Woodward, Okla. —
Every June, missionaries for the Assembly of God Church come home to attend meetings at their home office in Springfield, Mo.
These area directors also bring their families with them. While the parents are in meetings, the children attend camps.
Usually the children go out to help communities that have been hit by natural disasters, according to Donnetta Hunter, outreach pastor for the First Assembly of God in Woodward.
"My friend Chad Phillips, who is from the main office of the Assembly of God in Springfield, Mo., contacted me about the clean up, and we were happy to host their camp this year," Hunter said.
"This past weekend we helped clean up 2 properties for a woman on dialysis and this week we are going to help a family paint their new home they purchased after loosing their home in the tornado," Hunter said.
The 30 or so children will be volunteering in Woodward for about a week.
"Most came to town last Thursday, and we had 8 more show up Sunday, but they all will be headed back to Springfield on Thursday," Hunter said.
While the children are in town they stay with members of the First Assembly of God and eat most of their meals at the church, she said.
According to Philip Day, the kids really enjoy getting to meet new people and helping out in different communities around the world.
"Instead of sitting around being bored we put together these camps so the kids have something to keep them busy while mom and dad are in their meetings in Springfield," Day said.
The children are all U.S. citizens, but reside in foreign countries with their parents who are missionaries for the Assembly of God church, Hunter said.
"We have people from all over the world, such as, Jordan, Ukraine, Congo, Bangladesh, Belgium, Ireland, Turkey, Thailand, Latvia and Venezuela. Most of the kids are between ages 10 and 18, with our leaders being over 18," Hunter said.
According to Hunter, the group helped with the clean up in Joplin, Mo. last year after the devastating tornado on May 22, 2011.
After all their hard work, the students get to enjoy a little down time.
"We don't make them work all the time. In fact, we are planning on going to Alabaster Caverns and having a water ballon fight sometime this week," Hunter said.
Local News
Related Photos
-
A group of students from the Assembly of God missionary camp gather at the First Assembly of God church in Woodward before they start the day's work. The group comes from all over the world and have spent a week in Woodward helping tornado victims. Photo by Brandi Thomas
Mission kids help with cleanup effort
- Local News
-
-
Local church to hold prayer vigil for Moore tornado victims
The First Christian Church in Woodward will be holding a prayer vigil tonight at 6 p.m. in support of the victims of the tornado that struck Moore on Monday.
-
Donations being taken at armory today
If you would like to send items to help the victims of Monday's tornado that ripped through Moore, donations are being accepted at the old armory building at Crystal Beach Park through 5 p.m. today.
-
Crews dig through night after deadly Okla. twister
MOORE, Okla. (AP) — Spotlights bore down on massive piles of shredded cinder block, insulation and metal as crews worked through the night early Tuesday lifting bricks and parts of collapsed walls where a monstrous tornado barreled through the Oklahoma City suburbs, demolishing an elementary school and reducing homes to piles of splintered wood. At least 51 people were killed, including at least 20 children, and those numbers were expected to climb, officials said.
-
Woodward County fire departments send assistance to Moore
A search and rescue task force from Woodward County was deployed to help assist with the response to the devastating tornado that ripped through Moore and south Oklahoma City Monday afternoon.
-
Police: School near OKC directly hit by tornado
MOORE, Okla. (AP) — Authorities say an elementary school in an Oklahoma City suburb took a direct hit from a mile-wide tornado.
-
Projects on city agenda
Renovation and construction projects are the theme for the Woodward City Commission's regular meeting Monday at 7 p.m. in City Hall.
-
Museum hosting history lectures
If you've lived here long enough then you've surely heard about Woodward's "favorite son" Temple Houston, his famous "Soiled Dove" speech, and his infamous shootout with the Jennings brothers.
-
Season approaching for Farmer’s Market
The Woodward Farmer's Market will be in a new location when it opens for the 2013 season on May 25.
-
Routine items on agenda
The Board of Woodward County Commissioners will address a number of routine annual items during their regular meeting at 10 a.m. Monday at the county courthouse.
-
Walleye Rodeo is under way
CANTON - The Walleye Rodeo is under way in Canton with a number of events taking place.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Local church to hold prayer vigil for Moore tornado victims
Raw: Tearful Reunion After Okla. Tornado
OKC Hospital Describes Treating Tornado Wounded
Obama Pledges Urgent Aid for Tornado Victims
Raw: Aerials Show Path of Oklahoma Destruction
Raw: Widespread Destruction in Moore, Okla.
Raw: Massive Funnel Clouds in Oklahoma
Raw: Japan's WWII Atrocities Under Fire in Seoul
Voters Could Elect LA's First Female Mayor
Raw: Rescuers Pull Tornado Survivors to Safety
Oklahoma Gov: 'Hearts Are Broken' After Tornado
Raw: Walking in a Flattened Okla. Neighborhood
Raw: Rescue Workers Search Oklahoma School
Raw: Witness Describes Scene After Okla. Tornado
