Good morning...and Happy Mother's Day!

It is a great pleasure and, indeed an honor, to introduce this presentation and I want to thank Larry Kalajainen for this wonderful opportunity to speak to the entire congregation. As some of you know, FCP's Central America mission began in early 1994 when Dean and Alice Davies visited Honduras and returned with the idea of establishing a relationship between our Church and the Association of Evangelical Churches in San Pedro Sula; the first FPC mission team arrived in Honduras the following February.

Over the next five years that relationship continued to grow and eventually expanded to include several other Maine Conference churches. As that relationship expanded, the FPC team began to broaden its vision. Our relationship with ASAPROSAR in Santa Ana, El Salvador began in 2000 as a result of Valerie Ricker's experience with the organization during the Salvadoran civil war and Sue Chadima's initiative to establish a contact with them on behalf of the FPC team; our recent trip in March marks the fifth visit to El Salvador and the ninth FPC mission to Central America since 1995.

As a former member of the Christian Outreach Committee I am aware of the needs that exist right here in our local community and I am also aware of FPC's efforts to help meet the needs of the homeless, the hungry...and the lost. But as great as those needs may seem, the needs beyond our local community are greater, sometimes far greater. Yes, it is important for us to be conscious of and responsive to the needs of those close by. But if we truly believe that we are all members of a global community then we must be prepared to move beyond the security of our familiar surroundings.

The Central America mission offers us the opportunity to cross borders, overcome the barriers of language, customs, and culture to reach out and touch others in desperate need... an experience that in many cases becomes life-changing. This last trip to El Salvador was special in several ways. At 17 members it was the largest team we have ever taken to Central America.

Two days before our scheduled departure, I was ready to call the trip off due to my deep concern over the safety of our team as a result of unsettling news coming out of El Salvador and possible unrest associated with the presidential elections being held the weekend of our scheduled arrival...happily, in the end, those concerns proved unwarranted. But by far, what made this trip particularly special, at least for me, was the group of seven youth who formed part of our team. These kids were hard-working, respectful, compassionate and caring... all qualities that can insure the continuation of this mission from one generation to the next.

For the next 15 to 20 minutes you will be hearing personal stories and impressions from several team members, including the youth, so that you might, if only in a small way, share in their experience and their joy. What they have to say is supplemented by a wonderful slide presentation prepared by Peter Didisheim.

Click here to return to main features page or click the following links to view the other presentations:

Chris Heinig

Sue Chadima

Matt Didisheim

Valerie Ricker

Jo Harrison

Pete Didisheim

Meagan Burgess

Gracie Heinig