By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

MT LAUREL—Instead of the typical summer beach vacation, a number of Double Oak Community Church members took time off this season to help others. This past month, church members traveled to Mexico, Honduras and Washington state on mission trips.

DOCC kicked off the summer with a mission trip to Ensenada, Mexico. From May 31-June 6, 26 church members worked with Yugo Missions to build two houses for local families in the impoverished region.

“At the end of the week, when you hand the keys to the family, tears are just flowing down the street. It’s just incredible,” DOCC Missions Team Leader Mike Lindsey said.

Two weeks later, 18 DOCC members traveled more than 1,000 miles to do mission work with orphans in Honduras. The group partnered with Forgotten Children Ministries to “give them clothes, give them food and spend time with them,” Lindsey explained.

The group from DOCC was struck by the conditions and poverty many of the children lived in.

“It will absolutely break your heart,” Lindsey said, adding the experience inspired some on the trip to continue mission work. “They are really feeling the call to go into full time ministry, fulltime missions… it changes you.”

While DOCC members were working in Honduras, another group went up to Washington to the Yakama Indian Reservation. The group spent the week working with the McKinley Indian Mission to host a Bible school for children on the reservation.

“By the end of the week, we had over 100 kids coming to Bible school,” Lindsey said. “They were loved on, had a good meal and learned about God’s love… That will absolutely impact those kids’ lives forever. You get to show the same love God shows to us to others.”

Mission work is an important part of Double Oak Community Church. Lindsey estimated more than 100 church members have traveled to do mission work outside of Alabama this year. He added even more members regularly do mission work locally.

“We’re in a fortunate position where God is doing something in our church,” Lindsey said.