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From the Parish Mailbox Dear Parishioners, I would like to say a special thank you to staff members who have worked so hard during my absence. They have each gone the extra mile to insure a smooth operation during the summer and early fall. I didn’t have to worry about tasks I wasn’t doing because they were here to do them. I returned to work on October 7. I feel much stronger each day and am working hard to catch up on all that has happened. It’s good to be back. I am so grateful for renewed health and for the opportunity to serve God among you. Barbara Hastings A condensed version of a letter from Cameron Graham, who grew up at the Chapel of the Cross and is now serving with the South American Missionary Society in Quito, Equador.
Dear Friends, As you know, I am working out of the Youth World International/Mundo Juvenil Internacional office here in Quito, Equador. Youth World is composed of five separate ministry areas, and I am currently working in all of them. Being a born and bred Episcopalian, I am especially focusing on bringing the resources that Mundo Juvenil has to the Episcopal Church here in Equador and beyond. Here are the five components of Mundo Juvenil. La Red – La Red means ‘the net’ and is our training and equipping ministry. Once a month we have a time for youth workers, from all denominations, to come together for professional workshops, a time of prayer, and to network with each other. Recently I presented a workshop and four of the six Episcopal Churches in Quito came to check out this ministry! They were all excited and grateful for this new resource! My contact with these leaders all came out of my time at EYE (the national Episcopal Youth Event held in Wyoming this summer). International Ministries – Mundo Juvenil has been approached by youth leaders in Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Guatemala, Cuba, England, South Africa, and Ghana, all of whom have heard about our ministry here and want help in setting up their own ‘La Red’! I recently had the opportunity to go to the second Youth Specialities Latin Youth Workers Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to assist the head of our mission in developing this area of ministry. Quito Quest – This is our short-term mission program. High school, college, and adult teams come down for two weeks. We show them a mission in a third-world country, which includes ministry in the jungle, here in Quito, at the garbage dump, and at our retreat center. We are in the process of booking teams for next summer. The Episcopal Churches here are eager to host mission teams of all shapes and sizes, especially medical, children’s ministry, and construction trips. The Hacienda – This is our up-and-coming version of a retreat and conference center. Quito Quest teams, work teams, local churches, and schools all use the Hacienda. Some groups are helping us develop it and others just enjoy the facilities that we have already. I am working on the development team and acting as a host/guide/facilitator. Ex-Patriot Ministries – An ‘ex-pat’ is anyone who holds a passport from one country but lives in another one. There are almost 35,000 English speaking ‘ex-pats’ here in Quito. Mundo Juvenil works particularly with two English-speaking high schools. I help with chapel services, have a small group of girls that I disciple, and do contact work with the students in general. So there you have it. Every day is different, but there is more than enough to keep me hopping. Eventually I hope to be able to focus my ministry in just two or three areas rather than all of them. Please join me in praying for discernment in this! Thanks for caring, thanks for your encouragement and love. Know that you are in my prayers, and I pray that I shall continue to be in yours.
In the hope and joy of Christ,
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