Bess Weltin and Katie Reeves are raising money.

But they’re not buying Christmas presents or something for themselves. They hope to raise enough money – $2500 each – to participate in a mission to Trujillo, Peru.

Weltin and Reeves are excited by the prospect of traveling out of the country to help set up a camp similar to Twin Lakes Camp and Conference Center, sponsored by the First Presbyterian Church of Jackson, Miss.

Both these young women have served as counselors at the camp, Reeves for the last three years.

Reeves is a freshman at the University of South Alabama majoring in pre-med. Weltin is a freshman at Belhaven College in Jackson studying psychology.

Both DHS graduates love children and get much pleasure working with youngsters, witnessing to them and watching them grow physically and spiritually.

“This trip pretty much combines everything I’m passionate about,” Reeves said. “I’m a Spanish minor and they speak Spanish there.”

In addition she and Weltin will get the opportunity to spread the Gospel and touch the hearts of the children they will be working with.

The teens two of a team of 30 who intend to make the trip early next month.

“I went to Uganda in 2007,” Weltin, who was part of the mission sponsored by the First Presbyterian Church in Demopolis said. While that trip involved Evangelism, going door to door, “this one is different,” she added.

This mission trip involves helping the Peruvians set up their camp and Weltin said she is eager to teach the children how to fellowship with God and others.

Both young women have been soliciting support from their hometown church members and anyone else who wants to help them with this important task.

“I think we’re about half way there,” Reeves said, pointing out that both must raise the trip money on their own.

Once in Peru, Weltin and Reeves will involve themselves in a variety of activities meant to affect the children at this Christian camping experience.

“We’ll do skits that involved stories about Jesus and other Bible stories,” Reeves said. “We hope to not only touch the lives of these children, but our work will extend past them to their friends and families. God works in amazing ways.”

Anyone who would like to make a tax deductible contribution toward sending these young women on their mission may contact Reeves at 334-341-9393 and Weltin at 334-289-2991.