Mission Trips
Colin Custer's Month in Ethiopia
Colin Custer, a member of the youth of St. Matthew's, spent a month during the summer of 2008 in Ethiopia. Colin served with the ministry of Mike and Amy Rogers and family, former members of our church and now missionaries to the Ethiopians. Click listen to Colin's testimony of God changing lives in this African country and to read a brief description of his mission trip. And view some pictures from his trip. Also, read the Rogers' latest newsletter,The Langano Farms Journal, to learn more about their ministry in Ethiopia. And visit the Web site of SIMS (Serving in Mission),the organization with which the Rogers are associated.
The '08 Belize Mission Trip
THE BELIZE MISSION TEAM HAS RETURNED: Give thanks to God for the team's safe return from their July 5-12 trip to Corozal, Belize! The team of 41 represented St. Matthew's (15 members), All Saints Reformed Presbyterian, and Sycamore Presbyterian Churches. Lee Pemberton, a veteran of Belize mission trips, exclaimed, "This trip was different from all the rest by the large percentage of young people participating--high school and college students." He felt their enthusiasm affected the entire team and the people of Belize. Click here for a story about Lee's special relationship with a family in Cristo Rey, Belize.
In the mornings the team created sidewalks by digging for the walkways; building forms; installing rebar; mixing concrete, sand, and water; and then pouring and finishing the cement. These walks concected the buildings and parking lots for the first time of Cornerstone High School, a private Christian school. In the afternoons the team assisted with Vacation Bible School, starting the week with 75 children (the largest group in comparison with previous trips to this community) and ending with over 110! (See picture above showing a group of students).
According to Mario Gonzalez, mission team member and Assistant Rector at St. Matthew's, "The people we ministered with in Belize are centered on Christ in their families and in their communities. Their life in Christ goes back to the late 1950’s when Manuel Beltran, a Mayan Presbyterian evangelist from the Yucatan, began crisscrossing this area and sharing the gospel. He was followed by American missionaries Tom and Helen Lacey in 1970. They built on Don Manuel’s work, and believers multiplied in all these villages as churches were built." Click here to read Treva Houser's account of her visit in the home of Helen Lacey (Mr. Lacey is deceased). Also, click here for a inspiring story of Christ's redemptive powers, as told to Mario by Omar, a resident of Belize.