Wilian and Erly visited the Rocky Mountains and several midwestern states for the first time to speak to existing YPM supporting churches, introduce YPM to new churches, and play in the snow for the first time. Here’s a short recap:
Wilian and Erly joined pastor Amy Morgan of First Presbyterian Church in Loveland, Colorado, in bringing Communion to a home-bound member who just turned 103 years old. They later had dinner with members of the congregation and shared a presentation about the work of YPM. You can view the presentation here.
They also visited Scottsbluff, Nebraska, where they explored the area, and, thanks to a kindly and talkative park ranger, were introduced to covered wagons and the history of the Oregon Trail, and got to see antelope and big horned sheep. They had dinner with the Presbytery staff – the Executive Presbyter, Acting Stated Clerk, and Administrator. The Acting Stated Clerk, Michael Fitzsimmons, was very interested in the mission of YPM. He and his wife intend to join a mission trip in June, and he offered to help with fundraising. He knows the owners of 3 large construction companies in Colorado and has offered to set up a lunch with them to encourage corporate sponsorship of YPM.
They attended the Presbytery meeting in Scottsbluff where Wilian preached for the worship service and Pastor Amy Morgan shared about the Presbytery’s partnership with YPM and future mission trip. Wilian and Erly spent lots of time exploring the museum, and later that evening, their host took them to meet with a family from the Yucatan who is living with and working for another member of the church. He preached in Scottsbluff and then headed back to Colorado.
During the trip, Wilian and Erly experienced their first snowfall. They enjoyed making and throwing snowballs and taking lots of photos and videos. Wilian made a presentation to the mission committee of the largest church in the Presbytery of the Plains & Peaks, First Ft. Collins. They met with other churches in the area later that day.
Overall, the trip was a great success. They covered over 600 miles, met with and talked with 5 different churches in addition to an entire Presbytery, and procured $7100 in donations to YPM. The videos Wilian shared are beautiful. They have a young man who graduated from film school who is making promotional videos for the school. They had many good discussions about the vision for the school and for YPM, and the future is bright.