The Mission Club of North Battleford set off to Ecuador on Feb. 17 to help build a school in the village of Cruz Chicta.
The school was not the only thing built during the 10 days the team was in Ecuador.
“Building relationships with the locals was an amazing feeling and definitely the highlight of the trip,” says team advisor, Barrett Penner.
This is the Mission Club’s fourth trip since Roxanne Stynsky founded it nine years ago.
“Working with the people of Ecuador is really important for the youth members, it doesn’t matter if it is the villagers, cooks or guides. The interactions always make the trip,” says Stynsky.
The club is closely linked to John Paul II Collegiate and is made up of many of their students and staff. JPII mission team focuses on local service work around the Battlefords with such organizations as The Lighthouse Serving the Battlefords, local parishes, the food bank, Mustard Seed, and in elementary schools. The Mission Club is community based and focuses on global service work. Their previous trips were to Costa Rica, Peru and Nicaragua.
During the club’s 10 days in Ecuador, members took part in many cultural experiences by visiting local farmers, shaman, churches and political buildings. All of these activities were geared towards teaching the youth members more about social justice issues within Ecuador and the world.
The main building project was construction of the school. Cruz Chicta’s previous school was flooded when the Napo River rose two metres from the rain.
On the last building day, the team joined an outdoor school assembly where a cultural dance was performed by local students. This day also happened to fall during carnival, where locals celebrate by having a water, paint and mud fight. Members also took part in a class lesson where students were learning basic words in English.
“I really enjoyed the different culture and celebrations we got to experience, and the lifestyles we don’t ever see back home,” said local student, Jordan Reed.
Over the 10-day trip the villagers of Cruz Chicta showed the Mission Club much appreciation for their hard work in the community, but little did they know how grateful the Mission Club members were for the amazing and heart touching experience in their community.
