Guatemala Mission 2012

Dear Friends;

In July 2012, a team of volunteers from Old Bridge United Methodist Church will travel to Guatemala on a mission trip. The trip will be in conjunction with the Highland Support Project whose mission is: To provide technical, material, and financial support to increase the productivity of indigenous organizations in the Western Highlands of Guatemala. Our team will be building a kitchen in a village school and teaching at the school. The stoves we will build for the kitchen help prevent indoor air pollution caused by cooking on unventilated stoves.  The majority of deaths to highland children are caused by chronic upper respiratory conditions linked to cooking on open-pit fires in small, unventilated dwellings.  A three-ring cooking stove drastically reduces the work of the Mayan women.  The stoves require less wood for fuel.  The teaching in the school will be with an ambulatory arts program that is modeled on the grand old book mobile.  We will provide art education to Mayan youth who do not have access to such fundamentally important aspects of community development.

We are looking forward to this trip but we could use your help toward paying the cost of the trip (about $1700 a person).  You could help via a 100% tax-deductible contribution to the Old Bridge United Methodist Church. 

Donations can be made in two ways:

            A check made out to Old Bridge United Methodist Church with “Guatemala” in the memo field.  You can send the check to Old Bridge United Methodist Church, 3966 Old Bridge Road, Woodbridge, Virginia, 22192.  You will receive a donation letter from the church for tax purposes.

            An online donation via credit or debit card can be made to Old Bridge United Methodist Church at:  http://www.justgive.org/nonprofits/donate.jsp?ein=54-1426412.  Please use the Designation field to designate “Guatemala”.  You will get a printable receipt and also an email receipt for tax purposes.

For more information about Old Bridge United Methodist Church and the Highland Support Project, please visit OBUMC.org and partnersinservice.org.

Thank you so much for your support.

Sincerely,

Jim Relyea

Director of Missions

Old Bridge United Methodist Church