Transisting from Sager Brown to Costa RIca

Do you think she found the chicken leg on the tray?

Our last photo at Sager Brown shows the kitchen crew cleaning up after lunch.  Margie wasn't quite finished eating and maybe Max wanted another bite.  One can never be sure. 

Word was received yesterday from Margie that she had indeed landed safely in Costa Rica and had hit the ground running.   Read her words...

My dear, dear friends! Yes, I'm safe and sound here in the dorm room in "Yolanda",  the student dorm of UBL...trip down was lovely, uneventful, FUN! I'm settling in to my little new "home away from home"--and had a lovely dinner invitation in the apt of my last year's roomie Lois in the apt she and her husband have together this year. I also have a welcoming invitation for lunch tomorrow noontime with a friend here, so I am feeling warmly received. I'll begin my first day in the library at 8 a.m. tomorrow! Our time on the clock is the same as YOURS in Valpo!

From time to time we will bring updates on our "Individual Volunteer" who is serving in the library of the Latin American Bible University. And yes, we smile as she is serving in the library.   She has practiced the code of silence every night in preparation for her service there.   Have fun friend.   Such joy in service is so evident in all that you do.   

We'll be back...

Front row:   Margie, Susan, Joyce, Marlene, Mary Beth, Connie,Carol, Della  
Back row:  Reggie, Bob, Eldon, Mike, Max, Dennis, Gene, Bonnie 

The team departed for home today (January 25).  Margie will arrive home Saturday to do some laundry and repack for her next adventure in Costa Rica departiing early Wednesday morning.   We will try to keep up with her activities as she once again serves an Individual Volunteer at the Latin American Bible University during February through April.

Reservations for our team for next year will be the first week of February.   To hold a spot for you in 2014, interested team members will need to talk with Marlene Versteeg within the next couple of weeks.   There is plenty of room for new people.  In addition to seeing and working within one of the most successful mission arms of the UM Church,  the chances of snow and freezing weather are slim to none.   Note some of the photos below.  We aren't going to tell you about what a fun Wednesday afternoon and evening we had at Jefferson Island and Breau Bridge.

Susan Syrcle has referred to the Sager Brown experience as Adult Church Camp.  For those of you have attended church camp as a youth you will identify.   Get together with friends, experience wonderful worship opportunities, take turns cleaning up after meals, time for learning and inspiration, and a time for crafts (hands on mission).  So... why not try it next year?  

 

  

Working out in the community



Reggie and Mike are getting the new storm door hung. 

One of the components of volunteering options at Sager Brown is community outreach.  Baldwin is located in St. Mary's Parish with 31% of the population living below the poverty level.   Sager Brown UMCOR use a portion of the funds received for relief to the community in which they call home. This week Gene, Eldon, Mike and sometimes Reggie worked at Martha's house.   Reggie spent  the early part of the week working in the warehouse but had this observation today... "Gene and Eldon spent much of their day in the bathtub."   No photos were taken to record that ... thank heavens.   All kidding aside, this crew has repaired the front door, designed a new door jam, fixed the shower, designed something to divert rain from coming down over the front door and flooding the house, put a grate in the solid decking so that water could drain rather than pool right in front of the door and sometimes run in the house.  (Gene was pleased with the design of the grate...removable because they could retrieve items dropped down through the grate. )

Meet Martha Bordelon

 

Home owner Martha is very happy to have the "handymen" around.   Martha is a beautiful women with serious health issues.   She is just 53 years old.  In 2007 she had a heart attack and after that she suffered a stroke.   She spent 2 or 3  years on a wheel chair but is now strong enough to walk.  Martha continues to struggle with extremely high blood pressure.   Please keep her in your prayers as the medical professionals work to get this stabilized. 

Max and Bob worked in the community of Franklin.  They spent much of their time on a roof.   With the warm weather we've had this week, sometimes keeping on appropriate attire seemed to be an issue for the roofers.   Bob described Max as looking like a "peeled banana" when the top part of the coveralls and a shirt were removed to keep from overheating.   Again, no photos to verify but Max did record a bit of their roofing job. 



Bob MeMurtrey is putting the finishing touches on the roof. 

 

What goes on in the warehouse?

LOTS of things go on in the warehouse...and that's where 11 of the team members spent their time today.   Gene, Mike, Max, Eldon and Bob were working out in the community doing who knows what.   Maybe that will be the Thursday story.   

Joyce and Marlene measure and cut sheeting
 for the birthing kits. 

The warehouse is where all those kits that are listed and outlined on the UMCOR website are assembled and sometime un-assembled.   (Un-assembled means that someone, somewhere didn't do the job right the first time so they need to be redone.)    This week they really needed the cleaning buckets assembled but one item has not yet arrived.  Job for next week's volunteers.  Sandy wiped out most of the inventory in all of the UMCOR depots  with 25,000 cleaning buckets distributed in New York and New Jersey.  



Bonnie gets instructions from Florida

In the warehouse is also the sewing room.  Bonnie and Connie were joined by Mary Beth and Margie this afternoon to liven up the place.  Book bags are always in the making.  This time we are also sewing little soft items for the layette kits.  By the end of our shift today, this group had decided to call themselves the Sewers Sisters Sorority.    

 

Florida, the sewing room supervisor, wants all those who operate the sergers to know how to thread them and fix them.   Well... with the SSS gals, this isn't the case however we are willing to learn.   Bonnie has trouble threading one needle and this one had 4 so Florida was walking her through the steps to get thread #1 back along the right path.   It is a good thing Della had stopped by on a tour of the facility and shared her glasses.   Made those needles a bit more visible.

 

Yesterday we learned that Marlene and Eldon had been married for 51 years...on the 21st of January.  We were honored to be part of their special day.   

Marlene and Eldon ... Best wishes for many more years together. 

Wednesday is a 1/2 day of "work" and the other 1/2 will be exploring the area. No blog post is scheduled for Wednesday evening. We are sorry to report that it is about 65 to 70 during the day.   Beautiful clear, sunny days.   Cool in the morning and evenings but we are enjoying the weather and the blooming rose bushes and hibiscus.  Think about joining this team next year.   Our dates are around the 1st week of February as all of the spots in January were already taken.   We've made reservations for 20 for 2014 so let Marlene know if you want to join in the fun.    

Celebrating past and present...

Celebrating the past (life and words of Martin Luther King, Jr  and the Emancipation of Slavery) and the present (inauguration of Barack Obama)  was the focus of our worship time at the Special Providence Baptist Church.   For 25 years the community of Baldwin, LA have honored the birthday of Dr. King, Jr. with a walk from one church to another along Martin Luther King, Jr.  Street. Eighty to ninety people from the community and volunteers from Sager Brown walked 1.2 miles from the United Methodist Church to the Special Providence Baptist Church remembering the birthday of Dr. King and the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation of Slavery while embracing the history being made by the inauguration of Barack Obama.

What a wonderful worship service had been planned by Bernadette Stewart and her committee.   Words will not be sufficient touch the spirit of the 1 1/2 hours of music and reflections.  For the McMurtrey's the walk and service extended their journey which had included visiting Dexter Avenue Baptist parsonage where Martin and Coretta started their ministry in  Montgomery, Alabama.    

 

The retired principal of the local elementary school put form to the theme for the day ..."Walking by Faith".  Here is a simple summary of some eloquent words.

1. believing ...even when you can't see it
2. obeying ... just do it  (If God brought you this far, he'll get you through it.)
3. giving ... when you don't have it for we can never out give God
4. keeping your eyes on Christ while walking in faith
5. trusting ...faith depends on trust in God that prayer will be answered in God's time
6. thanking ... even when you don't receive what you've prayed for as God knows best

With the history of Sager Brown and the community in which the UMCOR Depot was "born", today has been a special day (and we're only on day 1).  We have been blessed by "Walking the Faith" with brothers and sisters we do not know but share a common prayer that we will all be "free at last" and "we shall live in peace someday."   


Sager Brown Choir with  Connie Roach, Margie Miller, Bob McMurtrey, and Mary Beth Byrne. 

All 16 have arrived in Baldwin

With the nearly midnight arrival of Margie and Mary Beth, our team had gathered in Baldwin, LA. However our first welcoming to all was at breakfast. We will be getting our marching orders at 8:10. We have a community walk in honor of Martin Luther King and gather for a community worship service at 10 so more later.

We gather for  breakfast by beginning with  announcements for the day.  

 Mike and mom Della Bozarth are new to Sager Brown. 

Our church's connection to Sierra Leone grows stronger

In November 2012, Bob and Carol Stoner returned to the Sierra Leone as they have done for the past 9 years.   For going to the Kissy area of Freetown means they are going "home".   They long for the time they spend with their family.   This year the "project" was to build a covered walkway to get patients from Kissy Hospital to the lab and to the therapy department.   What a project it was. 

What makes this such a wonderful project as are all Volunteer in Mission projects, it is more about developing relationships and giving support to new brothers and sisters in Christ.  Much of the funds raised for mission trips go to provide materials for the task at hand and to provide jobs for local workers.   If money were no object, these walkways would have been done long ago.  A bit of a hand up and the job is done.   Now just imagine what an improvement this is for those who need to move from one facility to another over a concrete sidewalk rather than a rocky road.  
Carol Stroner is keeping a wonderful blog that follows the happenings around Kissy as well as gives us "snippets" relating to our spiritual life.  Follow Snippets from Sierra Leone for some thought-provocating reading.



Robin walks with her new friends.  

 This year Robin Harlow joined them for her first mission trip and her first time outside the country.  See previous post about Robin in October.  Soon she will write a post about her experience.  One of

the highlights for Robin was to meeting the child she supports through World Vision. Watch for her story in a future post.

In December, Bonnie Albert went to Sierra Leone for her first time with a national Ubuntu team of United Methodist Women.  They visited ministries that are supported by United Methodist  Women and the team participated in the yearly convention of United Methodist Women Organization of Sierra Leone.  They visited one of three women's training centers, several schools, Kissy Hospital, and spent 4 days with about 200 women in the UMWO convention.   Bonnie came home with new "pen pals".   Women have been empowered to be leaders in their communities and country.   If you want to know more about this journey refer to: A Journey of Love, Hope and Action blog.

Bob and Sandy Coolman also have a connection with Sierra Leone (and the neighboring country Liberia) through Operation Classroom.  Bob and Sandy are the new leadership for Operation Classroom, a 25 year old mission outreach of the Indiana United Methodist Church.   Changes in funding sources and direction/focus for mission in general are challenging the new board and leadership team at this time.   Our church family needs to lift the Coolmans and Operation Classroom in prayer during this time of transition.   This year our church family gave 16 students a scholarship to attend school for the year. 

Our hope is that everyone who comes to worship at Valparaiso 1st UMC will keep these ministries in their thoughts and prayers.  All of these folks are open to speaking to groups to share the personal and intimate stories about their experiences and just why this little country in West Africa is so special to them.       



UMCOR birthing kits will travel to Sager Brown

Members of the Susanna Circle met at the UPTOWN Cafe to bring together all of the items required for a "birthing kit".  This is one of the suggested kits local churches and individuals can put together to support the work of UMCOR.   Birthing kits are sent to Haiti and Sierra Leone to help reduce the mortality rate  of new borns in the rural areas.  Some women can not get to the hospital for delivery so stay in their village for the birth under the care of a midwife.  
Susanna women plan to have enough receiving blankets, bars of soap, pieces of string, razor blades, plastic sheeting, and latex gloves to make 32 kits that will fit into one gallon ziplock bags.  

Our Sager Brown mission team will deliver these on January 21 when our team reports for the first morning of volunteering at the UMCOR center. The team is also taking personal care kits that have been assembled by Hilltop Breakfast Club kids as well as nearly $1,000 in contributions to help with the work at the distribution center.
     

Some members of the Sager Brown team are already on the road.   Team members are already on the road heading south and west.  Some how all 16 people will eventually meet up in Baldwin, Louisiana  on Sunday (20th) late afternoon. Keep an eye on the blog as we will be posting updates more frequently when we are at the UMCOR Center.
Thanks UMW and Susanna Circle for supporting our mission team by getting materials organized for the  birthing kits. 

 

Top 10 Reasons to go to MMDC

Mary and Mike mark the desk for future assembly.

10 -  You don't need a passport but we what we do will be sent around the world.

9 -    Price is right - and it is an all inclusive "resort" type experience.  That is you have a place to sleep, all the food you can eat, and activities planned (and unplanned) for just $200 per person.

8 -   Always others help with the kitchen duties...shared responsibility.  No one cooks or cleans up alone. 

7 -  Learn new skills.




Dean and Gene test the desk

Cleaning the cleaning buckets

 

6 - Where else can you make a school desk, put it together, take a photo and take it apart and shrink wrap it for shipment to Haiti?

5 -  Never a dull moment...there will be jokes shared, games played, and time for semi-serious conversations. 
4 -  Your choice...varnish desks, clean buckets, stuff personal care kits, cut fabric, count bandaids, sew school bags, make newspaper patterns.


Bev and Phyllis are happy to be ironing here. 

3 -  Get a feel for what UMCOR does by doing it!

2 -  See first hand what happens when a disaster arises.

1 -  Give hope to our sisters and brothers around the world ... what small tasks we do, makes a difference in a life somewhere. 

 

Contact Mike Strayer (462-2354) or Karen Fritz if you would like to be part of our 16 member team to Midwest Mission Distribution Center in Chatham, IL, March 10 - 14.