Remaining Optimistic

We accomplish much though the process can be cumbersome. The days have been more frustrating at times than joyful. We keep trying to remain optimistic. The leadership at the mission is a blessing to work with. Paul Glaydor and Boyd Davies are moving this mission forward with great vision and practical ideas. We are grateful to be here with them at this time. Merry Christmas from the Camphor Mission. There is a hope here. Here are some of the reasons we are here.

A Good Day at Camphor Mission

It started while we were having breakfast and we noticed about 300 people digging and carrying dirt to backfill the missionary guest house construction. We are hosting the UMC district conference at the Camphor Mission. Over five hundred people have been challenged all week to participate and volunteer on the construction site. They came in mass. The men and women challenged each other who could fill a space first, the women won! They plan to come tomorrow morning to finish the backfilling. A huge blessing! The staff of teachers have been working all week to dig the septic. Another huge task, 8 feet deep and 15 x 15 feet wide with big rocks in the way. They are determined to finish it by Saturday when we burn a tire to make the rock brittle enough to break. TIA: This is Africa! This is the same staff who has not been paid since August, and they come in on their days off to volunteer.

The agriculture department is busy at work planting a student garden for feeding and selling. This is a photo of the nursery start and seedlings. Peppers, pineapples, and bitterballs will be the first things planted.

Kathy has been busy leading the bible study at the District Conference. A three day study on Jeremiah 23:1-6. "There is a hope" is the theme.

Danny has gotten out of the rock and sand procuring business and is busy with medicine again. But he is starting a brick making factory next week! The day ended with Danny doing true Emergency Medicine. A 17 year old unresponsive girl was brought in a bush ambulance (a rug tied under two large poles, like a hammock carried by family). After IV fluids, aspirin, and quinine she awoke and looks like she will survive the night.

Everything is so hard here. We are blessed to have one another, the prayers and support of our family and friends at home, and the optimism of the people here. There really is a hope.
Peace

Stay tuned for Lifewater and borehole updates!

Images and Video from Camphor

Pieces of Camphor Mission...

Annie Joe telling a story

A taste of life at Camphor. Here is Annie Joe telling a story for your enjoyment!

There are great things happening at Camphor that we wanted to share.

New superintendent Paul Glaydor, Sr. and principal Boyd Davies are qualified and exciting leaders.
Illinois Great River's Annual Conference came for an agriculture visit and gave some seeds.

A container from Mentor UMC arrived on the mission and a second is coming soon from Peoria.
Peoria is sending funding for future agriculture projects
We broke ground on UMVIM housing on the mission.
Executive and senior staff meetings are happening.
The leadership is looking realistically at staffing needs and where we can make adjustments and cuts.
Paul Glaydor, Sr. is being visionary about sustainability and helping themselves and not rely on donor support only.
Students are using the dining hall for meals.

Teacher training was held and initiated by the new principal.
Trinity UMC (Rocky Mountain) was just here for TBA training and Community Based Health Outreach program.
The Board of Church and Society and UMCOR have a desire to focus on the Camphor Clinic.
Peoria is planning a UMVIM trip in October 2010.
East Ohio is bringing 14 people to Camphor in January 2010, 16 others are going to Gbanga and Ganta.
Garfield UMC in East Ohio is talking about a January 2010 trip to do some work on the church or parsonage at Camphor.

Illinois Great River's Annual Conference may come again in January for an Agriculture visit.
Peoria UMC (Illinois Great Rivers) and Westlake UMC (East Ohio) are working together to bring local Liberian text books and curriculum to the mission.

The beginning of the Judy Olin UMVIM Housing!

A day in a missionary life . . .

We wake up before the sun rises as the noisy frogs go to sleep and the roosters sound the alarm. We run down dirt roads for exercise, shouting Bassa greetings to the expectant villagers. That starts the daily sweat that never ends. We head out to our jobs. Danny sees patients and teaches at the clinic when he is not procuring building supplies. The missionary housing has begun to be built and is moving quickly. Danny negotiates the price of sand and gravel with child labor in the village. Kathy heads to the office as business manager. It is easy to manage money when you have none. Trying to make sense of past financial records or lack of them is another thing. Kathy's office is right at the entrance of the school so her day is filled with kids too! We are both impressed by the new administration and their plans for revitalizing the Camphor Mission. It is an exciting time to be here. The task ahead is daunting but with prayer, new ideas, and continued relationships with donors anything is possible. It is a new day at Camphor!

The Container!

Well, the container arrived! It was last night, November 2 at 11:00 p.m. Such a story. It left Monrovia at 4:00 p.m. and took the 7 hours to drive to us. Ended up getting stuck in the mud on the campus. Many people were up until 4:00 a.m. trying to move it to do a drop. Liberians can be hard workers! Amazing. There was much debate about whether we were aloud to do a drop. The drivers of the truck tried to get us to unload it and then drop. Danny was not in favor of that! Anyway, The full moon was helpful. The rain that came in the early morning was not. People woke at 6 a.m. to, again, with daylight begin trying to get unstuck. Someone had the idea of going down the road to BRE a foreign owned development company to see if they could help us with a crane or something. They ended up sending a digging machine with much power. They pulled the container off of the stuck truck! I have it on video and will send it home to Alison for you to see on the blog. After the container came off in the mud and almost on it's side, the digging machine went to the site that our house is going to be built and cleared a few big trees and prepared the spot for us! A huge savings of energy and time. A big blessing! Now we are in town emailing and buying building supplies to begin work tomorrow. It has been a full day. We are tired, overwhelmed, and excited. Thanks for being a part of all of these blessings. We have NOT opened the container yet, that will be for another time and photo opportunity. We feel your prayers and presence with us. Thank you so much.

Life at the Camphor Mission

We are back home at the Camphor Mission. Kathy has been named the new Business Manager and is busy meeting with people to learn more about the financial workings at Camphor. Danny is seeing patients and teaching at the clinic. A Traditional Birth Attendant training is happening at the church for the Camphor community, learning basic life saving skills. We have been busy hosting our first visitors on the Camphor Mission. We have settled into our room at the Director's house that we share with the new Director, Paul Glaydor, Sr. and Principal, Boyd Davies.

We are in the middle of many things. We are working on getting our container out of port in Monrovia and hoping to break ground on UMVIM Missionary Housing this week. We arranged new bank accounts for ourselves and the Friends of Camphor. We are excited and overwhelmed by all that is in store for us here. We could not do this without your prayers and one another.

Students at J.F. Yancy School.

Visitors from Colorado, Trinity UMC in the Rocky Mountain Annual Conference, providing TBA training to community. Cheryl Townson and Bob Gibb.
A line of patients at the clinic.

Support Camphor Mission with your Christmas Cards

Do you want to support the Camphor Mission this Christmas?

Go to www.Jordanswishingwell.com to get your Christmas cards this year. Designs made by actual children at the Camphor Mission Station here in Liberia where Danny and Kathy Dickriede are working.

A set of 16 cards- 4 of each design for $12.00; includes envelopes; $2.15 shipping cost

Get these while supplies last! (Card designs above and below)

What are the hopes and prayers for Camphor Mission in Liberia?

Goals for 2009-2010

Building of Judy Olin UMVIM Missionary Housing

Begin Community based health outreach

2 new water wells drilled in the Camphor area

Sanitation built for the school

Teacher Training

Organize finances and salaries

What can you do for us as missionaries and the folks at Camphor Mission in Libeia?

• Participate in the Year of 100 Gatherings
• Prayers for leaders, patience, our family's continued good health and comfort, pray for the babies in the Camphor region, prayers for their parents choosing clean water access, vaccinations, and health care in a timely manner.
• Invite friends to be a part of what your church is doing in Liberia.
• Pray about being a part of a UMVIM Mission Trip to Liberia

Emergency Trip Home

Danny and Kathy returned home on Tuesday, September 29th to attend to Danny's mom Rose's health. After two weeks in the hospital with pneumonia and not eating and the return of her four boys, Rose woke up and announced, "I feel too good to die." Rose began eating the next day and being very cute. With her boys, Ed, Jim, Pat, and Danny by her side, Rose became strong and healthy. She returned to her nursing home on Monday, October 5th where she continues to win at Bingo, watch TV, and be one of the favorite residents. Danny and Kathy will return to work in Liberia on Sunday, October 18th. It was good and right for us to come home to be with family. It is good to know that the world is small and that we can be home in a day. Thanks for your prayers! It is truly why Rose is still with us!

Welcoming

Here is a video of the students singing for us as they welcome us to the Camphor Mission!

Our return to the Camphor Mission Station

After a whirled wind weekend in Monrovia with shopping and meetings, we traveled four hours on washed out rainy seasoned roads. There were pot holes and rushing creeks deeper than the floor boards of any car. Kathy spent most of the time trying not to throw up while Danny visited with the Methodist staff that road along to introduce us. We had a great welcome ceremony with all of the students, staff, community, district superintendent, and conference leaders present. There is a video of the children singing and welcoming us home.

We spent our first days visiting with people, moving into a repainted, comfortable, dry house that we will share with the new director and principal. We will begin building the missionary housing when the rains stop next month. Wish us luck. We need your prayers. We are also awaiting the container that Firestone is shipping and should arrive mid-October.

We were excited to see many improvements on the mission station. Mosquito nets in the hospital and girls and boys dorms, new ceiling and screens on windows in the boy's dorm, generators in girls and boys dorms, which means light bulbs for a couple of hours in the evenings for studying. Their generator is better than ours, they have lights tonight and we don't.

Danny has been spending his time at the clinic with the staff and patients. Kathy has been getting herself invited to the girl's dorm for devotions and sitting in classes at the school observing students and teachers. We are trying to keep our mouths shut and our ears open. That is hard for Danny! We look forward to working with the new administration who move in next week. People are excited about the possibilities that all of this newness might bring. As they say here, "Take time, take time, changes will come slow slow. In Jesus name."

We hope to come into Buchanan (about 12 miles from the Camphor Mission) and update the blog each week. Keep in touch with us through email, kathyd@camphormission.org We would love to hear from you!


Clinic ward with mosquito nets.


Girls dorm with mosquito nets.


Girls in the dorm.
Students at the welcome ceremony.

We arrived in Liberia!

We arrived in Liberia on Wednesday evening, September 16th. We are staying with our friend Nyamah at the UMC Compound.  We will be in Monrovia for a few days making connections, purchasing supplies, and preparing for life at the Camphor Mission.  Excited to get started!

It is the middle of the rainy season and a bit cooler temperatures, still in the 80's though. Every time we arrive in Liberia we see changes and progress from the last time we were here.  There are street lights being powered by the government, the trash is picked up, and it smells better. As Danny says, "It doesn't smell so much like a litter box now!"  The airport scene and collecting bags was wild and chaotic.  So many people everywhere!  But that just makes us laugh and smile. The business means people are coming here which is a great thing, expats want to come and help and more West Africans have resources enough to spend on travel.  The scene is so very different from an airport in America, you just have to smile and enjoy!  

Peace 

The first gathering of A Year of 100 Gatherings!

Bob and Connie Harnden of Mentor UMC celebrated 50 years of marriage in June. Their daughters Sarah and Susan surprised them with a gathering of friends and family. They also surprised the Camphor Mission with a donation of $460. Sarah and Susan asked the guest to instead of gifting their parents they could make a donation to the ministry at the Camphor Mission Station in Liberia. Thank you for your generosity and congratulations on your anniversary.

If you are interested in connecting with the Camphor Mission like this and hosting one of your own gatherings, contact Kurt and Janet Reichert (kurtr9070@oh.rr.com) or Rhonda (rhondahoon@yahoo.com) and Larry (larryhoon@yahoo.com) Hoon for more details!

New Partnering Church!

Perry UMC in the Western Reserve District has partnered with us as missionaries to the Camphor Mission Station in Liberia.  If you would like more information contact Paul White at pwhite@eocumc.com and ask how you can be a part of the East Ohio Advance #9948.  Thanks Pastor Keith and the congregation at Perry UMC!

FUNDRAISER/GOING AWAY PARTY

August 29th 7:00-Midnight

East side Irish American Club in Euclid

Rock and Roll Band Lusious performing

Tons of fun, friends, laughs, and more!

$20 pre-sale $25 at the door

Going to a good a cause, Camphor Mission Station in Liberia where Kathy and Danny Dickriede will be working.

Call 330-840-8556 for more details and tickets.

The many spaces of Bill Otte

It is finally closed and being shipped to Baltimore tomorrow!  After many trips to the hardware store and Sam's Club we are done!  Thanks to so many for your help.  Now prayers for a safe voyage and no hassles on the other side of the ocean.  

Loading the container

The container finally arrived.  We have spent just four days loading, shopping for more items, picking up more donations, and filling it air tight! What is inside? exam table, lumber, school supplies, furniture, qickrete, bottled water, clothes, medical supplies, gardening tools, fans, filing cabinets, mattresses, and so much more!  Thanks to everyone who donated items, time, and energy for this first of many containers to the Camphor Mission Station in Liberia. 

You may have noticed Kathy a bit banged up.  Bicycle accident last weekend; broken collar bone and pinky finger, stitches, and recovered from a concussion.  Doing well and healing.  Life is good.

Container packing

Thanks to the Porters and Stoney Creek Automotive for a place to store our items for a 20 foot container that promises to come at some point in the next week.  Here are some photos of our packing container crew!  Thanks to Ottes and James Barbur!  Stay tuned for more details on shipping.  Peace

Retired and Renamed

Rosemark was the year to discover what we were going to do next.  The name has run its course, served its purpose, and come to an end, rather a new beginning.  We are not changing the blog address.  That would just be too confusing.  The rosemark blog is linked to the Camphor Mission web site.  We are excited to begin our ongoing work in Liberia at the Camphor Mission Station. 

Keep us in your prayers.

This is really happening!

We have purchased airline tickets to return to Liberia on Labor Day, September 7, 2009. We will work at the Camphor Mission for ten months returning to the states on June 7, 2010. We are excited, yet overwhelmed by all of the work that needs to be done before a September departure.

We also recieved confirmation last week from Firestone that they WILL help in the shipment of a container. We are filling a 20 foot container with many items that you all have helped us resource. We will need to get the container to port in Baltimore and Firestone will ship it for us to Monrovia. Prayers are needed for getting it out of port and to the Camphor Mission Station! The container will leave Mentor, Ohio by the end of August for a mid-September shipment date!

This is all really happening!
Peace

Camphor Mission Meeting

Thanks to folks who came out for our Camphor Mission meeting on Tuesday, July 7th at Mentor UMC.  We had great energy and brainstorming about a Mentor UMC UMVIM trip to Liberia in July 2011, future fundraising events, education and advocacy, grant writing, and the progress of shipping a container yet this fall! 

We will be having another follow up meeting on Tuesday, August 18th at 7:00 at Mentor UMC.  We would love to see more people make it out to this meeting and keep the momentum moving at Mentor UMC and Lake County for this ministry in Liberia.

Peace. 

Danny and Kathy 

Update on container items needed!

Thank you to the many people who have donated items to the Camphor Mission container.  These are the items that we are still in need of . . .

bunk beds

box fans

ladder

We have also discovered a need for some new items.  

We are trying to create a library of dvd's for missionaries, volunteers and our Liberian friends. If you have movies, sitcoms, dramas, a library of entertainment that you don't watch anymore and want to find a new good home there are people in Liberia who have not seen the latest or even the older movies.  This is a great way to help with proper spoken english, understanding culture, faith, and more.  

Lockers for boarding student closets

Board games

Classroom charts and maps

Teaching aides for all subjects, preschool-9th grade

Double face tape

School supplies, notebooks, crayons, coloring pages, pencils, notebooks, pens

Clocks for classroom, batteries, not digital  

Air pump and needle for bikes and balls

If you have questions please email Kathy and Danny at rosemark@mentorumc.org.

Thanks and Peace

Our first partnering church!

We are excited for our new partnership with Chagrin Falls UMC.  The people at Chagrin Falls UMC will be in prayer for us, supporting us with monetary donations, and learning more about the people in Liberia at the Camphor Mission Station.  This is such an exciting time for us and for the congregation in Chagrin.  If you want to know how you can be a partner church please email us at www.rosemark@mentorumc.org.

Peace.

Collecting items for a container to send to Liberia

Camphor Mission Station Liberia

Transforming lives from a dark yesterday to a brighter tomorrow.

The Camphor United Methodist Mission is one of the oldest boarding missions in Liberia established in 1948 by local Liberians.   This is the location that Rev. Kathy and Dr. Danny Dickriede will be returning to in September as missionaries.  We are organizing a container of items to ship via Firestone Rubber Company's ocean freight in the fall of this year.  We are furnishing missionary housing for us and future Volunteer in Mission Teams.   YOU may be of some help to them with this endeavor.  Items do not need to be new.  Remember everything needs to non-electric!  Check out your own home, garage sales, and second hand stores.  See Kathy,  if you have questions.

Office Supplies                                                                   

Filing Cabinets  (3)                                                              

Cabinets with lockable doors (10)                                    

Book shelves (10)                                                               

Medical/nursing text books                                                

Classroom posters, games, activities                              

Miscellaneous

Mountain Bikes

Garden Tools

Air pump

Spare Tires and tubes

Box fans (10)                                                    

Gas Can

Building Supplies

Handsaw

Window screening

Generator

Ladder

Housing Needs                                                                  

Bunk Beds  (10)                                                                   

Small rugs                                                                             

Pots and pans                                                                    

Pantry  Shelves (2)                                                            

Picnic table (2)                                                                    

Linens for twin beds

Water filter (2)

Couches  (4)

Family room chairs  (6)

Thank you so much for supporting this ministry.  The Dinner, Live and Silent Auction at the Patrician was a huge success.  The proceeds from that event will help to support the cost of this container.  An ongoing fundraiser, The Year of 100 Dinners has begun.  See if you are interested in knowing more about this ministry.  

Donations

We are really humbled and grateful for the article and publicity in the Mentor News Herald.  If you would like to make a donation to the Camphor Mission and the work that we are doing there you can write a check payable to Mentor UMC with Camphor or Rosemark in the memo and send it to 8600 Mentor Ave. Mentor, Ohio 44060.  If you have questions please email at rosemark@mentorumc.org.

Thank you!

A great read for further education about Liberia, their history, and their war is The House at Sugar Beach by Helene Cooper.  

The Year of 100 Dinners

Can you imagine, that eating a meal here could feed a community in Africa?  Have you always wanted to make a difference, but did not know how?  Imagine hosting a dinner for no other reason but to eat, socialize, and come together for a cause bigger than yourself. 

 

You as a supporter of the Camphor Mission, will invite friends, family, neighbors, and/or colleagues to a dinner.  You can host this gathering in your home, restaurants, party centers, parks, or even your workplace to enjoy a meal and raise funds to support the Camphor Mission Station in Liberia.  Participants agree to host an event and ask their guests to make a financial donation to Camphor Mission Station.  The possibilities are endless!

By particiapting in The Year of 100 Dinners you will learn more about the people and the needs at the Camphor Mission Station in Liberia. 

         300 students at the J.F. Yancy School

         100 of the students are boarding

         need for a full feeding program

         need for missionary housing

         need for 300 mosquito nets

         need for student scholarships

         need for clean water sources in local villages

         need for reliable vehicle

         and so many other needs that occur daily.

        

Even though the needs are many, through the combined effort of Mentor UMC folks, the many congregations in the East Ohio Conference, and the community beyond the church walls, these needs and more will be met. 

How would money be used at the Camphor Mission Station? 

• $25 pays for 5 gallons of kerosene to fuel clinic refrigeration for vaccinations.
• $25 sends a child to school for a month
• $80 pays a teacher salary for one month
• $1000 pats a teacher salary for a year
• $2000 pays for a well in a village
• $2000 supports Danny and Kathy as missionaries for a month
• $3000 pays for clean sanitation/toilet    How does the Year of 100 Dinners work?

   

  Who can host a dinner?  Anyone.  You don’t need to be a member of Mentor UMC to host an event.

   

  How do I host a dinner?  Send invitations, use evites (evite.com), call friends, organize a dinner.  The Virtual Hostess is available to help you plan your event.  They will supply you with brochures and a DVD that helps to give more details about the Camphor Mission Station.  You will be empowered to share this information with your guests at dinner.  You and your guest will be surprised by how much you will learn.

   

  When and Where to have a dinner?  Any time, any place.  Be creative.

   

  Some suggestions

  Picnic                   

  Brunch                         

  Potluck                         

  Pool Party

  Block Party

  Dinner Party        

  Ice Cream Social

  In leiu of gifts for Birthday

  Themed dinners i.e. Chinese night, Taco Tuesday

  Meal with an already organized group in your life

  The sky is the limit!

  Monetary Donations  Checks can be written to Mentor UMC with Camphor Mission in the memo.  Mailed to Mentor UMC 8600 Mentor Ave. , Mentor, Ohio 44060  Attention: Joan Sadler, Treasurer

  Virtual Hostess will answer any other questions you may have about hosting one of our Year of 100 Dinners.

  Why host a dinner?  This is a great way for everyone to make a difference.  By participating in one of these events, dinner hosts and guests have the honor in their own small way to show people in Liberia that they matter and that they are loved. 

  If you host a dinner, let us know who is there, what kind of event you are holding, send us a photo to add to the blog and let us know how much you raised!  You are a part of an exciting project!  Peace and thanks,

  Kathy and Danny Dickriede