Each day starts grounded in the word of God, missions training, and worship. Throughout the week, your students work through The Unfinished Story for Youth (TUSFY) — the discipleship curriculum our staff facilitates with every group, all summer long. TUSFY isn’t a quick icebreaker devotional. It walks students through the biblical, historical, strategic, and cultural threads of God’s mission, helping them see that joining God’s work among the nations isn’t a side project of the Christian life — it’s the reason we’re here.

By the time your students head home, they haven’t just served for a week. They’ve spent five days building a framework for seeing themselves as characters inside a story God is still writing — with a real part to play in how it ends. That’s the difference between a mission trip your students did and a worldview they carry forward.

During most weeks, Lancaster K-Teams serve refugee and immigrant populations by partnering with the Pennsylvania Migrant Education Program (PA-MEP), a federally funded program that supplements educational support services for migratory children. PA-MEP’s summer school aids English language learners and other migratory children who have had a delayed start or interruption in their education by giving them an additional opportunity for academic instruction and enrichment activities. This program serves children from preschool through senior high. K-Team youth join PA-MEP students for lunch, then lead them in enrichment activities for the afternoon — STEAM projects, team-building, arts & crafts, music, sports, and group games. 

Other activities throughout the week may include prayer walks, cultural learning experiences, or additional service projects.

By Friday, praying for “the nations” has become knowing a specific kid’s name.

The cost is $395 per participant (youth and leaders). Upon registration there is a $395 non-refundable deposit, this is counted towards the total cost. This cost covers room and board for the week, a T-shirt, and related supplies.

We can best accommodate up to a total of 30 people. We ask for 1 adult leader to accompany your group for every 6 youth. If your group has less than 20 participants, we may join your group with another youth group. We always consult with leaders before combining groups.

To save your week, you must first complete the application form (applications are processed on a “first come, first-served” basis). We will notify you if your dates and group are approved. You will then need to submit the $395 non-refundable deposit within 14 days after receiving your confirmation email. This deposit secures your dates and commits your group to that slot. If we don’t receive your deposit within 14 days of your group’s confirmation letter, we will reopen that slot to other waiting groups. You will be notified when we receive your deposit so that you know your week is reserved.

Generally, the experience begins Monday morning and wraps up Friday afternoon. 

There can be some flexibility based on your group’s needs so let us know what could work well for you.Groups traveling some distance can arrive Sunday afternoon and may be able to leave on Saturday morning. Please let us know how we can best accommodate your group.

Our weeks often fill up quickly (the winter before). We’ll update our website as weeks are filled. 

Other Important Deadlines – 

May 1st – Final Group headcount. 

May 15th – Finalized group roster of youth and leaders and all necessary paperwork. Youth leaders and all youth participants who are 18 years old or older will need to provide recent background clearances. We provide you with information on how to acquire clearances that meet our needs. Please note: All clearances need to be from within 12 months of your service experience.

K-Teams are primarily for middle school or high school youth groups. Participants must have completed 6th grade. Part of the work they’ll be doing involves leading activities for children and youth from preschool to high school age, so having some older youth who are confident and able to step up and lead their peers helps. If your group is entirely made up of middle schoolers, we will ask that the chaperones and youth leaders facilitate any activities with middle school and high school youth at Migrant Ed, with your youth group members playing a supportive role. 

We will handle most of the logistics and preparatory planning for the week. We just ask two things of you; provide adequate transportation for your group (this includes arriving at and departing from our host site at the start and end of the week, as well as throughout the week from our home base to outreach and other assorted activities) and prepare activities and supplies for the kids you will be working with during the Migrant Ed outreach. We’ll send you more information along the way and coach you through the process. Our hope is that you will involve your youth group members in the planning of these activities because it provides a great leadership development opportunity for them.

K-teams are typically a group experience; however, if this is something you are interested in, please contact us. We will work with you to try to see if we can make this happen.

We still encourage you to submit your interest! Having your details allows us to explore a few options:

• Group Pairing: We may be able to combine your group with another registered team.
• Adding Weeks: High demand helps us evaluate whether we can open additional trip dates.
• Waitlist Spot: If a registered group cancels, you will be first in line as an alternate for that week.

Submitting your form keeps your options open, and our team will follow up to discuss potential next steps.