Assist-JC-- A History

Assist-JC is our nickname for the youth mission program:
"All Souls Students in Service to Jesus Christ".

2000 We began with a domestic mission trip to Risingville, New York where twelve of us built a handicap ramp for a church and helped an old lady by painting roofing tar on her leaky hot tin roof while other members cleaned out 45 years worth of canned fruits, vegetables and meats from the basement.
2001 The mission outreach continued with our first international mission trip to Nuevo Sacramento, Honduras where we built our first house, held our first medical clinic and conducted our first Children’s Bible School.
2002 In late June our mission team went to Eastport, Maine where the local UCC congregation hosted us. We carried out a major construction rehab project, painted another house and did some interior painting on a smaller job. While there, we slept in the local elementary school gym, prepared meals at the church, and thankfully were hosted for two dinners in the homes of church members.
2003 We returned to Nuevo Sacramento to build two houses, provide a medical clinic and lead Children’s Bible School.
2004 The team gave Central Congregational Church a fresh coat of paint as well as putting a new roof on the home of one of the elderly parishioners. The school welcomed us back with open arms which spoke well of the previous team’s efforts to leave no trace.
2005 Back to Honduras…back to Nuevo Sacramento where we built two houses with a third being constructed in a village named Montesano located 2km downhill from Nuevo Sacramento. Again a medical team provided care and again Children’s Bible School brought laughter and relationships between the Hondurans and Americans.
2006 The most challenging project to date was the construction of the shell of the Labor of Love Food Pantry in Eastport. The 30x40 building was closed in, roofed and sided in one week. In addition the Team constructed trails at the Shackford Head State Park in Eastport along with painting part of a home of one of the elderly parishioners.
2007 Honduras was our destination. The team again built three houses, this time in the colonia known as Agua Blanca. We looked across the valley at Nuevo Sacramento and actually worshipped with our old friends on the Sunday we were in the country. Medical services were provided at both Agua Blanca and Nuevo Sacramento with some important connections made with the Honduran Red Cross. Children’s Bible School once again helped the American teens and Honduran children to form bonds of friendship.
2008 The Eastport Team was the largest group we have taken on mission. 75 teens and adults worked on nine separate projects during the week. One roof was completed, two porches were completely rebuilt, one huge house was painted, a handicap accessible ramp was built, doors were installed and siding completed on one home, continued work on the food pantry, Vacation Bible School for the local children was held along with shoreline clean-up at Shackford Head State Park and the Dennysville Church was painted. The team visited Pleasant Point and met with one of the Passamaquoddy elders to learn more of the tribe’s history.
2009 The Honduras Team of 64 teens and adults from All Souls and an additional 3 teens and 1 adult from Maryland ventured to a new area outside of Tegucigalpa; a colonia named Cataluna. Our team built 2 houses and a kindergarten classroom. We offered a medical clinic that saw over 400 people and we conducted a Children’s Bible School. The bonds between our team and our old friends from Communion Baptist Church in Tegucigalpa were strengthened…particularly after the change of government that took place during our stay. The impact of that event really did not affect our particular group, though the worry it generated back home was huge. We continue to pray for our friends who are living in these uncertain times.