FROM Angela Baker, Director Rita Recovery~
Beaumont...The Rita Recovery office is in urgent need of volunteer
teams to come to Southeast Texas to repair homes for families affected by
Hurricane Rita. Many homes still have blue tarps covering them and more
than 900 families are on the waiting list. Why are they still waiting
after nearly a year? We have the materials and the time but we don’t
have the volunteers! We need you! We are currently recruiting teams
for the fall and into 2007. Information is on the Rita Recovery website
at www.umcortexas.com or you can contact Bonnie McAndrews, Volunteer
Coordinator at bmcandrews@umcortexas.com or call her at 409-892-0140.
Please prayerfully consider answering the call to help families recover
from this disaster.

Priority Project/Urgent for PIM - Belize Christian School

Greetings,
This picture was taken last week, showing Pyppa Johnson of Windsor Village Church (Houston) with Marvin Kellyman, the Headmaster of Burrell Boom Christian School, sitting on the new "slab" of his (previously burned-down) cottage. We need help in August finishing this project, before school starts in mid-September! Pyppa will be on-site coordinator all month!


Here's the tentative schedule, we can pick you up at the nearby Belize International any time.
July 30th-Aug 3rd...Carpentry/general laborers
Aug 5th-Aug 10th....Masonry/general laborers BRICKLAYERS NEEDED!
Aug13th-Aug 17th....Electrical/general laborers MED TEAM Aug 16-24, 2 nurses needed
Aug 20th-Aug 24th....Plumbing/general laborers
Aug 27th- General finish up

We have cut expenses to the bone! Our packages are cheap, with various accomodations ranging from cheesy to really nice ALL TAX DEDUCTABLE, EVEN THE R and R..... Lots more info at: www.belizemissions.org
Peace in Jesus,

Cam Collins, Belize UMVIM Project Coordinator
CALL ME 24-7 800.494.0146

Kenya mission teams in 2007

Dear Friends,
The calendar is beginning fill up for Kenya mission teams in 2007. If you are receiving this email it is because you are a past Team Leader/team member and I am offering you first chance to select dates for your mission team. We have several projects this coming year:

1. AIDS Orphan homes in and around the Maua area - Your team can build 1-2 homes a week in the village and get to know the family quite well.
2. Construction projects at the Maua Methodist Hospital - If your team would rather work only at the hospital there are many projects that need finishing. The construction will range from moderate work on older buildings to heavy construction of new buildings. A new Trauma Center is being planned now. Need: plumbers, electricians.
3. Medical projects at the Maua Methodist Hospital - They need I.T person who can help with the hospital information system and software, Bio-med people, and lab tech. Anyone who can help with short courses of 1-2 hours to help upgrade any of the work in the hospital will be considered. Bush Clinics can be arranged with at least 6 months notice and teams will go out to villages near Maua for day clinics with the staff of the hospital. Only 3-4 non-medical people can attend and the team will have to come up with all the financing for transport, meds. etc.
4. Bio-Intensive Farm- Meru - continue to work on the foundations of the houses, extend the goat shed, fence in the compound behind the classrooms, put in a new water system, upgrade electrical systems, renovate the Guest House.
5. Malindi Women's Conference Center - Located on the Indian Ocean just north of Mombasa, the women of the church have been collecting money for years and slowly building a Conference Center here. It will be used by the women of the church for trainings, retreats and conferences. When not in use by the women's group, the Center will be available for any mission groups, missionaries and other groups needing a place to stay. We will be helping with the fencing around the perimeter and with the beginnings of new buildings.
6. EXTREME MISSIONS - Milimanti Research Center is located 2 hours east of Meru and a training center for farmers. Teams will stay at the center while making renovations to the buildings. Located in a dry, but beautiful area, the team will have wonderful people to work with while experiencing real Kenya living.

Please let me know if you are interested in working at any of these projects. Dec - Feb will be your cheapest months for airfare, while June to October are still the most popular. Teams can split their time between the Maua/Meru projects or the Milimanti/Meru projects.
Teams need to leave on a Thursday from the States and arrive in Kenya on Friday night. Saturday is a travel day to your location. Then the team can work up to 1 week at any of the projects or longer if there is no team scheduled the next week.

Looking forward to hearing from you.
God Bless,
Kathie Mann


Director of Partners In Mission
Texas Annual Conference
5215 Main St.
Houston, Texas 77002
713-521-9383
FAX 713-521-3724

HEARTS AND MINDS FOR MISSION

The Global Theological Education Program at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, is offering “Hearts and Minds for Mission: An Intensive Seminar for Lay Mission Volunteers” October 6 th and 7 th, 2006. The seminar will focus on ways that volunteers in mission understand and participate in restoration and healing as expressions of the missionary vocation of the church.

Over the last three decades volunteer short term missionaries have become one of the most important groups in Christian mission, even as mission has become increasingly important to the self-understanding of Christian churches. In this seminar Perkins School of Theology faculty members will lead workshops focusing on missionary spirituality, scriptural guidance for missionaries, and the theology and history of Christian missions.

Workshop leaders will include Dr. Elaine Heath on "Spiritual Healing after Violence and Abuse," and Dr. Robert Hunt on "Making the Gospel Good News for Broken Communities," Dr. Rich Nelson on "Balm in Gilead: OT Repentance and Restoration," Dr. Jeanne Stevenson-Moessner on “Self-Care: Preventing Compassion Fatigue”, Dr. John Holbert on “Mission in the Old Testament” and Dr. Robert Krout on “The Healing Power of Music and Art.” The seminar will begin on a Friday evening and conclude Saturday afternoon. It will be held in Selecman Hall on the SMU campus. Information and Registration forms are found at www.smu.edu/globaltheology.

The Global Theological Education Program makes available resources of Perkins School of Theology for the spiritual and theological enrichment of those preparing for service as volunteers in mission, and arranges for significant cross-cultural immersion experiences for Perkins students preparing to offer leadership in mission as local pastors and church workers. For further information contact Dr. Robert Hunt, Director of Global Theological Education at 214.768.1374 ( globaltheology@smu.edu) or Roberta Cox, Director of Public Affairs at 214.768.2335 (rcox@smu.edu)