Thornton Youth Plan a Summer of Service

(Clockwise from upper left) Kaylen Hosfelt, Jaxon Knapp, Ethan Ravsten and Reese Bjorkman

By Denver Region Media Specialist Corey Christiansen

With less than two months left in the school year, most students are likely already thinking about their summer plans. And for four teenagers in Thornton, those plans are focused on service on a worldwide scale.

Kaylen Hosfelt, a senior at Stargate School plus Jaxon Knapp, Ethan Ravsten and Reese Bjorkman – all juniors at Horizon High School – will be jetting all over the globe to help people they’ve never met.

Kaylen is going to Paraguay to help a community build a new school classroom. Jaxon is going to Romania to assist Ukrainian refugees displaced by the ongoing war in their home country. Ethan is going to Tonga to help build a house for residents who recently lost their home in a hurricane. And Reese is going to Mongolia to help build a shower house for a local school.

These incredible service projects are all organized by the non-profit Humanitarian XP (HXP). Each of the teenagers will spend about two weeks in their foreign countries in what HXP calls the “hardest and best summer of your life.” The youth will spend approximately 60 total hours on their chosen projects with time on the weekends set aside for sightseeing and church attendance.

Ethan is thrilled to experience the Pacific island culture in Tonga and to help those in need. “I am so excited to go and help build a house for people who lost their home in a hurricane,” he said. “I’m also hoping to take some time to play in the ocean.”

Each of the four teenagers is a member of the Trailwinds Ward (Denver North Stake) which is a local congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Thornton.

What amazing examples of Christlike service to dedicate a significant portion of their summer vacation to helping people through all corners of the world!

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