From pulling weeds to time with seniors, visiting youth here to serve

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So far, Lucia has gone to Kelowna and Nelson and now Prince Albert and she’s not done yet.

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“I’ve already done it two years now, and so this is my third and I’m planning on coming back next.It feels really good to serve and then like and being with all these people, making friends, and then there’s the, like, our sessions at night are just amazing. Our worship night is just a really good reset.”

Her favourite activity in Prince Albert has been spending time with seniors, who she says really seem to appreciate visits from young people.

Peter Anderson, Serve Director Canadian Baptists of Western Canada said the program has been around for 25 years. They go anywhere in western Canada that a Baptist Church is willing to host them.

Pulling the weeds before they seed helps prevent the problem from spreading to the entire garden. (Susan McNeil/paNOW)

The local church organizes the week of duties and the visitors show up and do the work.

“The purpose of serve is to demonstrate the love of Jesus through active service, so when we come to a community, we just want to know how we can help and we help as best we can without asking anything in return. We just want to serve and be here and be a blessing,” said Anderson.

In Prince Albert, they have been to places like seniors homes, gardens, back yards, running a food drive, in schools and running a day camp

Weeding thistle is not fun and is best done wearing gloves. (Susan McNeil/paNOW)

“I would say every year I’m so encouraged that these groups of high school students pay money to come to a community of which they don’t know, sleep on the floor and work all day long because of their love for God and other people, and they just want to serve. And I find it so encouraging that it gives me hope,” he said.

When paNOW caught up with them, the youth were pulling weeds in the Prince Albert Community Garden, working throughout the day in the heat.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com