Hand in Hand Global Mission Support Blog Digest

The folowing is a slightly abbreviated version of a blog post by ELCA Missionary, Mary Beth Oyebade.

My Grandma had major heart surgery in Rochester, MN in June. My mom, dad, aunt and uncle were at the hospital before, during, and after the surgery. But within a day or two, they started to go to their respective homes. I was horrified. I said, “But who’s going to stay with Grandma?!” My mom gently explained that what they were doing was acceptable. They didn’t need to be with her 24/7. And moreover, my Grandma really didn’t need constant company if she was going to get adequate rest. I understood what she was saying, but I still felt a twinge of guilt that someone wasn’t sitting with Grandma.

In this area of my thinking, I have become very Nigerian. If you are hospitalized in Nigeria, you have to bring someone to take care of you – especially for your feeding and bathing. It is just expected that a family member is always present.

In a similar vein, as I was making various presentations this summer, I noticed I was using some Nigerian terminology, and I couldn’t think of how to express that thought in American English. For example, I would mention that we train youth on computers, and that having these computer skills would enable them to get a small job. “Small job” didn’t sound right in the U.S. In retrospect, I could have said, “Youth are able to get part-time or entry-level jobs with these computer skills.” I can tell that I have been here a long time.

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For the recongition celebration at the 2009 Summer Missionary Conference, Pr. Franklin Ishida interviewed four of the longest-serving missionary couples completing service in 2009.  Click on the “continue reading” link at the end of this post to play the video featuring
* The Rev. Cliff and Saida Lewis (Cameroon, Senegal, Egypt)
* The Rev. Joyce and Ian Graue (Papua New Guinea, Central African Republic)
* The Rev. Aaron and Lynette Albrecht (Japan)
* The Rev. David and Carla Schick  (Slovakia)
These moving snapshots will make you laugh outloud and bring tears to your eyes.  These extraordinary-ordinary servant leaders are  living answers to the question “What’s an ELCA missionary?”  Visit the “Well done!” post to see the names of all the ELCA missionaries completing service in 2009.    

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The following is an abbreviated version of an ELCA News Release written by Carrie L. Draeger.  Find the full article at  http://tinyurl.com/nbtkz8.

Money from the ELCA is helping the people of Zimbabwe, said the Rev. Benyam A. Kassahun.   “As a result of that support many were able to survive,” he said.   Kassahun is the program director for Southern Africa, ELCA Global Mission.

Supply shelves at the hospitals were bare when Kassuhun visited in October 2008.  They are now filled with supplies and medications, he said.  “Compared to last year and the year before, this was just a luxury,” he said.

The hospitals are able to feed patients and medical staff, a feat that was not possible nine months ago.  Money purchased four months of food for the hospitals and patients are paying with maize, goats and chickens. 

 ”They are able to pay, and last year that wasn’t the case,” he said.  The maize, goats and chickens that patients pay with are going full circle, adding to the meals at the hospital.  “The people are hopeful, but still hanging in the air,” he said. “We have a long way to go.”
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Carrie L. Draeger is a senior communication major with a concentration in journalism at Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Wash. This summer she is an intern with the ELCA News Service.

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By my (admittedly unofficial) count, in 2009, 73 good and faithful ELCA missionaries have completed, or will soon complete, service.  When called, these 73 responded, “Here I am, Lord, send me!”   Hand in hand, these missionaries gave and shared their gifts and they received and shared the gifts of companions around the world.  Thank you, good and faithful servants! 

Please consider sending a note of thanks, corporately to the “Class of 2009,” or personally to any individual missionary;  leave a comment below or send an e-mail to globalmissionsupport@elca.org.  Typing a list risks all sorts of inadvertent mistakes, so with advance apologies, I invite you to note any corrections in a comment box.  Learn more about opportunities for global service by visiting www.elca.org/globalserve and learn more about opportunities for supporting an ELCA missionary with prayer, communication, and financial gifts by visiting www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship. –Sue Edison-Swift, Global Mission Support

Five or more years of service
Clifford and Saida Lewis (Cameroon, Senegal, Egypt)
Joyce and Ian Graue (Papua New Guinea, Central African Republic)
Aaron and Lynette Albrecht (Japan)
Judy McGuire (CAR, Guyana)
Robert and Denise Schmalze (Kenya)
David and Carla Schick (Slovakia)

Four years of service
Stephanie Quick (Costa Rica)
Sylvia Countess (Jerusalem)
Heidi Torgerson Martinez (Mexico)

Three years of service
Louis and Mytch Dorvilier (Senegal)
Sarah Loan (Japan)
Matthew Gardner (Japan)
Pamela Sersen (Japan)
Janet Alcantara (Honduras)
Karen Ressel (Uganda)
Larry Paxton (Slovakia)
Chad and Natalie  Rimmer (Denmark)

Two y ears of service

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