One of the most significant ways in which CLA has supported our students going on a missions trip is through Student Missions Dinners. These offer a great way to support our students while enjoying a delicious meal.

We’ve had two Missions Dinners so far this year, and $10,062 was raised that will go toward the students’ trip costs! Our third and final dinner of 2025 is scheduled for Sunday, May 4 at 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM. We encourage you to join us and be a blessing to our students! Attendees can give donations via cash, check, card or tap pay, and the takeout option is available.
 
Check out what Hannah Blocher, one of our youth who went to El Salvador last year (and will be going again this June), shared about her experience:

“While I was in El Salvador, there was a shift in my perspective of everything. I truly realized that I am blessed after seeing how the people there live. I got to strengthen my relationship with my friends, but also my relationship with the Lord, which I’m so grateful for.”
 
THIS is why we believe so strongly in supporting our students – thanks for being part of what God is doing in their lives!

Questions? Email us at missions@clacamphill.com.

Join us on Saturday, April 26 as we continue to help revitalize the property of River of Life Assembly of God in Sunbury, PA at our April Mission 10 Work Day. These efforts will allow this church to continue to be a bright light in the local community and have an impact for Jesus! We will assist this church with painting, plastering, cleaning, outdoor work/weeding, general labor and cleanup, and various other projects. This is for individuals age 15+. Learn more and register.

Did you know that those affected by incarceration are one of the most overlooked people groups in our nation?

In partnership with Pete Einstein of SonPower Ministries, we are once again offering a Prison Ministry Training Group for those interested in sharing the love of Jesus through a variety of opportunities within the context of prison ministry.

Pete has shared powerful stories of those who participated in the first training group last year. He has taken group graduates into various prison settings. These individuals have participated in various in-person prison visitation opportunities and written correspondence to inmates. Interestingly, the spiritual principles taught in this training are applicable to many serving opportunities. This training initiative will take place on Wednesdays from April 23-July 16. Learn more and register.

We love our local community, and we’re excited to once again be part of Jubilee Day in Mechanicsburg this summer. This is a popular annual event, and many individuals from our community attend. This event will be held on Thursday, June 19. CLA will sponsor the event’s Petting Zoo, and we will have a vendor booth with various kids’ activities, such as face painting and balloon animals. Families are welcome to serve together! Learn more and register.

As a high school student, Romy Carter participated in a missions trip to El Salvador. Although she had a meaningful experience, she came back to the United States with every intention of continuing in her plan for her life. She attended college and even received her degree, but she felt like something was missing as she shared in her own words below:

“During the summer of 2020, I felt very complacent. I was between graduating college and searching for a job. I felt like my heart wasn’t satisfied with a day-to-day job and I could not sit there anymore while people are dying without knowing the goodness of God and the joy of the Gospel.
 
There is an urgency in my heart to share the Gospel of Jesus. God highlighted to me more than ever before that our world is hurting and that I should be a part of that move to share Jesus with everyone possible, even in the darkest nations. Though it is different from what others are doing, I have recently felt the Lord say to leave the typical working life.”

In 2021, Romy started working with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) and she hasn’t turned back since. Her heart burns to share the Gospel and help develop leadership skills through her small group leader role, helping those who attend the School of Ministry Development to grow in their relationship with the Lord.

Not only does she desire to help equip others, but she continues to serve in the United States and, when possible, she participates in missions experiences around the world. One of her favorite places to go is Brazil where there are 50 unreached people groups, meaning these people have never heard about Jesus. She will be part of a team that will be leaving soon to serve in the Amazon.

Being called to serve in missions does not have to stop your life and your dreams, but serving Jesus does require obedience. It requires you to say yes to things that are out of your comfort zone and sometimes it may require you to say no to things you may want to do. But God is good through it all and He desires good things for us. Romy recently shared a life update about one of these good things – she is engaged! Romy and Jeremy share a passion for Jesus and plan to marry soon and continue living a life serving Him through missions.

Philly Dream Center – Philadelphia, PA | May 24 (Deadline May 10)
We hope you and your family will pray about being a part of one or more of these opportunities.

• Outreach and Evangelism
  Focusing on the Kensington (“Needle”) Park area, this one-day team provides a unique opportunity for friends and family to serve together to minister to those who have been gripped by the opioid crisis and need to experience the new beginning that Jesus has to offer them.
• Construction and Renovation
  Help with one or more of the ongoing construction and renovation projects in the facility so that the impact can be felt through the community. Anticipated project needs will require a variety of skill levels including demolition, electrical, plumbing, basic framing, general laborers and clean-up support.
  
  

Hope For McDowell – Jolo, WV | August 16-23 (Deadline June 15)
The opioid crisis is prominent in Jolo, WV, and it impacts families and the community in a negative way. Help make a positive impact by joining a team that will go in August to assist with minor home renovations, which will be life-changing for local families, in addition to other potential projects in the church and community. This means a variety of gifts and talents are needed, including:

• All levels of construction/renovation skills
• Non-skilled support (people who are ready to serve)
• Meal preparation (limited opportunities).
  
  

Learn more about these opportunities on our Missions page.

God is calling you to go into the world to share Him with others. Sometimes we hold back because we are unsure or intimidated, but He has already equipped you for what He has called you to do! Below are a few opportunities for you to pray about.

• Kenya | August 24-September 3 (Deadline May 15) - CLA raised $118,000 in 2024 to fund the rebuilding of a church in Kiambaa where tragedy struck in 2008 and, in partnership with World Serve, to drill a water well in Kadong to bring clean water to thousands. Our team will help finish the church construction (rebuild) and possibly help build a new adjacent sports complex where important connection and impact to the community can be made for Jesus.
  
  
• Indonesia | September 15-25 (Deadline June 15) – If your heart desires to help students grow in leadership and ministry, this is the trip for you! The House of Hope is a youth mentoring/discipleship complex established over 20 years ago where students age 12+, who show leadership potential, are selected from villages to be trained in English, music, sports, business and ministry. Now led by the newly appointed missionaries Mike and Diane Masse, additional opportunities are being established in a place where there are no video games or other distractions and every child wants to be in a gang, good or bad. The introduction of Royal Rangers is providing the opportunity for boys, girls and their families to find a good place to belong. So far, eight outposts have been established within the 2,000 islands and every one of these outposts are thriving.
  
  

To learn more and register for any of these missions trips, visit our Missions page.

CLA recently sent a team to Jamaica to visit, pray with and minister to the elderly. Below are two of the team members’ stories.

Beth Santamaria
“I love talking and praying with people and listening to them tell me about themselves and what God has done in their lives. I wanted to remind them that God sees and loves them.
 
I was also blessed as I watched one of the team members use the gifts God has given to her. It reminded me that if you trust in and are obedient to Him, He will work everything out. My faith has grown because I have seen His work in me and through others.” 

Robert Williams, Jr.
“I love sharing the good news with people and believe God placed this trip on my heart to get out of my comfort zone. He has recently been speaking to my spirit to trust Him more. I was originally concerned about finances because I recently resigned from my job due to some family issues in Texas. But God still provided because He uses all people who are willing to surrender their will to His.
 
I prayed and asked God if He wanted me to go, to send someone to offer to pay for my trip. I was asked if I was going by three different people the Sunday before the deadline and I was able to tell them, ‘Yes, God sent someone who offered to help me with financing the trip.’ Since then, I have signed up for another trip, Thailand, and am trusting God to help me to attend this and other future opportunities for Him.
 
I have concerns for family members who know to trust Him but refuse to serve Him as they should. However, God is also showing me that I must stay focused on Him and the path He is preparing me for. As I trust Him more, I am growing and not relying on myself for what He wants me to do. I know He is growing me to do His will, and I must stay true to the course He is setting before me.”

“I was excited to participate in an opportunity where my skills and experience aligned.” This was said by every person who said yes to going to Algeria. Although their feelings were mixed before going because safety is a concern in this area of the world, each team member ultimately felt the call to go because they knew “the safest place for anyone is when they are following God’s direction.”
 
One of the team members presented a challenge to the others by asking, “When is the last time you did something for the first time?” This question had a resounding impact as they each had an opportunity to lead sessions during a leadership training conference for business professionals in a region that is known to oppose Christians. They found that sharing their knowledge and experience within business was one way to build relationships established in trust. This trust allowed for deeper conversations including one of the attendees who boldly shared his faith with one of the team members.

One team member shared, “Seeing what an unreached people group looks like firsthand is both inspiring and heartbreaking. We talked at our conference event about expanding our strength zone with knowledge, study and skill but many never leave their comfort zone to use the gifts and skills they have. Many Christians are afraid to get out of the boat. But instead, be encouraged, GO and see how as you seek to help others, you become changed. The only question you will ask yourself when you return is, ‘Why did I not start doing this sooner?’"

CLA supports nearly 200 missionaries and missions initiatives to ensure the Gospel is being shared in the U.S. and around the world.

• Isaac and Mia Van Proosdy | Croatia – Mia attended CLA with her family as a child and now serves with her family of six by planting churches in the Balkan Peninsula of Eastern Europe. They started out as Missionary Associates and are planning to become fully appointed missionaries to continue serving in this region of the world. Please pray for provision, protection and progress as they follow the Lord in obedience to the call.
  
  
• S & L | Sensitive Area – Some areas of the world require a unique approach to sharing the Gospel and that is what S and L have committed to. Their approach to make a difference through Business as Mission (BAM) opens the door to enter closed regions of the world while building relationships and sharing the Gospel message. Some BAM business models have included coffee shops, sports, medical centers, agriculture and social work endeavors. While they often can’t be shared publicly, CLA is committed to praying for and supporting those who are going into the dark places.