While many students spent a week on the beach for spring break, eight Walla Walla College students traveled to the impoverished region of San Juan Opico, El Salvador, to work on a church.

The students raised money for their own airfare, food, lodging and transportation and provided funds for building supplies and local laborers, in addition to volunteering their own time. The participants came from a variety of majors and ranged from freshmen to seniors.

The trip was coordinated by Rosa and Jose DeLaO, both of whom grew up in El Salvador. The DeLaOs have been bringing mission groups to El Salvador for 20 years and donate their time and money to projects and the people there. They build churches, feed and clothe people, and supply medical assistance to those who cannot afford it.

The DeLaOs began building the Adventist church in San Juan Opico in March 2002, and considerably more money is needed to complete it. More WWC mission trips will follow until the church’s completion, with the next planned for Christmas break of the 2004–05 school year.

The church will be used by community members, as well as 163 orphans and 337 students from the neighboring elementary and high schools. The students of Escuela de Capacitación Adventista Salvadorena (ECAS) have been meeting for church in a small cafeteria. Many children who attend ECAS grew up in the orphanage on campus. This is not uncommon in El Salvador, where homeless families frequently are unable to support their children. The students’ food and tuition are mainly funded by sponsors from the United States.

If you would like to become involved or participate in a mission trip, please contact Rosa and Jose DeLaO at (509) 529-7890 or Jeanne Vories, WWC student missions, at vorije@wwc.edu.