Hand in Hand Global Mission Support Blog Digest

Barbara Robertson recently explained some of the work she does as an ELCA missionary in Tanzania. Much, but certainly not all, of that work is educating people about preventing AIDS. To support Barbara, or another of the ELCA’s over 200 missionaries, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

Barbara Robertson discusses AIDS prevention with young men in Tanzania. (Photo courtesy of LivingLutheran.com)

I have lived and worked in Tanzania since 1999. I am at my second work station (Morogoro) and have been here since 2006. These 6½ years have flown by rather quickly.

My official position is HIV and AIDS program officer and I am based at the diocese’s headquarters in Morogoro. Our diocese’s primary HIV focus is prevention through education. I am a department of one and work in cooperation with other members of the diocese — pastors, parish workers, evangelists, etc. Over these past six years, we have educated hundreds and hundreds of people. (Actually, in truth, thousands and thousands have been educated, but I’m not very good at blowing my own horn.)

In the earlier years, the main topic was how one was infected and the way the virus worked. Caring for the sick was always included, as those caring for infected people were scared to death they would be infected. For the first three years, my work focused on educating women, as they are the most infected and affected by HIV and AIDS.

In the past 2½ years, we have shifted our focus to youth and young adults. It has been very rewarding work. And I have seen a change in attitude over the years. One of the most apparent is the change of attitude in the area of testing. Far more people know their HIV status now than even five years ago. And young adults are much more willing to know their status.

In Tanzania, HIV is a very cross-cutting issue. One can do just about anything and it touches on the topic of HIV. Knowing that, you will not be surprised then that I have also done a lot of work with one of my colleagues in advocating for the end of female genital mutilation and cutting. There are a number of ethnic groups in the area that still practice this ritual.

Grace and peace be with you!
Barbara Robertson

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Katie Justice is beginning her year in South Africa as an ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission volunteer. The program relies on coordinators who facilitate the young adults’ ministry and provide mentoring and spiritual guidance. To support a coordinator, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

I want to give you a glimpse of my life here in Bloemfontein. Before I begin, I do want to say that I have the permission to tell you this story from my wonderful host mom, Mama Shoni.

Yesterday, as I sat outside on the porch at Mama Shoni’s house thinking and looking at the view of the township of Manguang where I am living, a little girl approached me and sat  right next to me on the porch.

This little girl’s name is Neo. She is a beautiful child. She is Mama Shoni’s granddaughter. She is about 7 years old and she loves to talk. The thing is … she only speaks Sesotho. She does know some English, but just the basics like hello, goodbye and few phrases. She is also autistic. I honestly wouldn’t have known this until Mama told me.

As I have gotten to know Neo, autism does not define her. She is a normal young girl who loves to play and laugh like all the other kids. I also want to mention that she has a beautiful singing voice. She and I have become really good friends. It did not take her long to get used to me nor me to her. At the beginning of our friendship, she would always call me doctor. This is because all of her doctors are white, so it is easy to understand why she would think that I am a doctor. It did take a while but now she has started calling me by my name. When she says it, you can tell that there is something special behind it.

You see although I am not able to always understand exactly what Neo is saying, I can understand it in a different language. That language is the language of love. This language can be understood anywhere regardless of where you are. It always warms my heart when I see the great big smile on her face and she says “Hello Katie” and I reply right back in that same language with “Hello Neo.” She has already won my heart and I know that she will be someone that I will never forget. She has been helping me understand why God has placed me here in the first place. Meeting her has really made my heart learn how to receive love as I give it. All I can tell you is that when I see this little girl, I see the face of Jesus.

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Cindy and the Rev. Sam Wolff have recently retired from 32 years as ELCA missionaries. They served in Tanzania, Germany and twice in Kenya, where they most recently were in parish ministry in Nairobi. They recently talked about their lives as missionaries and what the experience has meant to them. To watch the video, click here. Thank you for supporting Cindy and Sam. To support another of the ELCA’s over 200 missionaries, go here.

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Susan Smith is a new ELCA missionary in the Central African Republic. She supports education programs run by the ELCA and the Lutheran Church of the Central African Republic. Here is an excerpt from a recent posting on her blog. To support Susan, or another of the ELCA’s over 200 missionaries, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

Susan Smith on on a main street of N’gaoundere, Cameroon.

Sept. 23, 2012

I will be going to Bohong shortly to learn Sango. Bohong is a small town about 35 kilometers north of Bouar, which is two hours east of Baboua (my town).

So why do I need to learn Sango when I already speak French?

French is the colonial language. That means that a lot of government business, secondary schools, and other businesses use French. It is an official language in the Central African Republic. People, however, don’t learn French until they go to school. Most primary schools begin instruction in Sango and students then learn French. Too many children, though, never get the chance to go to school, so they don’t learn French.  The literacy rate is between 50 and 60 percent (depending on which reference you check).  That means almost half the population cannot read and write in any language and are unlikely to know French. This number includes a disproportionate number of girls and women.

Also, Sango is the national African language in CAR. It is rare in Africa that there is one African language in a country that most everyone speaks and can be an official language. I have been told that since Sango was the language of commerce even before the French came, everyone learned to speak it.

Now imagine this: Children are born and begin to learn their maternal language (the one for their ethnic group). Not too long after that, they learn Sango. All of these languages are oral, by the way. They have now been written down as missionaries worked to translate the Bible into their languages. If there are other ethnic groups in the area, children also learn those. Then, if they have the chance, children go to school and learn French.  If they continue beyond elementary school, they study English or some other European language! (And, we from the U.S. are resistant to learning any language other than English!)

I am learning Sango, therefore, to be able to talk to people in their own language — to better understand their world view. In working with the directors of the education programs of the church and even in working with teachers, I will speak French, for the most part. But, when working with parents and leaders in villages, Sango will be essential. Also, when I have the opportunity to be in elementary classrooms, the primary language will be Sango.

I am also going to another town to have more contact with Central Africans.  I hope, too, by being immersed in the culture for a month, I will be able to learn other cultural aspects, especially nonverbal communication.  I will keep my ears open, but also my eyes and all my other senses.

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David and Mary Kuck are ELCA missionaries in Jamaica. They teach at the United Theological College of the West Indies in Kingston.  To support the Kucks, or another of the ELCA’s over 200 missionaries, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

Anointing a new graduate.

Yesterday we attended the graduation ceremony of the second group of students who have completed the Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program that United Theological College (UTC) has just begun to offer. In the past, our Lutheran students have been able to participate in a CPE program through Wartburg Seminary, but other students at our college have never had this opportunity.

The graduating group was seven men, some already pastors and some not yet assigned, led by the Rev. Brenda Wallace of the Care and Counseling Center of Georgia. We sat completely absorbed as one man after the other testified to the transformation that this program had made in his life. Several discussed finally dealing with serious family issues they had thought were behind them, and how the process freed them to be able to listen to others without carrying that personal baggage. All of them learned, sometimes painfully, that it is OK for men to cry. It was really heartening to see how, through the difficult work of examining their souls, they had formed a supportive group, in a culture where men often feel isolated from and in constant competition with each other. This fledgling program has begun in spite of severe financial constraints that the college is experiencing, and we are praying that somehow it can continue to be funded.

Just so you know that it is not all work and no play, we did have a lovely vacation in the U.S, visiting our children and grandchildren, and attending a family reunion/niece’s wedding shower in Torch Lake, Mich.

Please pray for a productive academic year, for the financial resources to support it at UTC, for the faculty and the students, and for us. Thank you, as always, for your continuing support.

Blessings,
Mary and David

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A swollen river can drown the dream of an education. Such is the case in Nigeria, where Mary Beth and Bayo Oyebade are ELCA missionaries. To support the Oyebades, or another of the ELCA’s over 200 missionaries, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

In the rainy season, the river by the school keeps some children from attending.

Mary Beth writes:

Our rainy season starts with a few rains in April, and then gathers momentum through May and June. July is even wetter and then it rains nearly every day in August. Even if the sun is shining on an August day, you still need to carry an umbrella. By September the rains will start to slow down and then we can expect just a couple of rains in October. Then dryness will rule the land from November through March.

During the rainy season, the river near our school becomes very swollen. There are a few places with strategically placed stones where people try to cross. When the water is really raging, people have to go far out of their way to cross a bridge and then backtrack.

In recent months we have heard many stories of parents who want their children to come to our school, but they live on the other side of the river. Last Friday two mothers came to find out about the school, and in the process of trying to cross the river, they fell in.

This morning a father came to see the school for the first time. He said, “I wish there was an access road to this place from the other side of the river. A lot of people over there would bring their kids to this school if they could get them safely across the river.”

I said, “Well, next week we’re planning to start building a bridge.”

“Praise God!”

“You let the people know that now they can bring their kids to school here.”

“I will! I will! You can trust me to do that!” I could see that he had a very exuberant personality and would definitely follow through.

An hour later he was back with his teenage daughter. He enrolled her in the Math Drill which is presently going on, and he is planning to enroll her in school in school by mid-September.

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Nancy Stevenson has concluded her service in Tanzania as an ELCA missionary. While in Tanzania, she taught English and communication skills at Makumira University College, a school of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania. She recently reflected on her service in Tanzania, which began in 1979. To watch the video, click here. Thank you for supporting Nancy’s ministry. To support another of the ELCA’s over 200 missionaries, go here.

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The Rev. Andrea and the Rev. Luke Roske-Metcalfe are ELCA missionaries in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Andrea is a regional coordinator for the Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program and Luke serves in parish ministry. To support Andrea and Luke, or another of the ELCA’s over 200 missionaries, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

The new Young Adults in Global Mission volunteers in Mexico are, top row, from left: Colleen, Alicia, Casey, Blake, Aaron, Catie, Andrea, Meghan, Kristen and Sarah.

Andrea, Olivia and I hope this finds you well as summer quickly draws to a close. The three of us have been busy.  We remember you often for the support that you and your communities of faith have given us. In very real ways – phone calls, conversations over coffee, emails, financial gifts and prayers, you help us do our work here in Mexico, and we thank you for all your support.

In early July, Olivia finished her first year of Montessori school, where she has picked up lots of Spanish and met lots of friends.  She enjoyed it so much that we only waited a few weeks before bumping her up from three days a week to five!  She finished the regular school year and returned a week later for a two-week summer program.

In mid-July, Andrea was busy with the closing retreat for the 2011-2012 Young Adults in Global Mission volunteers. After a wonderful year of learning and growing both as a group and as individuals, she and the seven volunteers spent five days together to reflect and to celebrate.

Having said our final goodbyes to this group of volunteers, Andrea and I now eagerly await a new group of nine volunteers who are expected to arrive in late August. Needless to say, Andrea has been busy preparing for their arrival. Over the past couple months, she has been identifying and confirming work site placement and host families for the volunteers. She’s also preparing an in-country orientation that will help prepare these new volunteers for their year in Mexico.

As many of you know from previous communications, Andrea and I have decided to return to the U.S. in July of 2013, at the end of our current contract, which means that we have just under a year left in Mexico. My congregation, Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd,  has decided to use this time to discern how God is calling them to live into the future. Without making any assumptions, the congregation bravely asked itself the question, “Are we sustainable?” This is clearly a challenging question, but thus far I’ve experienced Good Shepherd facing it head-on and seeking to answer it as honestly as possible.

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The Rev. Dr, Jeffrey A. Truscott, an ELCA missionary, is chaplain and a lecturer in worship and liturgy at Trinity Theological College in Singapore.  To support Jeffrey, or another of the ELCA’s over 200 missionaries, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

The Rev. Jeffrey A. Truscott, Singapore

Recently I traveled to Medan, Indonesia, to lecture on the topic of Lutheran worship to a gathering of pastors, church leaders and musicians who belong to member churches of the Lutheran Worship Federation in Indonesia.

It was quite gratifying to know that our fellow Lutherans in Indonesian are concerned about Lutheran identity and worship. One reason for this interest is the issue of religious pluralism in Indonesia – the relationship between different faith communities (Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist). Lutherans in Indonesia believe that they can only dialog with other faith traditions when they have a strong sense of their own tradition, especially its worship. Perhaps this commitment to Lutheran identity should inspire all of us to be more aware of our Lutheran heritage, especially its history, theological writings and worship traditions!

Medan is the capital city of the North Sumatra Province, located close to the Straits of Malacca, about one hour by plane from my base in Singapore. With a population of approximately 2 million people, it is the largest Indonesian city outside of Jakarta. Probably the infrastructure (roads, airport) are not up to the standards of other Asian cities like Hong Kong or Singapore (or of western cities), but the city is teaming with action and small businesses. The people are friendly and welcoming. Surprisingly, U.S. fast food in the form of KFC and Starbucks has made it to Medan.

While I was only able to spend a relatively brief time teaching in Medan, I am hopeful that my teaching will have planted seeds that bear fruit in the life of the churches represented at this gathering.  Indeed, I believe that it will: After my departure, the attendees were tasked with planning a Reformation service that was to reflect the Lutheran worship heritage. Please join me in praying that this service will be a worthy representative of our worship tradition and inspire the faith of all in attendance.

Best regards in the Lord Jesus Christ,

Jeff

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