Outreach

Sponsor a Child (Compassion International)

Build a Shoebox Online (Samaritan's Purse)

Congretational Christian Council of Maine (CCCME)

National Association of Congregational Christian Churches (NACCC)

Sister Parish

Our delegation a year ago last May to Virigina, Guatemala was a huge success and it would not have been amazing without the wonderful support of everyone that helped financially and spiritually. Every one of the members of the delegation were touched by the Holy Spirit in one way or another while we were in Guatemala. Whether it was the amazing welcome we received, the hospitality of our host families, the sense of community, the way they lived their faith or even the way they worshipped. God truly blessed us with the ability to see his wonder in others in a different community in a different part of the world. Personally, it opened my eyes to how Paul might have felt when he traveled to spread the gospel and how he may have felt walking into a strange new place for the first time. Not knowing the language or the people and as he started to preach the word that Jesus taught him; he began making friends and connections that would last a lifetime.

Like Paul we are called to make disciples of all the nations and to encourage already established congregations to strengthen their faith and pray for our brothers and sisters whenever possible. That is why working with Virgina, Guatemala is so very important. Yes, they are already believers, but they live in a very uncertain world. With the memories of their civil war still fresh in their minds and the acts of devastation to the people haunting them, they still struggle with trusting outsiders. After learning what happened during the Civil War it amazed me that the Parish in Virgina reached out to Sister Parish first. For them it is a fresh start to a better future, trust needs to begin somewhere.

For us it is not what we can do for them, but how we can grow trust and grow our relationship with another community in another part of the world that may need prayers and words of encouragement. It is not about what we think they need but about forming strong bonds with our Sister Parish community in the South and getting to pray for them and learn how they live and how they support one another. Both delegations learn how each other worships the same God we both love so much. It’s about growing in our faith together, both as a community of faith and as individuals. It’s about how we can learn about each other’s past and present so that we can make the future better not only for ourselves but for each other and our families.

On our last delegation we had an outing each day we were there. We visited two clinic’s, one run by nuns and one run by the Guatemalan Govt. We also visited a family that showed us how they make chocolate. Visiting the community school and getting to help give them school supplies was one of my favorite parts of the trip last year. Community meals and meals with our host families brought new insight into how people in other countries eat and have meals together. We had the honor to be invited to a community member’s home as a delegation because he wanted to meet us and get to know us better in a personal setting. We had the opportunity to visit with a midwife that has served multiple communities for several generations. It is astonishing that she has been able to serve so many families for so long just because she took a class when she was a teenager. She is a Great Grandmother now and still going strong. Virgina is a small village that truly walks by faith each day. From their health to the way they make a living. Faith is involved in everything they do.

Since we have been back, I have been in contact with Sister Parish liaison, they have made a few prayer requests, which I have passed along during morning worship. I have also had a few video chats with Virgina when Cezar our Liaison has been in the community, I also organized a phone call between our delegation and the Virgina host families so that we may continue to grow the bond between both communities.

As of right now we are planning another mission trip to Virgina, Guatemala on May 7th – 17th of 2025. If you are interested in joining, please reach out and I will put you on my list. We are still in the planning stages of the agenda but expect to have a full schedule. Most of all faith and followship is most important.

In Christ, Keith Romprey