WATCHING GOD FULFILL HIS PROMISES

“Now the Lord had said to Abram:“Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and I will curse him who curses you and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Genesis 12:1-3

Stanley and Mary Gitari returned to Oklahoma City last Saturday after having spent an amazing week here, made possible by our mission dollars. To summarize how things happened, first it was a 'coincidence' that the only week they had available to come here was last week, the same week that the Hope Walk came to completion. Their being here further magnified the event to the kids and to the orphans, coworkers and the Kenyan member of Parliament that attended the event in Maua.

The remainder of their week included meeting with 2 doctors representing 2 separate organizations, MMI and Operation Rainbow, who because of this visit now look to be signed on to bringing teams of doctors to Maua and may also help develop the hospital there in future ventures. They also met with the CEO of NHRMC who agreed to help procure any equipment and supplies their hospital may need, a hospital that serves a population of 800,000 with 5 doctors and 1 dentist, essentially agreeing to partner with Maua Methodist Hospital. These 3 meetings have the potential of transforming that hospital and thereby potentially improving care for countless thousands many of which are orphans and widows. They were also able to meet with Francis and Gail during which Francis received a text from the Bishop, the content of which I'll let Lana share with you later.

All in all, the Gitari’s left incredibly encouraged and strengthened by this reception and I was encouraged by the generosity of all that they've met and had interactions with. It has confirmed that with a task at hand and defined, even in these difficult financial times here at home, people are willing to step up.

All of this was possible by Faith Promise gifts and the Mission Committee making their travel here possible.

Thanks to all and may God continue to bless others through the Committee's efforts

Dr. Ted

Maua MissionTeam Reunion

Several members of the 2009 Wesley Memorial Medical Mission Team to Maua Kenya were reunited with Stanley Gitari and his wife Mary at the home of Dr. Ted Winneberger. Stanley and Mary are administrators at the Maua Methodist Hospital. They were in the U.S. accepting an Outstanding Alumni Award given to Stanley by his alma mater, Oklahoma City University.

He is in Wilmington to take part in the first Wilmington District Hope Walk on Friday evening. Youth in the Wilmington District will link up via satellite Friday night with graduates of the Giving Hope Program who will be doing a 10K walk in Maua. Funds raised through the Hope Walk will be used to sponsor 100 new families in the Giving Hope Program in Maua.

Stanley and his wife, Mary, will also be visiting area hospitals, talking with local doctors and administrators, and will be speaking on Wednesday evening, December 2nd , at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church Activity Center at 6:30 pm. He will speak about the ZOE Giving Hope Program that has reclaimed the lives of hundreds of children and young adults in and around Maua, the new Ndoleli Humanitarian Relief Mission, and other mission opportunities at the Maua Methodist Hospital. Everyone is invited.

See Hope, Give Hope

There are many people serving others in the name of Christ around the world. When our Medical Mission Team traveled to Maua Kenya last spring, we were amazed at what our United Methodist Hospital in Maua was accomplishing. Every morning, they offer the opportunity to come together and start the day with worship. They see hundreds of patients without regard to anything other than treating them in the name and love of Jesus Christ. They reach out to the community to make a very visible difference in the lives of people in their community, again, in the name and love of Jesus. When we saw all they were doing with such very limited resources, we returned home with a resolve to offer whatever resources we could to help Maua Methodist Hospital better serve those in need.

We are blessed to have Stanley and Mary Gitari, from Maua, Kenya, come and speak about the Giving Hope Program, as well as other mission opportunities in Maua, Dec. 2nd at 6:30-7:30 in the Wesley Memorial Activity Center Gym. Stanley and Mary are administrators for the Maua Methodist Hospital.

Come hear first hand about the Hope Walk that our youth in the Methodist Conference have been involved in, and the many other mission opportunities we can plug ourselves into in Maua.

This is an exciting time in our community, as we are connecting with another community across the world, to be God's instrument in blessing others as we have been so blessed.

Hey Y'all, Watch This! ----God

This past weekend I watched an incredible video called, "Ee-Taow" (the truth) about church planting among the Mouk people group in Papua New Guinea and was trying to get caught up on my required reading. According to some accounts there are an estimated 3,000 tribes yet to hear the Gospel. That represents millions of lives that can be changed. That sounds like an aweful lot of people to me.

But last week, we had the pleasure of reuniting with some friends, Reegan and Epiphany, from Maua Kenya who are here to create support for the Giving Hope Program and we heard story after story of lives that actually have been changed by the Giving Hope Program and the lives that will be changed through the efforts of the youth in the Wilmington District when they complete their "Hope Walk" in early December.

Then I met another friend of mine at the supermarket who told me of their church's emphasis on missions. She said they hope to take part in 6-10 missions each year. Even more lives will come to know Jesus as Lord and God will be glorified.

This morning, I opened my e-mail to find a report from one of our mission's coordinators who told of a very dire financial need that had been met and, literally destroyed, by the outpouring of God's love through people's actions here at Wesley.

As I opened my Bible to do my morning devotion, it opened to Habakkuk (who reads this book) and I read:

" Look at the nations and watch--and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told."
---Habakkuk 1:5

Suddenly, 3,000 tribes with millions of people doesn't seem as large a task.
Our God is incredible and I love how He keeps surprising us!

ZOE Gives Hope and Hope Brings Joy!

Part of methodology of ZOE's Giving Hope Project is to train the young person in a vocation or craft that will provide them with an on-going self generating source of income. One of those vocations is to learn how to sew and then provide "start up kits" consisting of a new treddle sewing machine and enough funds to buy some fabric. The following is a video taken at one of the 2009 Vocational Training Graduation.

RAISING HOPE THROUGH OUR "HOPE WALK"

The FIRST EVER "Hope Walk" is coming to the Wilmington, NC District on December 4-5. One hundred United Methodist youth from the Wilmington District have partnered with 100 successful young people from the Giving Hope Program in Maua, Kenya. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9HpJxP4ulI

The youth in Maua, who have reclaimed their lives and their family's lives through Giving Hope, will walk/run a 10K race to bring hope to those in their community that still need funding to be involved in the program.

Meanwhile, the 100 youth/youth teams in the Wilmington District will work to obtain sponsors for 100 new participants in the Giving Hope Program. Each Wilmington youth or youth team will try to get donations amounting to $360 to sponsor a new family for one year. The youth from Maua and the youth from Wilmington will be linked on the night of December 4th via satellite to celebrate their efforts. The following is a Facebook posting by one of the actual teams from Wesley.

Only $30 will support ZOE’s Giving Hope Empowerment Ministry for an orphaned family for an entire month!

Hope Walker in Africa: Jane Kagwira

US Teammate at Wesley Memorial: Julia, Amelia, & Mary Beth

Jane Kagwiria, 19, is caring for two siblings, ages 17 and 7. After their mother died of HIV/AIDS, Jane and her siblings were left with a very elderly grandfather. Jane had to drop out of school to provide for the grandfather and other siblings. They often went hungry.

Today, Jane is feeding her family and providing for their needs through her vegetable and cereal business. Like the other orphans, she has found many friends in her “working group.”

Jane is GIVING HOPE! Jane will walk 10 kilometers to raise money to empower other orphans in her community. $30 will support ZOE’s Giving Hope Empowerment Ministry for an orphaned family for an entire month. Please take one month and help Jane raise support for her orphaned neighbors!

If anyone is interested in helping out an orphaned family like Jane's, please let me know! or send a check to "Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church (Hope Walk)" The address of the church is 1401 S. College Road, Wilmington, NC.

Amelia

What Does It Mean to Be a Missionary?

Much has been written about missionaries and their roles in the modern church. As I was doing my reading assignments for a class I am taking, I ran across a passage that seemed to be a concise definition, explanation, and validation for what missions represent. I think it is worth sharing. It is from an article called, "The Difference Bonding Makes," by Elizabeth S and E. Thomas Brewster.

"A missionary is one who goes into the world to give people an opportunity to belong to God's family. The missionary goes because he or she is a belonger in the most meaningful of relationships. His or her life should proclaim: 'I belong to Jesus who has given me a new kind of life. By my becoming a belonger here with you, God is inviting you through me to belong to Him.'

The missionary's task thus parallels the model established by Jesus who left heaven, where He belonged, and became a belonger with humankind in order to draw people into a belonging relationship with God."