Day 1 of volunteering in Grecia

Today was a heavy volunteer day.   Digging around the septic tank (rain had caused a land slide), gardening where corn, beans and squash all grow together, welding the brackets for the tin siding, preparing for VBS, organizing the donations brought for the mission, greeting the kids in the afternoon for VBS story, crafts and outdoor activities, and plumbing a new sink and tiling the bathroom wall.   Let the photos tell the story. 

Ronaldo keeps his garden crew of Ariel, Taylor, Brittney,
Kaitlyn, and Miranda in line.  They have enjoyed working
with Ronaldo...he's practicing English and they are
practicing Spanish.
 

There's always one photo that won't behave.  Well guess what,
these guys didn't either.  (Gene and Bob in the bodega getting
tools for the task. 

Jenna is reading the Spanish version of
1st Corinthians 13, then the kids memorized
Love is Patient; Love is Kind

A quick game of soccer is always appropriate in CR.
Ryan McBride got out of the septic tank dig to play
with the kids.

 

 

Back up plans have been over rated today

Serious phone usage. 

Well today has been special.  Plane was delayed in Chicago for mechanical problems so we missed the last flight out to CR.   Arrived in Dallas to learn that the next flight to Costa Rica would be at 2:50 p,m. Sunday.  
Taylor was in Dallas before we left Chicago.   Was nearly on the Costa Rica flight when she realized we were not going to make it.   She made excellent contacts to get some solutions to her problem before we landed.
We arrived too late for our scheduled flight so we have been booked on a flight to Miami.   We will then get to spend the night in a hotel with all expenses paid by American.  


Bob and Jeff just chatting.

Sunday morning we will fly to San Jose arriving at 9:45 or some other random time!

Stay tuned... more information will be posted when we get to our destination.




Getting comfy while we wait for a plane to Miami

Fast game of UNO

So they are sideways...that's what this picture wanted to do.
Just cock your head sideways to match.   

Tommorrow ... we begin our journey

We will land in Alajuela and go to Grecia (not shown on the map). 
We will travel on Thursday to the East coast to Cahuita National Park. 

In the previous post I shared that two our team members were going to be unable to be part of the journey.   I put a note on Facebook to see if someone was hoping to be part of something really special.   Our long time team member Collin...came through with a recommendation.  So our team is anxious to meet the newest member to the team... Jordan Axel from Kendallville, IN.   Saturday I'll try to get a photo in the Dallas airport to post below so you can see the whole group.   This will be the first time that all 21 of us will be in one space so we will begin the team building immediately.

 

Thanks for joining us on the journey with your prayers and by checking in with the Blog.   Watch for us on Facebook.   Our team of 14 young people will surely be posting as well me - team leader, Bonnie Albert.   I have lead 10 teams to Costa Rica and looking forward to new experiences as we are going to a new place.

 

Team members: 

Bonnie and Gene Albert

Taylor and Ariel Albert

Myrna and Miranda Arnold

Jordan Axel

Bob and Sandy Coolman with grandsons Denzel and Joey

Hailey Crawford

Jenna Dambek

Cheryl Morris

Jeff and Cathy Fleming

Elijah Fleming

Kaitlyn Galey

Brittney Goralske

Ryan McBride

Collin Wilson

   

 

 

Costa Rica Mission team is in the final countdown...

On Saturday, July 8th, another Valparaiso 1st mission team departs for Costa Rica.   We have lead a youth focused team to a Central American country on the odd years since 2007.    This will be the 6th journey with one young adult on the team.  While Collin is not from Valparaiso 1st, he and his family joined our team in 2007.   Collin is joining us this year for his 6th mission experience with us as a recent Indiana University graduate and he takes leadership roles in leading our team of 7 adults and 13 young adults. (Just yesterday we received confirmation that one UM couple from Wabash, IN will not be with us as they have had a death in the family so our team has gone from 22 to 20. Please say a prayer for Marvin and Mary Ann Mast.  Marvin's brother passed away yesterday).   

Each mission experience has a children's component.
Children's activities are a great way to get acquainted in a
community.  

Ryan McBride is coming with us for the 3rd time and Jenna Dambek is joining us for her first time.   She's looking forward to the entire experience and the opportunity to use all that Spanish she has taken at VHS.  Bob and Sandy Coolman are taking two of their grandsons (Bob's oldest daughter Kim's sons).  Gene and Bonnie Albert are taking two of their granddaughters (Taylor and Ariel).  

Construction (especially with concrete) is also a component
of a mission team.   Working beside or with local
construction people is another way to relate to the people of
the community. 

Watch this blog during the week of July 8 - 15 for updates and photos of our experiences in Costa Rica.  We ask that you keep our team in your prayers.  Our team always appreciates the home base being present with them during a journey.   
 

One of the many waterfalls in Costa Rica.
Several years ago some of their waterfalls
were destroyed by an earthquake.  

Africa University and Valparaiso 1st. (Part 2)

Tatenda's smile hasn't changed.  He's just 14 years older than the
last time we saw him.

Africa University students appear in our church from time to time over the years...especially since our team was there in 2000 and again we (Gene and Bonnie Albert) went again in 2011.   Friends have been made through these visits to the university and subsequent contacts with students.

Let me introduce you to Tatenda Katsidzira.   Most of you will not remember him.   He came to us for the school year 2002-03 as an exchange student at Kalamazoo College.   Let me give you a little background.  

Webster, Joyce and Bonnie talk about how this must
happen again... we can't wait another 14 years.

Tatenda was born at the mission hospital in Ol' Mutare, went to school at the Methodist Mission School near that hospital, and then walked down the hill and enrolled in Africa University in the field of Agriculture.   He never ventured away from Mutare. 

In 2002 he received the full grant to be the Agriculture Department's exchange student in the US.   Since our team spent time with Joyce, Tatenda's mother, she reached out to us to be a contact for him on this very special journey in his life.  

We agreed (several families got involved).   In the late summer of 2002 we met him at O'Hare.   Can you imagine how he must have felt to be traveling on an airplane and landing in the US?   His travel experience is something you and I would never have... he was guarded the entire time he was in the London airport as he changed planes.   If you remember this was the time when tensions were high with the political situation in Zimbabwe.   So we found a young man who was very happy to be with a family even though we only had a relationship with his mom. 

Bonnie, Tapuwa, Tatenda, and Gene

The rest is history...we were his family while he attended Kalamazoo.  He spent holidays with us and came to church with us.   There will be some people who remember him as you were very generous in getting all those supplies needed for starting that college experience. 

Time passes and with the economic climate in Zimbabwe worsening, Tatenda was granted a visa to come to Canada to try and make a way for himself and be near a sister who had emigrated there previously.   That was in 2008 so when we were in Zimbabwe in 2011, we could visit with Joyce and Webster and hear about Tatenda.

Out of the blue earlier this month, Tatenda sent me a Facebook message.   He was coming to Michigan to be with his wife's family and discovered that we didn't live far away.   As you can see, the plan developed quickly and what a joy it was.   After 14 years we were able to be with Tatenda and it seemed like little time had passed. 

Our church has not only supported students with giving funds to build a dorm or to endow scholarships, we have had the opportunity to be with them and be their friend over the long haul.  

 

African names are always interesting.   Tatenda means "thank you" in his native Shona language.   Tapuwa mean "God is with us".   Notice that the parents names reflect the British rule under colonialism.   The "official" language is English (again from colonial times) while this area of Zimbabwe also speak Shona.  They left colonialism in 1980 under Robert Mugabe who remains their president today.  

Africa University and Valparaiso 1st (part 1)

Valparaiso 1st had a great team of volunteers who traveled to Africa University in August 2000.   Jim and Lois Stone, Bonnie and Gene Albert, Dorie Lebio, and others went to see the new dorm that had been completed at the university and to learn more about the university.   Our church had provided enough funds to have a room with a plaque indicating our support for the university.   I remember clearly how important Indiana people were to the growth at that time of this young university. 

Well, this year the University celebrated 25 years of existence.   I'd like to introduce you to one of the graduates from this 25th year.  Pambi Jatuhu is a student we (our UMW) has supported since her 2nd semester of her 1st year.   Pambi graduated this year with a degree in Psychology.   She lives in Nigeria and has just returned to Nigeria to do her 1 year of volunteer service for the government.  We helped pay tuition in her first year and have maintained contact with her throughout her years at Africa University.   She was a top student and was part of the Africa University choir.  She considers our women as part of her spiritual family.

One of the activities she did before graduation was to be invited to participate in a photo shoot for some publicity photos.   Keep her in your prayers as she completes her volunteer time and begins the process of seeking employment.  

 

 

 

 

 

Our continued support through the Indiana Conference AU Campaign was much appreciated and will be used for generations to come in two ways.   1) A professor's salary will be underwritten in the endowment fund by the 1st million dollars Indiana Churches gave and 2) at least 4 students will receive tuition assistance each year.  Our generous gift of $29,000 was recognized as one of the 17 churches in our conference where the gift was at least $10,000 or $100/member.   

 

Our congregation donated about $15,000 via 3 Christmas Eve offering and several Monthly Mission Focus offerings,  $3,000 came from Jane Roberts Memorial to be used for AU, and $12,000 came from the endowment from the Mel Crisman gifts to the National/International mission team.  Thanks to all who participated.   We are changing the lives of many highly motivated and talented young people.   

You still have time...

What a great Sunday worship this week.   We were together as one family.   We had highlights everywhere.  

• Seniors being recognized for academic accomplishments.  
• University graduates being honored for that next step in life. 
• Youth Choir ... and the youth Praise Band ... had us on our feet, before during, and after the service. 
• Pastor Jacob thinking he's giving us his last sermon...I think he has another one in there.   Come on Jacob. 
• Communion with the "family".  
• Getting dessert before lunch with the nice reception put on by the Staff Parish Relations Committee.  (The word is we get another one on the 11th.) 

And we had a great response to the Miracle Offering for Global Health.  $1,688  was received to be taken to Annual Conference with all additional funds being sent at the end of the month.    So if you happen to have missed all the going's on last Sunday (June 4), you can still participate in the Miracle Offering any time this month.   This is the great part about being a connectional church.  TOGETHER WE definitely ARE ... MORE.