On April 18, 8 members of YES along with 5 chaperones will be traveling to Haiti on a service/mission trip to visit our friends at CONASPEH. They will be dedicated for their trip on Sunday, April 12.
Dr. Jay and I have been meeting with the group to prepare ourselves for our pilgrimage to Haiti. Church member Mela Dieu-Juste Obas has been doing some translating for us and helping us learn some songs in Creole! Mark Garrity has solicited and received a generous cash donation from the Longmeadow Soccer Association as well as donations of soccer balls and uniforms. Our group will be bringing small lights for the chicken coop microfinance project of CONASPEH, books in English and Creyol, bead necklaces made by our church school for their counterparts in Haiti. The YUP group will assemble donated school supplies into kits for children. We have been in contact with Global Ministries as well as CONASPEH in planning the trip. We will try to expand our understanding of "mission" to encompass the notion of "pilgrimage". Global Ministries defines a "ministry of presence" not a "ministry of DOing" as one in which we find ourselves in solidarity with our brothers and sisters across cultural, linguistic, and economic divides. "The painting and the stripping and all of the other projects we "DO" on mission trips are important, but perhaps more important is our BEING THERE."
Anyone wishing to make a donation towards the school supplies should make their check out to First Church of Christ,Longmeadow with "Haiti school supplies" in the memo line and turn it in to the church office.. Any support is greatly appreciated!
I am looking forward to a deeply meaningful and profoundly challenging mission trip. I know that I will be transformed by encountering poverty and hope-filled faith. I expect to have fun while being on a mission of sharing God's presence and love.
Dr. Jay and I have been meeting with the group to prepare ourselves for our pilgrimage to Haiti. Church member Mela Dieu-Juste Obas has been doing some translating for us and helping us learn some songs in Creole! Mark Garrity has solicited and received a generous cash donation from the Longmeadow Soccer Association as well as donations of soccer balls and uniforms. Our group will be bringing small lights for the chicken coop microfinance project of CONASPEH, books in English and Creyol, bead necklaces made by our church school for their counterparts in Haiti. The YUP group will assemble donated school supplies into kits for children. We have been in contact with Global Ministries as well as CONASPEH in planning the trip. We will try to expand our understanding of "mission" to encompass the notion of "pilgrimage". Global Ministries defines a "ministry of presence" not a "ministry of DOing" as one in which we find ourselves in solidarity with our brothers and sisters across cultural, linguistic, and economic divides. "The painting and the stripping and all of the other projects we "DO" on mission trips are important, but perhaps more important is our BEING THERE."
ReplyDeleteAnyone wishing to make a donation towards the school supplies should make their check out to First Church of Christ,Longmeadow with "Haiti school supplies" in the memo line and turn it in to the church office.. Any support is greatly appreciated!
ReplyDeleteUpdate on school supply kits: we are all set on donations and please ignore my last post! Thanks! Mary Friedman
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to a deeply meaningful and profoundly challenging mission trip. I know that I will be transformed by encountering poverty and hope-filled faith. I expect to have fun while being on a mission of sharing God's presence and love.
ReplyDelete