To the Parents of YHM Summer Participants:
The Office of Christian Outreach (OCO) is dedicated to offering the Wheaton College community opportunities to learn through service. All seven ministries partner with international and national organizations, along with faculty and staff across departments and disciplines, to offer students unique opportunities to learn by combining their faith and academics through service.
Specifically, Youth Hostel Ministry provides opportunities during the summer for students to share the Gospel with the global traveling community. Students will spend time traveling, working, and living in Christian youth hostels where they will embrace lives of service through hospitality, discipleship, and evangelism. Through YHM, Wheaton students are given the opportunity to immerse themselves in the traveling culture by working with and living alongside other travelers for 10 weeks during the summer.
As an OCO staff, we communicate regularly with the students while they are serving abroad. We process applications, coach students through support raising, coordinate travel schedules, prepare students through orientation for their service learning, and pray for them as they go. After completing an orientation program, each team will go and serve alongside a long term partner. Each team member then returns to their home town at the end of the summer.
As a ministry, we believe strongly in the participation of the local church and value interaction with the parents of our students, and so we invite you to explore the YHM websites to get a sense of what your student will be doing this Spring and Summer. Should you have any questions about the Office of Christian Outreach, YHM, or our service learning opportunities in general, please don't hesitate to email or call us.
In closing, we want to reiterate our commitment to communicate with you. Thank you for taking an active role in the lives of your sons and daughters—we appreciate you. We look forward to seeing how God will work this summer!
Blessings,
Office of Christian Outreach Staff
E: oco@wheaton.edu | P: 630.752.5076