DUNCAN — Churches from around Stephens County are prepping for mission trips all over the world, the United States and the city of Duncan.

Immanuel Baptist Church is preparing to send a mission team to London, England over the spring break to work with the south Asian population there. This will be the fifth team Immanuel has sent a team to East London to work with this people group.

“About six years ago, we took a mission team out there and met with English speaking Burmese people,” Missions Minister DeAnna Sanders said. “We got acquainted with them and others from Bangladesh. This is a huge population in London, we wanted to work with people from south Asia and India.”

The church enjoys working with this people group in East London, helping them with prayer walks and putting on a business school for them. A team of four will be using the basics of business communications and business skills to help give the students a leg up in the business world and to develop a connection to speak to them about Christ.

“The business courses will help the students build toward some business degree, to help them earn a living and help them send money home to their families,” Sanders said.

Sanders said that God put the students in their path and the missionaries hope to help them start a relationship with Christ.

“We don’t know the outcome but we do know that relationships were started with these men and women with missionaries we have performed with them in the past,” Sanders said.

At Chisholm Trail Church of Christ, the youth are preparing for a summer trip to Impact Church in Houston, Texas from June 25 to July 1. Still in the planning stages, this will be the third summer for a mission trip from Chisholm Trail to travel to Impact Church.

“It’s been a real good experience for our teens,” Youth and Family Minister Jason Retherford said. “They have stated before that this trip was life-changing for them.”

Retherford hopes the new and returning youth help make a connection with the children there through vacation bible school and other activities that are still being planned.

“The adults and I have known the routine and we have some of the same kids, so all of the planning will be easy,” Retherford said.

The team expected to travel is being estimated by Retherford to be around 40-45 youth, growing from the 15 youth the first year and 23 last year. Retherford hopes that the youth become humble and appreciative of what they have and learn to become very generous givers.

“Kids and adults that came back could not stop talking about how exciting it was,” Retherford said. “It was very neat to see our kids be apart of something that was bigger than themselves and that excitement has spread throughout the church.”

Locally, the Mullins Baptist Association is preparing for the arrival of World Changers in Duncan during the month of June.

World Changers is an mission that helps low and fixed income families, widowed women, the elderly and single mothers with repairs that are unable to perform, Mullins association coordinator Shelly Morcom said.

In partners with the North American Mission Board and the Southern Baptist Convention, volunteers and missionaries will travel to Duncan to help perform home improvements like roofing work, painting, wheelchair ramps, siding and windows.

“In the next couple of weeks, we’re going to be holding a community night where people can come in and apply,” Morcom said. “We are also looking for individuals and businesses to offer to help provide funds for the materials needed.”

Around $30,000 was raised last year and this year’s fundraising is off to a good start, Morcom said.

Youth traveling into Duncan will be sleeping at First Baptist Church. This year’s mission will be held June 13 - 18 with Duncan being part of 85 projects nationwide that were chosen to host the event. Morcom estimates that 275 people will show up to work around the city of Duncan.