Livelihood by Faith

Ratnamala works at Jamkhed helping others like her, specifically women, who had been downtrodden by trials and rejection.
Photo by Nyamah Dunbar/UMCOR.

By Nyamah Dunbar*

Jamkhed, India—By age 18, Ratnamala had already endured a forced marriage, experienced the birth and death of a child, and become a widow. Born into a poor family in rural India, she was married off to a man who, in turn, left her to pursue work in the city of Mumbai. When he returned to the village, he was already sick with diarrhea and chronic fever. Ratnamala would learn later that he had contracted HIV. Doctors encouraged Ratnamala to have herself and her newborn baby tested. To her devastation, both of them had also contracted the virus. It was then that the ostracism began: first from the housing development where they lived, then by neighbors, and, finally, even by her family.

Upon her husband’s death, Ratnamala sought refuge with her family, but fear and stigma caused them to isolate and neglect her and her baby. She would head out each day to a farm where she was finally permitted to work, but her meals and personal items were kept separate from the other workers and her family members. One evening, Ratnamala returned home from the field to find her baby dead from complications due to HIV. Also suffering from HIV complications, Ratnamala admits to being so devastated that she was on the brink of suicide. It was at this stage that she was brought to Jamkhed Hospital, where she began treatment.

At Jamkhed, Ratnamala learned more than the importance of taking her HIV cocktail medication. It was here that, for the first time, she learned the importance of caring for each other regardless of diseases or stigma. Her beautiful face lit up despite the sadness of her story, when she announced to me how she first learned about Jesus Christ, and how His message and call to service targeted people whose plight was not much different from her. Despite being born a Hindu, she converted to Christianity, because of the examples and teachings of Dr. Raj Arole, the late founder and longtime director of the Jamkhed Community Health Program.

After her positive response to treatment, Ratnamala decided to remain at Jamkhed to help others, specifically women like her, who had been downtrodden by trials and rejection. Ratnamala works on the Jamkhed farm program, which provides meals and local income-generation initiatives for families and orphans affected by HIV.

World AIDS Day is December 1. Observe this day by supporting the Jamkhed Hospital’s HIV and other programs, by donating directly to the Comprehensive Rural Health Project, Jamkhed, Advance #3020779.

Nyamah Dunbar is UMCOR grants manager for Imagine No Malaria.

Gwyneth’s Story

Ten-year-old Gwyneth Cartwright’s $2 bracelets made of pop tabs have raised more than $300 to help people who have been affected by disasters.
Photo courtesy Gwyneth Cartwright

My name is Gwyneth Cartwright, and I’m 10 years old. I live in Hurricane, West Virginia, and attend St. Andrew UMC in St. Albans, WV. For about the last three months, I have been selling pop-tab bracelets through my church to help raise money for UMCOR. I have, so far, raised over $300 with these $2 bracelets that are made from pop tabs and various colors and types of ribbon. One bracelet takes ten to fifteen minutes to complete, and they are fun to make.

A fellow member of our church, who I’ve always liked a lot, stood in front of the congregation one Sunday and talked about UMCOR. He asked everyone to search their hearts for a way we could help. He also mentioned how he was going to raise money by asking for sponsors for a bike ride. I immediately knew I wanted to help, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do. But I went to him after church and told him I’d let him know.

One day, it just hit me! I’d make the bracelets we had made at school as part of an Earth Day and recycling project. My mom set an email to Tim (the man who stood up in church), and I was in business. I made a few bracelets as samples and I got up during announcements in Sunday worship and asked for pop tabs. After a little while, I had over four pounds of pop tabs and lots of people asking for bracelets. And the tabs are still pouring in!

My mom and I have been enjoying this project. She helps a lot! I continue to make bracelets because I keep getting orders AND for the cause. I feel that UMCOR is an organization worthy of my time because I feel badly for people who have been hit by disaster. I saw images on TV of people after hurricane Katrina hit, and the looks on their faces broke my heart. I felt helpless. I told my mom that we had to help them. I was five or six years old then, and Mom told me about UMCOR I raised money at a lemonade stand and took it to church. I knew that UMCOR would put that $60 to good use. I also raised small amounts of money for tsunami victims and for the earthquake in Japan. Hopefully, this project can help for a longer period of time because I’ll continue until no one else wants a bracelet!

UMCOR can be where I can’t be. I’m only ten years old, after all, and in the fifth grade. Homework and activities keep me busy! I’m unable to physically go and help people hit with disasters. However, I can spend a few minutes here and there to help others be there and be hope for families, perhaps a lot like mine, whose hope has been shattered.

Gwyneth Cartwright

UMCOR Builds on 9/11 Response

Like many people, I anticipated the arrival of the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks for some time. Although I was not in my current position with UMCOR at the time of those terrible events, I recall feeling a sense of pride as a United Methodist pastor serving in a local congregation that "my" church was responding.

UMCOR responded as it always does, with special attention to the most vulnerable populations. Love in the Midst of Tragedy was UMCOR’s three-tiered response to those events. In addition to focusing on the most vulnerable survivors and other affected people, its programs promoted peace and reconciliation and also extended a hand to a displaced Afghan population that was returning home after two harsh decades.

It is fitting that at this tenth anniversary of 9/11 UMCOR continues to build on its response to that tragedy as it addresses current emergencies around the world. In just the past six months, these have included the triple disaster in Japan; a rash of violent tornadoes through the US South; a third straight year of record flooding in North Dakota; a still unfolding recovery in Haiti; epic flooding caused by back-to-back hurricanes/tropical storms along a string of Eastern states; and wildfires that have burned tens of thousands of acres in Texas.

Yes, it is fitting that UMCOR should honor those who experienced not only the horror of 9/11 but the solidarity and self-giving that were part of the response to the events of that late-summer day by continuing to be present in times of emergency or disaster, to offer a hand and to offer hope.

*Rev. Cynthia Fierro Harvey is the head of UMCOR.

You can also read 9/11 reflections from the General Board of Global Ministries General Secretary Thomas Kemper here.

Passing on the Gift: Haiti Day 2- Sept. 6, 2011

Madame Marie Therese in La Tremblay, Haiti, discusses her participation in the PAUA Agriculture project with UMCOR's director of marketing and communications J. Rollins.  Photo: J. Rollins/UMCOR

The day began with a rooster crowing outside my window at 5 a.m., beating my alarm clock by half-an-hour.

Everyone gathered in the common area of the Methodist Guest House on the Frere campus for a delicious breakfast (the hospitality is incredible) and then set out for three site visits: a recipient from the Emergency Agriculture program Projet d’Assistance Urgente d’Agriculture (PAUA) at La Tremblay; a trip through Camp Corail, a resettlement camp; and the construction site of a school at Leveque.

It was overwhelming to see the estimated 100,000 temporary and transitional homes at Camp Corail, encouraging to see the progress of construction at the Laveque school, and heartwarming to meet Madame Marie Therese at the PAUA site at La Tremblay.

M. Therese was a recipient of goats as part of the agricultural project, which reached out to 1,600 most vulnerable families in all of Haiti. The project focuses on livestock and grain distribution in six of the most difficult places to access in Haiti. M. Therese and her husband chose to raise goats instead of growing crops due to the difficult access to water. They use the milk from the goats, and also breed them to sustain themselves and others in their village.

M. Therese said that without this program, she is not sure how she and her husband would have survived. Neither could work after the earthquake, and they struggled to meet day-to-day needs.

Today, when she saw Collins Zamar, PAUA project coordinator, approaching her home with our group, she came out and greeted us with a large smile. She explained that she was not feeling well, but she did not want to pass up the opportunity to tell us how the program had changed their lives. She said she was looking forward to the day when she would “pass on the gift” to another family in need.

A component of PAUA is that recipients of livestock and grain are required to give a percentage of seed harvested or livestock produced to others in their community—thus keeping the program going and changing the lives of their neighbors, friends, and loved ones.

I thought of M. Therese for the rest of the day and felt lucky to share in her joy. My sentiment was best described in our liturgy that started this day:

For men, women, and children in communities adversely affected by natural disasters;
For friends, and well wishers who are actively involved in Haiti’s ongoing development;
For a positive outcome of this roundtable meeting;
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.


James Rollins, director of communications for UMCOR

Upon this rock

A child passing by the Methodist Church of Haiti guest house in Port-au-Prince embodies hope for the future, as the devastated nation continues to rebuild following last year’s earthquake. Credit: J. Rollins

“Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” Matthew 16:18

This is my first trip to Haiti, and I admit that I was not fully prepared. The photos that I have seen since the earthquake of January 2010 cannot fully capture the complete devastation I now see on this island. On the trip from the airport, I saw miles and miles of rubble, tent cities, and tarps held up by sticks to create makeshift stores. And in the midst of all this, I also saw the faces of smiling, resilient Haitians—their spirit of hope shining through and proving that life is about more than the places where we dwell and work.

I am here for at the invitation of the Methodist Church of Haiti (Eglise Metodiste d’Haiti, EMH) for three days of planning long-term projects that will help the Haitian people rebuild their lives. There is an excitement among those of us gathered as we prayerfully await the start of this series of meetings. It is clear to all present that all is not lost. Hope, faith, and love have persevered. Thanks to the generosity of donations, volunteers, and dedicated EMH and UMCOR staff, progress has been made. The church stands ready to continue this progress at increasing rates.

Tomorrow, on the way to our first meeting in Moulin Sur Mer, I will have the opportunity to visit two projects sponsored by UMCOR, at Camp Corail and La Trembelay. I aim to post blogs, photos, and videos each day so that you may experience this journey with me, sharing in the work that has taken place and celebrating the work that will begin soon.

Upon this rock we will continue to work in solidarity with the people of Haiti to accompany them as they rebuild.

James Rollins, Director of Marketing and Communications, UMCOR

September 5, 2011

Not Victims but Survivors

Survivors of super-typhoon Megi, which struck the Philippines in October 2010.
Photo: Melissa Crutchfield/UMCOR

In a letter to UMCOR head, the Rev. Cynthia Fierro Harvey, a United Methodist pastor in the Philippines writes of her community’s experience of survival and hope following last year’s typhoon.

Dear Rev. Cynthia,

It is my hope and prayer that you arrived home safely after your short visit here, in the Philippines. We appreciate that visit so much, and we hope and pray that someday you’ll have an opportunity to come again.

For sure, you’ll not expect me to write you, but I just want to thank you not only for that visit and acquaintance, but for the “words of wisdom” you uttered during our meeting at San Jose Norte UMC. You mentioned that you do not want us to call ourselves “victims” but, rather, “survivors.” It was indeed an inspiration for us to move on after all our difficulties and pain in the past months.

Nine months had already passed since that terrible typhoon on October 18, 2010. That typhoon made our living very difficult for a few months, as food was scarce after that disaster. Harvest time usually comes the last week of October; however, the typhoon came earlier and then was followed by a week-long, non-stop rain, which aggravated the situation. Nevertheless, the grains that were left buried in muddy fields were gathered and patiently cleaned so that the farmers and their families could have food to eat for a few weeks.

Our church members are mostly tenant farmers. Only a few are educated and employed. Usually, the farmers make their offering after the harvest season, so most of the time, their pastors’ salaries are delayed. I sometimes joke when I am with my District Superintendent, or DS, that “I also am a “D.S.,” a “Delayed Salary.”

After that terrible typhoon, there was no harvest. The people could not make their harvest offering to the church nor provide support for their workers. This, of course, lasted also a few months. But God is good all the time. He has his own wonderful way to meet all our needs in spite of all the difficulties. He did not allow us to be discouraged, but, rather, he gave us hope that everything would be alright. And indeed, we were able to survive.

As one of the chosen recipient communities of an UMCOR grant, I’m quite thankful not only for the financial aid you selflessly rendered to those families that needed it most, but also for your prayers, which made us all strong to survive and see that there is always hope.

Thank you so much, and may the Lord continually make your good office a channel of God’s redeeming love to everyone in this world.


Respectfully,

Pastor Janet M. Manuel
San Jose Norte United Methodist Church
San Jose Norte, Mallig, Isabela , Philippines

Minot, North Dakota, Journal

Faith United Methodist Church remains underwater, but the congregation’s ministry to neighbors in need continues.
Photo: Courtesy of Lee Gale

I just arrived home from Minot. It's been a trying and emotional time. You can't comprehend the devastation until you see it for yourself.

The things we take for granted just aren't there. Water has to be boiled before use, and only bottled water may be consumed. Trash has to be disposed of immediately. Restaurants are serving their meals on foam plates, with plastic knives and forks. Coffee isn't made, and there’s no fountain soda.

It is taking citizens of Minot up to four hours to get their mail because the post office is overwhelmed. Traffic on Broadway, all the way through town, is bumper-to-bumper, and a driver can only turn off of Broadway at certain intersections.

As of this morning, there are 806 homes that are unsafe to inhabit and will be destroyed. In the end, there may be as many as 2,000 or more. Water is slowly going down, but a heavy rain on Friday night kept the river up.

Tent cities have popped up when people have nowhere to go. One person I spoke with said he saved from his basement apartment only what was in the tent. He also lost his job because his place of employment is underwater.

Another woman living in the tent city, with only the belongings she could save, went to a Red Cross facility to take a shower, and while she was in the shower, her purse was stolen with all the money she had from her last paycheck.

These are only some of the stories that have come out of this disaster. It will take years to recover what has been lost.

And out of adversity Faith UMC continues to do the mission work they're known for. The food pantry they had in the church basement has gone mobile. A local dealer loaned Bob and Ada Lower a new trailer, which they have equipped with a refrigerator and a deep freeze. With it, they are delivering food to their clients, who frequent the food pantry. They are planning to take the trailer full of food to the tent city to make sure the people there have food.

This is an amazing ministry staffed by amazing people who know the true calling of their church to reach out to the poor and hungry. The Rev. Debra Ball-Kilbourne and others of her congregation are doing what they can to apply for grants to help rebuild their church. Rev. Debra also has a story of loss and emotion to tell, as she works to serve her congregation and get ready for case management by teaching and doing.

Grace and Peace,

Rev. Lee Gale
Dakotas Annual Conference
Disaster Response Coordinator for North Dakota