Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Home

We made it home!  We are back in Cleveland back in cold weather with our family and dog.  Danny is back at work trying to generate some income.  Kathy has returned to Mentor UMC.  Our repatriation is going well.  Thanks for following us around Africa this year.  The following is our end of mission report.  


Mission Accomplished
Our initial goals were to learn more about travel in Africa, meet and work with health care workers and missionaries, learn from other people’s successes and failures, and to build relationships with people in Africa.  We did it!  We stayed healthy and we still like one another. We both plan to talk to God and the bishops of The United Methodist Church in Liberia and Ohio to discover what we are suppose to do next. We will keep you posted!


Rosemark Stops: an intentional destination or a stumble upon where we learned about missionary work in Africa. We stayed between 6 hours and six week at the places we listed below.

Buguruni Anglican Health Center
Amana Hospital Lecture
Mvumi Anglican Hospital
Mvumi Medical School
St. Andrews Anglican Church
Dodoma Christian Medical Center
Pen Trust
Mvumi Anglican Secondary School
Mama Clementina Foundation Kilimanjaro Medical Center
Nairobi Youth Ministry
Mama Pilista Bonyo Memorial Health Center
Maua Methodist Hospital
Aga Kahn Hospital
Mt. Olives UMC
Mbabaali Orphanage
Humble School Orphanage
Rock Foundation School
Enfuzi Orphanage
Edirisa Community Outreach
Rwandan Genocide Memorial
Sons of Thunder Village
Zimbabwe Annual Conference Africa University
Kensington School Startup
Queen Elizabeth Hospital Malaria Project
World Relief
Schnabel Foundation
Chicuque Methodist Hospital
Cambini Mission Station
Crossroads and Charity and Faith Mission
The Love of Christ Ministries Mfeluni UMC
Kigmotso Girls Club and Primary School
Child Rescue Center
Leader UMC
Mercy Hospital
Mangama Clinic
Camphor Mission Station
Ganta United Methodist Hospital
Winifred J. Harley School of Nursing
McCallister UMC
Curamericas Community Based Health Project

What we did during our Rosemark stops:
We birthed babies. We held babies. We prayed for babies. And we buried babies.
We traveled on planes, trains, automobiles, boats, buses, dug out canoes, motorcycles, bad taxis, matatus, dala dalas, pin pins, and boda bodas
We slept in $100 a night motels (other people paid!) and $1 a night truck stops.
We washed feet. We washed bottles. We washed wounds. We washed linens and clothes.
One of us started IV’s while the other started youth ministries.
We swam in the sea, a swimming pool, oceans, lakes, and craters.
We slept under tin roofs, thatch roofs, and mosquito nets.
We climbed on termite mounds and Kilimanjaro.
We watched people labor in the fields and women labor in the maternity ward.
We taught preschool and medical school. We taught swimming lessons. We were taught how to haul water on your head how to greet people in many languages.
We changed burn dressings and dirty diapers.
We organized medical supplies and library books.
We took temperatures and blood pressures. We took Holy communion when churches could afford the elements.
We walked through the Holy Land one day and stood on holy ground often.
We ran on dirt roads and ran pediatric ward rounds.
We saw wildlife. We saw penguins. We saw great joy and great grief. We saw the Cape of Good Hope and experienced great hope in war torn Liberia. We experienced dynamic worship. We worshiped with Muslims and Christians. We experienced amazing food and over the top hospitality.
We were blessed. Our lives will never be the same. Amen.

To all of you who came to our wedding or supported the Rosemark in other ways, we would like to say, “Thank you!” We feel like we put your gifts, donations, and prayers to good use. We have been filing monthly reports with the East Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church and Mentor UMC, but wanted to share our end of mission report with you our partners.