"We’ll be visiting different orphanages and a middle school while we’re there," said Debbie Bonanno, Lindsay’s mother, who will accompany the teen-agers on the trip. "We’ll be giving out arts and crafts materials, lunch, some recreational materials, and other things to help raise their spirits."

She said she has been assured by church officials that the group will not be traveling anywhere unsafe in a region marked by violence and confrontation.

The group will begin its two-week trip on July 13, heading out first to Croatia. The Americans will stay in the Hope Center, a fellowship hall that the group will help to renovate. At the center and the other sites the group members will visit, they will conduct bible camp and day camp programs.

Among the cities in Croatia the group will visit are Zagreb, Fuzine, Lovran, Rijeka and Legrad. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, the group will visit Bihac, Banja Luka, Sipovo and Gradacac.

"We’ll be spending most of our time traveling in a van. There are going to be interpreters there to help us along the way," Bonanno said.

The Bonannos became involved with the project after Lindsay, 16, participated in a youth conference where Jason Reed, a representative of the Synod, spoke.

"When Jason Reed was up standing in front of all of the kids talking about it, I just got this gut feeling in my stomach that I just have to go and help with this," Lindsay said.

She said she wasn’t surprised that her parents seemed a bit hesitant about sending her to such a turbulent area.

"You could kind of tell by the way their faces were that they really weren’t too thrilled at first. Here’s me, this excited kid, talking about how I want to go to Bosnia. It really doesn’t sound at first like the most logical thing," Lindsay said. "But I kept talking about it and eventually my mom started coming around to the idea, and even decided she wants to go, which is going to be great."

Bonanno said the cost works out to about $2,000 per person traveling, the bulk of which is air fare. The group welcomes sponsors who can help offset the cost of the trip.

In addition, she said, the group is seeking donations of sports equipment, including basketballs, volleyballs, soccer balls and air pumps and needles. The group has also set specific goals to collect five cage balls, five parachutes, 10 "Peace Cranes" books, 300 canvas tote bags and 300 baseball caps.

"Those types of things are all on our wish list," she said.

Lindsay, a junior at Allentown High School, said she’s always wanted to go to Europe. "I’ve always talked about how I wanted to study abroad when I got to college," she said. "Now I’ll get the chance to see things oversees that much earlier."

To donate items, contact the New Jersey Synod, 1930 State Highway 33, Trenton, (609) 586-6800; or the Hope Lutheran Church, 211 Elton-Adelphia Road, Free-hold, (732) 462-7545.