What God Did Beyond the Projects
Aliquippa, PA Mission Trip 2026

Twenty-four of us — spanning multiple generations of our church — spent a weekend serving in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. When we came home, the easiest thing to talk about was the work we finished. We painted homes, repaired fences and porches, reset posts, dug holes, cleaned yards, and pulled out a set of doors that had been installed wrong so we could put them in right. Those things mattered, and I was grateful for every willing hand. But by the end of the weekend, I knew the projects were not the main story. The work simply opened the door for us to love people well.

One of the most encouraging moments happened before we ever picked up a tool. As we prepared to head to our worksites that first morning, Joseph, Anna, and John were already saying, “When we get there, let’s go prayer walking!” Their enthusiasm was contagious, and it set the tone for the whole trip. All weekend they talked with neighbors, prayed with anyone willing, and built real relationships.

We served at three houses, but it felt like God gave us three neighborhoods. Our team split into groups, and everywhere we went, conversations started. People welcomed us onto porches and into yards, and some shared burdens they had been carrying a long time. One of those relationships was with Louise, a bedridden woman who welcomed us into her life. Part of our team spent hours upstairs with her over both days, talking and praying. She glanced out the window and mentioned her gutters needed cleaning, so a couple of our guys took care of that too — but the gutters were never the point. A woman who has very little interaction with people had someone beside her, listening. Then on Saturday, Louise and her son surprised our entire team by providing a barbecue chicken lunch. What began as serving someone else quickly became a reminder that ministry is often a blessing shared by everyone involved.

At another worksite, our team discovered that the neighborhood children simply wanted someone to spend time with them. Between projects they played games, ran races, laughed together, and built friendships. During a conversation with one mother, they learned her teenage son would be celebrating his birthday the next day. Rather than letting the opportunity pass, the team knocked on his door and surprised him by singing “Happy Birthday.” It was a simple act of kindness, but one that brought joy to an ordinary day.

Our third team found another opportunity to share Christ’s love. As they talked and prayed with neighbors, they learned that one family had recently lost a brother. Before we left Aliquippa on the final day, the entire team stopped one last time to gather with that family and pray for them. The project was finished, but the ministry wasn’t. Paint eventually fades and fences someday need repaired again — showing people the love of Christ has an eternal impact.

At the house where I worked, I kept thinking about the husband who welcomed us in. He probably thought we had come to bless his home, but because he opened that door, his whole neighborhood was touched. That stayed with me. Sometimes one act of trust creates a ripple far beyond what we can see.

I had hoped our team would learn to depend on God, and they did. Smoke from the wildfires and steady rain kept changing our plans, but the trip never stopped being fruitful. We saw God carry us through the obstacles, and we saw Him at work in the people we met.

The greatest lesson many of us brought home is that missions is about far more than completing projects. It is about seeing people, listening to their stories, praying with them, and loving them the way Jesus loves us. The people we served in Aliquippa were not so different from the people around us here. The same compassion we showed there can be lived out right in our own neighborhoods. My prayer is that this weekend was not the end of a mission, but the beginning of a deeper commitment to seeing people, loving people, and serving people wherever God has placed us.

Thank you to everyone who prayed, gave, and encouraged our team. Your support made this ministry possible, and we are grateful for the opportunity to serve together in the name of Jesus.

Jerry Fox
Team Leader & Church Elder