Christ Church, Dover, and Grace Church, Wilmington, send young missionaries to Mexico
Above: The five young women from Christ Church, Dover, before heading for Mexico, ask God to bless their work. The congregaton says, "Amen!"
Eight teenage girls are giving up a week of their summer to work in rural Mexico. It will be a week without cell phones, television, and only one short shower a day. They will be doing work projects consisting of painting, cleaning, digging and construction work for local Mexican churches as well as helping out with Vacation Bible School.
“This is really going to be an eye opening experience,” said Will Weaver, Youth Group leader and one of the adults accompanying the girls on the trip. The teenagers chose to do this trip themselves. After completing the 30-Hour Famine (an event to raise awareness for world hunger by not eating for thirty hours), they wanted to do more.
“We live in a place where we don’t have to worry about what we need. This is a chance to experience and learn about people where that is not the case and make a difference in their lives,” said Ashleigh Humphries, one of the missionaries. Laura Bones wants to “see how other people live, and experience how it feels to step out of my comfort zone.”
Besides manual work, the group will have a chance to experience the local culture. They will be provided with authentic Mexican meals by the members of the churches they serve and will participate in several community outreach nights. Will Weaver said he wants the group to “experience a different culture and develop a sense of gratitude for what they have.”
The rector of Christ Church, Dover, the Rev. Celeste O. Cox said, “I hope they grow to be more compassionate people. I believe they are responding to the mission of Jesus, which is to reach out in love, compassion, and generosity to other people.” Celte Weaver, a member of the group, hopes to gain “more of a spiritual outlook on things.”
The Missionary team consists of five girls and two adults from Christ Church, Dover and three girls and one adult from Grace Episcopal Church in Wilmington. They leave for Baja Mexico on June 19, 2010, and return to Delaware on June 26. Christ Church Dover will welcome back the young missionairies during their 10:00 a.m. service on June 27.
[We hope to update this page after their return, with highlights of their journey and perhaps some photos.]