Zimbabwe #3: Masvingo

by Sue Wright, for the team

The British called Masvingo, Fort Victoria. It is a clean city with wide boulevards through the center of town. All types of shops line the streets – small department stores, trendy clothing stores, auto supply shops, drug stores, groceries and open-air vendors on the sidewalks. The jacarandas are blooming in beautiful purple, though it is very dry and dusty.

We arrived at a very large government high school where we joined a massive gathering of the Uniting Presbyterian Church of Southern Africa. Three large tents had been erected to protect the participants from the sun. It was a sea of black and white uniforms of the women’s and men’s guilds from many congregations.

Africa 2018The Outreach FoundationSeptember 2, 2018

Zimbabwe #2: Nyabira CCAP Primary School

by Jennifer Ellis, for the team

Dear Outreach friends,

Our morning started with a trip to Nyabira CCAP primary school. Nyabira is a poor community of displaced farm workers. We were accompanied there by the Moderator of CCAP Harare Aston Galanti and the General Secretary Kingstar Chipata. On arrival, we were met by the Head of School Ms. Asnath Gondwe, who hails from Malawi and has been working at the school for seven years. She is a single mother and lives in housing on the school compound with her family, along with 28 teachers and three student teachers.

Africa 2018The Outreach FoundationAugust 31, 2018

Brazil #3 - Much Bigger than the Amazon Rainforest

by Juan Sarmiento, for the team

“Where is Venezuela?” The continental proportions of Brazil, in addition to its character as the only Portuguese speaking country in the hemisphere, must have been some of the possible reasons behind the many times that I used to be asked this question about my country of birth when I was a student here in the early 90’s.

One of the biggest surprises that I received on this visit to Brazil after all these years is that Venezuela is in the news and a common topic of conversation. Thousands of families from Venezuela are walking days through the Amazon rainforest in search of what appear to be better living conditions in communities in the northern state of Roraima. According to the Economist, this is “the largest movement of people in Latin American’s recent history.” BBC estimates the number of Venezuelans arriving here to be 35,000.

Brazil 2018The Outreach FoundationAugust 31, 2018

Zimbabwe #1: Home of Hope

by Frank Dimmock, for the team

Dear Outreach friends,

Our first full day in Harare was busy. We were eager to learn about the impact of recent national elections and the economic situation on Outreach church partners. How are they coping with challenges of high unemployment and widespread poverty? How is the church nurturing God’s Kingdom in Zimbabwe, building hope and demonstrating compassion? Our team began by meeting with the new officers of the CCAP – Synod of Harare at their office.

The Synod’s geographic coverage extends beyond the nine congregations in the Harare area, with a total of 26 within four Presbyteries. In addition, there are many prayer houses (i.e. with less than 100 members), evolving into new congregations. Currently there are 23 ordained pastors and 43 lay evangelists that minister in these locations.

Africa 2018The Outreach FoundationAugust 30, 2018

Zimbabwe and Zambia 2018 - Arrival!

by Ebralie Mwizerwa, for the team in Harare

Dear Outreach Friends,

Greetings from vibrant Harare – Zimbabwe, where we arrived last night. Our Outreach team of five (Ted and Sue Wright, Jennifer L. Ellis, Frank Dimmock and Ebralie Mwizerwa) was well-received by friends from our partner denominations (POZ and UPCSA – not pictured but present was the General Secretary of CCAP Harare Synod). Our friends braved the rush hour to greet us – not fun in Harare these days! It took us an unusually longer amount of time to drive from the airport because of all the traffic but we finally arrived at the hotel where we are staying.

Africa 2018The Outreach FoundationAugust 29, 2018

Brazil #2: Purposeful Gatherings

by John Terech, for the team

At another wonderful lunch offered by one of our hosts for our trip, the host family I had first met two years ago to the day, Juan said to me, “You have been bitten by the Brazilian bug!” I knew he was totally correct in that analysis. I love this country! This is my third trip to Brazil to work on reverse mission partnerships, meaning that I am here to find church planters to come and plant with our denomination back in the United States to serve Brazilian communities. It is not hard work. Granted, finding the right planter for the right place is never easy. But the process here is so enjoyable. The people of Brazil have the gift of hospitality. They are warm, affectionate, caring and a people full of faith. They want to make sure your visit is special and indeed, every time I am here I feel that way.

Brazil 2018The Outreach FoundationAugust 29, 2018

Brazil: Hospitality, Folklore, Pop Songs and Bearing Fruit

by Tim Lee, for the team

I have only been in Brazil for a short time, but there are so many things that have amazed me about this county. For starters, I could easily rave about the warm hospitality that I’ve received, the delicious food I have eaten, and the number of extra pounds I have put on. Or in visiting a number of churches, I could share of a long-standing Presbyterian church that has adapted old traditions to fit contemporary culture. I was mesmerized by the use of modern art and stained glass to communicate its eight values, its multiple choirs for the adults, youth, and children, and a converted prayer chapel with the soft blue glow in the outline of the cross, rich with tradition, silence, and symbolism yet fitting a chic, calming ambiance.

Brazil 2018The Outreach FoundationAugust 28, 2018

Lebanon: Final Trip Blog - "With"

by Marilyn Borst, for the team

“Assume selfie position!” became my good-natured “order” to my team when we had yet-another-opportunity (and there were hundreds of them!) to freeze a moment in time and place with one or more of our Syrian and Lebanese sisters. Our ever-present cell phones were a gift, affording us the blessing of taking back home a memory of these relationships, distilled in the long days spent together at the women’s conference. For long after we would be absent from one another, these images can recall our togetherness, our “with-ness.”

Lebanon 2018The Outreach FoundationAugust 2, 2018

Lebanon Day: Eleven - The Preaching Life

by Sheryl Wood, for the team

It’s Sheryl Wood on the road again in Lebanon. Greetings everyone. We started out this morning at 8:30 for about a two hour drive to get to our destination, which was The National Evangelical Church of Tripoli for a church service. There were just a few little spits of rain and then sunny skies ahead.

We arrived at the church around 10:00. It was a little earlier than we had expected. We went down several steps and the door of the church opened widely before we could even grasp the doorknob. There she was with a radiance that is hard to describe. Introductions were not even necessary. She had been following our group on Facebook and knew our names perfectly, along with a little something about the newbies, Evangeline and me. Her name is Pastor Rola Sleiman.

Lebanon 2018The Outreach FoundationJuly 30, 2018

Lebanon: Day Ten - Remembrance and Community

by Julie Burgess, for the team

After a full Saturday, I ask that you walk through it with us in reverse, for that is how I found the message of today that birthed the title of this blog.

While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages[a] and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 The poor you will always have with you,[b] and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Mark 14:3-9

Lebanon 2018The Outreach FoundationJuly 28, 2018

Lebanon: Day Nine - House of Hope: Part Three

by Julie Burgess, for the team

...but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

How did it get to be Friday already? Now nearing the end of the women’s conference, the hour for good-byes is not far away. What this means is that the rate of picture taking increases among us so we can capture that one last special moment of hugs and smiles before we part in tears. If our cameras measured the photos in hundreds per day, we will probably be in the thousands by later this evening!

How special it is when sisters in Christ gather to share their faith, their hope, and their love.

Lebanon 2018The Outreach FoundationJuly 27, 2018

Lebanon: Day Eight - I Am Waiting for My Children

by Evangeline Paschal, for the team

“We don’t call it a crisis, because a crisis usually lasts just a short time.”

A woman from Mhardeh is sharing with us her story of how hope has figured in her life. Standing before all of us during our morning worship period, she explains that life has presented her with many hardships since she married a few years ago. First, her new husband suffered serious health problems. And now she lives in an area of Syria, north of Hama, that has seen heavy fighting. Her house has been hit twice during the fighting, and just last week there was an explosion that destroyed 65 houses in her town. Her family is afraid to leave, though, because they worry that if they do their home will be confiscated, and they will have nothing to return to. For this sister, just attending this conference is an expression of hope.

Lebanon 2018The Outreach FoundationJuly 27, 2018

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