Luke Dettling, age 10, and Ian Mitchell, age 9, hosted a lemonade stand to raise money for an upcoming mission trip hosted by Faith Presbyterian Church.
The lemonade stand: a classic summer ritual upheld by smiling neighborhood kids, something that has not yet been lost through the years. Whether it is for extra pocket money or a good cause, children have been sitting behind plastic tables with a pitcher of lemonade and a jar of cash for decades. On Wednesday, June 5, Luke Dettling, age 10, and Ian Mitchell, age 9, set up their own citrus table outside their neighborhood pool to raise money for Luke’s church, Faith Presbyterian.
At Faith Presbyterian, their version of Vacation Bible School is known as Wonderlab, an art and science camp where kids can paint, learn and play. This year, Wonderlab is raising money for Sacred Road Ministries, a 10-person team of representatives from the church that will be venturing to a Native American reservation in Warm Springs, Oregon.
Luke and Ian baked cookies for the occasion and sat in the heat with Luke’s mom, Tally Dettling, wearing their blue Wonderlab t-shirts after a day at camp. Their table also was stocked with chips, water, Rice Krispies, Cheez-Its, and, of course, lemonade. This was Ian’s first time at Wonderlab camp, and Luke said it was nice to have a friend with him this year. The pair met in first grade and have continued to be friends since.
“We both like making art the most, especially drawing,” said Ian, referring to Wonderlab camp. “I like science too, but I know everything about science already.”
The funds raised at their lemonade stand will go to the mission trip team traveling to Warm Springs, Oregon. Warm Springs is home to Confederated Tribes, which, according to their website, are separate tribes that operate under one form of tribal government. The website also states that the government of Warm Springs secures the health and prosperity of the tribes and creates a community that affords every tribe member the opportunity to gain good health, self-sufficiency, pride and self-esteem.
Members of the Faith Presbyterian mission team will fund the purchase of a van to help residents on the reservation with transportation, participate in construction work and host a kid’s camp for over 200 local children. This camp will provide a safe place for children to play, sing, raft, learn, swim and hear about Jesus.
Luke and Ian raised $50 at their lemonade stand, which contributed to the more than $2,000 donated throughout Wonderlab camp.