Car wash/yard sale Saturday, May 25

Polk County High School students Ashley Kropp, Sarah Phipps and Madison Siegfried will be spending a month of their summer break being volunteer interns for mission work in Tokyo, Japan.

The students will be doing a wide variety of work while there, including working in an outreach café, teaching a baby English class for preschool age children, directing a children’s summer day camp and assisting with the Samaritan’s Purse tsunami relief efforts.

The girls will be interning with Ashley Kropp’s grandparents, Richard and Janice Kropp, who have been missionaries in Japan for the past 40 years.

The cost for airfare and lodging is $2,500 per student. This Saturday, May 25, the students will be holding a car wash at Advanced Auto in Columbus beginning at 8 a.m. and a yard sale will also be held on Saturday, May 25 in the parking lot across from Scoops ‘N More in Columbus.

“I want to go to Japan because I feel like being given the opportunity, all three of us can truly make a difference in the lives of the Japanese,” Siegfried said. “I hope to make a difference in the life of at least one person and show them the love of Jesus.”

The students say they have been constantly praying and are excited about shadowing a couple completely devoted to serving God. Their trip is planned for June 17 through July 18.

“I want to go so I can experience new things and hopefully help serve and tell the Japanese people about Jesus,” Ashley Kropp said. “I hope to accomplish this: that through my witness, the Japanese people will learn of Jesus Christ and His love and all He has done for us.”

Part of their work will be helping with tsunami victims. Japan was hit with a tsunami in 2011 with many families still living outside of their homes because of water and mud damage, the students have learned.