Photo Credit: Mission fiesta
Orianna McConnell at a Fiesta with some new friends!
June Ashby, Adviser
September 11, 2012
Filed under Student Life
Did you do anything this summer that made a difference in someone’s life? Junior Orianna McConnell is quick with her answer because it’s been the same answer for the past six years. She and her family travel with a group from her church to Antigua,Guatemala to throw birthday parties for orphans. The trip is called “Mission Fiesta.” The fiestas are complete with games, cake and presents.
The group spends two weeks in Antigua going from orphanage to orphanage. They bring birthday cards from churches in the United States. Each Guatemalan student receives a two dollar gift in the card which is provided by the churches. The team’s mission is to throw a birthday party for all of the orphanages that they visit.
Gary Ross, the founder of Mission Fiesta, began the organization by visiting orphans that he had sponsored through Compassion International. He and some friends noticed that the workers at the orphanages never got a break from the kids. They decided to manage a home for a few days so that the workers could have a much-needed vacation. While at the home, they decided to give the orphans one big birthday party. He said that most orphanages do not have resources for these kinds of extras.
“Missionaries have a habit of telling other missionaries about what is happening in their ministries,” Ross said. “The word spread and we began having fiestas at other homes and projects. We decided to call ourselves Mission Fiesta.” By 2006 they had fourteen fiestas involving 1,703 children and 343 staff.
Orianna has been greatly affected by her experiences in Guatemala. She says, “There’s more poverty there than I would have expected. It’s really sad. We have so much! I would love to get all of us (at Glenn) to see it!”
When asked if she had any stories about the students that they minister to in Guatemala, she told The Howler about a baby boy who was thrown in the trash by his parents. He was almost dead and was rescued from certain death by one of the orphanage workers. McConnell states that these needy kids keep bringing her back each year. She hopes to continue serving in this capacity in Guatemala in summers to come.
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