Some call off, alter mission trip plans
By Kelly Jasper| Staff Writer
Thursday, April 30, 2009

Calls have been frequent on Shane Padgett's phone since Monday, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory warning against travel to Mexico.

"I'm getting calls one after the other today. It's been nuts," said Mr. Padgett, a youth pastor organizing a mission trip to Cancun, Mexico, in June.

A team of 18, largely from Greenbrier Church in Evans where Mr. Padgett works, plans to build houses and lead Bible classes in a Mayan village outside Cancun from June 16 to 23.

The travel advisory and growing number of swine flu cases hasn't persuaded the team to cancel its mission just yet.

"As of this very moment, we're still planning on going, but we don't really know what will happen yet," he said.

Dan Upshaw was scheduled to leave Sunday with students from Georgia Tech to build houses in the Mexican state of Nayarit.

On Monday, he was told the Habitat for Humanity trip had been relocated to Honduras.

"There hasn't been any closing off of Mexico yet, but the leader of the team talked with folks at the CDC, and they felt it was the most prudent thing to do," said the 26-year-old Augusta resident.

Several churches in the Northeast Georgia Presbytery participate in an annual trip to Piedras Negras, Mexico, in June. Saint Andrew Presbyterian planned to send a group of 12, said Dave Iverson, who has helped build homes in Mexico for nine years.

On Tuesday, the medical and work missions were cancelled.

In a post to the Web site of Constructores Para Cristo, or Builders for Christ, organizers of the mission wrote, "This was a decision that was made with great thought and many prayers. As for the Mexican families who have prayed for years to have a house, our wonderful, Mexican staff will build the houses. In a few weeks we will make the decision concerning the second half of the summer."

Since March, groups from two churches -- Aiken Church of Christ and Fleming Baptist Church in Augusta -- have returned from mission trips to Mexico with no reports of illness.

Reach Kelly Jasper at (706) 823-3552 or kelly.jasper@augustachronicle.com.

Reader Comments
Note: Comments are not edited and don't represent the views of The Augusta Chronicle. Please read our full comments policy. To report a post that may be inappropriate, click the icon.
Your comment will be attributed to
YOUR MESSAGE:
You have 1200 characters left.


advertisement

advertisement

TopJobs


Augusta-area Top Jobs
General Repairs MAINTENANCE Call (706)-868-6800 Provide maintenance and repair of equipment and facilities. Full Time & Permanent. Pro Resources $185 Svc Fee PERM $12.12 | hr & Benefits (more)
Driver Pick Up & Transport >NO EXP NEEDED $-400 | wk < Permanent Provide towing and roadside assistance in safe manner. Call (706)868-6800 Full & Part Time Positions Available with Great Local Co Pr... (more)
Emergency Services >ENTRY LEVEL< $16-21 | hr +Great Benefits Answer calls & dispatch proper authority. Call us at 706.868.6800 J#3413 Full Time | Permanent Pro Resources $185 Great Opportunity on Pos... (more)


© 2009 The Augusta Chronicle|Terms of service|About our ads|Help|Contact us|Subscribe|Local business listings


advertisement
advertisement