Annual Newsletter

“This past summer, one of our youth group leaders at Lake Merritt United Methodist Church suggested our youth group go on a service trip with Sierra Service Project. We raised the money to go from donations and fundraising events, and chose to participate at SSP’s San Diego site.

As a pastor’s daughter, I mistakenly thought I had learned and experienced all I needed to know to maintain my relationship with God and my beliefs. However, after sitting down and opening up with my group, I realized I had barely touched the surface of my faith journey.”

“Through immersion trips to the border, young people experience contact with vulnerable people. The result, according to their subsequent comments, is “touching, eye-opening, unexpected, impactful, humbling, grateful, hopeful, connected, clarified, a great experience.” This is an experience that strengthens their soul and empowers them to carry the story to others. Eventually, a sense of care for other people in vulnerable conditions develops within them.”

“SSP was an important part of my youth, and in fact, my SSP experiences were a large part of my call to ministry. As a pastor and mom, I wanted to share the SSP experience with my son and the youth whom I serve. My son Noah attended SSP for the first time in 2018 as a 12-year-old. He said it was the hardest work he’d ever done, but by the end of the week he was asking about next year, and talking about serving on staff in the future!”

“As an Oregon State Park located in Chiloquin, Collier Memorial State Park is incredibly fortunate to host Sierra Service Project volunteers for six service days in the summer. The partnership between Collier and SSP has fostered stewardship in the outdoors for over six years at the day-use area!”

“When I retired from ministry in the summer of 2018, I knew the thing I would miss the most was taking youth groups to Sierra Service Project every summer. I have not missed a summer since my first SSP trip in 1994. Little did I know this transition would actually allow me to have more involvement with SSP than I had in the past 25 years.”

“I didn’t understand the pull of SSP for my husband and teenage kids. Port-A-Potties, occasional showers, PB&J sandwiches (EVERY DAY!), sunburns, sleeping bag accommodations, bumps and bruises, tarred and paint-stained clothing, disheveled exhaustion, and ravenous appetites upon return. Oh, and they had to pay to participate.

And then I went. And I experienced it for myself.”

“My journey with Sierra Service Project started in the early 2000s. It began with a call from Valencia United Methodist’s Pastor Pete Falbo, asking if I would chaperone a group of youth on a mission project called SSP. All he said was I would be driving a minivan full of high schoolers from Southern California up to somewhere in Oregon.

Little did I know from the first moment I stepped into Valencia United Methodist’s parking lot on a Saturday morning in July, my life would be forever changed.”

“SSP is a lot of things to a lot of different people. For some, it’s a week to get away from home and be free, and for others, it’s a week of working hard and making friends. There is no one right answer to what SSP is because everyone has their own story, and I love telling mine.

For me, the concept of unplugging has always been difficult. Growing up in a technology-filled world really does influence your day to day life, whether you like it or not.”

“My oldest son, Connor, went on his first SSP trip in 2010 with our church, Point Pleasant United Methodist Church in Elk Grove, CA. I had no idea what it was about, but I volunteered to put together the slide show of pictures to show during service at our church after the youth group returned. After seeing all the photos, I knew I wanted to go the next year. Fortunately, a spot opened up for me (we have more adult volunteers who want to attend than we have room for) and I was able to go the next year to Fort Hall, ID.”

“I recently retired from an engineering career, and I want to give back to a society that has been so generous to me. I have also always loved working with youth, including my four kids. SSP blends my passions, allowing me to work on construction projects, support underrepresented communities, and tackle social injustice.”

“During my first SSP, I was assigned to a deck and ramp project for a man who occasionally used a wheelchair, and couldn’t get out of his house because it wasn’t accommodating for his needs. My group came into the project towards the end and got to finish it during our week.”

“After a lengthy drive through the greenest scenery I have ever witnessed, California Highway 197 was nearing its end. A dense trove of Redwoods lined both sides, and where Highway 101 took over, the golden rays of the setting sun blessed everything they touched. With such a majestic reveal of Smith River, I knew I had the fortune of stumbling across something magical. With each passing week I spent there, the small town and surrounding Del Norte County revealed more and more hidden gems.”