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Last summer, young people from across the community shared how they live out their faith in a weekly feature called Youth on a Mission. (Go here to find last summer's “Youth on a Mission” entries.)

Coverage kicked off with the annual journey by eighth-graders from B’nai Shalom Day School in May to Israel and other ancient sites important to the Jewish faith:

“We toured the outside of Yad Vashem (the Holocaust Museum), and the coolest thing happened when we were in the Valley of the Communities. While we were having a short memorial service, a pure yellow butterfly flew over us. It was one of the most meaningful experiences in my life. The butterfly was so moving because recently we had been studying the Holocaust in school. We read the poem ‘I Never Saw Another Butterfly.’ That poem was written by a young boy in the Terezin Ghetto during WWII.” — Mackenzie Morris

Others included West Market Street United Methodist Church young people, who while sleeping on the floor of a church, lived out their dawn-to-dusk mantra: To serve as the hands, feet, voice and heart of Jesus Christ in Costa Rica.

“Restoration — it’s what brought us here, all the way to Costa Rica. It’s almost as if through the restoration of the bathrooms I have seen a restoration of myself, and the rest of my mission team. Every piece of tile laid, every bit of mortar scraped, and every drop of sweat shed has made us grow. We’re growing into the selfless people I’m pretty sure God wants us to be.” — Olivia Cox.

Tell us about your youth group’s trip by emailing summeryouthmissions@news-record.com. (Send basic details about the nature of the trip and a contact name and number or email address for more information. Questions? Email Nancy McLaughlin.

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Uwharrie Baptist Church in Archdale is holding a special yard sale today. It will have hot dog plates and items such as DVDs, curtains and bake sale items. The difference is the money raised will be used to help Joseph Turner, a 7-year-old with autism and other medical issues.

Funding for a program he is in is being cut, and his therapy, according to organizers, is $23 an hour — and he needs 25 hours a week. Insurance won’t cover all of his needs, including the food he must get from a health food store because he is allergic to 60 foods.

“He finally started saying some words, and he’s 71/2, and I don’t want to lose that,” said his mother, Tara Turner of Trinity. “My worst fear is what will happen to him when I am gone, so I am trying to get him better, physically and mentally.”

The yard sale is 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., Uwharrie Baptist Church, 5891 Uwharrie Road, Archdale. Tax-deductible donations can be mailed to the church, with “Joseph Turner’s therapy and medical expenses” in the memo line. Information: Tara Turner, 434-0280.

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More than 17,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses from North Carolina and Virginia are gathering at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem for their annual district convention, which ends Sunday.

Program sessions start at 9:20 a.m. today and will highlight the dangers of indifference and apathy regarding the events foretold in the Bible. On Sunday, the topic is “How Can You Survive the End of the World?”

Contact Nancy McLaughlin at 373-7049 or nancy. mclaughlin@news-record.com