Sunday, June 26, 2005
To fill a gap, start digging.
Next door to Our Little Roses is a piece of land with 6 or 7 small homes on it. From the second floor stairwell where our apartment sits we can look over the wall to observe the homes and the land of the compound. I was to find out tonight that the compound houses the blind.
So on one side of us sits this home site for the blind. On the other is a home for the mentally ill which is run by the Sisters of Charity (Mother Teresa). Behind us is the levy which is essentially a squatter town. Our Little Roses is a mission amongst the poorest of the poor. Being from the West one imagines what living amongst the poorest of poor feels like. To be honest, it is not all that different from Alexandria VA, Washington DC, or Plantation Fl. It is simply not that pretty. Aesthetically it bombards the senses. Walls with Barb wire; trash; gates; broken stone; backed up water; potholes; and to our immense enjoyment over the last couple of days two dead dogs baking in the sun. Someone had thankfully put lime on it so what we got was infinitely better than what it could have been. Definitely, this area is not pretty.
Yet the reason that one does not feel all that different is that it is still inhabited by people. People are people. You see mother's with their children. There are homes with cars and people who work. Down the way I'm able to buy a coke or milk at the local Pulperia. (Think 7-11 in someone's house with out any slurpee's.) Up the way we can pick up a local cab. There are soccer games at the local football field. There was a marriage at the home this weekend. Regardless of where you go there we are. We all have the all the basic needs. We want our children to grow up healthy. We want to eat good food. We want our houses to be secure. So here we are amongst the poorest of the poor and the reality is that it is not all that different.
The reason I began by describing the compound next door is that from our viewpoint on the second floor we can see the houses but also the pool of slimy green water which has yet to be filled in. It's the kind of thing that makes you want to take your Malaria pill. Doug, the missioner from SE Florida, informed me that when he first started coming down here the compound next door was only about half the size it is now and that they had filled in an incredible portion to make it habitable. So what we have been looking at had been a lot less habitable. While I was thinking that what I was looking at a half empty cup it actually was half full. People had come before me to make order out of chaos. In fact, I was to find that a lot of the area had been swampy like the back corner of the lot. The grounds Our Little Roses is on was once a lot like the compound next door. Quite literally they have set a foundation that others are building off of.
In light of all that I began to think of what has been created here. I remembered what a visiting doctor mentioned to me on our second day. His group had come to consider a mission. He was a medical doctor and told me that Honduras has a high rate of cervical cancer and deaths that result from cervical cancer. What frustrates him and many others is that dying from cervical cancer is preventable by Pap Smear. The difficulty he recounted was not in getting medical treatment to Honduras. The difficulty is in having the infrastructure to reach the women. He brought up a good point. Why would any impoverished local woman trust an American doctor in Honduras if he or she showed up? What is so lacking is infrastructure and trust.
The doctor then brought to light the incredible feat that had been accomplished with Our Little Roses. It is not just what they are doing with the girls but it is the buildings, transportation, secure area, local connections that could make it a site where local people could be treated. Doctors, if they came to treat would be able to utilize the public trust in reaching a lot more people than they could on their own. In a country that suffers from lack of infrastructure, Our Little Roses can provide that wider support..
The miracle of this place is more than the care and development of the girls. It is the establishment of needed structure that is not afraid to share itself with those who do not have the means to pay. Like the filled in pool next door, this place has, stone by stone, brick by brick, child by child created a structure that is in fact changing the world.
So on one side of us sits this home site for the blind. On the other is a home for the mentally ill which is run by the Sisters of Charity (Mother Teresa). Behind us is the levy which is essentially a squatter town. Our Little Roses is a mission amongst the poorest of the poor. Being from the West one imagines what living amongst the poorest of poor feels like. To be honest, it is not all that different from Alexandria VA, Washington DC, or Plantation Fl. It is simply not that pretty. Aesthetically it bombards the senses. Walls with Barb wire; trash; gates; broken stone; backed up water; potholes; and to our immense enjoyment over the last couple of days two dead dogs baking in the sun. Someone had thankfully put lime on it so what we got was infinitely better than what it could have been. Definitely, this area is not pretty.
Yet the reason that one does not feel all that different is that it is still inhabited by people. People are people. You see mother's with their children. There are homes with cars and people who work. Down the way I'm able to buy a coke or milk at the local Pulperia. (Think 7-11 in someone's house with out any slurpee's.) Up the way we can pick up a local cab. There are soccer games at the local football field. There was a marriage at the home this weekend. Regardless of where you go there we are. We all have the all the basic needs. We want our children to grow up healthy. We want to eat good food. We want our houses to be secure. So here we are amongst the poorest of the poor and the reality is that it is not all that different.
The reason I began by describing the compound next door is that from our viewpoint on the second floor we can see the houses but also the pool of slimy green water which has yet to be filled in. It's the kind of thing that makes you want to take your Malaria pill. Doug, the missioner from SE Florida, informed me that when he first started coming down here the compound next door was only about half the size it is now and that they had filled in an incredible portion to make it habitable. So what we have been looking at had been a lot less habitable. While I was thinking that what I was looking at a half empty cup it actually was half full. People had come before me to make order out of chaos. In fact, I was to find that a lot of the area had been swampy like the back corner of the lot. The grounds Our Little Roses is on was once a lot like the compound next door. Quite literally they have set a foundation that others are building off of.
In light of all that I began to think of what has been created here. I remembered what a visiting doctor mentioned to me on our second day. His group had come to consider a mission. He was a medical doctor and told me that Honduras has a high rate of cervical cancer and deaths that result from cervical cancer. What frustrates him and many others is that dying from cervical cancer is preventable by Pap Smear. The difficulty he recounted was not in getting medical treatment to Honduras. The difficulty is in having the infrastructure to reach the women. He brought up a good point. Why would any impoverished local woman trust an American doctor in Honduras if he or she showed up? What is so lacking is infrastructure and trust.
The doctor then brought to light the incredible feat that had been accomplished with Our Little Roses. It is not just what they are doing with the girls but it is the buildings, transportation, secure area, local connections that could make it a site where local people could be treated. Doctors, if they came to treat would be able to utilize the public trust in reaching a lot more people than they could on their own. In a country that suffers from lack of infrastructure, Our Little Roses can provide that wider support..
The miracle of this place is more than the care and development of the girls. It is the establishment of needed structure that is not afraid to share itself with those who do not have the means to pay. Like the filled in pool next door, this place has, stone by stone, brick by brick, child by child created a structure that is in fact changing the world.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Only a wall divides us
Last night, I was truly glad we are here in Honduras. I had left the apartment at nine to get some money to the guards to buy me a paper. (otherwise I would have to get up at 4:30.) I tried to speak with them. We communicated a little, mostly about the incoming storm o lluvia torenta. It wasn't raining but lightning was lighting up the valley of San Pedro Sula. My new word yesterday was Lamparago or lightning.
A paper costs 6 limpera. That's about 30 cents. I handed over the money. Our conversation was quick as my spanish is so limited. I walked back to La Cancha or the large tin covered, open aired playing space at the back of the compound. Normally this is an area of a lot of commotion during the day as it is the main space for running, basketball, futbol, or the traditional dances they put on for groups. Last night at nine it was quiet. I took a moment to watch the lightning fill the air.
The compound litterally sits next to one of the worst areas of poverty. It is a walled in compound with barbed wire. Like many places in Honduras armed gaurds protect it 24 hours a day.Beyond the wall is an area that many of the girls have come out of. It is a squatter area where it is difficult to get water, electricity, and safety. Most of the huts are built of wood, fencing, and tin. There are thin roads that snake there way through but none are paved. So the residents are faced with flooding when in rains and dust when it is hot. No one is guarding this area.
What hit me last night is that there was a baby crying on the other side of the wall. He or she was wailing and I could do nothing about it. Here I was, a citizen of the United States:a recipient of an economy that employs the majority of its citizens; a recipient of continual health care that has kept me free from serious illness; a recipient not only of free education through the 12th grade but able to attend four years of College and now two years of post graduate work; a recipient of a stable (if not abundant) diet, clean water, transportation, electricity, and air conditioning.
Yet even in the compound, even if we discounted all of the above, that wall seperated two worlds. In the compound I was secure. Because it is safe the residents can play, run, laugh, and learn. In the compound there is electricity and even internet access. In the compound there is the regular delivery of fresh bottled water. In the compound are two kitchens that serve three meals a day. There is a school. Even if I was not an American, on this side the chances of success rise dramatically.
I could do nothing for the child who may or may not receive any of the above. I prayed and found myself incredibly saddened. It was hard not to wonder why I recieved all those things and this child may not. Due to the circumstances the odds are that the child will not.
Only a wall divides us.
A paper costs 6 limpera. That's about 30 cents. I handed over the money. Our conversation was quick as my spanish is so limited. I walked back to La Cancha or the large tin covered, open aired playing space at the back of the compound. Normally this is an area of a lot of commotion during the day as it is the main space for running, basketball, futbol, or the traditional dances they put on for groups. Last night at nine it was quiet. I took a moment to watch the lightning fill the air.
The compound litterally sits next to one of the worst areas of poverty. It is a walled in compound with barbed wire. Like many places in Honduras armed gaurds protect it 24 hours a day.Beyond the wall is an area that many of the girls have come out of. It is a squatter area where it is difficult to get water, electricity, and safety. Most of the huts are built of wood, fencing, and tin. There are thin roads that snake there way through but none are paved. So the residents are faced with flooding when in rains and dust when it is hot. No one is guarding this area.
What hit me last night is that there was a baby crying on the other side of the wall. He or she was wailing and I could do nothing about it. Here I was, a citizen of the United States:a recipient of an economy that employs the majority of its citizens; a recipient of continual health care that has kept me free from serious illness; a recipient not only of free education through the 12th grade but able to attend four years of College and now two years of post graduate work; a recipient of a stable (if not abundant) diet, clean water, transportation, electricity, and air conditioning.
Yet even in the compound, even if we discounted all of the above, that wall seperated two worlds. In the compound I was secure. Because it is safe the residents can play, run, laugh, and learn. In the compound there is electricity and even internet access. In the compound there is the regular delivery of fresh bottled water. In the compound are two kitchens that serve three meals a day. There is a school. Even if I was not an American, on this side the chances of success rise dramatically.
I could do nothing for the child who may or may not receive any of the above. I prayed and found myself incredibly saddened. It was hard not to wonder why I recieved all those things and this child may not. Due to the circumstances the odds are that the child will not.
Only a wall divides us.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Please pray for Alice
Alice is a baby girl who died yesterday. Please pray for her and her parents. They are not in Honduras but are seminarians with us in Alexandria. I wish there were some good words to say. I feel so far away and useless. But I can pray and encourage others too. Please join me.
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
I'm not as good looking as Vin Diesel
Our second day in Honduras was a day of opposites.
Yes, it is sadly true. I'm not as good looking as Vin Diesel. My illusion has been shattered by one of the Roses. We were sitting at dinner last night and in my pidgin Spanish I was asking about the movie they had seen in the afternoon. A mission group from Coral Gables, FL had taken all the girls, their mission group, and my son to see The Pacifier. The older Petersen's had a meeting with La Jefe Maestra and Neik who coordinates the volunteers and Spanish Language students. While not as enjoyable as the movie we did get to go to the Supermercado. So having missed the movie, I asked some of the girls if they liked it. They did. I then tried to lie to them and tell them that I was Vin Diesel. They laughed and then said, when I asked them why they did not believe me, "Vin Diesel es Guapo". This served me right for lying.
On the flip side of surreal (which is very, very real) was our ride along the Levy. (Several of the pictures show some of the children of the Levy) The levy is squatted land along the nearby river. During Hurricane Mitch many of the shacks, which are a patchwork of fencing, wood planks, and tin roofs were simply swept away when the flood waters came off the mountain. If I know my history 20,000 people were killed in Mitch with many more being displaced. Since Mitch the poor have rebuilt the shanty towns along the very same river.
What made our visit to the "levy" so surreal but, I think essential to "see" the abject poverty of Honduras was to ride through in an air conditioned van with a video camera and close to $200 dollars in my pocket. I am not responsible for the conditions yet I could not help but feel guilty. What was most difficult to see was there amongst all the trash and waste was the same river they would pull their drinking water from. Yet there too was beauty. Most of the small homes would try to have some type of beauty. Some had floor that were very clean...At least as clean as they could get it with all the dust and mud of the road. We saw "pulperia's" or small stores that sold goods to their neighbors. We saw two horse and carts that would sell vegetables. We saw girls dressed in school uniforms.
Life goes on. It certainly goes on.
Yes, it is sadly true. I'm not as good looking as Vin Diesel. My illusion has been shattered by one of the Roses. We were sitting at dinner last night and in my pidgin Spanish I was asking about the movie they had seen in the afternoon. A mission group from Coral Gables, FL had taken all the girls, their mission group, and my son to see The Pacifier. The older Petersen's had a meeting with La Jefe Maestra and Neik who coordinates the volunteers and Spanish Language students. While not as enjoyable as the movie we did get to go to the Supermercado. So having missed the movie, I asked some of the girls if they liked it. They did. I then tried to lie to them and tell them that I was Vin Diesel. They laughed and then said, when I asked them why they did not believe me, "Vin Diesel es Guapo". This served me right for lying.
On the flip side of surreal (which is very, very real) was our ride along the Levy. (Several of the pictures show some of the children of the Levy) The levy is squatted land along the nearby river. During Hurricane Mitch many of the shacks, which are a patchwork of fencing, wood planks, and tin roofs were simply swept away when the flood waters came off the mountain. If I know my history 20,000 people were killed in Mitch with many more being displaced. Since Mitch the poor have rebuilt the shanty towns along the very same river.
What made our visit to the "levy" so surreal but, I think essential to "see" the abject poverty of Honduras was to ride through in an air conditioned van with a video camera and close to $200 dollars in my pocket. I am not responsible for the conditions yet I could not help but feel guilty. What was most difficult to see was there amongst all the trash and waste was the same river they would pull their drinking water from. Yet there too was beauty. Most of the small homes would try to have some type of beauty. Some had floor that were very clean...At least as clean as they could get it with all the dust and mud of the road. We saw "pulperia's" or small stores that sold goods to their neighbors. We saw two horse and carts that would sell vegetables. We saw girls dressed in school uniforms.
Life goes on. It certainly goes on.
Monday, June 13, 2005
We're off. We leave this afternoon. I never imagined that this blog might become my primary means of communication. Our VTS website has been on the fritz and I have not been able to access email for three days. I've become such an email junky that I feel naked! (I'm definitely going to have to go to internet anonymous.)
We were at St. Benedict's church yesterday. Fr. Bob allowed me to preach which was, surprisingly (har, har), on "mission". I think it went well. More importantly I was able to speak with 6 parishoners who wanted to know more about Our Little Roses. They are going to pray about a potential mission. We'll see. I will strive to go back to St. Benedict's in the August when we get back.
Regardless, the family and I are packed. I hope to have new news in a day or so. Keep us in your prayers! Vaya con Dios.
We were at St. Benedict's church yesterday. Fr. Bob allowed me to preach which was, surprisingly (har, har), on "mission". I think it went well. More importantly I was able to speak with 6 parishoners who wanted to know more about Our Little Roses. They are going to pray about a potential mission. We'll see. I will strive to go back to St. Benedict's in the August when we get back.
Regardless, the family and I are packed. I hope to have new news in a day or so. Keep us in your prayers! Vaya con Dios.
Friday, June 10, 2005
"Aya, weaar gettin sum weatha" (Read with Down east accent...That's Maine for all you southerners.
The joy of South Florida is that it continually looks like a target for every Hurricane. In fact if you look at it the right way it begins to look like a pinball flipper for all the hurricane's that come out of Africa.
Arlene is here and will most likely miss Florida. This is good news for us but not for New Orleans. Last year was an awful year for Hurricanes and Arlene seems awfully early. Please pray for a calm hurricane season.
At least now I know that we'll probably get to Honduras on schedule. This morning when I heard the rumors of the storm I was not so sure.
Link
Arlene is here and will most likely miss Florida. This is good news for us but not for New Orleans. Last year was an awful year for Hurricanes and Arlene seems awfully early. Please pray for a calm hurricane season.
At least now I know that we'll probably get to Honduras on schedule. This morning when I heard the rumors of the storm I was not so sure.
Link
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
We Made it to SE Florida
Click link to see map. We are currently in Miramar. (This is a bit of lie. Miramar means to "see "(mira) "Sea" (mar). The only water we see is the water tower. )
The family survived. We are all a little tired but adjusting to SE Florida again. I'll check in soon.
Link
The family survived. We are all a little tired but adjusting to SE Florida again. I'll check in soon.
Link
Where did the money come from? (This is written mostly for seminarians but could help others thinking about mission.)
Getting the funding has been a mission on its own. I am writing this as a help to those who may follow us.
There is a saying that I like. When you want to dig a hole, pray and then grab a shovel. At least in my case, God only provided those things I could not. Getting to Honduras has meant suiting up and showing up. It meant putting myself out there. Ultimately God was involved as there was more "yes" then "no" in receiving the money to go but, I had to be willing to spend the time and effort seeking those sources of funding out. For this mission it meant putting out the Alms bowl. In retrospect, I did not have to set it out to far.
If you are thinking on going on mission and you are a seminarian you probably do not have the money. You might think this is a problem. It is not. If you (and your family- remember I wrote grants for five not one!) are meant to go, the way will come.
Here are were our main steps-
1. Deciding we were being called.
For us this came in two stages. In the first stage we were pretty sure we wanted to go. This led me to apply to SCOM (see link info below). I was rejected which was disappointing BUT, this led to the second stage. The second stage was praying with my wife that we were really being called and that our mission was worth a substantial portion of our savings if we could not find the help elsewhere.
2.) Pray! We did not start getting results until I began asking people in my prayer group to start praying for us. After we started sharing our needs with others in prayer we began to understand our call with more clarity. We began to make important contacts. The money began to arrive. Pray! Pray! Pray! Never think you are doing this on your own.
3.) Keep your Bishop in the loop. When my wife and I first started to think about a mission and my need for an immersion to become bi-lingual we were looking for places to go. We began to look in the Dominican Republic. We looked at Costa Rica. It was my Bishop who recommended Honduras. Now it helps that he was once Bishop of Honduras but, having the blessing of my bishop meant that going forward was certainly not opposed to some other plan or expectation. (ie CPE)
3. Sources of Seminary Funding.
A.)The first source which is a great source is SCOM. There application was due in late November. There application was not that difficult but if you wait till November to fill it out it can be a bit of a stretch to get it done under the load of seminary.
Even though I was not helped by SCOM I don't begrudge them because their application helped me to focus my ideas about what our family was going on mission for and their rejection helped my wife and I really determine that we were being called. (For more info see links below)
B.) The second source is only helpful for seminarians at Virginia Theological Seminary. It is the Windows on the World Grant. The head of this committee is Rev. Dr. Jones. Please see him. He is a huge help and wants seminarians to explore mission to become better priests. There is no web address for Windows on the World. You will have to do it the old fashioned way and call him. (You can email but he's not all that active on line either)
Windows on the World only can help seminarians. If you are going with family you will have to seek help elsewhere with their needs In my case I could only write my grant with my financial needs. This was due in February. If I remember correctly this grant helped me flesh out what exactly what I was going to do on mission. I found that you can not simply send the same grant request that you sent SCOM. This is more work but a good thing. I found that my ideas about wanting to go on mission grew. Had I simply received the funds from SCOM I may not have had this deepening. This process has helped me focus on ministry in the United States more clearly.
The great thing about Windows is that they decide incredibly quickly. I had an answer by late March. In grants this is pretty quick.
C.) The friendliest grant was EES. Sorry SCOM. Sorry Windows. Don't get me wrong everyone has been great. It is just that EES has Penny Saffer who is incredibly friendly. All three grants are decided on by committee. What makes working with EES a little more user friendly is that as Executive Director Penny's sole responsibility is EES. This meant that in the fall she came to campus to explain what the society does. This meant I could call her to talk about tips in writing my grant. She did not write if for me but was open to questions. It certainly made the process easier. (Info below)
EES is also due in February. Since their board is all over the place don't expect to get an answer soon. I did not find out until May that my family had been selected. Now there was not guarantee that my families needs would be supported but in light of our request they opted to support us.
The most interesting thing about their grant was a difficult little question they have. I remember hearing about this from a past grantee and my experience was the same regarding the question. The question asks the grantee to explain the proposed mission in 35 words or less. It's a great question because it forces you to really boil down exactly what your hope is in going on mission. (Links are below)
If you have difficulty with any of the links below, please realize I had to break two of them to have it fit on the page. If I write "Type" above the link, you will have to type in whole address to address bar to access what I had originally intended people to see.
If you are a student at Virginia Theological Seminary see Dr. Richard Jones who chairs the Window's on the World grant committee. This is a mission fund for students of VTS.
Seminary counsel (?) on Mission (SCOM) links
Type in whole link to address bar to get article
(http://www.christianpost.com/article/education/632/full/
scom.awards.grant.for.32.episcopal.seminarian.and.students/1.htm)
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/epgm_30829_ENG_Print.html
Episcopal Evangelical Education Society links.
http://members.aol.com/eeesociety/EEESPAGE.html
Just a great financial link if looking to explore the breadth of Episcopal church. This is not related specifically to mission but may help.
Type in whole address to address bar to see list
(http://directory.google.com/Top/Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/
Christianity/Denominations/Anglican/Episcopal_Church_USA/Organizations/)
One I found just searching around.
http://www.episcopalian.org/Pewsaction/
There is a saying that I like. When you want to dig a hole, pray and then grab a shovel. At least in my case, God only provided those things I could not. Getting to Honduras has meant suiting up and showing up. It meant putting myself out there. Ultimately God was involved as there was more "yes" then "no" in receiving the money to go but, I had to be willing to spend the time and effort seeking those sources of funding out. For this mission it meant putting out the Alms bowl. In retrospect, I did not have to set it out to far.
If you are thinking on going on mission and you are a seminarian you probably do not have the money. You might think this is a problem. It is not. If you (and your family- remember I wrote grants for five not one!) are meant to go, the way will come.
Here are were our main steps-
1. Deciding we were being called.
For us this came in two stages. In the first stage we were pretty sure we wanted to go. This led me to apply to SCOM (see link info below). I was rejected which was disappointing BUT, this led to the second stage. The second stage was praying with my wife that we were really being called and that our mission was worth a substantial portion of our savings if we could not find the help elsewhere.
2.) Pray! We did not start getting results until I began asking people in my prayer group to start praying for us. After we started sharing our needs with others in prayer we began to understand our call with more clarity. We began to make important contacts. The money began to arrive. Pray! Pray! Pray! Never think you are doing this on your own.
3.) Keep your Bishop in the loop. When my wife and I first started to think about a mission and my need for an immersion to become bi-lingual we were looking for places to go. We began to look in the Dominican Republic. We looked at Costa Rica. It was my Bishop who recommended Honduras. Now it helps that he was once Bishop of Honduras but, having the blessing of my bishop meant that going forward was certainly not opposed to some other plan or expectation. (ie CPE)
3. Sources of Seminary Funding.
A.)The first source which is a great source is SCOM. There application was due in late November. There application was not that difficult but if you wait till November to fill it out it can be a bit of a stretch to get it done under the load of seminary.
Even though I was not helped by SCOM I don't begrudge them because their application helped me to focus my ideas about what our family was going on mission for and their rejection helped my wife and I really determine that we were being called. (For more info see links below)
B.) The second source is only helpful for seminarians at Virginia Theological Seminary. It is the Windows on the World Grant. The head of this committee is Rev. Dr. Jones. Please see him. He is a huge help and wants seminarians to explore mission to become better priests. There is no web address for Windows on the World. You will have to do it the old fashioned way and call him. (You can email but he's not all that active on line either)
Windows on the World only can help seminarians. If you are going with family you will have to seek help elsewhere with their needs In my case I could only write my grant with my financial needs. This was due in February. If I remember correctly this grant helped me flesh out what exactly what I was going to do on mission. I found that you can not simply send the same grant request that you sent SCOM. This is more work but a good thing. I found that my ideas about wanting to go on mission grew. Had I simply received the funds from SCOM I may not have had this deepening. This process has helped me focus on ministry in the United States more clearly.
The great thing about Windows is that they decide incredibly quickly. I had an answer by late March. In grants this is pretty quick.
C.) The friendliest grant was EES. Sorry SCOM. Sorry Windows. Don't get me wrong everyone has been great. It is just that EES has Penny Saffer who is incredibly friendly. All three grants are decided on by committee. What makes working with EES a little more user friendly is that as Executive Director Penny's sole responsibility is EES. This meant that in the fall she came to campus to explain what the society does. This meant I could call her to talk about tips in writing my grant. She did not write if for me but was open to questions. It certainly made the process easier. (Info below)
EES is also due in February. Since their board is all over the place don't expect to get an answer soon. I did not find out until May that my family had been selected. Now there was not guarantee that my families needs would be supported but in light of our request they opted to support us.
The most interesting thing about their grant was a difficult little question they have. I remember hearing about this from a past grantee and my experience was the same regarding the question. The question asks the grantee to explain the proposed mission in 35 words or less. It's a great question because it forces you to really boil down exactly what your hope is in going on mission. (Links are below)
If you have difficulty with any of the links below, please realize I had to break two of them to have it fit on the page. If I write "Type" above the link, you will have to type in whole address to address bar to access what I had originally intended people to see.
If you are a student at Virginia Theological Seminary see Dr. Richard Jones who chairs the Window's on the World grant committee. This is a mission fund for students of VTS.
Seminary counsel (?) on Mission (SCOM) links
Type in whole link to address bar to get article
(http://www.christianpost.com/article/education/632/full/
scom.awards.grant.for.32.episcopal.seminarian.and.students/1.htm)
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/epgm_30829_ENG_Print.html
Episcopal Evangelical Education Society links.
http://members.aol.com/eeesociety/EEESPAGE.html
Just a great financial link if looking to explore the breadth of Episcopal church. This is not related specifically to mission but may help.
Type in whole address to address bar to see list
(http://directory.google.com/Top/Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/
Christianity/Denominations/Anglican/Episcopal_Church_USA/Organizations/)
One I found just searching around.
http://www.episcopalian.org/Pewsaction/
