Mission Minutes

Dominican Dreams 2011 Bravo!

2011-02-18T12:49:00.000-08:00

Finale: 14 clinics, 7 days, 4,000+ patients served ~ bravo Dominican Dreams team!

Clinic images~~ Tuesday, February 1, 2011 at the Los Ciruelos [The Prunes] village school.

Dominicans Vital to Health Care Team Efforts

2011-02-02T05:18:00.000-08:00

Sylvia Tillman with Padre Daniel Samuel, priest at St. Mary's the Virgin Episcopal Church, Montellano

The 2011 Dominican Health Care Team expresses thanks to the hosts, facilitators & translators, who are the reason this mission succeeds year after year... this year being no exception. We thank Father Daniel Samuel, priest at St. Mary's the Virgin Episcopal Church, his wife Maria and the women of the parish, who organized & publicized the clinics with the local officials, efficiently handled the sometimes tumultuous registrations at all of the sites, and generously provided home-cooked Dominican lunches for both teams several times each week. Our gratitude, too, to Maritiza Acevada, for her indomitable spirit and unquestionable joy in working to sort out the tangles and tests of logistics for the team, including transport, translators and local arrangements for the clinics... & much more. And the translators! These young people have been the lively lifeblood of communicating medical information at the clinics, especially for many on the health care team who have limited or no understanding of Spanish or Creole. The translators made a definitive difference in both language and credibility for health care delivery to hundreds of Dominican & Haitian patients. We give thanks for our Dominican companions!

Translators at Munoz...

Dr. Howie Lee with logistics magician Maritza Acevada.

Women of St. Mary's parish, including Deacon Maria Daniel [in red].

House Calls in Haitian Barrio

2011-02-01T12:25:00.000-08:00

In Munoz on Saturday, January 29th, the health care team encountered a young woman, whose baby's skin was mottled white & excoriating due to an allergic reaction to its milk-based formula. This child, who was brought to the team wrapped in a blanket... having no clothes or diapers, tugged at the hearts of team members. During lunch break, seven canisters of soy-based formula, two cases of diapers, three gallons of clean water & bottles & clothes were purchased.

As a few of the team wended their way through narrowing passageways between rough-board shacks, neighbors joined them... & it became a growing parade with children prancing with delight & shouting for everyone to come, see. We stepped over the small stream of sewer water that coursed between the rough-board buildings... trying to stay on the high ground where possible. On the way, we saw people who had appeared at the clinic in "church-going" clothing... greeting us from the doorways of their crude, small shanties. They were beautiful, blooming flowers emerging from the most meager of potting soils.

When we arrived at the young woman's home, Elaine Nau taught the mother how to make the soy formula with clean water... & the baby guzzled down that first bottle -- lickety split.

Greg Lawton, a pediatrician who had come on this baby/mom house call, was approached by a woman asking if he was a doctor, did he speak Spanish. Yes, he said. The woman took him and Rose Milano, a nurse practioner, to see a man who had been confined to a wheelchair for many years following an accident. Greg and Rose were able to examine and consult with the man and his family. The man, a paraplegic and diabetic, had run out of all of his blood pressure and diabetic medications. Fortunately, the team had the exact medicine he needed at the health care clinic in Munoz and Rose took him the medicine after the day's clinic was completed... an appreciated, unexpected house call. There were lots of hugs & kisses & 'gracias' from the patient & his family. Ole!

Day 2, Team B Holds Clinic at St. Mary's the Virgin Episcopal Church in Montellano

2011-02-01T11:18:00.000-08:00

Team B headed by bus on Friday, January 28th to the nearby village of Montellano & quickly converted the interior of the church into stations for intake, exams, treatments, distribution of toothbrushes, dresses & eyeglasses... and a pharmacy. Old friends were greeted and trusted sentries were posted at the door to welcome & guide incoming patients to the appropriate places. Translators made communication possible. Order was achieved. Health care was delivered to nearly 300 persons!

Elana Beck served as a translator for her father Rob Beck & as seen here, for other team members as well.

Team B Intake & Triage... Day 2, Dominican Republic

2011-02-01T10:59:00.000-08:00

Working both sides of the pews & down the aisles, the intake & triage crew weighed incoming patients, and checked blood pressure and blood sugars in older persons.

Docs in Pews at St. Mary's the Virgin Episcopal Church, Montellano

2011-02-01T09:59:00.000-08:00

Team B physicians Kurt Muetterties, Craig Mutterties, Amy Harvey, Beth Dupree, Tom Dupree, Alan Kravatz & Rob Berk provided medical care in pews... often conferring with one another... truly working as a team!

& dresses to delight the little girls...

2011-01-29T14:13:00.001-08:00

Sylvia Tillman had the joyous task of giving dresses to little Dominican girls who came to St. Mary's health clinic.

& eyeglasses the better to see with...

2011-01-29T12:46:00.000-08:00

Sandy Cimino, Pam Clark & Ann McHale helped Dominican adults find the right reading glasses.

Medications at the ready... but never enough to meet the need...

2011-01-29T12:24:00.000-08:00

Thousands of pills... hundreds of bottles of liquid medications & yet, the demand quickly exceeded the supply. Still, the pharmacy staff worked with the doctors & nurse practioners to offer appropriate medicines for the patients coming to St. Mary's.

Team B pharmacy crew -- Jim O'Keefe, Pat Penny & Janee Muetterties -- dispensed medications from a pew in St. Mary's parish hall...
somewhat backbreaking work... bend, bend, bend!

Way more than medical!

2011-01-29T12:12:00.000-08:00

Day 2 with the B team at St. Mary's Episcopal Church involved providing excellent medical care... AND generous & companionable laughter.

Villagers congregate en masse for health clinic...

2011-01-28T12:47:00.000-08:00

Villagers crowded into the school yard in the village of Yaroa. People were milling, jostling, wanting to be first in line. But, order prevailed thanks to the excellent help of local council members.

Intake & Triage...

2011-01-28T11:42:00.000-08:00

The triage crew-- Katherine, Maureen & Daniel Slade, Jean Kuhn and Susan Ebling
weighed folks in, checked blood pressure & blood sugar...before sending patients on in family clusters to visit with a doctor or nurse practioner.

Docs on Mission in the Dominican Republic

2011-01-28T11:10:00.000-08:00

Jill Kane, Michele Chapnick, Jayne Gilmore, Rose Milano, Howie Lee, Mark Kuhn & Greg Lawton had a full lineup of over 300 patients... with many, many children to see in Yaroa. They experienced many illnesses and complaints that are rooted in poverty. Knowing that the medical assistance they can give is limited, the doctors focused on listening & affirming the patients... treating them with dignity... making a person to person difference... the best that mission can be.

Dresses Delight Sweet Senoritas in Yaroa

2011-01-28T10:20:00.000-08:00

Karen Snyder was tickled pink in Yaroa at the enthusiastic response to the dress project, which she dreamed up when she saw naked little girls at the Dominican Republic medical clinics in past years. She recalls, too, when one mother brought her three little girls in one at a time to the clinic, because her daughters only had one dress to share. For Karen... bringing 600 dresses this year to the Dominican Republic is a sharing dream come true.

Dominican Dreams ~ 2011 Health Care Mission

2011-01-17T15:41:00.000-08:00

Follow the 2011 Dominican Republic Health Care Mission Team

Montellano, Dominican Republic

January 26 ~ February 4

On January 24, 2011, members of a 93-person health care mission team [50 new team members!] will begin congregating on the north shore of Hispaniola, Dominican Republic. These medical professionals and mission volunteers hope to celebrate the 25th year of this medical outreach project to Haiti and the Dominican Republic by making it the best one yet! [Last year, 60 persons participated and served over 4,000 people!]
Led by Fr. Larry Snyder & his wife Karen, team members from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Alabama, Illinois, Iowa and Canada expect to begin setting up for clinics on January 25 & 26. On January 27, the health care team plans to go mobile, traveling & providing medical & dental care each day through February 3 to thousands of Dominicans as well as Haitian refugees in nearby rural villages.
Medical Directors Dr. Amy Harvey, Dr. Michel Chapnick and Dr. George Stollsteimer, Dental Director Dr. Ken Messer and Pharmacy Director Jim O'Keeffe will provide the professional health care direction for the clinics.
The 93-member team will be working under the auspices of the Episcopal Church of the Dominican Republic, with Fr. Daniel Samuel, priest of the Mission of St. Mary the Virgin, Montellano, Puerto Plata.

Team contact information: Piergiorgio Palace Hotel, Calle la Puntilla #1, El Batey, Sosua, Dominican Republic: Tel. 809-571-2215 [no international code is needed to call the hotel]
http://www.piergiorgiopalace.com/ e-mail: piergiorgio@codetel.net.do

Coe College May Term Course on Swaziland Health & Safe Water

2010-05-23T17:39:00.000-07:00

Dr. Paula Sanchini.......

On May 12, Dr. Paula Sanchini, member of Christ Episcopal Church, Cedar Rapids, and rofessor of biology at Coe College, along with Dr. Anita Nicholson, a nursing professor at Coe, journeyed to southern Africa with a class of 14 undergraduate students participating in a May Term travel course.

The students, who are nursing, pre-medical and environmental science majors at Coe College, share a deep and enthusiastic interest in finding out what life is like in Swaziland and South Africa. The course focuses on: delivery of health care and delivery of safe drinking water.

The course has been designed so the students will learn first-hand about how people gain access to health care services and clean drinking water. The students will experience the work of walk-in clnics, hospitals, and home-based parish nursing in treatment and support of individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Access to clean water is especially important in rural communities, and the students will assist with expanding the "point-of-use: chlorination method used to purify drinking water in Swaziland.

The Coe students will be meeting with Swazi parish nurses, the Dioces of Swaziland Safe Water Ministry (SSWM) Team, and the Swaziland HIV/AIDS diocesan staff in charge of the Neighborhood Care Points orphan feeding program and home hospice project. These opportunities to interact with community health workers one-on-one will be a highlight of the course.

Paula, Anita and their students will be cooperatively packing and delivering over 900 toothbrushes for distribution to the children at the Neighborhood Care Points in Swaziland. The toothbrushes are part of the Dr. Terry Shively Oral Health project, funded by a 2009 Diocese of Iowa International Development Grant.

The Coe College group will also transport parts for chlorinator construction in Swaziland. In preparation for working with the SSWM team, Paula and a student, Kaycee Reynolds, joined Dan Rockwell, Greg Stout, Fr. Charles Kunene and Earl Ratliff on May 4, 2010, on the Ratliff farm near New Sharon, Iowa, for a one-day course on building chlorinators.

We look forward to postings from the Coe College group during their stay in Swaziland.

Notes from an Iowan in Haiti -- Dr. Chris Buresh

2010-01-24T15:47:00.000-08:00

Chris Buresh, Trinity Episcopal Church, Iowa City, shares his medical team's experiences in Leogane, Haiti, in dispatches below. Thanks to Karen Nichols and Chris's wife Ginny Ryan for providing this information for the Diocese of Iowa mission blog:

January 18, 2010, 9:38 a.m. in Iowa
Hi everyone,

I promised you details, so here's what I know. Much of this has come together in the last few hours and is subject to change at a moments notice. I'm going to send this to as many folks as I can in a short time, but please feel free to circulate it.
Team: Me, Josh White, EM doc in Twin Cities, Harold Latta, Peds doc from Winston-Salem, NC, took me on my first trip. Trips to Leogane for last 15 years. Single-handedly cared for multi-victim (adult) trauma on last trip and guy in shock from Afib with RVR. Not bad for a pediatrician! Dan Wing, senior EM resident and wilderness med guru. Brett Faine, EM pharmacist who just got back from Haiti last week. Brett Mayne from JCAS. Former USMC. Shane Clifton, paramedic, firefighter from Twin Cities, former Navy SEAL. He just got back from Haiti, too. Matt Monjes, same as Shane, but probably more handsome. Nathan Michaels lived in Leogane for several years, knows everyone who's everyone, called "the Mayor of Leogane" by some...
Plan: Fly to Florida today (January 18, 2010). Plan A: Fly from MIA to PAP at 0430 tomorrow and transport via Save the Children and Episcopal Diocese of Haiti to Leogane. Plane B: Fly MIA to Jacmel, then take tiny rinky-dink plane over mountains to land on straight road in Leogane. Locals assured me that they've cut down tree that last flight clipped on take off. Plan C: Fly FLL to Santo Domingo Tuesday afternoon. Overnight there. Cross border by air or facilitated by Episcopal Diocese of Haiti and 82nd Airborne (in civilian capacity) by ground. Return trip: 1/28. Not booked yet, but I promise I'll be back by the 29th.

Plan on the ground: Arrive with a ton of stuff; bandages, antibiotics, minor surgical stuff, three water chlorinators... into an airport somewhere on the island. Plan A: make way to Leogane. Establish base near nursing school with locals who are coordinating aid. Find source of clean water, set up shop, begin triaging. Plan B: Meet up with Livesay family (check out the Livesay Haiti Blog) north of PAP and do what we can to help there. Subplan: Arrange for helo drop of supplies, one chlorinator and potentially providers to Trouin, halfway between Leogane and Jacmel. They have been isolated since quake and have NOTHING. Sounds like road to Leo and Jac passable by foot, but dangersous.

Problems: Almost no gas. Have some connections and resources to start working on that. Tens of thousands sleeping in the street. Festering wounds and compartment syndrome. Nowhere to bury the dead. People still trapped. No food or water. No medicines on ground. No bandages or gloves.

Reinforcements: Save the Children is bringing in huge container in one to three days for more supplies. Ours will be gone by then, so that will be nice. Generators at HSC and nursing school said to be operational when there's gas. MSF apparently had a few docs in Leogane yesterday, but no supplies. Unclear, if they intend to make that a focus. Group from MI heading to Jimani today to assist, then hoping to make way to Leogane. They have ortho and trauma surgeons. We have a group traveling part way with us that is connected to the nursing school. They have an ortho surgeon. Hoping to get a 50 bed field hospital from CA arranged this week. Several water purifying and sanitation groups working our direction. Leogane started getting news coversage yesterday, so hoping that will generate more interest in our area and others will come. UN and local police very helpful so far with security. Strong connections with both groups on part of Nathan and Cathy. Ginny's hoping to get another trip headed our way next Sunday or Monday.

That's as much as I know. It's been a lot to coordinate. I can't even begin to guess at the hundreds of folks who have put in thousands of hours on this. I wish that I had time to personally thank everyone for their support and help in putting this together. The Leogane area has come to mean so much to Ginny and I, and a lot of folks who have come with us over the yearts, that it's gutwrenching to hear about the suffering there. I'm more thankful than I can express that people and Providence have allowed me to something about it. I don't know what sort of impact we'll be able to make, but we're going to throw everything at this that we've got. I feel like we've got some good partners on the ground, some great logisticians state side, and a bunch of folks praying for us. I know tht this is going to be completely overwhelming, and I hope that my team and I are up for it. Again, to the hundreds of folks that have rearranged my schedule, covered my shifts, picked up my slack, put u0 with my moods, helped care for my kids while I'm organizing, fed us, donated to us, prayed for us, packed us, got the word out, worked to arrange transportation and supplies, fundraised, provisioned, and did a lot of scut work. Thank you from the very bottom of my heart. I hope that we can do right by you and make your efforts worthwhile.

I'll report in when I can. Ginny will probably be updating my facebook page and hers, but I'm not counting on access to email. Take care of yourselves.

Bondye beni ou, Chris

January 20, 2010 11:53 p.m. in Haiti

Good day. More aftershocks today. Saw about 80 folks in clinic. A few amputations. A lot of bad wounds and some injuries that I'd have throught were not survivable, especially eight days out. Team was awesome. Logistics folks able to find everything we needed. We're set up under tarps in a courtyard, so it's nice to be outside. Brett's thermometer read 105 in the shade and the duct tape melted. Felt lucky to be able to duck inside on occasion. Better than living under a propped up piece of tin. Saw Drs. Mathieu and Merrisier today. Both OK. Houses and clinics gone. Nobody compalins, though. Everyone sleeping on street, nobody trusts buildings. Even badly injured don't compalin, just keep going. Amazin self-pity vacuum amidst such destruction. Singing humns at night and in a.m. Cooking meals together and caring for one another. We've got a lot to learn from these guys. No riots at all, so you'll probably never see us on CNN. Folks friendlier than ever despite no food, water or solid walls. Started water and food distribution today. Tons more coming in next few days via Wwv connections, Save Our Children and Americares. Field hospital coming, too, as well as five more docs and two orthos. Really need anesthetics. Doing things on awake pts that are hard to stomach. Lots of activity and trying to coordinate.

from Ginny Ryan, Iowa CIty:

Got a nice long call from Chris last night, with intermittently good satellite reception. Sounds like they are hot, hungry and dehydrated (temperatures >100 each day), but inspired by an improving sense of integration/cooperation amongst the NGOs. Chris was finally able to walk around the town and was heartbroken by the destruction. Aftershocks continue, but everyone is outside and safe. Saw >100 patients yesterday, and are starting to do some procedures with inadequate anesthesia/pain meds. My favorite news: they are tentatively making plans to return home 1/27 or 1/28. We're working hard on travel plans for team #2 to head down to Haiti early next week.

Chris is Assistant Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine and Associate Residency Director, University of Iowa, Iowa City.

Health Care Mission -- Haiti 2009; "GOD gives, but does not share" by Dr. T.R. Shively

2009-12-09T14:41:00.000-08:00

There is a Haitian proverb that goes like this:

"Bondye konn bay, men li pa konn separe."

Literally translated, it means: "God gives, but does not share." That proverb came to me in reading Tracy Kidder's book, Mountains Beyond Mountains; the quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a man who would cure the world.

The more I thought about that proverb, it became apparent that I would need to find out for myself. Soon, as the Holy Spirit would have it, Ted Gaiser, a good friend whom I'd met through the Global Episcopal Mission Network, informed me that he was planning to be a part of a Diocese of Massachusetts health care mission going to the mountains of Haiti and they would like to include a dentist. I knew then it was a part of my calling. I contacted him, and we began to communicate and plan.

On September 28, 2009, I joined the team in Boston. We flew to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and then motored out of the capital city in a van and truck to Loegane. We stayed overnight at a guesthouse adjacent to the Hospital St. Croix.

The next morning found us heading to the mountains. We transported several miles in the truck and van to the end of the road. The infrastructure in Haiti is very devastated. At Fondwa, we began our hike on mountain trails to Lazile. This trek took nearly three hours to reach our destination, the homestead of Madame and Monsieur Dezire. There perched on a mountain ridge, we began our clinic, in "mountains beyond mountains."

The dental "office" was set up in a gazebo fashioned of branches and bushes. There, we treated patients for several days.
The people were all very polite and pleasant. The gratitude was expressed verbally, but also by the wearing of their "Sunday best" when they came to see us.

During this entire experience, I continued to think of that proverb. Even in the makeshift bed, located in the chicken coop, in which I slept. After sharing and living with these gracious people, the clarity of those words came to me.

God gives us humans everything we need to flourish, but he's not the one who is supposed to divvy up the bounty. That charge is laid upon us. Of course! Our baptismal covenant.

Tout moun se moun = We are all human beings.

Yours in mission, Dr. T.R. Shively

Are YOU being called to join, pray, support the Dominican Republic Medical Mission?

2009-09-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

An interview & invitation to join Nancy Gaunt, Pat Penny, Ken Messer & Larry and Karen Snyder on a medical mission in 2010.

For more information, read on! Or call the Snyders at 217-575-0045... or e-mail larryasnyder@gmail.com for info or to enlist!

For twenty-two years an Episcopal medical mission group that originated in the eastern U.S. has offered medical care in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The medical mission was begun by Bishop MacBurney in Haiti, but due to safety concerns this annual outreach moved several years ago to the north shore of Hispaniola, Dominican Republic. The mission began to have midwestern participation when Father Larry Snyder and his wife Karen moved to Illinois to serve St. Paul's, Warsaw. The tie with Iowa started when Larry began to serve St. John's, Keokuk.

When he started going on the mission trips in 2002, Larry says, they had a team of eight to ten people traveling to Haiti; two doctors, two to three nurses and a couple of priests. They slept in tents on beaches and one year stayed in a hotel that was later condemned. Karen noted that if a hotel is condemned in Haiti, you have to know that it was in really bad condition. Now, the mission team members stay at a nice hotel with a beautiful view of the ocean. It is not a posh resort hotel, but is a comfortable, safe facility with good services, and provides a good home base for the medical team.

For the past five years, Larry and Karen Snyder have been co-leaders of a mission trip to the Dominican Republic, which occurs annually during the last week in January and the first week in February. And during the time of their leadership, the medical mission has grown to include 52 people; two teams with six to seven doctors and nurse practioners on each team. Each morning, each team boards a bus packed with people, medical equipment and medicines to travel to a rural village or urban barrio, where they set up a health clinic. The need is intense, and the team's visit is anticipated; in one barrio this year, 600 patients were seen in one day! The clinics serve mainly Dominicans, but more each year, the teams are seeing clients in villages crowded with impoverished Haitian refugees with critical health needs.

The Snyders enthusiastically invite people to volunteer for the mission trips each year: always the last week in January and the first week in February; in 2010: January 24 - February 6. Volunteers can choose to come for the entire two weeks, or for just a few days at any time during the two-week period. The cost = $1,200.00, with everyone paying their own expenses (though sometimes churches, friends and relatives help sponsor a missioner). Although half of the 52 volunteers this year were medical professionals, including surgeons, neonatalogists, infectious disease specialists, pulmonologists, ob-gyns, physician assistants, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, nurses, operating room techs, dentists & EMTs, Karen and Larry are adamant that you don't have to be in the medical field to be a valued volunteer. Everyone on the team wears scrubs to identify them as being part of the medical mission team. Nancy Gaunt, a retired teacher from Keokuk, said that this year was her first time with the mission team. She felt very much an active part of the team as she worked to distribute over 500 pairs of reading glasses and help dispense medications at the clinics each day.

The volunteers, according to the Snyders, represent a wide range of medical and religious backgrounds, and age is not barrier. For instance, young people are welcome as volunteers. The Snyders state that adding 'kids' to the mission team makes a real difference in the young people's lives and creates a better dimension for the whole mission team. Working together, youths from both the U.S. and the Dominican Republic provide excellent services as Spanish-English interpreters for the team.

A Eucharist is offered every morning overlooking the ocean at dawn. Ken Messer describes the morning liturgy as "a beautiful, holy way to start the day... beginning in grey pre-dawn moments and seeing the sun fill the sky with pink and then luminous brilliance as the Eucharist progresses... becoming filled with the power of the Spirit and armed with a significant homiletic message." The service is optional, because the mission team includes not only "Episcopalians of every flavor," but also Roman Catholics, Baptists, Lutherans, and Presbyterians, as well as a number of Jewish people, who spiritedly call themselves, "the Jew crew."

Larry pointed out that their older son asked why his parents were putting so much effort into going overseas. His son asked, "Why not do medical clinics here in this country?" Larry explained that the doctors they work with on mission have said that it is difficult to do the same type of clinic here, because of the paper work, bureaucratic regulations, insurance requirements, etc. Pat Penny added, "The poorest of the poor in this country are rich in comparison to the people we see in the Dominican Republic." Larry said, "Even if a patient is able to receive treatment at a public hospital or somehow is able to pay up front for services in a private hospital, there is no one to care for the patient beyond the direct medical treatment. A patient must bring his or her own food and bed linens, and family members to provide nursing care."

The team has established good partnerships with the local hospital, an orphanage and the hotel where they stay. Each year, the team leaves its surplus of supplies and medicines with a local hospital. Last year, they shared the surplus with an orphanage. And every year, the team holds a clinic for the hotel staff and their employees. The first year of the clinic at the hotel, about 30 to 40 staff and family members were expected; 175 people came in as patients. And, each year, the number of patients increases at the hotel clinic. They are also working to establish a year round clinic in Montellano that employs local doctors and will encourage some of the mission team's long-time volunteers to visit through the year. Larry notes, "We have also become very close to members of St. Mary's Episcopal parish in Montellano, which makes our annual return to the Dominican Republic exceedingly joyous, and our departure very difficult. We have become a spiritual family, working together to care for the physical needs of the poorest of the poor, reaching out to them in the name of Christ."

Pat rejoiced, "The people we see year after year seem healthier. We are able to address diabetes and blood pressure problems on a more long term basis, because we do go annually and are getting to know the poeple we see each year." Pat said that she would like to see more classes addressing nutrition (diet), exercise and foot cleanliness. Pat commented, "I keep going on these missions, because I come back with so much more than I go with. I also like that we give longer term care than other medical missions, and that it doesn't matter what religion you are. God knows no boundaries. I became a nurse late in life, and sincerely feel since God called me to be a nurse, I need to share that skill in mission."

Nancy said she was surprised at how patient the people were waiting in a long line, standing in the heat for hours, waiting to get into the clnic. She was also amazed that in the midst of all the poverty and illness, the people were so clean, smelled good and everywhere had fresh laundry hanging out to dry. She said, "I didn't see even one dirty child." Karen agreed, and added, "Although the women tend to have children when they are too young, they do have happy, well-behaved children." Larry noted that this is different among the Haitian people, who are more economically stressed as illegal immigrants and have more aggressive behaviors and poorer hygiene.

Karen stated, "Those we work with year after year have become family." She told of a young woman named Irene, whom a number of team members sponsored to go to the University. After they first informed Irene what they hoped to do for her education, she disappeared. She was found crying with gratitude. "I didn't know strangers could be so kind to me," she said. Irene has since graduated from the University, and now works at the local airport. She is considered a beloved daughter by the mission team.

Larry concluded, "First, we invite people to participation in the upcoming mission trip, but of course, we could never turn away financial support. And," he smiled, "Your prayers are always welcome." He added, "We would like to increase the Iowa level of participation." Karen noted that the team is excited about the possibility of Dr. Terry Shively, St. Alban's, Spirit Lake, going next year to offer dental services at the mission clinics, and they welcome more Iowans to come along, too.

For more information or to indicate your interest in going on the 2010 medical mission to the Dominican Republic, please:

call the Snyders at 217-575-0045 or e-mail: larryasnyder@gmail.com

The Snyders "would love to bring our stories and pictures to congregations in the diocese. Just call!" Larry says, "You will be truly blessed by your participation."

Thule's Time in Iowa ~ A Beautiful Honeymoon ~ by Melody Rockwell

2009-07-03T09:38:00.000-07:00

The Rev. Charles Kunene returned from Swaziland in mid-June 2009 to the three Episcopal parishes he serves in southwest Iowa. Charles has an extra big smile on his face these days, because he didn't return alone to his Iowa home in Red Oak. Charles' wife Thule has joined him for three weeks in Iowa... to see the sights, renew acquaintances with companions she'd previously met in Swaziland, and make new friends throughout our state.

Thule, who works as a supervisor in the maternity ward at the hospital in Mbabane, Swaziland, describes her sojourn in Iowa, as "a beautiful honeymoon." Thule says, "The people here in Iowa are very welcoming and kind." She has found Iowa to be "a nice place... very clean." But, she's also been surprised by a few things.

"The prices in the shops," Thule exclaims, "are so much cheaper here." She did note that the one thing she couldn't find in the Iowa stores was bar soap to do laundry. Charles explained that in Swaziland, they do all their laundry by hand and traditionally use bar soap for that process.

Thule said, "Another surprise for me is that your roads are so well-marked! You have no excuse for getting lost here in Iowa, though it takes some getting used to driving on the right side of the road. Oh, and the toilets that automatically flush! And the organs that are programmed to play automatically! Those were nice surprises."

"And, there are many houses here made with planks of wood, which is so different from Swaziland, where we mainly use concrete blocks," Thule said. "It was surprising to me that double-story houses made of planks would be strong enough to stay standing." Thule commented that she was also surprised by the high humidity in Iowa. "We have hot days in Swaziland, but it is dry heat, not so humid as here."

Thule expressed genuine enjoyment visiting many different parishes and communities in Iowa, meeting the friendly people and being an honored guest at many welcoming parties. Thule said that an extra special treat were first rides ever on boats: on Spirit Lake and on the Mississippi River near Burlington. "It was so beautiful," she sighed happily. "It has been a good honeymoon for Charles and me."

Welcome Thule... Iowa has been blessed with your presence!

The Church in Latin America; Wartburg students first-hand experience in the Dominican Republic

2009-06-19T09:34:00.000-07:00

From May 1 to May 15, 2009, eight Wartburg College (Waverly, Iowa) students accompanied their professor Judith Jones to the Dominican Republic, as part of their May term class, "The Church in Latin America."

Photo: Rosa, the woman in yellow, asked for this picture of, as she put it: "black & white together." The Wartburg team was in Batey Regajo, a sugar cane workers' community, where they had just finished distributing donated clothing & medicine. Rosa, the owner of the store behind the group, helped with the distribution by organizing the crowds and by translating from Spanish to Creole and vice versa so that the team could communicate with the Haitian immigrants in the community who had not yet learned Spanish.

Judith reports: We studied the history of the Church in Latin America (the good, the bad and the ugly), the structural causes of poverty in the Dominican Republic, and different Christian understandings of the relationship among mission, charity and justice.

During our two weeks in the Dominican Republic, we actively engaged in three service projects: 1) donating three chlorinators and teaching the receiving organizations how to use them; 2) distributing clothing and medicine in remote sugar cane company towns, and 3) working with students at a residential technical school for disadvantaged youth to prepare the ground and plant a vegetable garden and a variety of fruit trees. The seeds we used were open-pollinated so that the school students and staff can harvest seeds and plant more in coming years.

Photo: Dr. Judith Jones & Wartburg student Jessica Knutson teaching Santiago, the maintenance supervisor at the Episcopal Church's Bishop Kellogg Center in San Pedro de Macoris, how to use a chlorinator. Santiago will be responsible for producing chlorine solution to purify water at the Episcopal clinics and schools in and around San Pedro.

Photo: Dominican students & Wartburg students working together to plant a vegetable garden in San Pedro de Macoris. The soil was so rocky that we had to sift it before we could plant small seeds, such as parsley, green pepper & tomato.

All of the students said that their time in the Dominican Republic was a life-changing experience. Two of the students are planning to become doctors, and another plans to be a dentist. All three of the pre-med students stated their intentions to volunteer their services in the Dominican Republic and other impoverished countries -- once they are trained.

Michael, a student who blogged about the class, wrote the following: We read the following quote from Archbishop Desmond Tutu in one of the class texts: "If you are neutral in a situation of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has his foot on the tail of the mouse, and you say you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality." After spending some time thinking about what this quote means and how it is applicable to my life, I cannot help but ask questions. How can I live a life with an abundance of 'things,' when there are people who barely have enought to survive? What can I do to make a difference. How can my faith play a role in fighting for justice and peace?

Melody's global missioner's note: What a shining demonstration of our "next generations of faith" in mission!

WHERE THERE IS NO DENTIST ~ Mission in Uganda by Dr. T.R. Shively

2009-03-26T15:55:00.000-07:00

Ugandan huts = mission headquarters/home...

It started with an e-mail from Karen Gleason. We'd met at a Global Episcopal Mission Network conference two years earlier...

KIDA (Kitojo Inter-Developmental Association) Clinic in Uganda

...and about one year ago, her informational e-mail arrived with an inquiry to me.

Dr. T.R. Shively with one of his first Ugandan patients and an interpreter...
First, the Friends of Ruwenzori Mission 2009 was interested in finding a dentist to travel with them to Uganda in February 2009. We electronically discussed this need, the options and right person for this assignment. Karen knew that I'd had experience with this type of health care mission, but since I'd already committed for a mission to Africa (Swaziland) in the fall of 2008, I had no real thoughts of returning to that continent three months later. However, after a few e-mails and a lot of prayers, that person did turn out to be me. Thus, began an intensified study of conditions, language and needs before I left for Swaziland in October 2008 and after I returned.

On January 31, 2009, we [Friends of Ruwenzori Mission 2009] traveled to Uganda. My orientation had been brief by necessity, as I was over 1,000 miles from the rest of the medical team, many of whom resided in California. During the month that I was in Uganda, I had the pleasure of treating patients with a very capable health care team: Delia O'Hara and Ewa Zaborowski. Delia capably handled the pre-op screening, including vitals and health histories, and post-op care and instructions. Ewa served a triple role as a physical therapy expert, dental assistant and sterilization coordinator. Both were superb teammates.

The adapted dental office at KIDA Clinic...

The dental team divided its time between the Manna Rescue Orphanage in Fort Portal, and the KIDA Clinic at Kitojo. While at Manna, we examined, diagnosed and treated over 35 patients, including all the children currently living there. Our time at KIDA found me starting the days early and seeing patients clear through into the evening. The norm was 30 to 40 patients per day.

Even with the challenge of no potable water, no compressed air, only periodic electricity and no dental chair, we were able to care for well over 200 patients. The vast majority of the patients are HIV/AIDS positive, as were the children in the orphanage. Most of these patients had never seen a dentist.

Presentation of curing light to Fr. Ezra Musobosi, KIDA Clinic Director

It was a blessing to mentor a young man who had dental technician training. We worked together well at KIDA. This answered my prayers to "teach them how to fish," so that they might realize dental care after I left. In that spirit, I donated several instruments to this man so that he could continue patient care. Also in that same mode, I donated my UV curing light for the dental wing of the future hospital at KIDA.

It was an honor and a privilege to serve the Lord's calling with all my teammates. Certainly, the LORD was with us and guided us in our activities.

Inspiration in Uganda~ St. Stephen's at Kissisi

Dominican Republic Experience by Ken Messer

2009-03-13T16:36:00.000-07:00

In late January through the first week in February, Ken Messer joined an Episcopal medical team led by Father Larry Snyder in the Dominican Republic.

Ken says: Just a short note to say that the mission experience humbles one and it does not make one feel lucky as much as it makes one feel blessed. One forgets about all the privileges that we take for granted. At some point in one's life, a transition should be made to thank God for all the problems they are experiencing and to thank God for all the problems that they are not experiencing.

Although the numbers of care providers could always be larger, it was gratifying to see all the people from different corners of the United States that were offering their services for the benefit of others. God works in mysterious ways.

The work conditions were limited; generally to electricity, no running water, tables and chairs pushed around to channel the flow of people. The afternnons were busier than the mornings. At lunchtime, some of the workers would walk through the villages, and the grapevine had an impact for the afternoons. There is so much need for everything. Basic survival rather than luxury living.

It felt like a time warp for me when I was in the Dominican Republic. I did not read a newspaper, or read a book, or watch television. I mostly absorbed the sights and sounds and smells in a limited way, a small part of the culture. I am amazed how many beautiful people God has created.

Dr. T.R. Shively Safely Home from Uganda by Stevie Shively

2009-03-01T15:17:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends ~
Terry is home from a month long health care mission to southwest Uganda. Four members of the seven person team were from Episcopal churches in the San Francisco area. They treated 40+ children who live in an orphanage in Ft. Portal & 200+ people at a KIDA clinic in rural Karabole district. All are HIV/AIDS positive. What an opportunity! He has many experiences to share!

Thank you for all your prayers! Stevie Shively :-)

Tuesday, February 17 in Galveston by Fr. Pat Genereux

2009-03-01T15:05:00.000-08:00

The crew went back to the house we left yesterday and I have stayed at WTEC to get caught up with ODRR 'paperwork' and reply to and send emails. After lunch, we took a trip to Bolivar Peninsula. This is the area that got what is called the 'dirty' side of the hurricane; that is torrential rains, storm surge, high winds and tornados... most of the homes were severely damaged or destroyed. The community at the west end was completely destroyed as was the community at Gilchrist about 30 miles up the peninsula where only one house was left standing. The area reminded us of Parkersburg, Iowa.

Pictures tell the story better than words. The search for bodies was called off just this past week, but they expect to find more 'missing persons' as brush and debris are slowly cleared away. This is another moment when words fail and all I can do is look. We don't stay long, because it feels like we are entering a sacred space to which we have not yet been invited. The Gilchrist Volunteer Fire Department has asked the Episcopal Diocese to help them rebuild their firehouse so that an essential service can be reestablished. I wish we could stay to do that. We return to Galveston via the State Highway Department's free ferry service.

Galveston Hearts & Hands -- Jesus of the Trash Icon by Fr. Pat Genereux

2009-03-01T14:41:00.000-08:00

Monday, February 16 ~ ...cooler, though sunny this morning... our first job is to clear out a 'garden shed.' For we midwesterners, a garden shed is a 3x6 building (plastic or wood) from Lowe's. This was more the size of a small house and filled mostly with ceramic pieces & molds. Someone had done a lot of work making plywood Christmas decorations for the lawn, all of which had to go to the dump... along with 'Spiderman' and other superhero comics from Marvel Comics, a collection of 78 LPs (from the 40s and 50s) and original children's Golden Books (invaluable in many ways... memories as well as cash) and a ton (figuratively speaking) of Milton Bradley games from the 50s and 60s... so many things, all in the dump...

And at the very top, this picture... an icon of hope and renewal... 'Jesus of the Trash' is iconic in the sense of the hope that is seen in the recovery work being done in the area. Bishop Alan reverently placed this portrait on the pile after the homeowner said she didn't want it...

Apart from trashing all these memories, the crew had to deal with a nest of cockroaches the size of mice... or so it seemed, and at least one poor rat that was more confused and frightened of us than we of it...

After lunch, we headed for a new job, doing some of the finishing work on a house that the Mennonites had started. This task has a different feel. No more throwing out or taking apart of people's lives, but now we were helping in the final stages of putting life back together. For some of the crew, it was a new experience. Wielding a drill and sheet rock screws, laying the underlayment in the kitchen... a sight to behold with many new skills learned!

Galveston Mission on Sunday, February 15 by Pat Genereux

2009-02-24T11:08:00.000-08:00

Sunday, February 15, 2009 ~
...attended the liturgy at Grace Church. Grace had some flooding. When I asked one or two parishioners about the size of their congregation, they were no longer sure of what size they were or are not fully aware of the exact number of parishioners. Apparently, a number of folks have not come back yet, and others haven't been to church much since Hurricane Ike.

Paul Wehner, the rector, has a very positive, can-do attitude even though for the time being he is working out of his secretary's living room. Needless to say, he is looking forward to getting back into their newly remodeled parish hall and getting the nave floor refinished. There is a lot yet for them to do, but having survived yet another hurricane (including the 1900 killer storm), they know what to do to get on with their life as a parish, and their mission and ministry...

Tales from Galveston continued... by Fr. Pat Genereux

2009-02-24T10:16:00.000-08:00

Saturday, February 14th ~~

About midway through Saturday morning, a growing concern we all were having becomes what we believe to be reality, and that is, for all of everyone's efforts, this home may not be salvageable... We find several areas of wood rot, insect infestation and serious water damage; the bathroom floor and wall is literally ready to cave in. It is dangerous and I ask the Iowans not to work in the bathroom area. Dave and Tom aren't sure what to do. I call Maggie to see what sort of inspection was done. She tells me that it was just the initial inspection, and that a deeper, more thorough inspection is needed to determine the next steps. Our work is almost done. We decide, however, to finish what we started... we don't want to leave bits and pieces of wallboard hanging off the walls and ceilings, as it seems in a strange way to be disrespectful.

The owner wants us to remove the bathtub. It is cast iron & he has a salvage guy who will pay him for all the scrap metal. So, we do go back into the bathroom and it takes six of us to get the bathtub out through the back door, the shortest route through the house. We do this wondering if at some point we and the bathtub will fall through the rotting floors, but we make it!

Since we don't feel we can continue to work on the house until we get some official word by the city or other official, we call it a day and head back to the WTEC... but first, we clean up as much gutting debris in the house as we can and we clean up the front yard. If the house has to be taken down, then our work is most likely done, but we still want to leave things as 'tidy' as possible. This is more a metaphor than what is reality. We are disappointed, because we had hoped that we could have finished the gutting and perhaps even have had a small hand in the first steps in rehabbing. Dave & Tom, the site guys, think the house is salvageable, but we and they shall now have to wait and see..

We will move on to a new project on Monday, but the owners will continue to live with waiting and seeing what an inspector says, waiting and seeing about Armando's cancer and its treatment, waiting and seeing what will happen next in their lives... waiting and seeing just like their many other Galveston friends, neighbors and fellow citizens, just like the thousands of folks in Louisiana and Mississippi, in Kentucky and back home in Iowa.

On Saturday evening, we go to Seawall Drive. We eat, have a beer or two and watch the first of the Galveston Mardi Gras parades. This isn't New Orleans or Mobile, but the Galvestonians are bent on having a celebration. It isn't wild and the folks who catch beads give them to children and even to some of us shorter adults. Obviously, we are visitors and the locals smile, joke and talk with us. And then, for a few minutes, hurricanes, floods and lives changed forever are forgotten and drowned out by the raucous noisy high school bands, shouts for beads and recorded jazz music blaring from the colorful floats of the parade. There is a determination to party on!

There is a homeless guy living outside the back door, who adds yet another layer, another dimension to our experience here. We'd like to feed him, but when another group did it, it apparently caused some issues... as in his trying to move in. He seems to have enough money to eat at Micky D's (about four blocks from here) as well as chain smoke... and then there are the cats. Sue likes feeding them...

Hearts & Hands Travel Log & Reflections by Fr. Pat Genereux

2009-02-19T13:20:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, February 11th... We (my wife Sue & I) left Burlington at about 8:30 a.m. with Chuck Lane and Robert Adams, who came the night before. We loaded cars in the middle of a cold winter rain storm... what a great start! By the time we got to Osceola where we met Bill Trotter, the rain had stopped. We drove through the rest of Iowa, then on through Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma... & spent the night in Oklahoma City.

Thursday, February 12th... We left Oklahoma City about 8:30 a.m. and drove the rest of the way to Galveston. Somewhere in the middle of Texas, thing in the countryside started greening up. Spring is on its way... at least in this part of Texas. We arrived at the William Temple Episcopla Center (WTEC) at about 4:30 p.m. and after quickly unloading the car, I turned around and headed back to Houston to pick Alan up at the airport. Later that evening, we ate out at kin od a fast food seafood place called "The Spot" -- right on the Gulf, but as it was dark, we jut heard the waves. It was very mild and we loved being warm again. The rest of the party -- the three "Lukies" from Cedar Falls -- Dave Buck, Dick Wieck & Ken Cutts will arrive tomorrow night.

Friday & Saturday, February 13th & 14th... On Friday morning, we met with our site coordinators, Sam (a Texan), and Dave & Tom (two guys from Wisconsin), who shared some of the Hurricane Ike story with us and then took us to our work site. Our first task wa gutting the home of an older couple, who are not only dealing with being displaced by the hurricane, but are also dealing with the husband's cancer treatments and care... As we know from our experiences in Iowa, it is probably the rare family or individual who deals with just the effects of a particular disaster. Most are dealing with a multi-layered set of life issues.

It is warm & humid (for we Iowans). Bill is soaking wet and the rest of us are getting there. It is (as the team already knows from other work they have done, because thankfully most everyone has done this before, either at home, New Orleans, Mississippi or Central America) filthy, dirty work, but yet it is sacred work, a type of liturgy, as we enter into one of the most intimate parts of someone's life. So, we work with care even as we hack away at the remnants of their life. I am uneasy working too vigorously... for no matter how often one guts or clears out a disaster victim's home, you are adding new wounds to already wounded lives. It is like some necessary, but unwelcome surgical procedure. We know this pain is needed for future healing, but that doesn't make it easier.

When the 'owners' come around, you can see the pain & anxiety in their faces and in their eyes. Everyone defers to them when they are in the room you are working in. It is like being at a funeral and the family has arrived and conversation becomes muted as they approach the casket. So, we tone down our conversation. Sometimes, we work in silence... the only sound the clang of hammer on crow bar, the dull scraping of metal on wood as mod-infested sheet rock is removed and piles of debris begin to grow on the floor. Robert appears almost out of nowhere with a shovel and a wheel barrow and silently begins shoveling what is left of someone's bedroom into the wheel barrow. Then, he wheels it outside to be added to the small mountain of what is left of the houe, the owner's home. Sue talks with the wife and finds out that it was here they raised their children and some of that is what is in the pile out by the street. The wife is able to recover one of her cherished Christmas tree ornaments, part of a set she had been collecting over the years and she tells Sue, this is the only on left. I help the owner and a friend, who doesn't seem to know very much English, take down the ceiling fans... every piece of life that can be salvaged is...

More postings with news from Galveston coming soon...

Iowa Team in Galveston... returning home tomorrow!

2009-02-18T09:17:00.000-08:00

Here's a team photo of the hardworking crew in Galveston, Texas.

Three hearty cheers to Diocese of Iowa Hurricane Ike recovery volunteers:

back row from left: Dick Wieck, Dave Buck, Bill Trotter

& front row from left: Robert Adams, Ken Cutts, Chuck Lane,

Sue Genereux, Alan Scarfe, Pat Genereux.

Traveling mercies to all and our thanks to you for being mission in the world.

Hearts & Hands Project: Hurricane Ike Relief & Recovery Ministry -- A Diocese of Iowa Mission

2009-02-16T06:28:00.000-08:00

Bishop Scarfe & Pat Genereux are in Galveston, Texas, leading a team of intrepid Iowans doing the good, hard work of storm recovery.

The photo above shows four of the crew on a welcome break: Bishop Scarfe, Bill Trotter (St. Martin's, Perry), Chuck Lane (Trinity, Waterloo) & Robert Adams (Christ Church, Cedar Rapids).

Pat Genereux reported on Valentine's Day: "...at William Temple Center after gutting a house on Saturday -- all are tired, but feel they've done good work." Earlier, Pat noted being physically, mentally & spiritually exhausted... but, gave thanks for all who had come from Iowa to work on the Hearts & Hands Project.

Your prayers are appreciated!

Note from Pat today: more quips & photos to follow. Stay tuned for more Iowa mission news.

Global Episcopal Mission Honors Iowans

2008-09-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

Global Episcopal Mission Certification Awards --
Congratulations to Stevie & Dr. Terry Shively, who were awarded Global Episcopal Mission Network (GEMN) certificates on June 6, 2008, at the World Mission Conference, "Everyone, Everywhere," in Baltimore, MD.

Stevie & Terry Shively

with St. Augustine's

volunteer teacher Purity Motsa.

The Shivelys, active members of St. Alban's, Spirit Lake, Iowa, demonstrated their proficiency in global mission through their fieldwork in collecting mission information from parishes in Iowa, participating together in mission trips to El Salvador, Pine Ridge & Swaziland, and gaining information and understanding through readings and GEMN Institute workshops in 2007 and 2008.

The Shivelys designation by GEMN as Diocesan Mission Agents also acknowledges their active involvement in creating a model program of support for Iowa's Companion Diocese of Swaziland at St. Alban's and serving as co-coordinators of SwaziCompanions for the Diocese of Iowa.

Dr. Shively Elected to National GEMN Board of Directors

Further congratulations to Dr. Terry Shively, who serves on the One World One Church Commission of the Diocese of Iowa for his election at the GEMN annual meeting on June 6, 2008, to serve a three-year term on the Board of Directors of the Global Episcopal Mission Network. In addition to the mission work cited above, Terry has vigorously organized and administered oral health programs in Swaziland, Pine Ridge and the Dominican Republic. He is currently planning his return to Swaziland with the mission team in October 2008.

Kay Ungurean Tells About Her Experiences in El Salvador

2006-02-21T18:38:00.000-08:00

PHOTO: Kay Ungurean working in the greenhouse, El Maizal, August 2005

In 2004, I was one of five people from Iowa who went to El Salvador with Episcopal Relief and Development. In a village that was being built by and for 40 families, I helped clear the land for one of those houses. I cut tree limbs and weeds with a machete, hauled bricks, and dug rocks out of the ground.

In 2005, my husband and I were part of a group of seven who went to El Salvador and worked at another site that would become a self-sufficient village with its own fruit and vegetable crops and livestock. We fertilized fruit trees, planted vegetable seeds, and partially cleared one house site.

PHOTO: Karl Ungurean crossing a creek in the orchard, El Maizal, August 2005

We always felt 100% safe. We were served three delicious meals daily and slept in air-conditioned rooms. We definitely were very well cared for and never felt that we were "roughing it."

The cost for each person was $1,000, 7 days, and perspiration. We've been taught that "in giving you shall receive." That lesson really hits home on a mission trip. We received far, far more than we gave. There is now a family living in the house built where I cut branches and hauled rocks in 2004. The village is complete with 40 families in homes that have small Episcopal Church signs by the front doors. A doctor and social worker spend one day each week serving the village families. The school and church are being used.

PHOTO: Kay and Karl talking with two of our hosts, Mercedes and Blanca, San Salvador, August 2005

We received word a couple of months ago that two houses have been built at our 2005 work site. No doubt, there are more today.

The greatest gift I've received in working side by side with El Salvadorans for 14 days is the relationship with them. In spite of having lived through civil wars, earthquakes, and poverty that is foreign to all of us, the people have given me love, care, laughter, tears, and generosity of spirit that are inspiring. My life is richer for having been privileged to be with them. Hopefully, my husband and I will return this year on another mission trip and be allowed the privilege of working with our friends again.

Going on a 7-day mission trip is truly a lifetime gift you receive. Thanks be to God.

—Kay Ungurean, Trinity Cathedral, Davenport, Iowa

To learn more about ERD's work in El Salvador and how you can get involved, go to http://www.er-d.org/programs_39576_ENG_HTM.htm or contact Ron and Toni Noah, Iowa's ERD Representatives, at harimau@thenoahs.net.

A Different Sort of Annual Report: Resource Packets

2006-02-03T10:14:00.000-08:00

Deacon Pat Johnson of St. Thomas, Sioux City, decided to deliver a different kind of report at her parish's annual meeting this year. Instead of the usual here's-what-I've-been-up-to message, Pat handed out resource packets that would help her parishioners find ways to get more involved in the wider world in 2006.

Photo: The Rev. Pat Johnson meeting the Swazi student she supports through World Vision, November 2005

"This whole notion of deacons as advocates has been at me for some time," Pat says. "This is one word I have always used to describe my vocation. And, at [the October] deacons gathering in Cedar Falls, we talked about deacons as advocates... about ways we could bring these issues to our congregations."

The packets included information from Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD), including brochures on the El Salvador mission trips and "What Can One Person Do?" to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

From Episcopal Public Policy Network (EPPN), Pat shared the booklet "Policy for Action," which lists the social policies of the Episcopal Church and tells how to get involved in EPPN's Advocacy Network. From the Office of Anglican and Global Relations (AGR), Pat shared information on long-term mission opportunities.

From Iowa's Diocesan Global Ministries Office, Pat received brochures on Hurricane Katrina Response, the Swaziland School Fees Fund, the upcoming mission trip to Swaziland, diocesan International Development Grants, and the diocesan Global Mission Network. (For copies of these brochures, write to Karen Nichols at karenenichols@gmail.com.)

Most of the resources Pat shared—and many more—are available for free or for only a small shipping charge (usually $5) from The Episcopal Book/Resource Center. Resources on almost any service opportunity imaginable also can be downloaded for free from web. Here are some sites to try:

ERD Resource Center
EPPN Resources
United Thank Offering (UTO) Materials

The theme of Pat's talk was "What Can One Person Do?" "I talked about the privilege of being in a national church and in a diocese who is committed to the MDG's and justice to those around the world," she explains. Pat's inspiring message follows:

What Can One Person Do?

A member of the congregation recently asked me, “How can I make a difference? How do I decide who to donate my money and my time to? There are so many who need help!” It was a valid question, given the enormity of the loss and destruction caused abroad by the tsunamis, as well as here at home by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Even here in Sioux City, the demand for food and shelter assistance increases, as other services are reduced or cut.

What can one person do? It can seem overwhelming. It would be easy to decide that one person couldn’t possibly make a difference in the face of such great need. But our faith tells us otherwise. We are called to be like David against Goliath.

What can one person do? I watch you—the people of St. Thomas’—accomplish so much. We are just one church, yet we feed so many through the food pantry. We are just one church, yet we offer hospitality and hope at Thanksgiving to our neighbors who need a helping hand. We are just one church, yet we send delegations to Swaziland to remind them they are not alone in their struggles. All of you who daily step out in faith believing your contributions are making a difference.

What can one person do? This is the name of a new web link on the Episcopal Relief and Development site. At the last two consecutive General Conventions, beginning in 2000, all dioceses and congregations were challenged to contribute 0.7% of their annual budgets to fund international development programs, as part of the Millennium Development Goals—goals to eradicate extreme hunger and poverty world wide. The Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Iowa dared to believe they could make a difference, and committed to this challenge. Many individuals have done the same.

In the video narration of the Diocesan 2006 budget proposal, Bishop Alan Scarfe states, “we are an Episcopate-centered expression of how Christ makes disciples, focused on the call to share His love for neighbor and enemy alike, with a special eye and heart on those who may never pay us back but who always remind us of the greatness of the creation of God in which we so undeservedly find ourselves.” (1)

What can one person do? Simply believe that God has given you the ability to make a difference in this world.

Dn. Pat
January, 2006
1. Iowa Connections, December, 2005, p. A

Good Friday Offering Materials Now Available

2006-02-03T09:43:00.000-08:00

Since 1922, Episcopalians in the United States have supported the ministries of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East through the Good Friday Offering. The ministry of the church in that region includes running schools, hospitals, orphanages, and community centers that serve people of all religious and ethnic backgrounds. The political situation has left the church in desperate need for funds to continue their work.

Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold’s annual Epiphany letter included a call to support the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East by prayer and donations to The Good Friday Offering. A bulletin shell and poster are available online at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/1649_1669_ENG_HTM.htm?menu=menu1668 or through Episcopal Books and Resource Center by calling 800-903-5544.

Justice, Peace, and Creation Commmission Seeks New Members

2006-02-03T08:28:00.000-08:00

The Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Commission (formerly the Jubilee Commission) invites anyone who has a call to such ministries to join this Commission. There will be only three meetings this year. Contact Anne Williams at annewill@n-connect.net for further information.

Meet Swazi Team Member Beth Robbins

2006-02-03T07:10:00.000-08:00

Elisabeth "Beth" Robbins writes:

I was born and raised in Nebraska, raised two sons and attended graduate school in Minnesota, have been five years in Iowa and two at Christ Church in Cedar Rapids. Occupation: family therapist, supervisor of St. Luke's Hospital Family Counseling Center. I believe that as God's hands and feet on earth, we human beings have a twofold purpose: First to serve and be served as we work together building humanity in Christ's image; second, to live in this world deeply, experiencing creation in all its fecundity. Why go all the way to Swaziland to do this? It's a mystery to me—my intuition says to go and the purpose will become more clear later. I hope we will make some progress on constructing the school, but the larger benefit is probably in the personal, ongoing relationships we form among team members and with people in Mpaka and the Diocese of Swaziland.

Welcome, Beth!

Photo: To come

Meet Swazi Team Member Andy Pettifor

2006-02-03T06:50:00.000-08:00

Andy Pettifor attends Christ Church, Cedar Rapids, and is currently employed by Rockwell Collins as part of their Advanced Technology Center responsible for R&D planning. Born in Scotland, Andy grew up in South Africa and received an engineering degree from the University of the Witwatersrand ("Wits") in Johannesburg. He came to the US in 1966 for graduate study and has since worked for the National Science Foundation, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Rockwell (both in California and Cedar Rapids). He and his wife Diane, who was born in Jo'burg, were married in 1966 in Evanston, Illinois, and have two children.

Andy says, "I see this mission as one of several opportunities that will help me discern the themes for the next stage of my life. Also, there is still a bit of Africa in my blood, and it will be exciting to be able to return and contribute in a small way to a great need. This mission is a concrete (no pun intended) way to build relationships at a personal level among two communities, each of which has unique and distinct gifts and resources to share with the other. This does not easily happen at the NGO or international aid program level, and I hope that this will not just be a one time project but will lead to a lasting relationship between our two communities that will strengthen both of them."

Thank you, Andy, for all you have done as part of the Christ Church SwaziCompanions to make this trip possible, and blessings to you on your journey.

Photo: To come

Mitch Smith's Experiences at Camp Coast Care, Ocean Springs, Mississippi

2006-01-19T09:02:00.000-08:00

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Recently I had the opportunity to travel to Long Beach, Mississippi with a good friend Dr. Patrick Bolt. Once there I was able to volunteer with Episcopal Relief and Development. It was an awesome experience filled with a wide range of emotions. I am pleased to be able to write this letter knowing that ERD is confidently moving towards a long term plan of action which will benefit the people of the Gulf Coast. I worked specifically with Coast Episcopal School and Rev. David Knight a graduate of Seabury Western and personal friend. My responsibilities included the organization of mobile aid units which traveled into the communities helping the elderly waterproof their damaged homes. I also helped with salvaging personal items from homes that were beyond repair. My secondary responsibilities included helping unload supply trucks and organize goods so that they could be effectively and equally distributed. Dr. Bolt worked with me on these things and helped in the sights fully functional clinic. Coast Episcopal School was serving 3,000 people a day by giving out free water, food, pampers, clothes, personal items, cleaning supplies and many other things. Furthermore its clinic based out of a school gym is serving 300 patients a day and is equipped with a full pharmacy and mental health center. I am pleased to be able to write this knowing full well that the volunteers at Coast Episcopal School and with ERD are doing a lot of good. Their faithful work is a living testament and incarnation of Christ's love. I looked at my time there as a link in a wider network of volunteers and would encourage anyone to look into opportunities where they could help in these relief efforts.

Peace,

Mitchell Smith
Candidate for Holy Orders
Episcopal Diocese of Iowa

For more information about Camp Coast Care at Coast Episcopal School, go to their website at http://www.dioms.org/coastcare.htm .

Quote of the Day

2006-01-18T16:01:00.000-08:00

Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours; yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion looks out on the world, yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.
—Teresa of Avila

Proposals Now Being Accepted for 2006 International Development Grants

2006-01-15T20:23:00.000-08:00

The Diocese of Iowa has established International Development Grants to fund economic development projects, setting aside at least 0.7% of the estimated net disposable diocesan income for this purpose. Grant proposals are now being accepted.

PHOTO: Lucy Mabuza presenting a check from the Diocese of Iowa to the Diocese of Swaziland's Mother's Union for their work with HIV/AIDS orphans. Swaziland has approx. 60,000 orphans, a number that is expected to double by 2010.

Criteria for Granting Funds

Each proposal should outline the nature of the project and the partnering individual/organization in the developing country.
Proposals should provide some history of the partner’s involvement in the development of activities.
Proposals may come from—
- a diocesan board or commission
- a local Vestry/Bishop’s Committee
Proposals for must be received by June 1, 2006
Local proposals should include some local additional funding.
Priority will be given to projects with a tie with the proposer.
Proposals must demonstrate consistency with the following ethical guidelines:
- Partnership – The economic relationship promotes mutuality of benefits
- Respect – Local peoples and realities are valued
- Empowerment – The economic relationship values mutuality of process
- Oneness with Creation – Sensitivity to, and responsibility for, the environment
- Distributive Justice – Economic impact of the relationship contributes to the well-being of a significant number of people; does not promote inequities
- People-Centered Development – Beneficiaries set priorities and conditions. Maximum use is made of local resources; applied technologies are appropriate for the setting

For more information and an application form (PDF), click here.

This Is the Work of the Church

2006-01-15T20:04:00.000-08:00

"Crossing borders. Crossing time zones. Reaching out. Giving invitations. Accepting invitations. Taking risks. Talking. Listening. Opening our eyes, our ears, our hearts. Breaking down barriers, climbing over walls (real or imagined), recognizing strangers as friends.

"This is the work of the Church. Love. We need each other. The world needs us. There is work to be done—and joy to be had."

—Margaret Larom, Director of Anglican and Global Relations, from Episcopal Life, January 2006

Deacon Mike Stewart's Experiences with Episcopal Appalachian Ministries (EAM)

2006-01-15T16:46:00.000-08:00

Coming Home!
by the Rev. Michael O. Stewart, Ph.D.

It was eight years ago that I last attended an Episcopal Appalachian Ministries (EAM) work camp at Mont Eagle, TN. Much has changed in my life since then—retirement, new diocese, clergy couple, 9/11, etc. But what did not change was my love and fascination for Appalachia and its people. I felt drawn; my diaconal vows were calling me “home.”

I spent the first week of August in St. Paul, VA, housed and fed at Grace House, which was full of grace. I initially flew to Knoxville, TN, to see my two children and four grandchildren. Driving the three hours to Grace House, the second thing I noticed after entering southern Virginia and its winding two-lane roads was the visibly “nice and presentable” houses. Near Sewanee where I had worked before, the houses fit my stereotype of very “run down” Appalachian homes—so much for my stereotypes and my education about Appalachia. In the county where we worked, sixty families had no running water and some had no indoor plumbing and no electricity in this 21st century.

But the people are the same loving persons—children of God. It was a wonderful “fringe benefit” to work at three different sites. At the first site of an 82 year old widower, we built a roof over his deck and installed a screen door to his porch. At the second site of a 50ish widow, we taped and mudded the wall board of a recent addition to the house, painted a large front porch and steps (I never want to see “battleship grey enamel paint again), replaced siding, and cut and installed ceiling molding. I had never used a miter saw before, only a miter box. Lastly, several of us helped at Grace House by cleaning and repairing gutters, mowing the huge yard, and installing a veneer floor in a room at their new resident director’s house.

The real beauty of EAM is getting to know your “clients.” What a gift! I remember at my first camp the confusion some teenagers had with the young Appalachian men watching the others work even though they were physically able to help. Life in Appalachia is more than monetary poverty. It is a way of life and a culture where building codes and inspects do not exist. At another work sight the very reserved husband hugged some of the workers after they had completed their work.

If you would like an adventure or a wonderful learning experience with teenagers and adults, I commend your parish or diocese to consider a week at EAM. The cost is $165 per person and you have to get there. The camps for 2006 are the last week of July and the first week of August. You do not need to be specially gifted in house remodeling.

Mike Stewart serves as a deacon at St John’s Episcopal Church in Mason City, IA. He can be reached at dcnmike@mchsi.com.

Iowans Welcome New Brechin Bishop, Reaffirm Companionship with Brechin and Swaziland

2006-01-15T15:33:00.001-08:00

The following resolution was passed at diocesan convention in November.

Whereas The Diocese of Brechin in the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Iowa have enjoyed a long companionship, and

Whereas, the Diocese of Brechin did, on October 8, 2005, consecrate a new Bishop in the person of the Rt. Rev. John Mantle, and

Whereas, our Bishop Alan Scarfe and our Companion Bishop Meshack Mabuza did participate in this consecration, and

Whereas, the Diocese of Brechin has reaffirmed its intention to continue its Companionship with the Dioceses of Iowa and Swaziland,

Therefore be it resolved that this 153rd Convention of the Diocese of Iowa does officially welcome Bishop Mantle as the leader of our Companion Diocese, and

Be it further resolved that the Diocese of Iowa reaffirms its commitment to continued companionship with the Dioceses of Brechin and Swaziland.

Submitted by OWOC.

PHOTOS: From the consecration of the Rt. Rev. John Mantle, Bishop of Brechin, Scotland, October 8, 2005

Iowans Give Thanks for Healing Mission

2006-01-15T15:04:00.000-08:00

In July, Episcopalians welcomed the Bishop of Swaziland, Meshack Mabuza, and his wife Lucy Mabuza to Iowa, where they joined with Bishop Alan Scarfe and Donna Scarfe in leading a healing mission in our diocese. The mission consisted of a series of traditional Anglican healing services with an African flavor. The following resolution was passed at diocesan convention in November giving thanks for the event.

Whereas Bishop Meshack and Lucy Mabuza did visit Iowa in July to join with Bishop Alan and Donna Scarfe to bring a ministry of healing to the Diocese of Iowa, and

Whereas St Alban’s, Spirit Lake; St Thomas’s, Sioux City; Christ, Cedar Rapids; State Prison, Anamosa; Christ, Burlington; St John’s, Dubuque; St John’s, Mason City; and St Andrew’s, Des Moines, did host these healing services, and

Whereas Karen Nichols and Nancy Morton together with others from the diocesan staff, the One World One Church Commission, and the Companions of Swaziland worked countless hours to prepare for and publicize the Mission, and

Whereas many people presented themselves for prayers, and many waited hours for those prayers, and

Whereas this time together in prayer demonstrated to us our need for God’s healing in our lives, and

Whereas God has responded with healing and growth,

Therefore be it resolved that this 153rd Convention of the Diocese of Iowa gives thanks for God’s healing presence among us, and for God’s agents of healing.

Submitted by OWOC.

PHOTOS: Scenes from the healing mission

Call to Common Mission Works: Episcopalians Buy a Well

2006-01-15T09:46:00.000-08:00

When Bishop Michael Last of the Western Iowa Synod ELCA spoke at Calvary in Sioux City during Lent 2005, he talked about the need for fresh water in Tanzania. "To drill a well," Last said, "would cost $2,500."

This was a large sum of money for a small congregation. They decided to see what they could do to help. First into the kitty were the proceeds from the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper. Major funding came from their annual flower and bedding plant sale. Personal contributions made up the difference. By fall they had raised the $2,500. Calvary members have a tradition of giving away 100% of fundraising efforts. They decided to buy a well.

On Sunday, November 13, Senior Warden Dean Shroll presented a check for $2,500 to Bishop Last for the well project. In expressing his thanks, Bishop Last stated that no congregation in his synod had bought a well, but the Episcopalians did!

Calvary has reason for gratitude for Call to Common Mission between Episcopalians and the ECLA. The agreement makes it possible for Calvary to receive the Sacraments on a regular basis. The Rev. Ernest Caltvedt has been serving Calvary for over a year. The congregation found a pastor, and Pastor Ernie, now retired, has a new way to serve the church.
(Reprinted from Iowa Connections)

Anglican Cycle of Prayer Takes New Form

2006-01-15T09:12:00.000-08:00

(Updated 01/19/06)
The Anglican Cycle of Prayer will no longer be available in book form, as it has been in the past. It is available online, with the latest information on bishops and dioceses, by way of the Anglican Communion Office in London at their website, http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acp/main.cfm.

For those wanting the information in a non-web-based format, the full Anglican Cycle of Prayer for 2006 is also available:

for order as a Word file on CD-Rom from Forward Movement at 1-800-543-1813 or orders@forwarddaybyday.com,and

beginning in February within the Forward Day by Day publication.

World Mission Sunday, February 26, 2006

2005-11-08T13:19:00.000-08:00

Always the Last Sunday in Epiphany, World Mission Sunday is a great opportunity to promote global mission in your parish. This year’s theme is Anglican Women: Relevant, Radical and Responsive. Inspiration for the theme comes from the Anglican delegation sent by the Anglican Consultative Council to the 49th UN Commission on the Status of Women in 2005.

Resources for 2006 will be mailed to each parish soon, and additional materials (bulletin shells and inserts, study materials, sermons, etc.) will be posted here. You are not restricted to this year’s theme; materials for previous years also are posted on the site.

The scripture passage on this year’s poster will be I Corinthians 11:11. Propers: Year B, I Kings 19:9-18; Psalm 27 or Psalm 27: 5-11; 2 Peter 1:16-19 (20-21); Mark 9:2-9.

Join the Iowa Global Mission Network!

2005-11-08T12:17:00.000-08:00

Want to stay informed about global mission opportunities in the diocese and learn ways to grow an international focus in your parish? Connect with other global-minded Episcopalians, share ideas and resources, and publicize your parish’s global ministry events through the Global Mission Network. To join, send an email to karenenichols@gmail.com.

What Can One Person, Parish, or Diocese Do to End Extreme Poverty?

2005-11-08T12:11:00.000-08:00

Rev. Mike Kinman can tell you. Mike is the new Executive Director of Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation (EGR), a national network promoting global justice through prayer and action. Mike’s uplifting weekly e-newsletter, “What Can One Person Do?," is full of ideas for working toward the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to end extreme poverty in our lifetime. To join his mailing list, go to the EGR website, or email Mike at Mkinman@gmail.com. [UPDATED 02/03/06 with new email address for Mike Kinman.]

Under Construction

2005-11-07T14:58:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Mission Minutes, the web journal of Iowa Episcopalians in global mission. Here we will share our mission stories and experiences, plus ideas for expanding our involvement in cross-cultural ministry. Send your thoughts to karenenichols@gmail.com, or click on the "Comments" link below. We look forward to hearing from you.

Mission Minutes

Dominican Dreams 2011 Bravo!

Dominicans Vital to Health Care Team Efforts

House Calls in Haitian Barrio

Day 2, Team B Holds Clinic at St. Mary's the Virgin Episcopal Church in Montellano

Team B Intake & Triage... Day 2, Dominican Republic

Docs in Pews at St. Mary's the Virgin Episcopal Church, Montellano

& dresses to delight the little girls...

& eyeglasses the better to see with...

Medications at the ready... but never enough to meet the need...

Way more than medical!

Villagers congregate en masse for health clinic...

Intake & Triage...

Docs on Mission in the Dominican Republic

Dresses Delight Sweet Senoritas in Yaroa

Dominican Dreams ~ 2011 Health Care Mission

Coe College May Term Course on Swaziland Health & Safe Water

Notes from an Iowan in Haiti -- Dr. Chris Buresh

Health Care Mission -- Haiti 2009; "GOD gives, but does not share" by Dr. T.R. Shively

Are YOU being called to join, pray, support the Dominican Republic Medical Mission?

Thule's Time in Iowa ~ A Beautiful Honeymoon ~ by Melody Rockwell

The Church in Latin America; Wartburg students first-hand experience in the Dominican Republic

WHERE THERE IS NO DENTIST ~ Mission in Uganda by Dr. T.R. Shively

Dominican Republic Experience by Ken Messer

Dr. T.R. Shively Safely Home from Uganda by Stevie Shively

Tuesday, February 17 in Galveston by Fr. Pat Genereux

Galveston Hearts & Hands -- Jesus of the Trash Icon by Fr. Pat Genereux

Galveston Mission on Sunday, February 15 by Pat Genereux

Tales from Galveston continued... by Fr. Pat Genereux

Hearts & Hands Travel Log & Reflections by Fr. Pat Genereux

Iowa Team in Galveston... returning home tomorrow!

Hearts & Hands Project: Hurricane Ike Relief & Recovery Ministry -- A Diocese of Iowa Mission

Global Episcopal Mission Honors Iowans

Kay Ungurean Tells About Her Experiences in El Salvador

PHOTO: Kay Ungurean working in the greenhouse, El Maizal, August 2005

PHOTO: Karl Ungurean crossing a creek in the orchard, El Maizal, August 2005

PHOTO: Kay and Karl talking with two of our hosts, Mercedes and Blanca, San Salvador, August 2005

A Different Sort of Annual Report: Resource Packets

Photo: The Rev. Pat Johnson meeting the Swazi student she supports through World Vision, November 2005

1. Iowa Connections, December, 2005, p. A

Good Friday Offering Materials Now Available

Justice, Peace, and Creation Commmission Seeks New Members

Meet Swazi Team Member Beth Robbins

Photo: To come

Meet Swazi Team Member Andy Pettifor

Photo: To come

Mitch Smith's Experiences at Camp Coast Care, Ocean Springs, Mississippi

Quote of the Day

Proposals Now Being Accepted for 2006 International Development Grants

PHOTO: Lucy Mabuza presenting a check from the Diocese of Iowa to the Diocese of Swaziland's Mother's Union for their work with HIV/AIDS orphans. Swaziland has approx. 60,000 orphans, a number that is expected to double by 2010.

This Is the Work of the Church

Deacon Mike Stewart's Experiences with Episcopal Appalachian Ministries (EAM)

Iowans Welcome New Brechin Bishop, Reaffirm Companionship with Brechin and Swaziland

PHOTOS: From the consecration of the Rt. Rev. John Mantle, Bishop of Brechin, Scotland, October 8, 2005

Iowans Give Thanks for Healing Mission

PHOTOS: Scenes from the healing mission

Call to Common Mission Works: Episcopalians Buy a Well

Anglican Cycle of Prayer Takes New Form

World Mission Sunday, February 26, 2006

Join the Iowa Global Mission Network!

What Can One Person, Parish, or Diocese Do to End Extreme Poverty?

Under Construction