November Mission Focus - Sager Brown UMCOR

      The Sager Brown Mission Team, with 16 members this year, will return to Sager Brown January 20 - 25, 2013 for the 9th year to work at the UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) Distribution Center in Baldwin, LA.

     Sager Brown was originally started as a school for orphaned African American children following the civil war, and operated until 1978. In the early 1900s when the school was in dire financial straits, Mrs. Sager and Mrs. Brown purchased the school so it could continue, and gave it to Women’s Home Mission Society, a forerunner of the United Methodist Women.   It has been owned by the UMW since that time. It sat idle after 1978 until 1992, when it was used as a distribution center to aid the victims of hurricane Andrew.  It was decided by UMCOR in 1996 to make it a permanent distribution center, and it has distributed aid world-wide since that date.

Volunteers gather around tables to assemble kits.

    Sager Brown distributes health kits, sewing kits, school kits, layettes, and cleaning buckets, and other items as needed. Other organizations sometimes use its shipping facilities as well, because the shipments are carefully monitored to insure they go directly to the intended recipients. 

     There are as many as 80 volunteers from various places each week, working in the UMCOR depot. Our team members work in the depot, sewing bags for the kits and assembling the kits for shipment. The focus this year is on health kits.  A box will be located at the Franklin Street entrance to the church, with a list of items needed for a health kit, so that you may help by donating supplies for the kits. Or you may also help by making a donation for kit supplies, marking a pew envelope “Sager Brown”. Each kit has a value of about $11.00. Our goal is to take at least 75 kits, or the monetary equivalent to Sager Brown as a contribution from our church. Part of the Monthly Missions offering for November will also be used to provide supplies for Sager Brown.

      If you have questions about the mission trip this year, or would like to learn more about participating in future years, please contact Marlene or Eldon Versteeg at 219/462-4289, or emversteeg@frontier.com.

**Your gifts to Sager Brown-UMCOR are extra important at this time with the destruction caused by the recent hurricanes along the East Coast.  UMCOR is among the first on the scene and the last to go home.  Sager Brown will respond to requests made by local community leaders. 

FINALLY...

A little crash that changed her plans

Robin has had a desire to go to Sierra Leone long before she became part of our worshipping community.   She planned to go a year or so ago with a team but was involved in an airplane crash and we know the rest of that story...she's fine now and ready for the journey she's only dreamed about.

Robin and her daughter Ryann...who could question that???

Robin shared that she had heard of Kissy Hospital when she lived in Hebron and had been involved in supporting it through her church there.   After coming to Valparaiso First UMC, she was thrilled to hear about our connection with Kissy.  So after selling candy for about 3 years, saved enough to say "yes" to being part of the team only to have her plans changed with that little airplane crash. 

In mid November she will be departing with our team and leaving the country for the first time.  Robin has been supporting a little girl through World Vision and arrangments are being made for her and a few members of the team to go to the child's village to meet little Marian and her family.   What a gift this will be to Robin as her life is about to be turned upside down.  

The most important part of any mission trip is to develop relationships with the people wherever you serve.  Secondary is the "work", mixing the concrete, carrying the buckets, building the walkway.   The labor of this project will be done by the local workers with our team members working beside them.   Even during these times, relationship develop and with our technology today, they can grow even after team members arrive back home.  
As this team prepares to depart for Sierra Leone, you are invited to participate in two key ways.   One is be in prayer for this preparation (not only by the team members  but those in Sierra Leone who make it possible for them to come) and the mission at hand.   Second, share in the project by donating through the October mission offering.   The goal is $3,000 which is the cost for one team member to go. Together we can be a team member. The funds will be used to purchase materials and pay the local laborers to build the covered walkways on the Kissy Hospital campus. 
Thanks for your prayers and your gifts.     

 

Steven Moinina - Kissy Hospital Physical Therapist

Max Roach and Steven Moinina
 

 Steven Moinina is the physical therapist associated with Kissy Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone.   What a delight it was to hear his story.  Steven was hired by the Hospital admnistration about 4 years ago to design and open a PT department for Kissy Hospital. Once again, thanks to a vigilant team of volunteers from Valparaiso 1st who have gone back to Sierra Leone yearly since 2004 space for this department was made possible.   On their 2nd visit Bob Stoner discovered rather large building on the hospital ground called the Urban Center which was in great disrepair and did not function for any purpose for which it was designed.   Team members Bob Coolman and Todd Mayer did some measuring and planning to make these spaces into something useful.  As in all home projects, it took some time but eventually these spaces became the Physical Therapy Department of Kissy Hospital. 

Steven's hand made pulley assist in the treatment

Stephan has 4 volunteers assisting him and is proud to say that this is the top PT program in all of Sierra Leone.  While the equipment in his department does not compare to what he experienced during his time in the US, he is very pleased to share the equipment that he has designed and built to assist in the therapy.  

Steven is married to Daniella (who is a policewoman) and they have a 4 year old daughter Stephanie.   He so appreciated the opportunity to come to the US to experience and learn new techniques for his department in Sierra Leone.  Upon his return, Steven told us that he is excited to return with a renewed love for his job and family.  
 

Once again we are lifted by gifts of others.  Thanks Steven for sharing with our church family today.   Safe journey new friend.  Extend our greetings to Daniella and Stephanie.

  

Wednesday Night Alive connects with Operation Classroom





Robert Coolman

Our own Bob and Sandy Coolman are the soon to be newest staff members of Operation Classroom. Valparaiso 1st UMC looks forward to renewing a relationship with the schools which follows our involvement and commitment to Kissy Hospital. Over time, Operation Classroom developed  another much needed mission component in these two West Africa countries and that was Operation Doctor. Kissy Hospital is just one of many medical facilities under the Methodist Church of SL and Liberia.  Valparaiso FUMC has been connected with Kissy since 2004.   Prior to that we had occasional connection to the schools project via sending kits, book bags, and scholarships.   Through the Calumet District we were connected with the Tubman-Gray School in Liberia years ago.   

   

Liberia is the country to the south of Sierra Leone

Operation Classroom is a project of the Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church and now celebrates 25 years partnering with the United Methodist Church in Liberia and Sierra Leone.   What began as a project by the two Indiana Conferences with support from the apportioned giving of each local church in both conferences is now dependent upon local churches voluntarily  saying "yes" as a congregation to being a partner in Sierra Leone and Liberia.  We've said "yes" this year by providing 11 scholarships for students to attend school either in Liberia or Sierra Leone.  (5 were given by UMW in January and 6 were provided by the July Mission offering).    

 

Student Scholarships have been the most important way that local churches were connected to schools under Operation Classroom since the beginning.  Sandy Coolman reminded the Wednesday Night Alive group that school scholarships make great Christmas gifts.   Check out the website for Operation Classroom Schools for details.  For $100 you can provide one year of school fees, classroom materials, school uniforms, and administration expenses.   What a bargain!!!

  

Giving through our Monthly Mission projects is your way to support all the important ministries under the umbrella of Operation Classroom.   During the month of October, we have set a huge goal (about 3 times what is normally received) to provide materials and labor for the covered walkway at Kissy Hospital complex.  We are hoping for $3,000 to match the amount of money it takes for one person to go to Sierra Leone to partner with local leadership in getting this project off the ground.  Thanks for your support.   You are making a difference in the lives of many.  As of October 17 we had received about 1/4 of our goal.   I hope you will consider giving a bit extra to let our team know we are with them all the way.      

Our goal...project funds for 3 walkways

Santos and Carol duck in out of the rain. 

     Direct your eyes to the top of this photo to glimpse the type of roof coverings over current pathways at Kissy Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leonne. Kissy has requested the now 7-member 2012 mission team to participate with an African construction team to extend these paved and covered paths. Connecting Physical Therapy and the Laboratory to the main hospital will benefit many: patients, family members, workers. Those able to walk without hindrance will realize added convenience, but those hampered by amputations, poor sight, or medical misfortune will rejoice at the reduction of risk that the currently uncertain and uneven footing adds.

    The team needs at least $12,000 to complete the 3 covered walkways when the team goes to SL next month.  Right now there is about $5,500 gathered from funds previously donated and the "project expense" from each team member. National/International Mission team is encouraging our congregation to give the SL Mission team support by raising at least $3,000 toward the $12,000.

     Thanks for giving a bit extra this month toward our special project. Valparaiso 1st UMC is known in Freetown, especially in the Kissy Hospital area because of the relationships that have developed and maintained for the past 8 years. We are so blessed to have such a relationship with a mission hospital that serves so many.    

October's Mission Focus - Kissy's Walkway

This is the ground between Brown Memorial UMC and Kissy.

October's Mission Focus will all go toward the construction of a covered walkway that is used by patients and medical staff to move from one building to another on what might now be called the Kissy Hospital Campus.  With the rainy season being about 6 months of the year, one quickly understands why such a structure is needed. 

Bob and Carol Stoner will once again go to Freetown, Sierra Leone and lead a team to continue working on the project of improving the medical facilities of Kissy Clinic.   In recent trips they have been part of reclaiming unused spaces which are now used for the Physical Therapy Department and a Laboratory.  We are so blessed to have people who are energized by going out and doing what many have described as "I just can't do this" and have found real joy in serving in this manner.   
     Throughout the past 8 years, small but significant miracles are happening around Kissy because congregations like ours have put forth leadership, money, and time to move lots of dirt, pour by hand buckets and buckets of concrete, and make lifetime friends with Methodists living half way around the world.   When David Byrum took the first team to Sierra Leone back in 2004, no one would have predicted how this would impact the lives of so many.   The biggest impact could be on the lives of Bob and Carol. 
     We now have an opportunity to participate right here at home by helping to supply  construction funds to get this covered walkway done.  Thanks for giving generously to project.