Visit to the Camphor Mission Station

After the Liberia UMC Health Conference, I along with two people from Peoria UMC traveled to the Camphor Mission. It was a great return trip home! It was amazing thing to see children from my preschool class, co-workers and friends, people from the village, and so many more people! I had a productive meeting with the clinic staff reviewing the details of the Health Conference. We set goals for 2009. There is a great staff who we are excited about working with when we return.

Garfield UMC in Pepperpike, Ohio is working to resource the Garfield UMC at the Camphor Mission Station. The Ohio church sent over money for church salaries and help with water pump repairs, a mimeograph machine and supplies, and mattresses and shoes for the children at the mission. The Ohio church also sent bibles, communion trays, Reach Out t-shirts, and more. Everyone was excited about the renewed connection of the two churches.

After three great days at the Camphor Mission I had three hot days in traffic in Monrovia. Shaffa and the Director of the Camphor Mission, Arthur Jimmy shopped for all of the supplies for Camphor. It was good for me to see all that goes into getting shoes for 200 children, 35 mattresses, and negotiating with shop owners. Traffic in Monrovia is really a blessing. It means life is happening again in the country and that people have resources to pay for taxis and goods. Every time we go to Liberia we see progress. This time it was city busses, new buildings, and paved roads, a miracle!

I stayed at Bishop Innis' residents and with my friend Nyamah, a missionary with UMCOR. It was a great time I am feeling blessed to be creating friendships in Liberia. We are excited to plan our return in September.

Liberia Health Conference

I am learning so much and connecting with great people in Monrovia. I am at the Heath Conference that is being hosted by the Liberia Annual Conference. There are people form the Repubulic of Liberia government, Liberia UMC Health Board, Liberian UMC clinics and hospital leaders, local churches from America and Germany, Annual Conferences, Christian Blinded Misison, Dental Care For The World, Operation Classroom, and so many others who want to partner together to heal the sick and move Liberia forward. Rev. Gary Henderson is here with the UMC's Global Health Initiative. A great ministry connecting people and United Methodists from all over the world. We just finished with the first day of meeting, February 18th. We will meet again tomorrow. I sit at the meeting with Meliah Toby, the certified mid-wife from the Camphor Clinic. It is good to be here again.

After the two day conference, I will travel to the Camphor Mission Station on Friday until Sunday. Monday-Wednesday will be spent in Monrovia meeting with Bishop Innis and hoping to gather some supplies for Camphor. It is great to be here and feels really right, a bit like coming home. It is really strange not traveling with Danny! I miss him VERY much and people here keep asking about him. I will be back in the US on Thursday, February 26th.

Peace.

Great Generosity!

As I make plans to head back to the Camphor Mission people have been very generous with donations for me to take. When Jordan Martin heard that some children in Africa don't have toothbrushes or toothpaste she went to work! Jordan has collected 311 toothbrushes and 65 tubes of toothpaste for me to take with me to Liberia. Did I mention that Jordan is only 12 years old! Way to go!

The congregation at Garfield Memorial UMC in Beechwood is also responding to need. There are sending over bibles, medical supplies, communion sets, and other resources to benefit the community and congregation at the Garfield Memorial UMC at the Camphor Mission Station.

Just the beginnings to the hope for connecting with the folks in Liberia.

Things are moving forward!

With the start of the new year comes exciting new starts to our future work and plans for returning to the Liberia Annual Conference. Danny is back to work generating income. Kathy has been speaking at local congregations, at UMC district events and to the EOC leadership, and in the community about our Rosemark year.

We are focusing on our future work in Liberia at the Camphor Mission Station. (Learn more about the Camphor Mission Station at www.camphormission.org) We are looking for partnering churches or organizations to help to support us as missionaries and mission station programs. We also need your prayers for the people of Camphor and for us.

Kathy is returning to Liberia February 15-25 for a meeting in Monrovia with the leadership of the Liberia UMC, people from UMCOR and GBGM. We will be discussing health care needs and goals within the work of Methodist Church in Liberia. She will also be spending a long weekend at the Camphor Mission. She is excited to return and be with our Liberian friends again.