By Jolene FarleyThe Fellowship of Christian Athletes is sponsoring a comedy show and silent auction on Monday, June 23, to raise funds for an upcoming mission trip to Guatemala, El Salvador.The silent auction begins at 6:30 p.m. and remains open until comedian Darren Streblow performs at 7:30 p.m. The silent auction re-opens from 8:15 to 8:40 p.m. then Streblow performs again until 9 p.m. when the bids will be awarded. There will be a free-will offering.The silent auction offers a large variety of items, including an autographed 2002 Green Bay Packers football and other sports memorabilia, 18 slaves with six hours of labor each, floral arrangements, gift certificates to various businesses, a garden tiller, picnic basket and a family pass for open swim at Rock County Pool and Fitness Center. "We tried to get just a wide variety of things," said FCA member Tom Goehle.Message of hopeEighteen high school and college athletes plan to leave for El Salvador Monday, July 28, and return Friday, Aug. 8.Goehle said the group tried to visit Bolivia, South America, last summer with the charity group Mano a Mano, but travel to the country wasn’t advised at the time. Christian Ministry Organization of Latin America, which is organizing the schedule for FCA, matches missionary groups from the United States with areas of need in Central America.The FCA group will visit the Guatemala city dump where thousands of people live in and around the area. "They get their food from there, they live there," Goehle said. Goehle said the group’s mission is to encourage residents and bring them a message of hope through the gospel. FCA will also help serve food. A visit to an orphanage will offer the group "just the chance to love kids," Goehle said. They will travel to small villages in the mountains to begin a sports ministry. Using basketball teams as a medium to draw people in, the group will distribute pamphlets and visit with residents of the villages. Individuals will share their testimonials and distribute coupons for residents to turn in to local churches if they’re interested in learning more. Since it is legal in El Salvador to bring religion into schools, the group will visit some schools. They will travel to an area in the mountains where missionaries haven’t visited and where natives worship the sun, moon, crops and rain, according to Goehle."You make an eternal difference every day, but you’re so much more aware of it when you go on a missionary trip," Goehle said. The silent auction and comedian is the main fundraiser for the mission trip. Goehle said the group hopes to pay only $200 to $300 each out of pocket.Sponsors for the FCA Silent Auction and Comedy Show are the Exchange State Bank, Hills, and Main Street Financial, Luverne.
