Yoerg, Cayla Paumen and Jacob Jurek.