St. Mary's youth embark on mission trip

EAST COUNTY —Youth at St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church know, without question, they’ll be working hard during their summer vacation.

And they can’t wait.

Students at the Lakewood Ranch church will head June 16 to the Dominican Republic, for their first international mission trip, during which they will help rebuild a school and church.

“Poverty is everywhere we are,” said upcoming Lakewood Ranch High School sophomore Lauren Strimer, who went last summer on a mission trip to rural Tennessee. “It was life-changing to see what (people in Tennessee) were going through and to be able to make a difference. I’m excited to do that (again).”

The St. Mary team will partner with a church group from Ruskin, from June 16 to June 23, for the Tampa Deanery’s 2012 project to build a new church for Santa Cruz (Holy Cross) Episcopal Church in the town of Santa Fe, outside San Pedro de Macoris, in the Dominican Republic.

Santa Cruz Episcopal Church was formally deeded to the Diocese of the Dominican Republic in the late 1990s. Over the years, the diocese fixed serious crack and settlement problems, but now is working to construct a new church.

In partnership with the Tampa Deanery, the diocese has been building a two-story “model San Felipe” church over the last three years. The building has a sanctuary, altar, sacristy and office on the first floor and a parish hall and a small apartment on the second floor. The new church is located beside the original church facility.

The 10-person mission team from St. Mary Magdalene will be part of the second mission group to work there this summer, said St. Mary youth leader, Gracie Wiedeman.

“Some of the people who will be coming the week before us have been coming (each summer) for the last three years,” Wiedeman said.

Students said they couldn’t be more excited to go and help and also to experience the Dominican culture while there.

“To go there and help people and have a good time — I find it interesting,” student Will Teahan said. “I love helping people.”

In addition to their construction responsibilities, the youth and their chaperones also will visit an orphanage while in the Dominican. Wiedeman, who loves children, said she’s most excited about that part of the trip.

“It’s not a (typical orphanage),” Wiedeman said. “It’s a bunch of children who come there and take showers and get food. Then they go home.”

St. Mary youth and college students involved in the mission trip include Strimer, Teahan, Kelly White, Zach Hedman, Stephan Keith, Kaitlyn O’Carroll and Jade Williams. Chaperons include Wiedeman, the Rev. Jim Hedman and church member Bill Hardy.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].