I know that now is the time you are thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas and all you have to get done as the year winds down. The winter sports are starting up in school and if you are in one of those, that is where your focus is. Nevertheless, I have one more thing you should be thinking about and that is our 2023 Covenant Brethren Church youth trip to Guatemala!
I am Craig Howard, chair of the Youth and Adult Fellowship Committee and director of the Youth Guatemala Mission trip. I want to invite you to go on our next trip.
The trip will take place in June, 2023. Now I can hear you already. “June is a long way off!” But that is not really true. There is a lot to do between now and then. Passports need to be secured, funds need to be raised, plans need to be made, and so much more. But it starts with you, the youth of the Covenant Brethren Church. You need to talk to your parents and make a decision about whether or not you want to go. If you decide to go, I can promise you it will be one of the best decisions of your life. I talked to a man the other day whose son went with me on our second youth mission trip. He told his dad that the lessons he learned about being thankful for his life and caring about people in other cultures has never left him. That trip was 20 years ago.
You are not being asked to make a decision today, but if you would like more information on this trip and you are at least going into the 9th grade by the start of the 2023-2024 school year, let me know. There are some who wanted to go last year but couldn’t due to covid vaccination restrictions. As of now, you do not need to be vaccinated to go but it is recommended. The cost of the trip will be $1,500 per person but don’t let that scare you, God always provides for those who want to go. We did have to increase it as the cost of air fare has taken a huge jump.
Here are a few pictures of the last trip. I would love to see you in the next round of pictures. You can contact me at craig.howard@covenantbrethren.org or call or text me at 304-668-1731. I am looking forward to hearing from you!
Payton having fun at the dinner table.
The street outside of our motel room in San Juan.
Alex passing out Bibles at our food distribution.
A view of San Juan where we distributed 2,000 pounds of food.
One of 10 new wood cook stoves for families.
The Christian school where we finished the third floor so they could use it.
If this looks like something you would like to be a part of, contact me for more information. I’m planning to take a great group of teens on this trip. I hope the teens of your church are included.
Submitted by Craig Howard – Publication Committee Chair and Youth Fellowship Chair
