Trinity Church, Houston

Reflections on El Salvador

noreply@blogger.com (Trinity Church, Houston) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:35:00 +0000

Posted by Sarah Short

Last year when I went to El Salvador I had no idea what to expect. I was 19 and it was my first international trip without my parents, and I didn't know everyone on the trip very well. I'll admit, I was extremely home sick, but it was still an amazing experience. I feel a real connection with the people there. A family that makes $2 or $3 a day are willing to share whatever food or drink they have with you, and can make you feel comfortable and welcome in an instant. The friends I made are life-long and life-changing. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that I'd go back this year.

As most of you know, there was a tragic incident that happened the day before I left. The group that had gone down for the week (and also some of the people we met last year) were working the medical campaign at the church when the sexton, Alex, was shot and killed. I got many e-mails, phone calls, etc. asking me to reconsider my trip. I understood the concern, but I felt a pull and had to go.

When I arrived in San Salvador, we made the best of the situation and were on a restricted travel area per the Archbishop of Central America, Bishop Barona. Instead of traveling to our sister church, Santisima Trinidad, our activities were held at the Diocesan Center in the city. When we walked in Saturday morning I saw so many familiar faces and some new ones. I was honestly surprised at how many people remember me from last year and that made my whole trip worthwhile (and learning how to make papusas was a big plus!). A 4 day trip has turned into a lot of thoughts and emotions to process, on top of the other things going on in my life. I've had a few moments when I feel really upset and want to cry, but I just remember how happy everyone was on Saturday in light of Wednesday's tragedy. The power of a hug is truly great!

Thank you for the continued support and prayers. I hope to go back again next year for another amazing experience.

Home Again

noreply@blogger.com (Trinity Church, Houston) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 01:11:00 +0000

Posted by Joanne Starbuck

Sunday, September 6th

It was very difficult to leave today and we were all in tears when we walked out of the hotel. Hannah’s mother in-law and sister-in-law came to the hotel along with some other relatives before attending Mass at the Cathedral and we had a chance to chat with them before leaving. We left a little earlier than we needed to because we wanted to make a quick stop at the market before heading to the airport. Since my suitcases were stuffed to the gills, anything I bought would have to be small. When my mother was alive, I would always buy a rosary for her when I traveled. Since she passed away, I still look at rosaries, but I stopped buying them. But, for some reason, when I walked into a stall at the market that had some rosaries on display, I decided to buy one and tucked it into my purse.

We arrived at the airport with lots of time to spare and had no trouble getting checked in and through Immigration. The flight was full and there were lots of shopping bags of Pollo Campero taking up room in the overhead bins. I had been settled in my seat for several minutes and the plane was just about fully loaded, but the window and middle seats beside me were still not occupied. Pretty soon, a young man arrived and took the window seat, but no one ever filled the middle seat. It was the only unoccupied seat on the plane. The young man started up a conversation and asked me what I had been doing in El Salvador and if I liked his country. He told me that he is a Salvadoran citizen and had residency in the United States. He had been back in El Salvador for the last five months or so and the only reason he was going back to the U.S. is because his girlfriend had threatened to find someone else if he didn’t come back.

He was very anxious and as the flight progressed, he became even more so. He got up to go to the bathroom no less than six times and at one point, took out a cigarette and was fiddling with it and putting it up to his mouth. There were several minutes of very bad turbulence which just about put him over the edge. He grabbed for my hand and told me that he hates to fly and that he had drunk about a bottle of tequila to calm his nerves before getting on the plane. Within a few seconds, he was in a full-blown panic attack and was sweating and fidgeting in his seat. I kept holding his hand and told him that everything was okay and it would be over soon. I reached down to my purse with my free hand and found the plastic bag with the rosary I bought at the market. At first, my plan was to start praying it on his behalf, but after a few minutes I decided to hand it to him. He looked at it, thanked me and started kissing the crucifix and all of the large beads separating the decades over and over again. After a few minutes, he calmed down a little and he told me that he was still nervous but that the rosary had helped him a lot. He handed it back to me, but I told him that I wanted him to keep it. He put it around his neck, thanked me, kissed my hand and told me that he would keep it for the rest of his life.

I'm sure it will take us a while to completely process everything we experienced during the trip, but here’s what I know for sure. We were kept from harm every step of the way …. We were supported by lots of love and many prayers … And, through a hug, a smile, a prayer, a bottle of medicine or a piñata, we made a difference in the lives of everyone we met.

Activities with Santisima Trinidad at Diocesan Center

noreply@blogger.com (Trinity Church, Houston) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:17:00 +0000

Posted by Joanne Starbuck

Saturday, September 5th

The original plan for today was for us to go out to the community of our sister church, Santismia Trinidad, where we would hold a medical campaign, activities for the children, learn how to make pupusas and get a first-hand look at the bakery in action. Due to the unfortunate event earlier in the week, the plan was changed and, those who could, made the trip from Santisima Trinidad to the Diocesan Center in San Salvador on a bus that we rented for them.

We started with a Morning Prayer service in the Chapel conducted by Hannah. The women who lead the songs (A cappella) have such beautiful voices and even with the language barrier, it was easy for the non-Spanish speakers(like me) to follow along. During the announcements, Hannah talked a little bit about what had happened earlier in the week and also about the activities planned for the day.

The first order of business was to take pictures of everyone, both individual and family, which would be put into a photo book that each of the children would be making. Ken and Mark got to work getting everyone organized and photographed and then left (with the Bishop) to have them printed. They also picked up a rope for the piñata and toothpaste and toothbrushes for all of the children.

Mark asked Ken to take a picture of him shopping in a supermarket with the Archbishop of Central America because otherwise no one at home will believe it!

Hannah and Noah headed out to pick up the authorization for the release of the medicine. The request was approved on Friday and all we needed was the final paperwork. Unfortunately, when they picked up the paper, it was missing one signature so that will have to be dealt with by the Diocese after we leave. Whenever the medicine is released, it will be stored at the Diocese for use by Dr. Daniella and the other doctors who serve in the surrounding communities.

Meanwhile, we got the children started on making their photo book projects. Most of the adults, and even Fr. Julio and his wife, joined in the fun. A sweet little girl named Jacqueline made a book for Hannah and wrote a note inside thanking her for coming and for coming “quickly.”

While Carolyn worked with the children, Sarah and I got our pupusa making lesson. It took a little time to get the hang of it, but our teachers were impressed with our efforts. They had decided not to bring the large griddle on the bus and instead brought a very small, portable griddle and used the electric range. The spot on the griddle designated for my first pupusa was in the top right hand corner next to the handle. Unfortunately, my placement was not that great and part of it hit the handle and was hanging off the griddle. But, not to worry, my teacher came to the rescue with a spatula and saved it, although it was easy to see which was mine because of the big divot. After our lesson, the professionals took over and finished making the rest of the pupusas and they made a bundle of them for each of us to take home.

Meanwhile, Dr. Patel was able to examine each of the children and with the exception of some allergy and eyesight issues, she reported that they appeared to be in good health.

Hannah and Noah returned with lunch …. Pollo Campero for everyone!!! The children were happy to sit down and eat because as soon as they were finished, it was time for the piñata!!

The piñata was hung from a tree in front of the Diocesan Center. Fr. Julio decided that Hannah should be the first to take a swing. His wife quickly ran to their car and came back with a blindfold, which was Fr. Julio’s stole!! All of the children, starting with the youngest, each had a chance to take several swings. Hannah “returned the favor” to Fr. Julio a little later on and gave him a chance to take a few swings himself … complete with blindfold (yes, once again, his stole.)

The piñata was beginning to show some signs of breaking, but the majority of the candy (20 lbs.) was still inside so one of the adults really started banging on it. Before too long, out came all of the candy and the children scrambled to pick it up.

We began the process of saying our goodbyes, which is always very hard to do and especially on the last day. Elena, Fr. Julio’s wife, was in tears, as were all of us, as the minivan pulled away.

We made a quick stop at the hotel to pick up our swimsuits and were off for a visit to Lake Coatepeque which is about 50 kilometers west of central San Salvador and near where Arcelio lives. The lake is a volcanic caldera (cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption.) Arcelio’s wife and children joined us for the outing. The water was clear and very refreshing and Hannah and Noah had a great time competing to see who had the best cannonball form. We declared Hannah the winner (on the left), of course!!

On the way back, we stopped at a roadside restaurant for dinner and watched the sunset. On the way back to San Salvador, Arcelio dropped off his family and Hannah had an opportunity to meet the local priest for the Episcopal church there. It was after 10:00 p.m. by the time we got back to the hotel and we all went straight to our rooms to get packed.

Trip to Rural Community of El Carmen

noreply@blogger.com (Trinity Church, Houston) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:17:00 +0000

Trip to Rural Community of El Carmen

Posted by Ken Jones

We were up early on Friday morning and met for breakfast. After breakfast we were met by our driver from the Diocese, Arcelio, and loaded into the minibus and began the trip east to the rural community of El Carmen.

As we made our way through the congested city of 1 million residents, we were followed by Noah in his pick up. Apparently the minibus will not be able to navigate the roads leading up to the farm community and we will have to switch to the pick up.

The roads leading away from San Salvador were lined with stands selling local produce. There seemed to be no speed limit as buses, trucks, cars and motorcycles jockeyed for position. Noah explained that this route from west to east from San Salvador would cross the Rio Lempa, which separates the country in half. The river bed had some water but was very dry, the result of a prolonged period of drought.

We finally reached the outskirts of town and boarded Noah’s pick up truck for the ride into the mountains to visit the rural farm community of El Carmen which is supported by the Episcopal Diocese and other non-profit organizations.

After meeting our guide Eric (a seminarian, law and agriculture student) for the next part of the trip, we got on the road. The roads were unpaved and treacherous and Noah eventually switched to four wheel drive to get us through the rocky ravines and over two small streams.

Our first stop was a monument funded by the Catholic Church and built by the local community in memory of the massacre of over 700 laborers and their families by government troops. It’s shaped in the form of a dove and houses the internal remains of many of the people who had been killed.

From there, we traveled to a bridge project constructed by Noah, local people and engineers using donated materials. Next we visited the water project for the community. The project, located down a steep hill in a ravine, had proved to be difficult to master and many residents of the community, including Wilma who was at the site washing her family's clothes, make several trips to this location every day.

Finally, we arrived at the school for the local children who attend up to the 4th grade. The concrete structure includes several classrooms with wire windows to allow the air to ventilate them. The building also serves as the community center.

After the service we gathered for a meal consisting of soup containing various squashes, carrots, chicken stock and chicken. After exchanging final greetings, we boarded the pick up and made our way back down the mountain trails to town and boarded the minivan for the return ride to San Salvador.

We finally arrived back at the hotel, changed and headed off to a great Argentinean restaurant where we were joined by Bishop Baharona.

Hannah conducted a Eucharist service and one of the local women served as the acolyte and chalice bearer. Corn tortillas and jicima juice were used for the bread and wine. The people who had come from farms throughout the community prayed, sang hymns and shared their personal testimony. All, especially the children, were happy to have us among them.

Weekenders Arrive in El Salvador

noreply@blogger.com (Trinity Church, Houston) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 02:08:00 +0000

Posted by Ken Jones

I met Carolyn, Dr. Damitra Ramos-Patel and Sarah at the international terminal at Intercontinental Airport on Thursday morning. I was a little apprehensive after receiving Joanne’s email the day before discussing the incident at the clinic and giving us the option of reconsidering our travel plans.

We arrived by air to the terminal at San Salvador around 11:30 a.m. Seeing Michael and DeAnna Bosch at the gate as they were preparing to board the same flight that we had just landed on returning to Houston was a good coincidence. I really was looking forward to sharing the El Salvador experience with Michael and DeAnna and this gave us a chance to exchange greetings.

The warning we received all week about the possible delays at customs related to the medical supplies came true. Carolyn and I were the only ones carrying medical supplies and we were rerouted to a baggage check lane that was understaffed. As expected the medical supplies were confiscated. The difficulty that made us unhappy involved the taking of our passports and the 20-minute delay in getting those back.

Finally, we got our passports and were met by Hannah and Noah Bullock, a missionary who has been working in El Salvador for the past couple of years. We loaded our luggage into the rear bed of his pickup truck and made our way from the airport to the Intercontinental Hotel in San Salvador.

After we all got checked in, the group now including Joanne and Mark, headed out for lunch. We went to a small restaurant that serves typical Salvadoran fare. Hannah had reshuffled the schedule in light of the events of Wednesday.

After lunch, we visited the residence of Archbishop Romero and the church in which he was assassinated. The nun who provided the tour was a petite woman who exhibited the wisdom and peace which had to be a result of experiencing decades of struggle and transformation within the Episcopal Church. The residence of Bishop Romero was like a museum where his personal processions were on display along with pictures of events surrounding his shooting and funeral.

Our last stop for the day was the UCA (Universidad Centroamerica) to visit the site where the Jesuit priests were murdered in 1989.

Tragedy at Santa Maria Virgen

noreply@blogger.com (Trinity Church, Houston) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 05:34:00 +0000

Tragedy at Santa Maria Virgen

Posted by Joanne Starbuck

Wednesday, September 2nd

The day started early for our return to Santa Maria Virgen. We received some medications from a local doctor which helped supplement our supplies. One very helpful medication we received was a tablet to treat intestinal parasites.

We made a very special friend today ... 7-year old Irven. By the time Irven came over to receive his medications, we had run out of vitamins. We sent someone out to get some to replenish our supply and told Irven that we would have them a little later. Irven decided that he was going to stay put and wait for the new supply of vitamins and that's exactly what he did!

With the help of two additional doctors, everything was moving along fine and efficiently and by noon, we had seen close to 100 patients. The plan was to work until 12:30 and then take a lunch break. Just before 12:30, a masked man walked into the church and fatally shot Alex Canales, the church sexton and wounded a woman. The "pharmacy" table where DeAnna, Michael, Mark and I were working was located in the center and about two-thirds of the way inside the church doors. It all happened very fast, but what I remember is hearing what seemed to be a scuffle near the open church doors. I was in the process of dispensing some medication to a woman and her children and all of the sudden I noticed that a man, who was standing near the open doors, was trying to close the door nearest to him. Then the shooting started. Alex moved towards the shooter and was trying to stop him when he was shot. As we were trying to move away and take cover, the small metal table we were sitting at was knocked over and it actually ended up serving as a shield. We all hit the floor and and waited for it to be over. I think I heard five or six shots fired. Alex was shot at fairly close range at least twice in the heart. He died shortly thereafter. It's not clear at this point if the act was solely directed at Alex. The police arrived within ten minutes or so and we packed up our things and were escorted to the van.

When we got back to the hotel, we held a prayer service for Alex and the congregation and community of Santa Maria Virgen. Later in the afternoon, the Bishop came to the hotel to talk with us and encouraged us to remain strong. During our chat, the Bishop so aptly pointed out that we are no longer tourists here ... we have now experienced the fear and sadness which occur far too often here. Later in the evening, we went to San Juan Evangelista Church (where Hannah was ordained) and held Evening Prayer. The Gospel reading "divinely" assigned for today was Luke 12:4-12 which begins "I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more."

Sarah, Ken, Carolyn and Dr. Damitra Patel are scheduled to arrive tomorrow. Even though the medical campaign was canceled by the Bishop, Dr. Patel is still planning to come as she feels that this is where she needs to be. She said that her identity as a Christian is much stronger than her identity as a doctor.

Our plans for the next few days, including the activities we had planned at Santisima Trinidad (our sister church) in San Martin on Saturday, have changed because the Bishop has limited our area of travel. But, the good news is that they are coming to us!! We are renting a bus for them and we will hold the activities at the Diocesan Center.

Needless to say, we're very thankful that we are all safe, but are very sad about Alex. Alex was a very friendly, hospitable and funny person and he was our new friend for less than 24 hours. Please continue to keep us, the country of El Salvador and people in need all over the world in your prayers. We are confident that your thoughts and prayers are what kept us safe today.

Medical Campaign at Santa Maria Virgen

noreply@blogger.com (Trinity Church, Houston) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:31:00 +0000

Tuesday, September 1st – Medical Campaign at Santa Maria Virgen, San Bartolo, Ilopango

With the medical supplies still locked up at the airport, Hannah and Mark stayed in San Salvador to continue to work for their release. They made some progress, but it will still be several days until everything is cleared up.

DeAnna, Michael, the Drs. Hilmers and I loaded up the one bag of medicine and other supplies and headed to Santa Maria Virgen for the first day of the medical campaign.

We were told there would probably not be a big turnout … perhaps 25 people. While that seemed a little disappointing at first, it was somewhat of a relief because we were also told that there would not be any support from local doctors (something we were told we would have.)

When we arrived, there were three or four people waiting so we quickly got the Drs. Hilmers set up to begin interviewing and examining patients. Michael, DeAnna and I then set up the “pharmacy” on a small metal table and began counting Tylenol, antibiotics, vitamins and few other medicines we had and put them in small Ziploc bags.

It was a very organized system and everyone was very patient, including the children. As people entered the church, they were given a number and then took a seat and waited to be called by one of the doctors.

A loud speaker was set up outside and music was playing. From time to time, Alex, the church sexton, would get on the microphone to let the community know about the medical campaign. Before too long, there were over 30 people waiting … primarily women and children. Alex gathered all of the children over to one corner of the church and brought them clay, paper and colored pencils to keep them busy.

Around 11:00 a.m., Alex and others started moving folding chairs towards the front of the church in front of the altar. It took us a few minutes to figure out what was happening, but it finally dawned on us that they were setting up for a church service. So, there we sat continuing our work in the middle Morning Prayer.

As it got closer to noon, the room started to empty and we thought that perhaps people had gotten tired of waiting. We then found out that they had gone home for lunch and would be coming back. They came back, and then some. Thankfully, two local doctors arrived about 2:00 p.m. and immediately got to work.

By 3:30 p.m., close to 130 people had been examined and received medicine. Even with the limited supplies, we all felt that our efforts made a difference in the lives of everyone we met. You would have thought we were handing out $100.00 bills rather than Tylenol, vitamins and other things that are so readily available for most people. Our initial schedule included only one day at Santa Maria Virgen, but the decision was made that we would go back there tomorrow and that is what we will do.

Is This Really Mission Work?

noreply@blogger.com (Trinity Church, Houston) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:44:00 +0000

Is This Really Mission Work?

Posted by Joanne Starbuck

Monday, August 31st

Mark’s mission for today was to join Fr. Julio in the continued effort to get the medicine released. They were successful in getting one of the necessary documents, but there are still some issues to resolve. The new government just took over in June and there have been some changes (for the good.) We are the first medical team to visit since the changes were put in place and the Diocese was not aware them. It’s been a learning process for everyone and, hopefully, we are paving the way for others.

Hannah, Michael, DeAnna and I had more shopping to do, so it was back to PriceSmart for some items we need for the activities planned at Santisma Trinidad on Saturday.
One of the planned activities is a party for the children. Over lunch, we decided that the party would not be complete without a piñata. So, after lunch Hannah and I hopped in a cab and went down to the market. As soon as we walked in the door, we found ourselves eye to eye with the largest piñata we had ever seen. When Hannah saw it, she said “that’s our piñata.”
This sure doesn't seem like mission work .....

noreply@blogger.com (Trinity Church, Houston) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:28:00 +0000

A Day of Celebration for Our Group

Posted by DeAnna Bosch

Sunday, August 31st

We Celebrated the beginning of the day with desayuno (breakfast), Celebrated Morning Prayer together – still praying to get the medicines from Customs - and began our travel for the day with a breath from the Holy Spirit. Hannah had explained at breakfast that she spoke with her friend Rafael Sprenkles. He let her know that a group which works to find children who disappeared during the civil war was having an anniversary party. Off we went!

We Celebrated the Anniversary of Asociacion Pro-Busqueda at a wonderful gathering in an open-air stadium/auditorium. Many children and families, all who have been helped or are being helped by Pro-Busqueda, along with their friends were there to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the organization. Hannah’s friend Ester Alvarenga, who is a board member of the organization was there to greet us and so glad to see Hannah. Actors were performing onstage with musicians and everyone was having a great time. One of the acts portrayed El Cipitio - a folklore character who’s a mischievous, boy that plays pranks (I think I know some of his relatives.) We heard some very heart-warming stories about those who had been reunited and sad stories of children not found or that had been killed.

For a bit of quiet respite, we Celebrated Art at the Museo de Arte de El Salvador. Not a large museum, but with a variety of modern and traditional art. One collage is an homage to the memory of Monsignor Romero, who was killed in 1980 during the civil war. A large forged iron sculpture rests only on the hand and foot - an amazing feat of balance. The outstretched hand extends to about 7 ft in the air.

Back to the hotel for some lunch and prepare for the 45 minute journey to San Martin. The diocesan van was being used by another group on Sunday, so we went in their pickup truck – with Michael and Mark riding in the back. What a journey!

Once at Santisima Trinidad, we Celebrated the beginnings of the bakery, checking out the oven with Virginia and even bought some of the cookies they had baked. The women of Santisima Trinidad are being trained by several women who worked for many years at Bimbo Bakeries (a major bread producer – you’ve seen those trucks in Houston). They are justifiably proud of their efforts so far and are working to make the bakery more productive. Currently, most of the bread produced during the training lessons is bought by the participants! When we visited with the Bishop on Monday, he commented on what a good decision the women had made to have a bakery – everyone has to eat!

We continued into the church for the Sunday service – held at 4:00 p.m. Listening to the familiar order in an unfamiliar language brings the sense of wholeness, of a bond between Episcopalians/Anglicans and Christians across the world.

After the Peace, we Celebrated presentation of the donation for future bakery when Hannah presented the check with the proceeds of the Trinity Silent Auction to Fr. Julio Rivera, to be used to buy more equipment for the bakery. I think we all had tears in our eyes at that time.

We continued with the service and Celebrated Eucharist at Santisima Trinidad. After the service we had a wonderful coffee hour and got acquainted with some of the women of the church. Pile back into the pickup and head back to the hotel – Michael and Mark in the back again! We took a longer (but smoother) way back to and wound through the hills. The moon was shining above with the stars and house lights on the hills made it look like a fairyland.

At the hotel, Hannah’s brother-in-law and his wife greeted us and took us to a local pupseria for dinner ($22 for dinner for 7 of us - and delicioso!). Hannah explained our plight with customs and they volunteered to contact a friend who is the mayor of a town close to San Martin to see how they could help “liberate” the medicines from Customs so we Celebrated end of day with new friends and hope for Monday.

Let Our Medicine Go

noreply@blogger.com (Trinity Church, Houston) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 00:11:00 +0000

“Let Our Medicine Go!!”

Posted by Joanne Starbuck

Saturday, August 29th

DeAnna, Michael, Mark and I arrived safely in El Salvador on Saturday morning. We had no problems dealing with Immigration. In fact, the lady behind the counter was quite friendly and asked me if I liked pupusas (a delicious hand-made corn flat bread stuffed with either cheese, squash or refried beans.)

It was then it was on to Aduana a/k/a Customs. Since we are bringing medical supplies on this mission trip (over 650 pounds), we were required to designate that on our declarations forms.

I had a feeling we might be in for trouble because the first person to check our forms handed them back to us rather than dropping it in a box like he did for most other travelers who happily went on their way. DeAnna and Michael were sent to one inspector while Mark and I watched and waited. The inspector examined the paperwork Michael handed to him (which was supposed to be everything we needed) and there was a lot of conversation going on. As Mark and I continued to watch and wait, we were called over to another inspector. He examined our declarations forms and once he saw that we had “farmaceuticos”, he started asking questions. Thank goodness Mark was able to communicate for us. We pulled out our documentation which he briefly reviewed and then began talking across us to the inspector who was dealing with DeAnna and Michael. He then handed our paperwork back to us and sent us over to join DeAnna and Michael. To make a long and frustrating story short, we were eventually told that we were lacking a critical document from the Health Department to allow us to bring in the medicine. We then had to haul all of the bags over to another area so they could be weighed and inventoried and eventually taken away from us and locked up. Needless to say, we were disappointed and are hoping that we can get the bags released before the medical campaign begins on Tuesday and also clear the way for the others who are arriving on Monday and Thursday. Arcelio, our driver, some-times tour guide and friend from the Diocese, was waiting for us just outside the doors. We loaded up the van with our personal bags and we were on our way to San Salvador.

After a quick lunch at the hotel, we were off to PriceSmart (similar to Sam’s or Costco in the US) to spend the generous $1,000.00 gift we received from PriceSmart to benefit ADESCO, a non-profit organization which serves the San Martin community (where our sister church, Santisima Trinidad is located.) We also picked some of the items we’ll need for the medical campaign (still having faith that the medicine will be released.)

Welcome to the Trinity Church Blog!

noreply@blogger.com (Trinity Church, Houston) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 02:00:00 +0000

We have a team of parishioners from Trinity down in El Salvador for a medical mission trip. Daily comments from the team will be posted on here until their return! Blog entries will also carry over to the Trinity Facebook Page.