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Greetings! |
All of a sudden I am learning some Swahili. With very little advance notice my house became home to a Hutu refugee family of 8 from Burundi for most of September. They speak several languages. English is not one of them.
Sisi sote (see see so tay) means "we together" (as a group). It comes in handy when I need to communicate that we will all be getting into the van to go somewhere. But I like the phrase for another reason. "We together" is the only way this family has a chance of settling into a new community. I certainly could not help them alone, nor could my congregation help on its own. Documents, transportation, housing, furniture, clothing, food, medical and social service appointments, schools, language training - what a daunting challenge! The cooperation of several Spokane churches, already bound together in a Shared Ministry group, made it possible to respond to this urgent need.
Sisi sote is a good word for a connectional church like ours. Without it, our attempts to be a missional church will falter. With it, doors of possibilities fly open, and joy enters. Believe me, I didn't need to know any Swahili to understand the thanksgiving in this family's song in front of the church as they celebrated God leading them, finally, after over a decade of moving from one refugee camp to another, to a place where they were wanted and embraced!
Phil Harrington, Global Mission Action Team Chair | |
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October 16th is World Food Day
What Will Your Church do? |
 You can take an offering of food or cash to support your local food bank, make a donation to UMCOR or another related agency to fight hunger around the world, or join or start a CROP Walk or some other community event.
Resources can be found at www.worldfooddayusa.org
Hunger and Malnutrition
Not everyone has adequate access to the food they need, and this has led to large-scale hunger and malnutrition in the world. More than 850 million people today are chronically undernourished and unable to obtain sufficient food to meet even minimum energy needs. Approximately 200 million children under five years of age suffer from acute or chronic symptoms of malnutrition, and this number increases during seasonal food shortages, times of famine, and social unrest. According to some estimates, malnutrition is an important factor among the nearly 13 million children under five who die every year from preventable diseases and infections, such as measles, diarrhea, malaria and pneumonia, or from some combination of these.
Putting an end to hunger necessarily starts with ensuring that enough food is produced and available for everyone. The contribution of each and every one of us - through information sharing, caring and participating in activities - is imperative to ensuring the fundamental right of all human beings to be free from hunger.
Lynn Magnuson, Conference Hunger Coordinator
Lmagnuson@churchworldservice.org |
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UMCOR's Life Changing Work in Liberia |
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At the end of July 2007 a group of former soldiers in Liberia's drawn out civil war graduated with skills that have nothing to do with the guns of their youth. This class of 771 young men in Lofa County, Liberia completed nine months of training in marketable skills such as carpentry, masonry, tailoring, and auto mechanics. In addition, they gained basic math and literacy skills and learned how to operate a small business.
"I was very happy," said Kezelee of his acceptance to UMCOR's program. "Some of my friends who were trained by UMCOR in 2005 were already skilled in various trades and have started earning money." UMCOR gives each graduate the tools of his new trade so he can start working immediately. To support UMCOR's life changing work in Liberia, send a check to Conference Treasurer, noting Liberia Emergency, UMCOR Advance #150300. |
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Missionary Placements Open |
 The United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) is looking to hire Christian, mission minded people to work in many places of the world. At this time there are 14 possible placements in Africa, two in Asia-Pacific, eight in Latin America-Caribbean, and one each in Europe and the USA.
GBGM is also recruiting people interested in being a Deaconess or Home Missioner. Each year there are "Discerning/Reflection Events" to help guide those interested.
More information about these needs can be found on the GBGM web site http://gbgm-umc.org/mp. For information on getting started and getting the approval of this conference, contact David Zaske, chair of the Conference Committee on Mission Personnel at 253-839-1663.
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Pre-Order 2008 Prayer Calendar Now! |
 The Prayer Calendar lists GBGM missionaries and staff on their birthday along with mission programs around the world. It also includes personal reflections from persons in mission and addresses of missionaries and retirees.
Your prayers for the mission personnel and programs in the calendar will add depth and excitement to your spiritual life, and increase your sense of connection with global mission. Your prayers will join the prayers of as many as 100,000 other Prayer Calendar users lifting up the same mission personnel and projects on the same day!
Pre-order the 2008 Payer Calendar now at www.missionresourcecenter.org or 1-800-305-9857 to receive it before the end of this year. It'll make a great Christmas gift for yourself and your friends. |
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Volunteers In Mission Keep Our Congo Connection Alive |
 An August UMVIM team led by Jan Kreidler of Sand Point and Shoreline UMCs continued our working relationship with the South Congo Episcopal area of the UMC.
After her first day in the clinic, Joanne Marr, Sand Point UMC in Seattle, was radiant -- "I got to help four babies be born," she proclaimed. After seeing so many lives ending it was transforming to see new lives beginning. After such a joyous experience, it was sad, as we left the country, to meet a newborn who had been found abandoned in a toilet near the Zambian border (see photo). How heart warming it was to learn that the baby would have a home in Jamaa Letu orphanage because of the efforts of our Conference.
Jeff Waymack, an architect and member of Woodland Park UMC in Seattle, was impressed with the ability of Baba Ilunga, project manager and member of Canaan UMC in Kasulo, to organize a construction project and build trusses out of used material. The welder was home made, the generator died, the project seemed doomed, but Baba Ilunga was unfazed. You see, this congregation outgrew its current building and started working toward a new building in 1985. Copper prices fell and the mines closed. A corrupt government let the infrastructure fall into ruin. War broke out and the population and economy were battered. Through it all the pastors and members have worked on, carrying supplies, forming bricks, and building the walls of their new building. With the help of this year's team they hope to have construction finished by next summer!
Melvin Woodworth, Hope for Children of Africa Task Force |
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Kent UMVIM Team Report |
| The 17 member team spent the second week of September serving at the UMCOR Sager Brown campus in Baldwin, LA. This year the campus is celebrating 140 years of ministry at home and around the world. Volunteers were from Kent, Summit (Tacoma), Auburn, and Garden Street (Bellingham).
They had the opportunity to load 1345 boxes into a 40 foot container that would be going to Armenia. The boxes contained school, health, bedding, sewing, and layette kits with a total value of $229,642. At completion of the task, all held hands for the blessing of the container before it was taken away for a 3 week journey by sea.
Volunteers also worked at the Boys and Girls Club on the campus, unloaded a truck with flood buckets, and checked/packed sewing, health, and school kits. Others worked in the sewing room and went out into the community doing cleaning and repair work on a trailer. A prayer vigil was held on the campus on 9-11.
A highlight was attending the 2 hour worship service at Trinity UMC in Baldwin where the team was warmly received. The women attended a UMW meeting later in the week and participated in a praise program followed by a delicious southern dinner.
On off time several team members went to the Tabasco plant on Avery Island and had a private tour led by the former plant manager. Others explored the beauty of the Atchafalaya Basin by going on a swamp tour. Before heading back to Seattle, the group toured New Orleans.
It was a great opportunity to put faith into action and to serve God at Sager Brown. The team is mindful of their many blessings.
Team members: Florence Childs, Shirley Devries, Susan Erickson, Pat Gray, Patricia Knighton, Shirley Lambert, Rejean Lemery, Kathy Moynihan, Norma Orme, Ray Orme, Firley Pickens, Gail Riebe, Linda Roser, Karen Schroeder, Judy Skog, Estella Wallace, Jenni Yeoh
Karen Schroeder, Garden Street UMC
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Share Your Mission Stories |
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How are you engaged in mission? Have you had an invaluable UMVIM or NOMAD experience lately? Do you have openings on your UMVIM team that other church members can join? How do you get youth and children involved in mission? Does your church have a great community outreach program -- a food bank, after-school program, etc.? What joys does the Covenant Relationship with a missionary bring to your congregation? Do you have exciting and enjoyable ways to raise funds for mission?
Please share your mission stories with the readers of H.A.I.L. Send your article of about 250 words in length to the editor at norikolao@cs.com. Send the picture (in JPEG format) separately. H.A.I.L. is published as needed, that is, whenever there is enough news. So, there is no specific deadline, except for timed materials. To keep the H.A.I.L. going, please send in your article. | |
