Methodist women bring hope to Guatemalan villagers
For the eighth year in a row, a team of 22 women from Southside United Methodist Church traveled to the Chisec, Guatemala, to bring hope to the Mayan people.
Led by Dr. Lourdes Pittochi, the team of Melissa Frankie, Angie Cosper, Kendall Cosper, Gwen Gallagher-Howard, Kailyn Moore, Sarah Wheeler and Ruthann Wheeler gave medical assistance to more than 100 babies in the health center in Chisec.
The church group also provided funds for the construction of a two-room classroom building in the Guatemalan village of Sepoc2, where they had donated two classrooms last year.
During the Guatemalan visit, the Methodist women brought a program of Bible-based lessons, crafts, activities and spiritual sharing led by Julie Barnard, Debbie Dawson, Kylie Dearing, Erin Elkins, Meloni Elkins, Amy Franks, Hannah Jackson, Karen Moore, Tiffany Musato, and Sandy Shallow. Hailey Ibach was the worship leader and Kit Rossi brought “Dance for Joy,” a San Marco Dance Studio to the village.
In a special presentation July 20 at the school in Sepoc2, 16-year-old Logan Franks of San Marco presented a water filter from Ecofiltro, a Guatemalan company, to every household in the village. The gift was the culmination of a year-long fundraising effort on the part of Franks and students in several Jacksonville schools.
“Logan stood surrounded by the entire village and boldly spoke of the Living Water that Jesus offers freely by His grace,” recalled Amy Franks, Logan’s mother. “Every family walked away with an education on clean water and beamed with excitement to be gifted such a lavish gift.”
One of the most generous contributors to Frank’s water-filter project was the third grade at Hendricks Avenue Elementary. Each year the third grade holds a “lemonade war,” a friendly fundraising competition between classes, after reading “The Lemonade War,” a book by Jacqueline Davies. At the end of the competition, the classes voted as to where to donate the funds they raised, choosing this year to assist in bringing clean water to the Village of Sepoc2.
By Marcia Hodgson
Resident Community News
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