February 24, 2006
Dear High School Parents,
We are excited to share with you that the mission trip to Mexico is on! We are still confirming details with CTMS in Lancaster and Laredo, Texas, but we can now confirm that we are sure
we are going as long as we have enough students who want to go.
Here are the details. Currently we have heard about the work in Mexico during mission’s week, and we have heard what we would do while in Mexico. To date about 23 of the high school students have responded that they would like to go if the Lord works out the details for them, and their parents allow them to go. We are hoping that you have been reading about the trip in your Principal’s Notes and have been praying as well. We have been hesitant to have permission forms signed until we were absolutely sure we could go, and we got that final confirmation this week. WE ARE ASKING THAT YOU MAKE A DECISION ABOUT THE TRIP WITH YOUR SON OR DAUGHTER AND SEND IN THE PERMISSION FORM ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27. After reading this form you may have other questions. Please call Merle or one of the high school staff at school or at home this weekend to find out more.
Our destination : Nuevo Loredo, Mexico which is near Monterey, Mexico about thirty minutes south of the Loredo, Texas border. We are teaming up with Christian Missionary Technical
Services. They sponsor many trips into Mexico and are based in Lancaster, .
Who is going? We have about 23 high school students interested at this point. We think most will go. We will not go if we do not have at least 15 students. In terms of adults, Mr. Skinner, Marlene Harding (support staff at Center), Jim Foor (who has been on this trip before will be our “old hat” guide), Vickie Warrick (mom of an elementary student who has been to Mexico and has a real heart for Mexican ministry), and either Mrs. Brant or Mrs. Kerin (still undecided at this point). There is room for other adults. Some have talked to us, but will need to decide before the end of February. There is room for you if you wish to go.
The undecided part of the trip is whether we will drive a bus or buses to Texas for the churches in Mexico to use. The mission churches can double their congregations if they have buses. Because of our transportation program (and three of us have our CDL licenses) we have asked our network of suppliers and contractors if they have any good buses to donate. We do not have any leads at this point. If we do not have a donated bus that will make the trip by the end of the month, we are going to fly down and back to Loredo Texas. If we do, we will drive the vehicle down (along with collected supplies for Mexico) to Loredo and fly back. We will know this piece of information by March 1st.
From Loredo, we will get our missionary boot camp and then go to Mexico in vans across the border. While in Mexico, we will be doing a variety of activities to help a mission church that has been planted in Nuevo, Mexico. These activities will include working on their facilities, painting, building, doing street drama presentations for the kids and people, and helping some of the poorer church families with what they need. We will be staying in their houses (poorer conditions, dirt floors, etc..but wonderful Christian folks) with one of our team adults and several students in each house. We are hoping to visit an orphanage on Sunday, and have been asked to have church on Sunday morning for the people. We are excited about the opportunities to serve the Lord in these ways, experience a completely different culture, and learn and be stretched in ways that God would choose to stretch us. We will spend some time Monday doing some very limited site seeing and souvenir hunting!
The dates for the trip are April 6th (morning) to April 10th probably late. Kids will be expected to be back in shcool on April 11th.
We will be working together to raise $600 a person for the trip. We will do that by sharing our need with our family, friends, and churches and asking them to pray about supporting us. We will find a way to go, regardless of what the kids raise, if they all work to share the need. We will do this primarily by letters, and if we talk to churches it will be working through the pastor and everyone in a church that is going. All funds will be submitted to the school in the mission trip designated funds. Gifts are tax deductible if given to the fund to be administered. If funds are given to the fund in a specific child’s name they are not deductible. The IRS requires that gifts cannot be designated to individuals if deductible. AGAIN... all students who ask for gifts, will receive the money to go. Any money that is raised over our expenses will go to the ministry in Mexico. No funds given for the trip will be used by any student or adult for personal uses.
As you talk about this as a family and pray about it, we will be praying for you. Students will have to make up key assignments that are missed, but of course, the faculty will work very carefully with them. For students who do not choose to go on the trip, there will be regular school! Let us know!
Sincerely,
High School Faculty
____ Yes, I give my permission for my child, _____________________________to attend the Mission Trip to Mexico. Name of student
____ No, I do not want my child, ______________________ to attend the trip to Mexico.
___________________________________ __________
Parent’s Signature Date