Detials for Final  Mission Trip 2026 June DAtes

May 27th Email: Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Hello everyone!
We are LESS than a month away from Alive in You 2026 in Chattanooga, TN! Below is the finalized list of pre-events, permission slips, and important reminders leading up to the mission trip.

Please read all 4 points & Upcoming Dates below carefully:
AS WE KICK INTO SUMMER… please plan to attend the final pre-mission trip events!
1) RSVP Form (REQUIRED) Please fill out this RSVP form:
https://forms.gle/wYTQZBfxTQ1gQKNH8
2) Alive in You Regpack Forms (REQUIRED)
Please Select: Camp: Chattanooga, TN     Youth Minister: Anna Kraus  to complete your AiY “Regpack” release forms:
https://www.regpack.com/reg/templates/build/?g_id=100918847
3) Final Permission Slip Please complete Anna’s final permission slip using either:the attached PDF: “May 1st 2026 Mission Trip Permission Slip FieldTripConsentForm.pdf” OR the link to our website and button for “Final Permission Slip” can be selected and filled out online and emailed to Anna [email protected]
4) Final fees/ donations are due to the St. Matthew’s Parish Office by June 1. -Checks should have the memo line: “Mission Trip”
Final UPCOMING EVENTS
Wednesday, June 3 – Social Night
6:30PM- 9:30PM
Shepherd of the Hills – Eden, WI

Sunday, June 7 – Send-Off Mass (UPDATED DATE)
10:30 AM Mass
Shepherd of the Hills – Eden, WI

Some Alive in You staff members will also be present on June 7th before heading to Chicago for their first week of AiY!
IMPORTANT: This is a NEW development.
We moved our Send-Off Mass up TWO WEEKS from the original date listed in the fall registration packet.
The Send-Off Mass is now:
Sunday, June 7, 2026
(not Father’s Day, June 21)
It would be really beneficial to get all of us together — including the West Bend group — a few times during these final weeks before the trip.
Thank you!
I am only a quick phone call away, and please call if you have any questions while packing, praying, and preparing for this adventure! 
Anna Kraus
(608)290-2227​
Words cannot explain the growth your teen will experience from Mission Trip. Please, reach out to Anna Kraus Youth Minister if you would like to know more about our current Fundraising Dates.
We cannot wait for the next servant and Mission Minded Hearts to journey on to a serving summer! 
​Click HERE for link to look around their website if you wish!

-What is Love Begins Here, LBH??? 
​ Click Here for all the info or go to https://www.archmil.org/LBH ​
Description 
Love Begins Here (LBH) provides middle an opportunity to encounter Jesus Christ through week-long, local mission trips throughout the greater Milwaukee area. Teens live and pray in Catholic community, serving the local community inspired by the life and teachings of St. Teresa of Calcutta.  
Join us this summer for an unforgettable week of serving Christ in our neighbor, authentic Catholic community, deep prayer, and FUN!  
 
From Mother Teresa 
And so here I am talking to you – I want you to find the poor right here, right in your own home first. And begin love there. Be that good news to your own people. And find out about your next-door neighbor – do you know who they are? - St. Mother Teresa, Nobel Laureate Lecture, 1979 
Faith in action is service. 
The talents God has given you are not yours; they have been given to you for your use, for the glory of God. 
I ask you one thing: do not tire of giving, but do not give your leftovers. Give until it hurts, until you feel the pain. 
Faith, in order to be authentic, has to be generous and giving. Love and faith go hand in hand. 
Joy is prayer; joy is strength; joy is love; joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. 
Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love. 
 
From Adults 
LBH is a time to get our priorities back in order – prayer, service, love neighbor – ahead of other pulls. - Erin 

I learned that service and mission work doesn’t need to be large tasks. I felt more gratitude and appreciation from the small tasks we did because I feel they often get pushed to the side and people were happy that we were so willing to do them. - Emily 

I love the simplicity and joy that radiated through the Core Team and throughout the week. Serving our own diocese alongside other parishes is a really beautiful gift. - Sarah 

An unexpected joy was seeing all these middle school kids being open and willing to be engaged and vulnerable with their peers. It gives me hope that our faith will continue growing in our younger generations. - Kim ​
Middle School 3: July 8 - 11 (Kenosha) for Summer 2024
You 100% register online with Arch Milwaukee using a specific link for our parish only! Here it is also the button above. (All waivers, liability, medical info, etc. will be included on the form electronically & the Arch shares this with me.)
https://archmil.regfox.com/23lbh-sothstmatthew​ 
Cost is about $150ish per teen.
Please, do not hold off on registering if finances are a factor that makes you hesitate to sign up. Rather reach out to Anna at (920) 375-1920 or email [email protected] our SOTH/ SMC Parish Youth Minister, Anna Kraus!
From Teens 
This week opened my eyes that doing the littlest things can mean so much. - Marge, a Middle School Missionary 

LBH revived my faith and gave me courage to ask my parents to take me to Mass more often. - Derek, a Middle School Missionary 

LBH has helped me grow as a better person and made me see that keeping your kindness and heart inside and not expressing yourself is not a good thing. - Ruby, a Middle School Missionary 

10/10 would recommend. - GG, a Middle School Missionary 
I learned on LBH how to revive others. - Kelsey, a Middle School Missionary 
I learned to love your neighbors and help them because even the small things done with great love make a big difference in someone’s life – Emily, a High School Missionary 

You need to bring love to family, neighbors, and friends before you can branch out and do amazing things. Start small. - Morgan, a High School Missionary 

Everyone here is authentically Catholic and strive to help us grow in our faith. - Maggie, a High School Missionary 

It was nice to leave phones at home, disconnect, and be free from distraction. - Maggie, a High School Missionary 

I learned that the first place you should look for people in need is within your own community. - Madisen, a High School Missionary 

​
 Below are pictures from 2022
Middle School - June 27-30 2022 Holy Family, Fond du Lac
 Below are pics from Middle School -
June 22-25  2021 Holy Trinity, Kewaskum 
High School -July 18-23 2021 Holy Family, Fond du Lac 
High School weeks span 6 days, while Middle School weeks span 4 days. The first and last days look a little different - parish groups arrive around 4:30pm on the first day and leave around 11AM on the last day. The full days in between typically look like this (times are approximate and change based on many factors):
Wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, make lunches
Mass (depends on parish Mass schedule)
9:00am - Head to work sites with your car group
3:30pm - Wrap up at work site, grab ice cream (maybe), swim and shower
5:00pm - Rosary and dinner back at home base
6:30pm - Evening fun and community time
8:30pm - Large group sharing, talk, and prayer
9:30pm - Parish Time (time to debrief the day with your parish group)
10:00pm - Bedtime
Do you want EVEN MORE Mission Trip Options!?
Check out the link below CLICK HERE for Holy Family Fond du Lac mission events!
CLICK HERE