St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church in Marion, Massachusetts is launching a mission trip to El Salvador, departing in a few short weeks. The trip is scheduled for Saturday, June 20th through Monday, June 29th. This blog will track the process of planning this trip as well as our experiences while we are there. Our church website is located at: http://www.stgabrielsmarion.org/
We decided to undertake this trip after sending a team to El Salvador in June 2005 through Episcopal Relief and Development. This trip was extraordinarily rewarding and resulted in some relationships with Salvadoran clergy that we have continued to maintain. We have worked to develop a sister relationship with the church of San Miguel Arcangel in Quezaltepeque and have supported some small projects in that parish.
Last year, we welcomed a new rector, the Rev. Geoffrey Piper, who is a strong supporter of mission, particularly in the spiritual formation and development of youth and young adults. Thus, we began planning for this trip.
Our logistics and planning are being done by Cristosal, a US-based organization that has partnered with the Anglican/Episcopal Diocese of El Salvador. Cristosal's website is located at: http://www.cristosal.org/
Our team is comprised of seven members, including a 13-year-old and a 16-year-old, as well as five adults. We have met a number of times in order to plan for travel documentation, immunizations, packing, spiritual preparation, and cultural preparation. In addition, we have just watched the movie "Romero", describing the life and martyrdom of Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero who was martyred at the altar in 1980, and whose assassination sparked the descent of El Salvador into civil war.
Welcome to our blog, as we describe our experience in bringing this mission trip to pass.
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