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The Puerto Rico Missions Team – ready for departure!
Pictured from left to right: (front row) Kelli Wilkenson, Aryn Siegel, Fr. Michael Eatmon, Jordon Hutchinson, Gary Roumanis, Anthony Campese. (middle row) Bishop Louis Campese, Edward Scott, Rand Avary, Katherine Sokol, Adam Siegel, Staci Wilkenson, Lauren Norsworthy, Melissa Roumanis, Vicki Siegel, Kim Campese,
Jerauld McGrew.(back row) Bill Wilkenson, Nathan Wilkinson,
John Larsen, Julie McGrew, Sara Jaeger, Laura Scott.

Lots and lots of work to do!

John Larson working hard in the sunshine!

Spanish-English Mass with Fr. Michael and The Rt. Rev. Juan Garcia.

Acolytes from the DEUS (left) and Puerto Rico (right)
They are pictured with John Larsen (middle left), Deacon Jorge
(back left) Bishop Garcia (center) and Fr. Michael (center right).

 

“What good can youth mission trips do?”

By John Larsen
Special Activities Director, Cathedral of the Incarnation

On June 10th 2002, seventeen youth and five adults representing The Diocese of the Eastern United States departed Orlando for Ponce, Puerto Rico. The mission team was made up of members from The Cathedral of the Incarnation (Orlando, FL.), Christ Church Anglican Mission (Ocala, FL.), St. George’s Anglican Church (Columbus, GA.), All Saints Mission (Raleigh, NC), This wasn’t just another youth trip. It was the first youth mission project ever offered by the diocese and a newly planted seed in our youth to discover the importance of mission and of being faithful servants to God and His church. Planning a mission trip is hard work, but the impact on youth is immense. Teaching youth to be in mission is essential to any youth minis-try. Whether you take your youth to the local food pantry or go overseas, you have answered the call to be in mission.

With nearly eighteen months of planning, training and fundraising be-hind us, we arrived safely in San Juan, PR. After loading the vans with our luggage, (it’s amazing how much stuff a person brings on a trip, even one just lasting eight days) we were on our way to Ponce. Our service project began early on Tuesday morning. The main focus of the mission trip was to renovate a storage building into a sacristy at The Church of St. Justus and Pastor. After a few brief introductions and a tour of the church by Bishop Juan Garcia, the mission team members joined thirteen additional youth from the Missionary Diocese of Puerto Rico for three long HOT days of work and fellowship. It wasn’t just all work and no play. Puerto Rico is a very beautiful island and has a lot to offer. Everyone was able to visit the Ponce Museum of Art, The Aricibo Observatory, Phosphorescent Bay and a fantastic day of snorkeling on the Coral reefs of Caja de Murtos. Both teams were able to bond very well even with the language barrier. Much of Puerto Rico is the same as it is in the states. However, it has its own identity, customs, heritage and way of thinking. We were able to experience much of this not to mention traditional Puerto Rican Cuisine prepared for us by the ladies of the church. On Sunday, the mission team had the opportunity to attend a traditional Spanish Mass. Father Michael Eatmon, Adam Siegel, Anthony Campese, Edward Scott and I also had the additional experience of serving on the altar. After saying goodbye to our newfound friends in Ponce, The Mission team departed for Old San Juan, for our last night on the island. Everyone returned home to Orlando safe and sound, though some with slight sunburns. I’m sure everyone had a wonderful experience that they will never forget. Now that we’ve planted the seed missions in our youth, it is important that we feed and nurture it, so that it will continue to grow throughout their lives.

Going back to the original question, “What good can youth missions trips do?” I found the answer during this summer’s trip to Puerto Rico. What I observed convinced me that being part of a missions team can help youth develop an admiration and an appreciation for people of other cultures. At the same time, they develop greater admiration and appreciation for their own churches both by seeing them in action and by being part of that action. Mission experiences can help youth become more aware of the needs of others and more grateful for what they have back home. Most important of all, taking part in a mission trip can help youth discover that God can work through them to enrich the lives of others. This satisfying discovery can deepen their commitment to be faithful servants of Christ throughout their lives.