Tornados, Requests, Della

Mark (shipment coordinator), Gene and Della

     Our first morning at the Midwest Mission Distribution Center in Chatham, Illinois, suddenly became a personal experience that touched  us all. We were informed as we arrived for our volunteer assignment that the day's activites had just been changed because a tornado had caused considerable damage in a comunity less than 200 miles away. MMDC had received an SOS call from the officials to send clean-up buckets and personal dignity kits ASAP.  When the name of the town (Harrisburg,Illinois) was given, Della gasped.  We soon learned that this where her sisters, cousins, nieces and nephews live.  Sandy immediately pulled out her cell phone, and we all sat in silence, praying for Della and her family as she made the call to her sister.  A collective sigh of relief and a few tears of joy were heard when the report that all family members were OK was received.

       When any truck (container) is packed and ready to go, all workers and volunteers present gather around it (or in it in this case) and pray it on its way.  As we all held hands  Mark offered up a prayer for the shipment and the people receiving it.  Volunteers and workers became this wonderful support group for Della as she connected with family members living in and around the Harrisburg community.  

       Our team have made school desks, cut material for book bags, put labels on an 4,000 piece mailing, assembled personal dignity kits (similar to health kits), washed 5 gallon buckets destined for a clean-up buckets,  and unpacked lots of protractors.  What a way to begin our time at MMDC.

Team gathered for the traditional team photo...sunny and WINDY

   

Cheerleading in San Jose....

Main building on campus of UBL which houses rhe library

Working in the library is Margie's "job" as an Individual Volunteer from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. As expected in and around the filing and moving books from shelf to shelf and all that goes with library work, she loves the times she chats with the professors and students.   As Volunteer in Mission teams  (VIM) come and go, she interacts with them as well. She describes what that means perfectly.   Margie writes:

      "Also I have taken it upon myself to become the "cheerleader" for each group of Volunteers in Mission coming to UBL from the USA for construction work on the new student housing. I want to at least meet the missioners and give them daily encouragement, so I just go over to the worksite right next to the UBL and give them a "GOOOOO TEAM!!!"  Yay, team!!!  GO FIGHT WIN!!! We all have some good humor and laughs out of this, and I also get to encourage the 4-5 Nicaraguan laborers who are hired by UBL to manage the day-to-day construction progress. Fun for me, to be sure!!"          

Worship...different setting...same Word

Today I had the wonderful experience of worship in the little village of Hatillo, a distance of two public bus rides from where I live, off to the south a bit from San Jose.  The pastor is a student at the Univ. Biblica Latinoamericana where I am happy to serve, and he had invited a professor, Daniel Gloor, from Switzerland, to be the guest Bible teacher/preacher! 

    Really it was quite a fine Bible lesson based on the healing story of the blind man, Bartimaeus, Mark 10.  Such a very full and inspiring lesson we heard from this professor today, along with an hour of congregational singing before the lesson, and then a delicious noontime dinner served in the church's fellowship hall, prepared by the men and women of this Free Methodist congregation.  This is a small church located in quite a poor neighborhood, and every Sunday after worship there is a dinner served, followed by games and recreation together among the youth. Counting travel time and all, I left home at 8:00 a.m. and got back home 2:30 p.m. 

    I'll "double up" on worship this Sunday by going up the two blocks to the UBL to worship there again with a small local congregation which uses the building each Sunday afternoon.

Margie's actually working today

The Lagoon at the Poaz Volcano park ... Lois and Margie

Margie sacrificed work on Wednesday to visit the Volcano with a small VIM team working at UBL Her photo proves she was there and indeed had a great day to view the lagoon and volcano. (Some days that is really not possible because the clouds roll in and take the view away.) 

   She also wanted me to introduce you to her roommate and new friend Lois (imagine Margie has a new friend)  from Elkhart, IN.  Lois is at UBL for her third 3 month assignment in the library (she's a retired librarian).  Lois has helped her send photos via email so we are really hooked up now.  Nice work Lois.  

     Working in the library today Margie has found a wonderful website on one of the Volunteer in Mission projects at the school supported by the Missouri Conference of the United Methodist Church.  The website will give us all a bit more information about the UBL(you can see more of the campus) and how this particular conference is connecting with the school.  Missouri Conference Project... enjoy.   

Sager Brown team and UMCOR connection

    The team of 14 met in Baldwin, LA for 5 days to share in the outreach of our United Methodist Church.  UMCOR  United Methodist Committee On Relief is the disaster response arm of the United Methodist Church.  UMCOR began shortly after WWII ended and has been actively involved in responding to the needs of all who request assistance in times of disasters.  Last year UMCOR received over $6.4 million and of that amount $187,000 came from the congregations in the Indiana Conference and about $540 came from our congregation ... again through the Monthly Mission Offerings.

     While at Sager Brown team members worked in the warehouse preparing the various kits for shippment, sewing bookbags (from the ones cut by our own Good Samaritan sewing group), and/or working in the community.  Our congregation also sent over 100 health kits , some additional supplies for other kits plus about $200 from our Monthly Mission envelope money. 

     Volunteers touch every corner of the world when they lend a hand at Sager Brown.  THANKS for your support and thanks to the thousands of volunteers that make UMCOR a well respected name around the globe.     

Margie's Over the Top Day

Let me introduce ... Lloyd and Margie Miller with little Sarah Lou, newly commissioned missionaries in the Methodist Church.  They will serve for 3 years in Chile following one year of Spanish language training.  (I just happened to have this photo in the wherever of my computer and it was the official photo used for Methodist Mission Board when they left for Costa Rica for their language training.) 

Read her edited but approved words.

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Dearest Bonnie--Can you believe that I had yet another marvelous adventure today???? I was invited by one of the UBL professors to go with her to visit the Spanish Language Institute where Lloyd and I studied Spanish way back  in 1967!!   That place and those people and experiences were VERY important and special to us, as that was the first time we ever lived outside of USA, and our launching into missionary service.  We were filled to overflowing way back then, and so was I today again in revisiting this important school.

     I was invited to share in three of the classes a brief statement of encouragement and testimony to these new and young students who, like we were, are just starting out in their study of Spanish and their life here in Latin America as missionaries. 

Over the years I've kept in touch with 4 of the classmates so have asked them to also share the importance of this Insititue in their life to assist with the school's promotional project.  (Could this be why Margie needs to send nearly 800 Christmas cards?)  I've already heard from one of them. 

     Did I mention that they gave me the copies of both Lloyd's and my transcripts from our year of studies? I never KNEW our grades, but can you believe that Lloyd and I had practically the same grades thru-out--definitely only B+ students we were, but Lloyd was chosen the outstanding student from our class and gave the farewell address at the graduation! I did marry a pretty exceptional man....yes! I know that!!! Ha!! On the backs of the official transcripts were tiny little pix of Lloyd and of me when we were a mere 26 and 28 years old.
   How could I EVER have known before coming back to Costa Rica that this most special and emotional day of return to our Spanish Language Institute days would bless me even now? God is good! All the time!  

Just Another Day in Paradise!

BE SURE TO PRESS PLAY...

Someone has to do this work...on the 22nd she is enjoying some great sights.   The photos above are but a few of the sites at the Poaz Volcano and the LaPaz Gardens.  Don't you feel sad that she has to return for another visit?  The LaPaz Gardens and the Peace Lodge are sometimes a vacation package given away on the Wheel of Fortune.   Let me tell you it is fabulous!!!

Margie writes:

Wednesday I will be fortunate to go with the small VIM team here as we visit (I for the second time, as you know) Volcano Poas and the Lapaz waterfalls and the small zoo.  I just wanted to go to those places to see them again for the second time so I can have that second impression!! (Could it be that I don't remember very well the details?!?!?!?)

Putting this post together has stretched me a bit but I think it is going to work.   Hope you enjoy joining Margie for her special day in beautiful Costa Rica.