Worship center's summer mission heads for Ecuador BY REBECCA MORTON Staff Writer MARLBORO - When asked how their summer went, some members of the Monmouth Worship Center, Route 79, will be able to discuss their adventures in Ecuador. A total of 34 parishioners - adults and youths - will spend more than a week on a missionary trip interacting with citizens in the capital city of Quito. With the group's departure right around the corner on July 24, Kenneth Jasko, pastor, is looking forward to the event. When asked about the goal of the trip, Jasko said it was "to help the people down there, most of whom are incredibly poor." Every year members of the Monmouth Worship Center travel to a different country to help local citizens. This year's location was chosen on the recommendation of parishioners Joe and Karen Hewes, formally of Marlboro, who now reside in Ecuador and will act as the host family. Joe and Karen have lived in Ecuador since November 2006. Bill Scheerer, who is Karen Hewes' father, said, "Karen just fell in love with the children." Father and daughter traveled to Ecuador on a previous mission. Hewes now works in Quito with Latin American Child Care. Scheerer and his wife, Jan, of Marlboro, will be with the group of travelers venturing to Ecuador. They are excited to have this chance to help make a difference, as well as to see their family members. This year will mark Jan's fourth mission trip while Bill has only missed one of the center's missions, seeing locations such as the Dominican Republic, Kenya, El Salvador and Trinidad. "It's something I can do and is short, in terms of time, and will get me in contact with people who I want to learn about. It will also allow me to spread the word of God and love of Christ," Jan said. Cara Rounds, of Freehold Township, and her husband, Paul, will be traveling with their sons Erik, Andrew and Taylor. "My husband, myself and my oldest son have all done missions, but never together. We decided since our oldest will be going off to college it would be the perfect time for all of us to go," Rounds said. On the mission trips the group is generally divided into two teams. One team focuses on construction, which on this trip will be helping to build a school. The other team focuses on evangelism within the community. On this particular mission a lot of work will be done with children, including entertaining in parks and visiting an orphanage. Most of the youths who are taking the trip will work on this team, teaching children through puppets and skits. According to the U.S. Department of State, Quito, Ecuador's capital, is tucked away in an Andean valley at 9,000 feet above sea level, surrounded by volcanoes, including the active Mount Pichincha. The city has a population of 1.6 million, making it the second largest city in Ecuador. "Ecuador being a third world country is a great opportunity to express God's love," Rounds said. The goal is to help make a difference. "We're hoping people will receive hope and the fellowship we all need. We want them to know there is more than likely a church where they can receive this help. We're hoping for change," Jan Scheerer said. "It's such an honor to be a part of [this mission], we're very excited and it is something we truly believe in," Rounds added. The mission groups usually do not return to the locations they have previously visited, which prevents them from seeing what their work has done. Recently though, the contact from a mission to Trinidad came and spoke at the worship center. Rounds said she was overjoyed to hear that her work in Trinidad had helped the church to grow. Whether traveling with their family or looking forward to seeing family members, all of the people who are planning to make the trip to Ecuador have one shared mission, to bring hope to others.