by Mark Njombo

These statements were buzzwords at St Ronan's church in Eastbourne. Reason? A team of young people in the parish had just finished preparations for a three-week visit to Nepal; an opportunity provided by Global Volunteer Network.

sPanz caught up with them before their departure.

Parish leader, Minister Rev Reuben Hardie and youth worker, Jono Ryan, joined eight others on a first-time overseas mission to Nepal aptly called Nepal Mission 2003 and strongly supported by their church.

Their new home was to be Bihunkot, a small village in rural Nepal, located in the Baglung region. They were to be hosted by Nepali families and become part of the community.

The aim of the trip was to gain an understanding of life in a developing country and contribute to its needs through projects.

Nepal provides a real example of life in a developing country ­ a context in which most of the world's population lives. And the team planned to work on two projects in the host village, explained Reuben and Jono.

"The visit is an opportunity to experience life in a developing country. We hope to have a better world outlook and understanding of the needs of other people," Reuben said.

But the trip also provided other opportunities for the church.

"This is the start of a focus on overseas missions. We have been developing our mission to look outward and the Nepal visit is a realisation of our dream as a church," Reuben said, adding, "It provides an opportunity to build a relationship with a community quite different from Eastbourne."

Last year, Jono spent a few weeks in Nepal working with young people. He returned to the parish with the idea to take a team of young people to a Nepali community and the church cottoned-on to the idea. They rallied behind the team providing support through fundraising and advice.

Dinners, movie nights and sale of promotional material were organised while some members took up cleaning, gardening and painting jobs to raise money for the trip.

"The support has been fantastic. This is a parish project supported by the parish for the parish and our host community. In another sense, this is a response by St Ronan's to the call by Jesus to meet the needs of those around us," explained Reuben and Jono.