Orthodox Christian Mission Center

2011 Kenya Teaching Team II Pictures

2011-12-06T14:37:00.014-05:00

December SAMP Spotlight: Fr. Lazaros Sucanto

2011-11-30T14:37:00.001-05:00

December SAMP Spotlight: Fr. Lazaros Sucanto

Fr. Lazaros Sucanto serves in Indonesia, serving the community of Cilapap.

There are nearly 400 priests serving in 20 countries around the world who depend on support from OCMC's Support A Mission Priest Program. Please help us to provide this much needed assistance by making a gift to the SAMP Program at www.ocmc.org, and continue to pray for these faithful servants who minister to our brothers and sisters around the world.

2011 Albania Outreach (Family) Team Pictures

2011-11-30T10:58:00.006-05:00

Pax Turkana: An Update from Missionary Michael Pagedas

2011-11-28T13:53:00.000-05:00

Shortly before I left for Kilimanjaro, I was contacted by Alex Goodwin, Communications Director for the OCMC. He and OCMC Executive Director Fr. Martin Ritsi had planned an extended visit to Kenya and Tanzania in order to film a new video for the OCMC and further assess future mission prospects for that field, and they wanted to know if Maria and I would be interested in traveling with them to Kenya and being part of this! The experience would take me to a part of Kenya that I had wanted to visit anyway--Turkana, in the northwest part of the country. The OCMC began sending short-term mission teams to this region only a few years ago, and Orthodoxy has already gained a strong foothold there. I knew I wouldn’t have a lot of time to rest after climbing Kilimanjaro, but I also knew that I couldn’t pass up this opportunity.

Maria and I were greeted at the Lodwar airport (a dusty landing strip in the desert with a small covered waiting area serving as the main gate) by Fr. Martin, Alex, and Rob Orr, the cameraman who would be documenting our visit. We strapped our bags on top of the Land Rover (there wasn’t enough room for them inside) and started our 3+ hour journey into the desert. Fr. Martin mentioned that the last time he made this journey, the vehicle he was in got stuck in the sand three times. Fortunately, with the combination of our amazing driver and rugged Land Rover, we didn’t get stuck once.

Our first destination was the village of Loupwala. Loupwala has been visited before by OCMC teams, but it was my first time there or anywhere like it. It was the Africa that I had seen before in National Geographic magazines and on Public Television when I was growing up.

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The Turkana are nomadic pastoralists and rely mostly on their goats, camels, and donkeys not just as a source of milk and meat but also as currency for things such as bride-price negotiations and dowries. Not many crops are grown, but they do eat maize, beans, and ugali (maize porridge). During our brief stay, we had nothing but boiled cabbage and ugali--all of which we had brought with us from Lodwar. The Turkana also make use of a fruit that I had never heard of or seen anywhere else. It is called yangole in Turkana, and it is pretty much a fibrous pulp on the outside of a large inedible pit. The pulp can be ground off with stones and mixed in with flour or it can be chewed right off the pit [I tried the latter and can understand how the Turkana can easily wear down their teeth].

The Turkana dress very traditionally in the villages but not quite as much in the larger cities like Lodwar. Girls and women wear sarongs that range in color from purple to red to orange, and even bright green. Many of the women and girls wear their hair in a way that looks like a mohawk of small braids. The men also wear wraps, some covering the whole body, some just from the waist down, and less traditional shirts. Additionally, some of the older men or distinguished members of the tribe, such as shamans, wear hats decorated with ostrich feathers. One night, we all watched a movie about the life of Jesus that had been translated into the Turkana language. I was sitting toward the back, and one of the tribal elders was sitting right in the middle toward the front. Throughout the movie, I enjoyed watching the silhouette of a lone ostrich quill waving back and forth, brushing the faces of the actors on the screen. Both men and women wear beaded necklaces and bracelets. Many of the women wear a high-collared, brightly-colored beaded necklace that I can imagine takes a long time to make.

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The video shoot began almost immediately after we arrived. Fr. Martin, Alex, and Rob started interviewing individuals who had become or were in the process of becoming baptized. Maria and I interviewed some of the women and children about medical issues with the help of one of the Turkana priests, Fr. Moses, who speaks English, Turkana, and Swahili fluently. We spent the night sleeping in a boma (thorn enclosure) of another priest, Fr. Zachariah, who himself was originally from Loupwala. A few of the people in our group had tents, but I braved the elements, sleeping only on a mat and having a loose mosquito net resting on top of me. It was the first time I had ever gone hard core camping, and I enjoyed looking up at a clear night sky illuminated by stars, knowing that I was about as far away from the nearest city as I could be.

The next day, we visited a well that had been installed by the OCMC only a few years ago. The well was about a 10 minute walk from our campsite, but I learned that before the well was put in, people would have to walk up to 13 kilometers (each way) to get water that wasn’t necessarily very safe to drink. This well made getting cleaner water a lot easier for the people of Loupwala.

Later, we were honored with a celebration. The community members greeted us with traditional singing and dancing. As we arrived, a group of women, doing what I could only describe as a tightly-packed line dance, moved toward us while singing, blowing whistles, and waving around what I later found out were cow tails. Some younger people then sang and danced for us, and then we all joined in the fun. I especially enjoyed the high vertical jumping dance (if you’ve ever seen movies of Maasai dancing, it is exactly the same).

That afternoon, we walked for about an hour and a half to our next stop--a village called Nacabousan. To reach Nacabousan, we had to cross the Kerio River. The Kerio River, Fr. Martin explained, was usually bone dry in this area, but that every time he had visited, it was always flowing. This time was no different. Lightning flashes in the distance the previous night forewarned us that this would probably be the case. The river was only two or three feet deep at its deepest point, but the water was moving at a good clip. I had not anticipated this, and was concerned about 1) getting completely drenched and dirty, and 2) getting valuable possessions wet, namely my iPod. Before we crossed, I decided to give my valuables to Maria, who is much taller than me and who had a nicer backpack. That decision paid off. As I neared the opposite bank, I discovered (too late) that there was a sharp, slippery rise that wasn’t visible through the chocolate-colored water. As I went to my knees, I decided that I had nothing to lose and went all the way in. It was a decision that paid off because I felt much cooler against the mid-afternoon sun. Despite the fact that everything I was wearing was completely drenched and now a light brown color, I felt better and my iPod was safe.

On Sunday morning, we celebrated liturgy in the bush, just outside the village of Nacabousan. The altar table was built on the spot using sticks, palm leaves, and a small blackboard. The congregation sat in the shade of a large acacia--much needed because even at 9AM, the sun was already starting to beat down on us. I was surprised to see that there were matins and liturgy books translated into Turkana. The Turkana are a part of the same language group as the Maasai (different from the Bantu-based Swahili that I’m used to hearing), and I immediately noticed a similarity to the Maasai language when I first heard the Turkana speak. As with Swahili, it didn’t matter if I couldn’t understand every word that was being said during the liturgy. I still knew what was going on. Even with aggressive flies buzzing around, which are ever-present in the desert, I was lost in the experience. This was the first time an Orthodox liturgy had ever been held in Nacabousan. I began to wonder if St. Paul or the other early Apostles had similar experiences on their missionary journeys.

The liturgy was immediately followed by a mass baptism. 110 men, women, and children were baptized in the Kerio River. What was a curse for me on the way over had become a blessing. There was plenty of water for full-immersion baptisms! While several children splashed and swam nearby, a line of people from the river bank went into the water where Fr. Martin baptized them one at a time--again, like experiencing the early church but in the 21st century. The first one baptized was the head village elder from Nacabousan, named Salale. He and Fr. Martin had developed a strong relationship over the past few years, and I could tell that Salale’s conversion and baptism were monumental for himself, Fr. Martin, and the entire village of Nacabousan. There were at least 200-300 people watching from higher up on the river bank. Many of them went into hysterics at seeing their friends being immersed (some of them very reluctantly) in the river. We all went back to the “survival” altar that had been constructed for the liturgy and concluded the service. Watching dozens of people walk around the altar table together toward the end of the baptism was something I’ll probably never see again but won’t soon forget.

After the video shoot, we all returned to Lodwar where we met up with a short-term OCMC teaching team that had arrived the day before. Fr. Martin, Alex, and Rob stayed with the group for a couple of days before moving on to the shoot in Tanzania, but Maria and I stayed behind in Lodwar with the team for the duration of their teaching mission. They had each prepared different lessons to present Turkana faithful who had come from Lodwar and surrounding villages (including from over 3 hours away in Loupwala!). Fr. Moses, Fr. Zachariah, and Fr. Vladimir (who is a Turkana priest based in Lodwar) translated for the team and at the same time taught their people about church topics such as the Creed, death & resurrection, the Sacraments, and icons. I was even allowed to do a health education session. Based on a session I once gave back in 2008 during a short-term mission in Tanzania, I asked the group of about 70 “youth” to divide up into groups and come up with their own songs, dances, or sketches that highlighted major health concerns in East Africa, such as AIDS and malaria. The Turkana, like many other cultures in Africa, have a strong oral tradition that is passed along through songs and storytelling. Why not tap into that and use it for health promotion? I gave them 20 minutes to prepare, but they only needed 10. All of the groups did an amazing job, and I told them that I would put all of the videos I took of their presentations on the internet so that people all over the world could see how the Turkana use storytelling not only to pass along history but to teach others the importance of promoting good health behaviors.

Our visit happened to be in the middle of a paralyzing famine that affected the horn of Africa and spilled over into northern Kenya. Crops were failing and there was a severe food shortage. The Turkana, being pastoralists, were especially hard-hit when their livestock began to die off. People were literally starving to death. I had done a blog entry early on about African stereotypes, and I mentioned that a common misperception is that most Africans are starving and impoverished. I followed that up by mentioning that this was more of an exception to the rule--overall, they may eat much less food, but that doesn’t mean they are starving. Also, “poverty” is a relative term. If most of the people who live around you don’t have a lot of material possessions, that doesn’t necessarily make them poor. In fact, I regard most of my friends here as being richer on many levels. That said, whenever a disaster such as a famine happens, it throws what was once a delicate balance into complete disarray. Tribes like the Turkana, who can live comfortably on a basic diet and without a lot of possessions really feel the effect when the food or water supply is thrown out of whack.

I had no idea how bad the situation really was until after I got back to Bukoba. While waiting at the Lodwar “airport” for the plane back to Nairobi, I met a BBC journalist and cameraman who had just been to the same region we had. They told me that a piece they had just filmed would be airing a couple of days later and that I would be able to see it online.

Here is a link to that report: http://www.vimeo.com/27583238

Finding out about the severity of the famine after the fact made me appreciate my time with the Turkana all the more. I would have never guessed from the celebrations and fellowship we shared that they were in the middle of a major crisis. Please remember the Turkana, especially the newly-baptized, in your prayers.

Thank you to my support team!

Michael
m.pagedas@ocmc.org

[Video from my Turkana experiences can be found on the OCMC website or my YouTube channel, username: mpagedas]

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak at St. Luke Orthodox Church in Palo Hills, IL 12/18/2011

2011-11-23T13:41:00.001-05:00

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak at St. Luke Orthodox Church in Palo Hills, IL
12/18/2011

St. Luke the Evangelist Orthodox Church
9300 W. 107th St
Palo Hills, Illinois
United States
60465

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz will be at St. Luke Orthodox Church in Palo Hills, Illinois on 12/18/2011. Please contact Fr. Andrew Harrison by phone at 708-974-1166 or by e-mail at oandrey@stlukeorthodox.com for more information.

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak at Holy Ascension in Norman, OK

2011-11-23T12:59:00.000-05:00

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak at Holy Ascension in Norman, OK
11/27/2011

Holy Ascension Orthodox Church
3350 12th Ave NE
Norman, Oklahoma
United States
73070

OCMC Missionary Mr. Floyd Frantz will be at Holy Ascension Orthodox Church in Norman, Oklahoma on 11/27/2011. Please contact Fr. Justin McFeeters by phone at 405-388-0111 or by e-mail at f.frantz@ocmc.org for more information.

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak at St. George in Wichita, KS 11/27/2011

2011-11-22T16:25:00.001-05:00

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak at St. George in Wichita, KS
11/27/2011

St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
7515 East 13th St
Wichita, Kansas
United States
67206-1223

OCMC Missionary Mr. Floyd Frantz will be at St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral in Wichita, Kansas on 11/27/2011. Please contact Fr. Paul O'Callaghan by phone at 316-636-4676 or by e-mail at vrev@stgeorgecathedral.net for more information.

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak at St. Michael Orthodox Church in Wichita, KS 11/26/2011

2011-11-22T16:08:00.002-05:00

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak at St. Michael Orthodox Church in Wichita, KS
11/26/2011

St. Michael the Archangel Orthodox Church
7230 E 29th St North
Wichita, Kansas
United States
67226

OCMC Missionary Mr. Floyd Frantz will be at St. Michael the Archangel Orthodox Church in Wichita, Kansas on 11/26/2011. Please contact Fr. John Flora by phone at 316-734-6248 or by e-mail at stmichaelorthodox@gmail.com for more information.

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak at Holy Theophany Orthodox Church in Colorado Springs, CO

2011-11-18T17:46:00.001-05:00

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak in Colorado Springs, CO
11/19/2011

Holy Theophany Orthodox Church
2770 North Chestnut St
Colorado Springs, Colorado
United States
80907

OCMC Missionary Mr. Floyd Frantz will be at Holy Theophany Orthodox Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado on 11/19/2011. Please contact Fr. Anthony Karbo by phone at 719-473-9238 or by e-mail at frkarbo@theophany.org for more information.

2011 Romania Youth Work Team

2011-11-16T12:33:00.024-05:00

2012 OCMC Mission Teams - Let the Little Children Come to Me

2011-11-16T12:27:00.005-05:00

2012 OCMC Orthodox Mission Team Opportunities Now Available!

2011-11-14T15:18:00.000-05:00

In 2011, over 135 Orthodox Christians shared their faith through loving service as part of an OCMC Orthodox Mission Team. They witnessed baptisms, healed the sick, strengthened the church, and brought smiles to the faces of children. They answered the call to make disciples of all nations. Is 2012 your time to share in this journey of faith?

OCMC is pleased to announce 2012 Orthodox Mission Team opportunities. Next year, team members will have the opportunity to share the Orthodox Christian faith by offering evangelism, catechism, healthcare, construction, and youth ministry in 9 countries around the world (including a first-time team to Mongolia). 2012 Mission Team dates and opportunities include:

Kenya – Teaching (3/2/2012)
Share the Gospel and teach the Orthodox Faith in Lodwar.

Uganda – Healthcare (6/2/2012)
Offer health services to the people in the Jinja region of eastern Uganda.

Mongolia – Teaching (6/5/2012)
Proclaim the Gospel and share the Orthodox Faith with Mongolian catechumens as part of a historic first Team to Ulaanbaatar.

Guatemala - Youth Work (7/5/2012)
Offer a youth camp program, "Tren de Chocolate," for the children at the Hogar Rafael Ayau Orphanage in Guatemala City.

Moldova - Youth Work (7/10/2012)
Participate in a youth camp outside the city of Orhei.

Romania - Youth Work (7/19/2012)
Participate in a youth camp outside the city of Cluj. Families with children are welcome.

Tanzania – Teaching (7/22/2012)
Teach the Orthodox Faith and experience the culture and zeal of Orthodoxy in Tanzania, by being a part of a teaching team in Mwanza.

Korea, South - Youth Work (7/25/2012)
Teach English at Orthodox youth camps in Chuncheon and Pusan.

Alaska - Youth Work (8/11/2012)
Travel to Kodiak Island and participate in a youth camp program in Old Harbor, Alaska. Families with children are welcome.

Alaska - Youth Work (8/11/2012)
Travel to Kodiak Island and participate in a youth camp program in historic Ouzinkie, Alaska. Families with children are welcome.

Moldova – Teaching (9/11/2012)
Teach and inspire Orthodox Church leaders in Orhei, Moldova and strategize on ways to bring the youth back to the Church.

Tanzania – Healthcare (10/1/2012)
Be part of a holistic outreach of the Orthodox Church of Tanzania, by offering health care to those who have limited access to medical care.

Tanzania – Teaching (12/5/2012)
Teach the Orthodox Faith and experience the culture and zeal of Orthodoxy in Tanzania, by being a part of a teaching team in Bukoba.

Please prayerfully consider your participation on an Orthodox mission team in 2012. Visit www.ocmc.org, or contact OCMC Teams Director Andew Lekos by phone at 1-866-463-6784 ext. 140 or by e-mail at teams@ocmc.org for more information or to apply.

OCMC Mission Teams- Welcome to Tanzania

2011-11-11T14:57:00.000-05:00

2011 Guatemala Youth Work Team Pictures

2011-11-02T14:05:00.036-04:00

Real Africa: By Team Member Logan Johnson

2011-11-02T14:02:00.000-04:00

"That's the smell of real Africa!” These were the words of a fellow passenger as we stepped off of the small plane. What struck me initially was not the smell, somewhat reminiscent of my grandparent's farm in rural Minnesota, but the completely exotic landscape. Lodwar is located in northeastern Kenya in what is basically a large desert with several small mountains, black and grave, in the distance.

But I was not here to survey the geography or admire the scenery. The purpose of our team was to teach. Surely God had been working among the hearts and minds of the Turkana since the beginning, but in 2007 Orthodoxy began to be part of their religious makeup and take root and grow. Today there are three native Turkana priests serving thirteen communities. In Lodwar the Liturgy is celebrated in a roofed building built with the help of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center, and in other places it is celebrated in the open air on whatever is available for the priest to set down an antiminsion.

On the evening that we arrived in Lodwar, we were immediately greeted with what felt like hundreds of children grasping for our hands and giving us hugs. Three members of our team, who had been to Lodwar previously, were greeted by old friends with joyous shouts and the rhythmic jumping that is characteristic of Turkana people. I had been on a Mission Team before, and had experienced the warmth and hospitality towards strangers that is somehow lacking in much of our modern Western society, but I was unprepared for just how authentically joyful the congregation was to see us.

The joy and excitement continued throughout the week. We began our day with Orthros, and the rest of the day was filled with lectures about the Orthodox faith and spiritual life and crafts. It was during this time that we realized that their joy and excitement to see us and share their lives with us was only matched by their enthusiasm to learn. At times when we would share stories from the Bible about God's immense love for us, they would clap and—literally--shout out for joy.

I felt that we were not only a teaching team but a learning team as well. During one of my lectures entitled “How God Works in the Church Today,” I asked the congregation to share how they have seen God work in their lives. As a Westerner, I was expecting that their experience would be much the same as my own—in times of doubt or trouble I turn to Scripture or the writings of the Saints and take comfort and advice from their words. What I heard was completely different—many stood up and shared how they had seen visions that told them to reform their lives or even come to the Orthodox Church. None had read their way into the faith, but instead had found solutions to their real problems through visions. Afterwards, when I spoke to one of the Turkana priests he told me that, due to illiteracy, there was not the same emphasis on the texts as in the West. This is just one small example of the complexity of the task of mission work among non-Western people.

After nearly two weeks of teaching, learning, worshipping, and sharing, it was time to leave. We departed—with singing, dancing, jumping, and shouting. Amidst smiles and tears, we were brought to the airport where I was able to catch the last smell of real Africa before the airplane would take me back to the routine life of my last year at seminary. The examples of love and service that I witnessed will follow me for the rest of my life and what I learned will guide and inspire my future ministry in the Church.

Missions Conference to be held at Hellenic College/Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, MA

2011-11-02T13:42:00.000-04:00

Missions Conference to be held at Hellenic College/Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, MA
11/17/2011 - 11/18/2011

Hellenic College/Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology
50 Goddard Ave
Brookline, Massachusetts
United States
02445

A Missions Conference will be held at Hellenic College/Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts from 11/17/2011 to 11/18/2011. Speakers will include Rev. Dr. Michael Oleksa, Rev. Dr. Themi Adamopoulo, Metropolitan JOHN of Korca, and Fr. Martin Ritsi. Please contact Fr. Luke Veronis by phone at 617-731-3500 or by e-mail at veronis@verizon.net for more information.

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in San Francisco, CA

2011-11-01T14:15:00.001-04:00

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in San Francisco, CA
11/13/2011

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
999 Brotherhood Way
San Francisco, California
United States
94132

OCMC Missionary Mr. Floyd Frantz will be at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in San Francisco, California on 11/13/2011. Please contact Fr. Aris Metrakos by phone at 415-584-4747 or by e-mail at fr.aris@holytrinitysf.org for more information.

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak at St. Basil Greek Orthodox Church in San Jose, CA.

2011-11-01T13:53:00.000-04:00

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak at St. Basil Greek Orthodox Church in San Jose, CA.

11/12/2011

St. Basil Greek Orthodox Church
6430 Bose Lane
San Jose, California
United States
95120

OCMC Missionary Mr. Floyd Frantz will be at St. Basil Greek Orthodox Church in San Jose, California on 11/12/2011. Please contact Fr. Gregory Koo by phone at 408-268-3214 or by e-mail at stbasilschurch@sbcglobal.net for more information.

November SAMP Spotlight: Fr. James Omare

2011-11-01T13:29:00.002-04:00

November SAMP Spotlight: Fr. James Omare

Fr. James Omare serves in Kenya, serving the Church of the Ascension in Mutanga and the community of Igono.

There are nearly 400 priests serving in 20 countries around the world who depend on support from OCMC's Support A Mission Priest Program. Please help us to provide this much needed assistance by making a gift to the SAMP Program at www.ocmc.org, and continue to pray for these faithful servants who minister to our brothers and sisters around the world.

Sharing in Ministry by Using Skype: An Update from Christina Semon

2011-11-01T10:33:00.000-04:00

Margo Kelley, OCMC Assistant Missionary Coordinator, offered me an opportunity to shake hands digitally over Skype with the parish family of St. Christopher Hellenic Orthodox Church and their parish priest, Rev. Fr. George Tsahakis. My first contact with this parish was from my previous ministry at the Protection of the Theotokos Family Center (PTFC). We received beautifully hand-knitted shawls for the struggling mothers from the St. Christopher’s Philoptochos Society through the visiting 2009 OCMC Mission Team. Now two years later, God has brought us together so that we can support each other in our ministries.

I have been organizing a knitting group held once a week with the teenage girls at the halfway house in Orhei in the Republic of Moldova. For each meeting, I prepared a topic to discuss so that we use our time in a constructive way. One of my goals is to build faith in these girls. The Prayer Shawl Ministry has reached out to support others in prayer through clothing the naked. Here in Orhei, adoption of this ministry can set a foundation for these girls to pray while knitting, and to knit with a more targeted purpose.

The parish of St. Christopher was equipped with all the tools necessary to perform the Skype call. We were in the narthex of the church for the meeting because they are using a temporary office space until they build their church. We had a good internet connection and webcam capabilities that brought a whole other dimension to the call. In the time span of fifteen minutes, I shared my current ministry and enjoyed a general period of questions and answers. This was such a meaningful time together to express the impact of the far-reaching Prayer Shawl Ministry and the gratitude of those who are touched by it.

This first parish Skype call also made a significant impact on me as a missionary. As I am the only OCMC Missionary in Moldova, one of my weaknesses is in battling the thoughts of loneliness. To fight these thoughts of loneliness, time and time again God shows mercy and provides people and activities to witness to me that I am not alone. God has blessed me to meet many parishes so that we could continue the work of Holy Spirit together. For me, the support team has been a tremendous part of my ministry and I will encourage other parishes to use their technology to connect with me in the ministry in a real way.

I am calling out to parish priests, OCMC Ambassadors, and faithful to make this type of internet meeting a future possibility. My Skype name is christinasemonocmc. Please email me to arrange the scheduling of our Skype call so that we, too, may greet one another face-to-face and beyond any distance.

OCMC Mission Teams- Welcome to Tanzania

2011-10-28T16:28:00.000-04:00

Update from OCMC Missionary Maria Roeber

2011-10-27T15:02:00.000-04:00

Farah na amani! Joy and Peace!

Hello from Tanzania! The two months since my last letter to you have been extremely busy, but very educational and beneficial to me.

First, I was blessed to find a wonderful language and culture teacher, a lady named Methodia who grew up here in Bukoba, and also lived in England and Germany for close to twenty years. I’d prayed to God for weeks prior to my arrival here that He would send me the “right” nurturer from the start, and so He has: Mama Methodia has adopted me as her fifth child, and proudly declares that I will be speaking Kiswahili by Christmas. We are using a method of language acquisition where the first 100 hours of study do not involve me speaking, but rather listening to her speak to me, just the way infants first listen to their parents speak to them before they attempt to imitate sounds. I’ve been surprised both at how much fun I am having, and also at how quickly I seem to recognize many words. While I am not required to speak Kiswahili in class, I am allowed to use it as I feel able in normal activities, so I am becoming more comfortable greeting people and holding very simple conversations. My greatest delight is walking around town and having children attempt to greet me in English and being able to respond to them in Kiswahili. Yesterday as I walked along the beach to get to class, three children playing nearby watched me very solemnly until I asked them, “Habari ya mchana?” (How is your afternoon?) Their eyes got big and round, and the littlest boy who was about two or three squeaked out, “Shikamoo! Nzuri!” (Shikamoo is a greeting of respect to an elder. Nzuri means fine, or good.) It’s fun when I start running into the same group of kids each day on my way to school. There’s one family with three small children whose home I pass each day, and without fail the kids start waving excitedly when they see me. I feel less anxious about being in a foreign place and more welcome with each passing day, for which I am extremely grateful.

Most people ask me what a typical day is like, so I will attempt to answer that question very briefly. Every day starts at about 7 am, when the bells for Matins ring next door at the church. We attend Matins every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday it’s Matins and Liturgy. After service we enjoy a hot breakfast made by Mama Christina, our cook and housekeeper. After that it’s usually time for some chores—either going to the market or to pay a water or electricity bill, stop by the bank, or stay home and do laundry or clean my room. Then I spend an hour or so listening to the language lessons from the previous day, which I record and can store on my iPod. I also spend a little time each day preparing for the next language session—we have a curriculum provided for us, but it requires some thoughtful planning to execute well. Then I spend some time answering emails or updating my Facebook account, which I know many of you follow. It’s such a blessing to be able to communicate with folks from home so easily! Usually Mama Christina has lunch ready for us by 12:30, and by 12:45 I am out the door to walk down to the lake for my class. In the afternoon when I return I make myself a cup of tea and a snack and start the process of transferring the language recordings from that day’s session onto my computer, and then listening to them for another couple of hours, as well as reviewing previous sessions. I also usually do some more emailing at that point. By six we are back at church for Vespers, and then I make my own dinner—usually something simple. The evening might include more study, doing some relaxing reading, writing to my support team by email or “snail mail,” or chatting with my roommates about the day. Sometimes I get to call my family or friends, too! I try to get ready for bed by about 10, and am generally asleep by 11. On any particular day we might have visitors drop by, which changes the schedule a bit, and I am learning to be flexible with how to organize activities here.

Many people have asked for updates about how the work at the Orthodox clinic is going. My primary responsibility during the first six months to a year of service here is to focus entirely on language and cultural acquisition. People here generally do not speak much English, and without studying Kiswahili, I will not be able to care for patients without a translator. As the clinic will be functioning with the help of us as volunteers to staff it, there’s not provision for the hiring of translators. It has been challenging for me to “stop” being a nurse and to feel like I am “not working,” but the truth is that by working hard at language study I am building the foundation upon which my later nursing practice will depend. The Orthodox clinic is currently awaiting registration through the Tanzanian government in order to reopen. It was closed because it had originally been registered as a “hospital,” but since we cannot meet the staffing requirements to function as such, a new application had to be submitted. Please keep the registration and government approval of the clinic in your prayers. My hope is that the clinic will be ready to open at the same time that I am ready to focus more on direct patient care and less on language study, but I am also open to God’s will and am trying to accept whatever He asks me to do.

As many of you are aware, I did have the opportunity to use my medical background to conduct a health care needs assessment for the Turkana in northern Kenya last month, which is one reason you haven’t heard from me in a while. My fellow missionaries and I are also busy preparing to welcome an OCMC medical mission team that will provide medical care to rural areas in Tanzania for two weeks in October. My next update will include more detailed information about the trip to Kenya and about our preparations for the October team, and I’ll be sending it out shortly after this letter.

Thank you to each and every one of you for your faithful prayerful and financial support that sustains me here! I pray for all of you every morning when I thank God for allowing me to be here, and I thank you, too! Glory to God for all things!

Yours in Christ,

Maria

Fr. David Rucker & Dn. James Nicholas to attend OCA All American Council

2011-10-27T15:01:00.000-04:00

Fr. David Rucker & Dn. James Nicholas to attend OCA All American Council

10/31/2011 - 11/4/2011

Hyatt Regency Bellevue
900 Bellevue Way, NE
Bellevue, Washington
United States
98004

Fr. David Rucker, Associate Director of OCMC, and Dn. James Nicholas, Missionary Director of OCMC will be attending the All American Council of the Orthodox Church in America in Bellevue, Washington (greater Seattle area), from the 31st of October through the 4th of November. They will be staying at the conference location at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue on Seattle’s Eastside (900 Bellevue Way, NE 98004). They look forward to spending time with delegates, observers and guests. Feel free to stop by the OCMC display in the exhibition hall or call Fr. David to make an appointment to visit during the conference. He can be reached on his cell phone at 904-599-5812.

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak in Seattle, WA

2011-10-25T12:20:00.000-04:00

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak in Seattle, WA
11/6/2011

Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption
1804 13th Ave
Seattle, Washington
United States
98122-2515

OCMC Missionary Mr. Floyd Frantz will be at Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption in Seattle, Washington on 11/06/2011. Please contact Fr. Dean Kouldukis by phone at 206-323-8557 or by e-mail at goca@qwestoffice.net for more information.

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak in Gillette, WY

2011-10-25T11:48:00.001-04:00

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak in Gillette, WY

11/3/2011

Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church
122 South Gillette Ave
Gillette, Wyoming
United States
82716-3702

OCMC Missionary Mr. Floyd Frantz will be at Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Gillette, Wyoming on 11/03/2011. Please contact Fr. James Thayer by phone at 307-682-2328 or by e-mail at frjamesthayer@bresnan.net for more information.

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak in Gillette, WY

2011-10-25T11:48:00.000-04:00

Orthodox Family Mission Team

2011-10-25T11:26:00.001-04:00

by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Center for Family Care

This past July, a unique groundbreaking international Orthodox Christian missionary effort took place-the first Family Mission Team traveled to Albania. The team was a collaboration between the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Center for Family Care (CFC) and the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC), and part of a new family ministry initiative of the Orthodox Church of Albania. Families from America and Albania participated in “One Family in Christ” Family Camp led by the CFC’s Resource Coordinator, Panayiotis Sakellariou, and by OCMC short and long term missionaries.

The purpose of sending the Family Team was to offer a “family witness”-while sharing the Orthodox faith and growing as a family in Christ-and to answer the call of the Church of Albania to begin its own family ministry. Albanian leaders plan to build on this camp experience and the family resources that were provided, to create a strong foundation for their new family ministry. Team leader Panayiotis Sakellariou said, “We thank God for providing for all the families and granting success to our camp efforts, and we are grateful for everyone’s support and prayers. We pray this first Family Mission Team will be the beginning of an ongoing missions endeavor that gives families the opportunity to share their love of God and of neighbor, and to grow in their faith.”

“One Family in Christ” Family Camp consisted of 65 adults and children of various ages. The camp included parent, couple and children programs; family activities and Olympics; outreach endeavors and local excursions. In particular, team members presented on the following topics: Church of the Home, Child Spiritual Development, Parenting Skills, Social Networking, the Journey of Marriage, and Family Ministry.

For further information on this mission team or the involved agencies contact the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Center for Family Care at 845-424-8175 or familycare@goarch.org, or Orthodox Christian Mission Center at 877-463-6784 or missions@ocmc.org.

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak in Chicago, IL

2011-10-21T12:14:00.000-04:00

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak in Chicago, IL
10/30/2011

St. Constantine and Helen Cathedral
5410 N Newland Ave
Chicago, Illinois
United States
60656-2026

OCMC Missionary Mr. Floyd Frantz will be at St. Constantine and Helen Cathedral in Chicago, Illinois on 10/30/2011. Please contact Fr. Vasile Muresan by phone at 773-774-1677 or by e-mail at f.frantz@ocmc.org for more information.

OCMC Board Gathers at St. Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral for Annual Fall Board Meeting

2011-10-21T11:31:00.000-04:00

PARMA, OH – Led by Board President Fr. George Liacopulos, Board Members from across the country recently gathered for the annual Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) Fall Board Meeting. With the blessing of His Beatitude Metropolitan Constantine, Fr. John Nakonachny, Fr. Michael Hontaruk, Fr. Dn. Ihor Mahlay, and the faithful of St. Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Parma, OH, this was the second board meeting for His Grace Bishop Savas who serves as a liaison between OCMC and the newly formed Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America.

During the meeting, the many accomplishments of OCMC missionaries serving in Albania, Moldova, Romania, and Tanzania were reviewed. Stories of the Church’s rapid expansion among the Turkana of Northern Kenya were shared as well as potential opportunities that exist for sharing the Faith in Mongolia.

OCMC ministries are increasingly working to welcome non-Christian peoples into the Body of Christ. This focus has been a driving force behind the Mission Center’s recent strategic planning process. The work that has been done thus far on the strategic plan was approved by the board. The new strategic plan is aimed at emphasizing the importance of bringing people to the Faith, establishing church communities in parts of the world where they may not yet exist, and helping these communities to mature into self-sustaining, self-governing, and self-propagating parishes.

On Tuesday, October 11th, a reception was held at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Rocky River, OH. This event, organized by Fr. Dn. Ihor and Fr. James Doukas, was held to broaden awareness of, and support for, Orthodox missions and the work of the OCMC. During the banquet Mission Team Member to Alaska Alexis Steffas, OCMC Board Member John Colis and his wife Carrie who recently served in Tanzania, and OCMC Executive Director Fr. Martin Ritsi shared their experiences from the mission field and highlighted the importance of missions in the world. The evening’s festivities ended with some closing remarks from His Grace Bishop Savas who, following his recent trip with OCMC to Kenya, underscored the profound impact that missions can have in the lives of others.

The next OCMC Board Meeting will be held in May 2012 at Mission Center headquarters in St. Augustine, FL.

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak in Linthicum, MD

2011-10-18T12:17:00.002-04:00

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak in Linthicum, MD
10/26/2011

Holy Cross Antiochian Orthodox Church
105 North Camp Meade Road
Linthicum, Maryland
United States
21090

OCMC Missionary Mr. Floyd Frantz will be at Holy Cross Antiochian Orthodox Church in Linthicum, Maryland on 10/26/2011. Please contact Fr. Gregory Mathewes-Green by phone at 410-850-5090 or by e-mail at f.frantz@ocmc.org for more information.

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak in Falls Church, VA.

2011-10-18T11:37:00.001-04:00

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak in Falls Church, VA.
10/25/2011

St. Mary Orthodox Church
7223 Roosevelt Ave
Falls Church, Virginia
United States
22042

OCMC Missionary Mr. Floyd Frantz will be at St. Mary Orthodox Church in Falls Church, Virginia on 10/25/2011. Please contact Fr. David Subu by phone at 703-280-0770 or by e-mail at f.frantz@ocmc.org for more information.

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak in Piedmont, SC

2011-10-17T13:11:00.001-04:00

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak in Piedmont, SC
10/23/2011

St. John of the Ladder Orthodox Church
701 Augusta Arbor Way
Piedmont, South Carolina
United States
29673

OCMC Missionary Mr. Floyd Frantz will be at St. John of the Ladder Orthodox Church in Piedmont, South Carolina on 10/23/2011. Please contact Fr. Marcus Burch by phone at 864-299-1140 or by e-mail at frmarcusburch@bellsouth.net for more information.

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak in Piedmont, SC

2011-10-17T13:11:00.000-04:00

Reflections on Seven Years of Service in Albania: An Update from Missionary Georgia Gilman Bendo

2011-10-17T12:39:00.001-04:00

Protagonists School has just begun its 10th year in existence! From 12 students in 2002 to about 250 this year, we thank God for always blessing us with success and strengthening us to face new challenges. His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios maintains education as a top priority in his vision for the Church’s social outreach in Albania.

I am thankful to be a part of that vision. This past August marked the seventh anniversary of my arrival in Albania as a missionary. Since then I’ve enjoyed a steady ministry of teaching English and offering an after-school catechism club at Protagonists.

In Albania, students must study two foreign languages starting in 3rd grade. Since we are an “Albanian-American” school, our English program is essential and many of the parents choose Protagonists because of it. Although we are a private school it is still illegal to teach the faith during school hours, so we must at least be vigilant that our curriculum is not working against us. I realized this last year while choosing the books for our English classes. Often the authors of these books are primarily interested in keeping the attention of young adults with little care to high moral standards. One series that the bookstore was encouraging us to use, for example, was rife with reading material about scandalous relationships and less than admirable examples of friendships. Fortunately we were able to find an excellent series for our middle school students

Our after-school catechism club is called “Spiritual Journey” and is open to all the students once a week. Many of those who sign up are from Orthodox backgrounds but we also have a number of students from Catholic, Muslim, and even atheist families. We teach the basic beliefs and traditions of the Orthodox Church with catechism books, crafts, songs, field trips, etc. Two years ago, I started teaching the older students from a book which was written by Archbishop Anastasios and recently translated by my husband into Albanian. The book, Divine Messages, is written for the catechist, so I am creating an accompanying activity book with small paper crafts for each lesson for the students.

Although formal persecution of faith has ended in Albania, there continue to be frequent attacks on the Church in the media. Sometimes they try to make the people feel that it is not really Albanian to be Orthodox. To combat this I try whenever possible to show the children that Orthodoxy has been around a long time in Albania and is an integral part of its history and culture. To this purpose, we invited the students on a trip to Ardenica Monastery this spring. This 13th century monastery is dedicated to the Nativity of the Theotokos and the walls of the church are covered in icons painted by famous Albanian iconographers. The national hero Skenderbeg was even married in a chapel at this monastery.

Every so often God grants us a glimpse of the fruit of our efforts. At the end of January, our students have first semester exams. One day Elena, a recently baptized 6th grader, ran up to me breathless. “I found you!” she exclaimed, “Teacher, there’s St. Basil, St. Gregory, and who’s the third?” “Oh, the Three Hierarchs. St. John Chrysostom is the other one,” I replied, “Why?” “Well we’re about to have an exam and I remember last year in Spiritual Journey club you told us they were the protectors of students and we should pray to them for help at school! Thanks!” and she ran off. I was delighted to see something we discussed last year had stuck and she was actually putting it into practice.

This summer, our family enjoyed time in America visiting parishes to tell about our work in Albania, while awaiting the birth of our second child. Evdoxia Lindsay was born on August 7th, and our 40-day churching service in Maine on the September 18th. Visit our website to see our new photos! Please keep our family in your prayers as we continue our ministry.

Build Mission Awareness in your Parish in this New Church Year

2011-10-15T15:27:00.001-04:00

Build Mission Awareness in your Parish in this New Church Year

As we begin a new Church year, please consider the following opportunities to develop international Orthodox missions as a regular part of parish life. The activities listed below are just a sampling of those that can be coordinated, and the OCMC is always ready to assist your community! Some ideas are:

Establish a missions committee and/or name an OCMC Ambassador;
Coordinate a missions-related Bible Study focusing on the lives of missionary saints;
Invite a missions speaker;
Incorporate missions into the Sunday School curriculum;
Hold a missions luncheon/dinner featuring foods from mission countries;
Coordinate a missions retreat;
Financially support the ministry of a long-term missionary and/or mission priest;
Hold a Walk for Missions;
Recruit parish members to participate on a short-term mission team;
Include support of OCMC mission ministries as part of the local parish annual budget;
Coordinate a Youth Event and/or participate in Hunger Strike;

We look forward to brainstorming these as well as many other ideas with you as you look toward this new Church Year! Please give Kenneth Kidd, Annual Gifts Officer, a call at 904-829-5132, ext 161 or by email at kenny@ocmc.org, to discuss ideas or obtain more detail on items listed above.

Tanzania and James: St John the Theologian 2011 Update

2011-10-14T12:15:00.001-04:00

Dear friends,

Tupendane.
Let us love one another.
- 1 John 4:7

Greetings from Mwanza on this feast of the Holy Apostle John. It's a sunny September, the trees on my hillside are in blossom, and the lake is very blue.

I recently had business in Kenya, and returned to Mwanza on the seventeenth of September- the very date that I first moved to this city, one year ago. Time does fly.

It's been a good year. The learning curve has been every bit as steep as expected, and of course it will take a lifetime to adjust fully. But I'm happy to be where I am.

In about ten days, we plan to receive a medical team from OCMC. The team will be conducting clinics in rural and urban areas around Mwanza Region. Logistics are every bit as complex as you might imagine, and I'm grateful to be working together with my missionary colleagues Maria Roeber, Felice Stewart and Michael Pagedas as we prepare to care for the visitors.

Time flies indeed. My first term of service as an OCMC missionary will conclude early next year, and so I am working on plans to visit North America- I'd likely be on the continent from the beginning of February until just after Pascha.

And I want to see you! Yes, each of you- or at least as many folks as I can in ten short weeks. My goal in visiting will of course be to spend a little time at home in Gainesville with family and friends, and also to touch base with as many people in my support network as is possible. I'd like to see you in person, catch up on your life, (meet your new babies!!) and talk with you face-to-face about the work that God is doing in Western Tanzania thanks to your prayers, encouragement, and generosity.

So, if you'd like me to visit, please be in touch. When I met many of you in the fall of 2009 and spring of 2010, I was inspired and instructed by the way that you and your communities are bearing witness to the Resurrection and proclaiming the glory of God in your local context. I look forward very much to coming back and getting another glimpse.

It is obvious to me that your prayers are with me, as God sustains me here. The challenges are good and healthy, but they are challenges indeed, and I am borne through them by strength that is not my own. Thank you.

Thank you also for your encouraging communication, and for your consistent generosity. I am here because of you.

By your prayers in Christ,

James Hargrave

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak in Chattanooga, TN

2011-10-11T12:09:00.001-04:00

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak in Chattanooga, TN
10/21/2011

St. Tikhon Orthodox Church
357 Lookout High Street
Chattanooga, Tennessee
United States
37419

OCMC Missionary Mr. Floyd Frantz will be at St. Tikhon Orthodox Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee on 10/21/2011. Please contact Fr. Daniel Talley by phone at 423-821-5100 or by e-mail at daniel.k.talley@gmail.com for more information.

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak in Oak Ridge, TN

2011-10-11T11:47:00.000-04:00

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak in Oak Ridge, TN
10/19/2011

St. Anne Orthodox Church
560 Oak Ridge Turnpike
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
United States
37830

OCMC Missionary Mr. Floyd Frantz will be at St. Anne Orthodox Church in Oak Ridge, Tennessee on 10/19/2011. Please contact Fr. Stephen Freeman by phone at 865-482-0088 or by e-mail at stephenfree@comcast.net for more information.

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak in Houston, TX

2011-10-11T11:09:00.000-04:00

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak in Houston, TX
10/16/2011

St. Joseph Orthodox Church
10644 Hammerly Blvd
Houston, Texas
United States
77043

OCMC Missionary Mr. Floyd Frantz will be at St. Joseph Orthodox Church in Houston, Texas on 10/16/2011. Please contact Fr. Joseph Huneycutt by phone at 713-973-7001 or by e-mail at office@saintjosephorthodox.org for more information.

Help Orthodox Clergy in the Mission Field by Supporting OCMC's SAMP Program

2011-10-10T21:10:00.000-04:00

The light of Orthodoxy shines around the world and is often embodied in priests that minister to diverse cultures in some of the poorest countries. Priests serving in these parts of the world strive to establish vibrant ministries and address the physical and spiritual needs of people who may have never before heard Christ’s life-saving message of hope and salvation. Show your love and support of these dedicated priests by making a gift to the Orthodox Christian Mission Center’s (OCMC) Support a Mission Priest (SAMP) program. Your prayerful contribution will help make their vital work and witness possible. For more information or to become a SAMP supporter visit http://samp.ocmc.org, or contact Michelle DeAngelis by phone at 1-877-463-6784 or by e-mail at samp@ocmc.org.

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak in McKinney, TX

2011-10-07T09:38:00.000-04:00

OCMC Missionary Floyd Frantz to Speak in McKinney, TX

10/9/2011

St. Nicholas Orthodox Church
708 S. Chestnut
McKinney, TX 75069-6503

OCMC Missionary Mr. Floyd Frantz will be speaking at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in McKinney, Texas on 10/09/2011. Please contact Fr. Seraphim Holland by phone at 972-529-2754 or by e-mail at seraphim@orthodox.net for more information.

An Update from Missionary Christina Semon

2011-10-04T11:00:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends,

Glory to God for all things! My utmost appreciation for your prayers and support!

Your prayers have not been in vain as trials and struggles are prevalent in the missionary field. I have relocated to a new parish in the town called Orhei to better serve my youth ministry. Most of the youth were on summer vacation and those young people that were around had wonderful and exciting experiences at summer religious camps and pilgrimages. The Metropolia of Bucovia and Moldova of Romania invited us to participate in these spiritual events and one could see their love for their neighboring brothers and sisters.

Now that school has started in Orhei, the amount of activity for the body of the church will increase at the local parish church called Saint Basil. Through the blessing of Fr. Sergiu Aga, parish priest of St. Basil, I am currently developing an English program for all ages and a knitting activity with young ladies at the half-way house called “Toward Independence” run by Diaconia- the social outreach department of the Bessarabian Orthodox Church. We have already initiated these activities which are improving as time goes by and we are eager to provide more ways of feeding the souls of the youth.

It is true that ministry work can take time; but if you yourself don’t watch your soul, you can spiritually dry up. To avoid this danger, and better equip me as a missionary, I have enrolled in the Masters’ Program in the Theological Department at Alexander Ioan Cuza University in Iasi, Romania. This theological education can enable me to have credentials that will be of benefit in the mission field and life in general. Also, in the near future, we are looking forward to planting little seeds through inaugurating a catechism class for children and a church youth group to educate and build leadership within the youth of today.

I wish all of you a happy ecclesiastical new year and good strength in following Christ!

In Christ,

Christina Semon

OCMC Family Event to be Held in Erie, CO.

2011-10-01T15:50:00.000-04:00

OCMC Family Event to be Held in Erie, CO.

11/13/2011
4-7 pm

St. Luke Orthodox Church
722 Austin Avenue
Erie, Colorado
United States
80516

Mission Team Denver will be hosting an OCMC Family Event at St. Luke Orthodox Church in Erie, Colorado on 11/13/2011 from 4-7 pm. Please contact OCMC Ambassador Sue Nelson by phone at 303-665-4013 or by e-mail at ssnelson22@aol.com for more information.

A Video Song from Missionary Maria Roeber

2011-09-28T11:54:00.001-04:00

OCMC Representative Kenneth Kidd to Speak in Macon, GA.

2011-09-28T11:23:00.000-04:00

OCMC Representative Kenneth Kidd to Speak in Macon, GA.
10/30/2011

Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church

859 1st St
Macon, Georgia
United States
31201

OCMC Representative Mr. Kenneth Kidd will be speaking at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church in Macon, Georgia on 10/30/2011 following the Divine Liturgy. Please contact Fr. John Stefero by phone at 478-621-0744 or by e-mail at holycrossofmacon@ymail.com for more information.

OCMC Representative Kenneth Kidd to Speak in Macon, GA.

2011-09-28T11:21:00.000-04:00

OCMC Representative Kenneth Kidd to Speak in Macon, GA.
10/29/2011

St. Innocent Orthodox Church

7301 Rivoli Rd
Macon, Georgia
United States
31210-0307

OCMC Representative Mr. Kenneth Kidd will be speakin at St. Innocent Orthodox Church in Macon, Georgia on 10/29/2011. Mr. Kidd will be leading a short retreat beginning at 4:00 pm, followed by Great Vespers at 6:00 pm. Please contact Fr. Theophan Buck by phone at 478-994-1648 or by e-mail at info@st-innocent.org for more information.

Turkana Liturgy: A Video from Missionary Michael Pagedas

2011-09-23T17:26:00.000-04:00

The Beauty of Simplictity: 2011 OCMC Healthcare Team to Uganda

2011-09-21T12:14:00.001-04:00

By Catherine Furry

I wish I could capture in words what it felt like to look into the eyes of the children who carried in their younger siblings to receive malaria treatment, the dehydrated baby separated from her young mother who was hospitalized with AIDS complications, the elderly grandparents suffering from chronic pain from years of intense physical labor to feed their families . . . and know that we were at least making a little bit of difference. I wish I could share with you the experience of handing out prescriptions in paper bags from our makeshift pharmacy on the bed of a pickup truck that we set up next to a little mud-wall, dirt-floor, straw-roof church (my favorite church ever!) and the grateful smile and "webale" (thank you) in return. To show up at a church in the morning and see a crowd of people already waiting for us, some of whom had walked miles and miles barefoot to get there, was a humbling experience.

The need that remains both in Uganda and world-wide is still great, but each interaction with the people we did encounter was an opportunity for us not only to serve and practice being witnesses of Christ’s love, but also to learn from the people with whom we interacted and build relationships. I think one of the biggest things I learned was the beauty of simplicity. Our operation wasn’t high tech -- we set up our clinics in the local Orthodox churches (though open to all faiths), used school benches to perform exams, and filled prescriptions on cardboard boxes – but we were still able to offer a little something of what we could give to several thousand people, and they received it with joy and gratitude, opening their hearts and homes to us. The love with which they welcomed us will always stay with me, and I’ve definitely come home inspired to continue serving both near my US home and hopefully abroad again.

September/October SAMP Spotlight: Fr. Frumentios Taubata

2011-09-17T17:07:00.002-04:00

September/October SAMP Spotlight: Fr. Frumentios Taubata

Fr. Frumentios Taubata serves in South Africa, serving the community in Attredgeville.

There are nearly 400 priests serving in 20 countries around the world who depend on support from OCMC's Support A Mission Priest Program. Please help us to provide this much needed assistance by making a gift to the SAMP Program at www.ocmc.org, and continue to pray for these faithful servants who minister to our brothers and sisters around the world.

Sunday School in Lodwar: A video from Missionary Michael Pagedas taken during the recent Kenya Mission Team.

2011-09-09T11:29:00.001-04:00

A Day in the Life (You Can't Make this Stuff Up): An Update from Missionary James Hargrave

2011-09-06T09:27:00.001-04:00

I have recently been at our yearly Archdiocesan youth seminar. This is a three-week event bringing together young people (aged roughly 15 - 65) from a particular vicarage (aka deanery) of the Holy Archdiocese of Mwanza for fellowship, shared liturgical life, participation in the sacramental life of the Church, education on a variety of topics including agriculture, health, etc. and two weeks of Christian education provided by teachers from the Finnish Orthodox Mission and from OCMC.

Caring for 100+ young people and ten foreigners, on a bare hillside in rural Africa, with minimal infrastructure (providing them with food and shelter, making sure that they are comfortable enough to keep going, looking after healthcare needs) is no joke. It's serious business. It's very tough. It's exhausting, frustrating, difficult, terrifying... and exhilarating. Things are going very, very, very, very well.

Archdiocesan leadership is working very hard to plan and manage the seminar well. But as hard as we try to plan, plans fail. And some of the best things are totally unplanned. I'd like to tell you about something that happened yesterday.

Yesterday was the Team's afternoon off. An excursion for the team was arranged through a local tour company and I had the privilege of joining them. Our first stop was a mountain on the Kamachuma Plateau, where we climbed to the top to visit some caves and see a spectacular view stretching to Rwanda.

On the way up the mountain, our guide took a wrong turn and asked directions from a local coffee farmer. The farmer guided us back to the path and, as we were departing, asked who we were. We told him.

This elderly farmer followed behind us, up a steep rocky slope, all the way to the top of the mountain. He caught up with us in the caves wearing clothes in tatters, barefoot with thickly calloused feet. I exchanged greetings with him, and told him a bit more about the Team and about the youth seminar over the hills in Ibale.

"I am an Orthodox Christian," the old peasant told me. "I am a catechist."

This coffee farmer was brought to Christ in 1977 by Father Sosthenes Kiyonga, one of the early missionary priests in this area. His name is Apolinario, and he has been a catechist for seventeen years in the parish area led by Father Ignatios Simba, a compatriot of Father Kiyonga and another lion of the faith. Apolinario invited the Team to his house to meet his wife Maria, and some of their children and grandchildren. He led a short prayer service, and then the Team sang the "Lord have mercy" of the Holy Cross in Finnish, Greek, English and Kiswahili. Apolinario and Maria took all of our names, and promised to remember us in their daily prayers. We took their names and the names of their children and grandchildren, with the same commitment to prayer.

Father Kiyonga passed away several years ago. One of his sons, Anastasios Kiyonga, is the church musician for the Holy Archdiocese of Mwanza and is one of the leaders at our youth seminar. His work has been very helpful and valuable to the Team this year and in past years.

Some of you may have heard a certain missionary say, "You can't make this stuff up!" You really can't. The Team's work has been very valuable. We have been working very hard to help them see our life here in ways that make sense to them, that are neither overly bewildering nor overly protective. One of the weaknesses of this sort of event is that it is indeed an event. The Team is not witnessing the ordinary life of the Church because the Team's very presence among us is extraordinary. But then, there on the mountain, God sent our guide on the wrong path so that we could share in the everyday life, just for a moment, of a rural Orthodox Christian peasant family who have born witness to, and participated in, the historic missionary life of our Church.

2011 Albania Teaching Team Pictures

2011-09-01T11:19:00.021-04:00

OCMC Seeks Volunteers

2011-08-31T12:17:00.000-04:00

The Orthodox Christian Mission center located in St. Augustine, FL is seeking volunteers who are able to help with mailings, i.e., stuffing, labeling and sealing envelopes, folding letters, and possible bulk mail sorting all within the St. Augustine office. There is typically a 3-5 day advanced notice for requested volunteers. If you are interested in any of the above tasks and are local or able to get to the St. Augustine office, please contact Phyllis Skinner at 904-829-5132 x164 or by email at Phyllis@ocmc.org.

2011 Uganda Healthcare Team Pictures

2011-08-30T10:40:00.009-04:00

Turkana Communion: A Video from Missionary Michael Pagedas

2011-08-30T10:30:00.000-04:00

Gezuar Pashket! An Update from Missionary Anastasia Pamela Barksdale

2011-08-26T11:03:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

Pascha this year will mark my three year anniversary in Albania. As I reflected on this fact, I thought, how quickly time is passing as I am involved in the various ministries, ministries rich with the blessings of God’s grace and friends. My Christian Education and Field Work program with the students at the Seminary has grown considerably. For the first two years, my students’ work has included a teaching assignment at of one of the Kids’ Clubs or the Church in Tirana, under the direction of fellow missionaries, Nathan and Gabriela Hoppe. This year His Grace Bishop Nikola, Dean of the Resurrection of Christ Theological Academy, began to also send the students to local villages and churches in Durres and Kavaja. This has been an exciting challenge for me in many new ways. Saturday there are catechism programs at Shen Vlash for the village children and in Tirana at the Roma Community. Sunday there are catechism programs in Tirana, in Durres, in Kavajes and at a local village church, in Rushku, and Sunday evening in a home in a suburb of Durres, Shkozet. Just getting to the various locations is a bit of an adventure and has prompted me to seriously consider acquiring a car.

What has been really fulfilling has been identifying the needs of the six very different catechetical settings outside Tirana and trying to implement new strategies and methods for improving their programs. In conjunction with this effort, OCMC has approved funding for ministry relating to a new Catechetical Resource Center at the Seminary through my missionary support account. The catechism programs are funded partially by the Orthodox Church of Albania and partially from my support account, made up of donations from you, my prayer partners. Therefore, I want to account to you for the work we are doing and to keep you posted on our progress so that you can keep us in your prayers. Also, if you are a Facebook fan, I have been posting pictures from the various events on my Profile page and in my Cause: Pray with Missionary Anastasia Pamela Barksdale for the Orthodox Church in Albania. Thank you for your continued support of this vital and important ministry.

Recent Events:

This Spring, the Children’s Office offered to conduct an “Outreach” program in Durres for our catechism classes at the Saints Paul and Asti Church, located near the local boardwalk. My students joined with the Children’s Office staff and the Durres youth group to conduct a series of youth oriented activities to bring the “good news” about our catechism program to the general public, as well as the local Orthodox community. The number of new children actually joining our catechism classes, to-date, has been small, but the activity did enable my students to encounter the unchurched children of Durres, reorganize our program, establishing two classrooms and begin developing interactive activities with the Church’s youth group.

Last week, the first step of the Resource Center at Shen Vlash Monastery became a reality as 22 children gathered at 8:00 am on a Saturday morning in our new classroom space. Tomorrow my students and a group of volunteers will meet once again to paint a second room which will be for younger children. My goal is to establish “age appropriate” classrooms for children 5 to 9 years and 10 – 13 years.

One of the major complaints my students have about their teaching assignments is the “conditions” under which they must teach. So often there is no real classroom, maybe they teach in a living room, a field, a beach, or the narthex of the Church. Thus, I am trying to create a teaching lab; one which I hope will set a standard, and then we can talk about the things we can and cannot control in a learning environment. Often in Albania, new ideas or concepts are difficult to explain because of the lack of experience, which provides a reference for the students. Our first “new” classroom has been painted and shelves assembled and I have begun to equip it with visual aid tools like bulletin boards, white boards, and flannel boards; cd players to use in teaching songs and hymns and playing games. Several students have artistic abilities and are painting thematic pictures of Jesus with children. Learning to use visual aids and interactive materials is still a very new idea in Albania.

Our final stage will be to set up a room that will be our workshop space for conducting training, developing curriculum and lesson plans. Besides computer equipment and a data projector, we also plan to collect materials from all the various diocese ministries in Albania and have them available for reference. We would also like to develop a good collection of craft ideas, games, songs, etc. Having resource materials readily available comes slowly here, but it is something we are working at all the time.

In the hopes that some of my prayer partners in the States would want to help, I have set up a Wish List on Amazon.Com. You can access this list at the following link:

Pamela's Wish List

Permalink: http://amzn.com/w/3CO8T0CCGDK56

Please share the list with others. If just a few people send one or two items, we could improve our program very quickly. Fr. Luke Veronis is coming to Albania the end of May and promised to try to bring things with his Mission Institute team, but packages must arrive by May 25th. Father Luke's shipping address is 41 Noble St, Dudley, MA 01571. Otherwise, mail by slow boat to Albania to: Anastasia Pamela Barksdale, c/o Kisha Orthodhoskia, Rruge e Kavajes, 151 Mitropolia, Tirana, Albania. Please help if you are able.

OCMC Team Baptisms in Turkana

2011-08-24T12:24:00.001-04:00

Tanzania and James: St Jacob of Alaska 2011 Update

2011-08-23T11:46:00.001-04:00

Dear friends,

Furaha na amani! Joy and peace!

And greetings from Tanzanian winter. It's hovering around 18 degrees- 65 Fahrenheit- and although it's the dry season we have had some small rainshowers. I've been reading about the extreme heat waves in North America. If you're pitying me for having to endure Africa's supposedly harsh and unforgiving climate, don't!

Here in Mwanza we are making final preparations for receiving volunteers from the Finnish Orthodox Mission and OCMC who will participate in a rural youth seminar in Muleba District of Kagera Region. This is an annual event, taking place in a different deanery each year, and currently our major ministry with youth at an Archdiocesan level. Event planning in rural Tanzania is a little different from event planning in North America. It's been fun.

In June, I was pleased to welcome two newcomers to the Archdiocese of Mwanza. OCMC Missionary Maria Roeber, a maternity nurse from Georgetown, arrived last month after more than two years of preparation. Maria hopes to help the Archdiocese of Mwanza develop its health care ministry, possibly by working at Resurrection Hospital in Bukoba or through other means. She is also helping OCMC to develop regional long-term health-care strategy elsewhere in East Africa. Maria is currently stationed in Bukoba town for her time of language and culture acquisition, and I have thoroughly enjoyed catching up with her in the past two weeks.

Meg Engelbach, an Intercultural Studies/ Linguistics student at Biola University in Southern California, is serving a summer internship here in the Archdiocese of Mwanza. She is living with a local family in Mwanza city, sharing in their life and learning from them. Meg is also learning Kiswahili and using her experience to help improve language-learning materials to better address East African linguaculture. God willing, Meg's notes and suggestions will be of benefit to future OCMC missionaries as they learn language in this part of the world. I've enjoyed having Meg around, and am very impressed with her dedication and adaptability. It is my hope to continue to play a role in welcoming students and interns to share life with us here in Western Tanzania as they broaden their own experiences and make decisions about possible long-term missionary service in the future.

It's been a good winter, and I'm looking forward to what lies ahead. I am grateful to each of you for your prayers, encouragement, and long-term commitment to financial support. I am here because of you. Stay in touch!

By your prayers in Christ,

James Hargrave

My First Journey to Albania: An Update from Missionary Candidate Jeffrey Macdonald

2011-08-18T10:54:00.000-04:00

In 2010, I visited Albania in order to meet with Archbishop Anastasios in the capital of Tirana, and to visit the Holy Resurrection Seminary in Durres. I had the privilege to travel in conjunction with a Missions class from Holy Cross and St. Vladimir's Seminaries taught by Fr. Luke Veronis, a former OCMC Missionary in Albania and author of the recent book, Go Forth: Stories of Mission and Resurrection in Albania.

Albania is along the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, north of Greece. Albania became an independent country in 1912, following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire. After World War II, Albania fell under communist rule until 1992. In 1967, the communist government outlawed religion, destroying or confiscating all religious buildings, and attempting to eliminate the Christian faith.

Prior to its conquest by the Turks, Albania was part of the Roman Empire. During this period, Albania’s port of Durres was an important link between Italy and the Roman road to Thessalonica and Constantinople. Christianity is thought to have come to Albania with the visit of St. Paul to Durres in the first century. By the end of the first century the Church in Durres had grown and had its own bishop, Asti, who was martyred under the Emperor Trajan.

Durres today contains extensive Roman ruins including a large amphitheater. I had the opportunity to visit this amphitheater with Nathan Hoppe, an OCMC Missionary in Albania, and to see the remains of two early Christian chapels built in its passageways to commemorate Christians who were martyred there.

I was also able to visit a site associated with another early Christian martyrdom when I visited Holy Resurrection Seminary built on a hill, overlooking Durres. The hill was the site of the Monastery of St. Vlash (Blaise). Tradition ascribes his martyrdom to this spot in the fourth century, which suggests that he is a different person than the well known St. Blaise of Sebaste, martyred in Armenia. The Church was an important pilgrimage site known for miraculous healings, and perhaps for this reason was the first church destroyed at the beginning of the anti-religious campaign of 1967. The church was rebuilt following the fall of communism in 1992, and the hill is now also the location of the Holy Resurrection Seminary and the Home of Hope for children. During my visit to the Seminary, I was able to meet with Bishop Nikola and some of the seminarians, and also to attend a large youth retreat held at the Seminary.

The Christian faith spread in Albania, as in the rest of the Roman world, following the end of the Roman persecutions in the fourth century. Unfortunately, much of the material heritage of Christianity in Albania was damaged or destroyed during the communist period, when approximately sixteen hundred Orthodox churches were destroyed. However, since the end of communism, the Orthodox Church in Albania, with the help of others, has rebuilt and repaired many of these damaged and destroyed buildings.

In contrast to historic Durres on the coastal plain, Tirana, the capital, is a more recent and much larger city surrounded by mountains. Here, I was able to visit an important exhibit of Albanian Christian manuscripts. These manuscripts had been confiscated by the communist government and were now being displayed to the Albanian public for the first time. Two of the manuscripts were Gospels from the sixth century. Their existence testifies to the tenacity of the Christian witness in Albania despite the many invasions that disrupted life in the Balkans through the Middle Ages and the Turkish conquest of the fifteenth century.

Unfortunately, many Christians abandoned their faith during the approximately four hundred years of Turkish rule. As a result, by the time of the communist takeover, only twenty percent of Albanians were still members of the Orthodox Church. Following this, the years of communist persecution largely reduced Albania to a secular country. However, following the end of communism in 1992, church life has been revived under the leadership of Archbishop Anastasios. He is a leading proponent of Orthodox missions, who, after serving in East Africa, has overseen the enormous work of rebuilding the Church in Albania after the fall of communism.

While in Tirana, I also met a number of the clergy and church workers, and had a chance to speak briefly about St. Herman of Alaska to the Orthodox Sisterhood. The two functioning Orthodox churches in Tirana were restored to the Church by the government. A new, larger, cathedral is now being built to replace the one that was destroyed.

Albania has a long heritage of Christian faith, but due to historical circumstances the majority of the country has been deprived of the knowledge of Christ for many years. However, now, by God’s mercy, the end of communism and the rebuilding of the Church in Albania have created an opportunity for the spread of the gospel. It was good to see how energetically this work has been begun, and we look forward to the possibility of being able to assist the Church there in its further growth.

The Work of the Holy Spirit in Uganda: by Team Member Penelope McClintock

2011-08-17T12:04:00.001-04:00

Our first day of setting up a healthcare clinic in a small town in rural Uganda was a mild frenzy. Our small Team of eight Americans, consisting of two doctors, three nurses, and two students, was faced with the great challenge of providing basic medical care and medications to over one hundred Ugandans crowding around a church door and open window, which we turned into a makeshift doctor’s office and pharmacy. Amid the chaotic crowds waiting to receive their medicine, the piles of triage cards, and the constant chatter of mixed English and Lugandan (the major language spoken in the district of Sembabule), we managed to successfully treat and provide medication to children with intestinal worms, families stricken with malaria, babies with fevers, scalps balding due to ringworm, and women and men suffering from various STDs. Most patients received their prescriptions with enormous smiles, saying “Webale” (meaning “Thank you”), and would depart us with a shake of the hand in gratitude. It felt wonderful to provide these people with the medicine they needed, to eat with them, to discuss our lives together, and to connect over sharing a common faith although we live an entire ocean apart.

However, not every patient’s story was one of success that day. Of the hundreds of faces I met, the face of a teenage girl, simple and serene, held slightly crooked while she walked from the church on a crutch, stands out in my mind from that first clinic. We were able to diagnose the large infected wound in her shoulder as osteomyelitis, an infection of the bone and bone marrow. Without treatment, her infection was becoming progressively worse. Even though our Team offered her grandfather enough money to provide her transportation to a hospital, he refused to take her, and we had to leave the town that day knowing we could do nothing to help her. And yet, as our van made its way down the red dirt road away from the church, she smiled at us with the most grateful eyes, and waved us on our way.

Over the course of the next week, our Team vastly improved our efficiency in triage and prescription filling in the pharmacy. We would transform a stone church filled with wooden pews into a waiting area, examination area, shot area, wound care area, working pharmacy, and medication dispensary. Our Team worked together, along with the help of some wonderful translators and Ugandan Orthodox priests, to take what we learned from the chaos of the first clinic and turn it into a smooth and systematic operation.

However, riding down the bumpy road to our last clinic, none of us were prepared to be faced with our biggest challenge yet. The church we had to work with was not a large empty room filled with convenient wooden benches, but a dark tiny hut made of mud and straw. We had only a couple of benches to use for the doctors and pharmacy, and there was already a line of people eagerly awaiting our arrival. Because it was too dark inside the church for the doctors to see, we had to set up outside… and there were dark rainclouds forming in the distance. Although we were using boxes to make work tables, filling prescriptions in the back of a van, and grabbing the medicine and running inside the church every time we felt raindrops, we managed to see every single person who came to us that day. Just as the girl with osteomyelitis welcomed what little help we had for her, and did not pout at her misfortune but responded to us only with gratitude for what we could give her, I felt that our meager resources that day only made us more determined to run a successful clinic. Despite the simple setup, we provided the same quality of care and medicine, and we felt even deeper the spirit of the people we had come to help, experiencing life the way they do each day. This spirit, one of hospitality, gratitude, love, and delight in simplicity, is the most striking mark of the people in Uganda, and the most evident way that our Team was able to experience the work of the Holy Spirit in Africa.

The Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) organizes many different short-term Mission Teams. As a twenty-one year old nursing student, I joined a Healthcare Team based in Uganda. We spent two weeks setting up healthcare clinics and administering basic medications through the Orthodox Church in Uganda. This experience was incredibly humbling, and one that I will carry with me in both my spiritual and professional life as a nurse.

Missionary Maria Roeber's First Sunday in Tanzania

2011-08-15T12:01:00.001-04:00

A Dormition of the Theotokos Greeting from the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC)

2011-08-12T11:11:00.002-04:00

The staff, board and missionaries of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) pray that you, your loved ones, and your community have a blessed Dormition Feast. May the prayers of the Theotokos be with us all as we, inspired by her perfect obedience, strive to share the love of Christ with the world.

My First Journey to Albania: An Update from Missionary Candidate Jeffrey Macdonald

2011-08-11T11:44:00.002-04:00

OCMC in Turkana

2011-08-10T11:03:00.001-04:00

To Supporters of Katie Wilcoxson

2011-08-09T11:21:00.000-04:00

Dear Supporters of Katie Wilcoxson,

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!

On behalf of all our missionaries and staff, thank you so very much for your faithful financial support and prayers for Katie Wilcoxson, OCMC missionary to Tanzania. As you are aware, Katie was “tried by fire” from the beginning of her assignment, having to undergo an emergency appendectomy very soon after her arrival in Tanzania. During the months that followed, she experienced pain which defied diagnosis. On 21 April Katie returned to the USA on medical leave. We have worked diligently and long with her to provide good care for soul and body, hoping for clearance from our medical professionals for her to return to Tanzania to resume missionary service. Unfortunately, that clearance has not yet been given. Options and short-term alternative assignments were discussed with Katie, but on 29 July we received her letter of resignation, and we regretfully accepted it. She wrote these words in her final letter to her support team:

I'm sure this will come as a surprise for many of you, but I turned in my resignation with OCMC. Of course, that was a very difficult decision, but I know that it was the right one for me. I will miss my Tanzanian family and friends, but I want to thank each and every one of you for your prayers and your kindness and your support.

We are grateful for Katie’s willingness to serve our Lord through His Church in Africa, and for the offering of her skills and talents to this worthy ministry. We are very thankful for her faithful and loving family, for her life-giving parish in Cedar Park, Texas, and for her Archdiocese which so faithfully supported her. We are going to miss her. I know you will continue to pray with us for her health and welfare, knowing that God’s ultimate plans for her will continue to unfold in accordance with her salvation and His holy will. No doubt, the Lord has special plans for Katie.

According to OCMC policy and IRS regulations, any remaining balance of funds in Katie’s support account will be disbursed to other missionaries serving in Africa. Your donations will be well invested into the lives of current and future missionaries. OCMC has four other missionaries serving in Africa at this time, and more applicants and new missionary candidates are now being prepared for service. Thank you in advance on their behalf for helping to make this all possible.

We encourage you to consider transferring your pledge or designate future support to another OCMC missionary so we can continue our work in Africa. You may do so by using the enclosed form to indicate your intentions. Please keep Katie, OCMC, and all of our missionaries throughout the world in your prayers, as we continue to thank God for you.

Yours because of Christ,

Fr. David Rucker
Associate Director

Tanzanian Taxis: An Update from Missionary Katherine Wilcoxson

2011-08-04T10:49:00.000-04:00

Hailing a taxi in Tanzania can be a bit tricky, mainly for two reasons: when you are trying to flag down a taxi, ninety-five percent of the time there is no sign on the car to show it is a taxi. Most of the time you are taking a chance hailing the cars that are driving past you. There are two kinds of cars in Bukoba: personal cars and cars being used as taxis. Four door economy size cars are most common in Bukoba. There is no certain color or sign on any car letting you know the car is a taxi--even if the taxi is in use there is still no way to tell! The only way you know for sure is if the car drives past you--then it probably wasn't a taxi.

The other reason hailing a taxi is tricky is because you must negotiate the price. It is a game you play with the driver, and the game goes something like this: You approach a group of men standing outside their cars. Usually the men are socializing or reading newspapers. As you get closer, the men start to whistle and yell, “Taxi! you need a taxi?” The drivers never argue with each other, so you pick one man and start the negotiations:

Driver: “Mambo” (How’s it going>)

Me: “Poa, Ninakwenda Posta” (Good, I must go to the post office.)

Driver: “Twende” (Let’s go!)

Me: “Shilingi ngapi” (How many shillings?)

Driver: Elfu mbili” (Two thousand shillings--that's about $1.33)

Me: “Mia tano” (One thousand shillings--that's about $0.66)

Driver: “Sawasawa” (Okay!)

Most of the time you and the driver agree on a price, but sometimes you don’t. When you don’t agree on a price it is important, as you would with any haggling, to be prepared to walk away. A few times I have had to walk back and agree to the price that the driver proposed, and that's a little embarrassing.

But it is also important to have a regular, trusted taxi driver for safety reasons. We don’t have to worry about this issue because we have Godfrey. Godfrey was a driver that was introduced to us by Fr. Spyridon. When we first met Godfrey he was wearing a fez. This is a hat usually wore by men of the Muslim faith. When we asked Godfrey about his faith, he said he was a Lutheran. Confused, we asked him why he wears a hat that is usually worn by only Muslim men. He said he just liked to wear the hat for fashion purposes. Godfrey is one of our best friends in Tanzania. He is always looking out for our best interests. When he saw me riding on motorcycle-taxis, he lovingly scolded me and reminded me that, while motorcycle taxis are cheaper, they are very also dangerous. When Godfrey arrives at our house, he always greets us with a jolly "Furaha na Amani." You cannot help but smile and feel happy when you are riding with Godfrey--and you don't have to negotiate the price.

Be Free,

kt

August SAMP Spotlight: Fr. Emmanuel Ssekyewa

2011-08-02T11:22:00.002-04:00

August SAMP Spotlight: Fr. Emmanuel Ssekyewa

Fr. Emmanuel Ssekyewa serves in Uganda, at St.Nicholas Orthodox Church in Namagoma.

There are nearly 400 priests serving in 20 countries around the world who depend on support from OCMC's Support A Mission Priest Program. Please help us to provide this much needed assistance by making a gift to the SAMP Program at www.ocmc.org, and continue to pray for these faithful servants who minister to our brothers and sisters around the world.

Help Others Answer the Call to Missions by Serving as an OCMC Ambassador

2011-07-30T14:41:00.000-04:00

International missions is an opportunity to grow in our Orthodox Christian faith, and it is a powerful way to bring Orthodox communities together for a common cause. Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) Ambassadors serve at the local parish to invite their fellow Orthodox Christians to participate in this life-saving, and hope-giving, work. Please consider volunteering to become an OCMC Ambassador at your parish today by calling Kenneth Kidd at 1-877-463-6784 ext. 161, or by visiting http://ambassadors.ocmc.org, to sign-up or for more information.

OCMC Missionaries Need Your Prayers and Support

2011-07-27T16:06:00.001-04:00

There are currently 23 Orthodox Christians from United States serving, or preparing to serve, as long-term OCMC missionaries in places like Alaska, Albania, Kenya, Japan, and Tanzania. These faithful servants offer a living witness to the Orthodox Faith and the hope, love, and salvation made possible through Christ to people who may have never heard the message of the Gospel. Please pray for our brothers and sisters who have answered the call to give two or more years of their life to the work of making disciples of all nations. Please remember them in your prayers and support their ministry efforts by visiting http://www.ocmc.org/donate and click “Support a Missionary”. Thank you in advance for making this vital work of the Church possible.

Commissioning of Missionary Maria Roeber

2011-07-26T11:37:00.000-04:00

Bringing the Christian Message to Turkana: By Team Member Stephanos Ritsi

2011-07-26T10:55:00.002-04:00

Turkana. To me this word evokes memories of stifling heat, colorful clothes, joyous song, and vibrant dancing. This was the second trip for my wife and me to these beautiful people, located in the far northwestern desert of Kenya. Some of the Turkana people are considered an unreached people group which means that they have not heard the name of Jesus Christ, or don't know enough about Him to become Christian. It has been a joy and an honor to minister in Turkana and we hope to return there in the future.

After a Team orientation in Boston and long hours traveling, we arrived in Lodwar, the largest city in Turkana-land. We made an additional four-hour drive through the arid desert to reach Loupwala, where our first catechitical seminar was held. As we began that last leg, we realized that we had the same Land Cruiser our Team had last year. Because of years of use on the bumpy rutted roads of the region, the 4X4 no longer worked. Not to our surprise, we soon were stuck in the soft sand. After thirty minutes of pushing and the help of another car (with a working 4X4) we were on our way again. Then darkness fell. The narrow road was at times lined by thorn trees and because of the heat all the windows were open and thorn branches would whack those sitting near the windows. After another two hours of constant vigilance from the approaching thorn bushes, and getting stuck in the sand several more times, we finally arrived at the compound of the Orthodox priest serving Loupwala, Fr. Zachariah. We set up our tents in the dark, and fell asleep.

The next day we woke up, purified water from the new bore hole built by OCMC, and walked to where people had gathered under the shade of an acacia tree. We began celebrating the Divine Liturgy, the same sacred sacrament that millions of Orthodox celebrate every Sunday across the world. As similar as the service was, it was also different. The scorching sun; the different sounds of the Turkana language; the smells of a desert; the sand blowing with the wind; the rhythmic dancing of the congregation. Yet for all the differences, the experience melded together with the familiar; the same petitions; the same readings from the Gospel and Epistle; the same Body and Blood of Christ.

Fr. Vladamir, another priest living in the region, had told us that after the Liturgy we would baptize around 20 people. We walked down to the dry riverbed to look for a pool of water although it had not rained for almost a year and the river had been dry for many months. The entire community walked as a mass of people in a giant procession towards the river. This is how early Christians must have felt. Walking together, sharing in each other’s joy. Eventually we found a pool of water and started the baptisms. 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 – 10 – 15 - 25 – 50 – 100 – 119! An entire community was baptized. Not 20 people, but 119! After finishing the baptisms, we slowly walked back; hot, dehydrated, hungry, tired and overjoyed. Once back at Fr. Zachariah’s compound we collapsed on the woven mats and drank as much water as we wanted. What a difference the newly constructed bore hole made from last year’s Team when we rationed our water.

The next day we were supposed to go to Nacabosan, an hour’s walk from our base in Loupwala, an area we had been invited to bring the Christian message. The priests of the area told us that there had been a falling out between the two villages, yet after much discussion we decided to go anyway. Nacabosan is also an hour’s walk from the nearest dirt road and deep in one of the most remote regions of Kenya. A little nervous about how we would be received, we walked through the already hot sun to Nacabosan. Once there we were greeted by Salale, the shaman of the village. We were shown a place they had built just for us to stay if we wanted to stay overnight and their village school, located under an acacia tree. Under the acacia tree we performed skits of Bible stories and then broke up into small groups for catechism lessons. Later the members of our team and the young adults from the village stood in a circle and took turns teaching each other the simplest songs we could remember. It was a beautiful experience of unity trying to pronounce the foreign sounds of the Turkana language, trying to teach our difficult language, and finally dancing together. We gave Salale a solar powered MP3 player with the Bible loaded in the Turkana language. Finally, before we left one of the Elders of the village led the entire village in a prayer. He thanked us for the lessons we brought about God and prayed for reconciliation with the village of Loupwala. Having finished our lessons and saying our goodbyes, we started back towards Loupwala. Forty minutes later we arrived at the dry river bed we had crossed that morning. The river had started flowing! As we crossed the river and felt the air rushing out of the newly wet sand we thought how beautiful it was to witness this blessing of God on the two villages.

While many other beautiful events occurred on this trip I would like to leave you with this thought. Thanks to your prayers and support the Church in Africa is growing. We heard stories of miracles on our trip. We saw a people embracing Christ. We saw a river flow in a drought stricken region. Going on a mission trip is a life-changing experience. As much good as you can bring to those you go to serve, you get more in return.

Video from Missionary Michael Pagedas: Easter Sunday

2011-07-22T15:45:00.000-04:00

Maria Roeber's First Report from the Field

2011-07-21T10:38:00.002-04:00

Farah na amani! Joy and Peace!

This is the traditional Christian greeting here in Tanzania, and it’s one of the first phrases I’ve learned since arriving here about a week ago! Greetings from Bukoba!

My journey here started in State College, Pennsylvania where I’d been staying with my parents for the month of May, having moved out of my apartment in the DC area. While Mom headed to California to visit my brother, Dad drove me down to Washington, where I boarded a plane for London. My next flight took me to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Next I flew to Mwanza, a smaller city on the Eastern side of Lake Victoria. My fellow OCMC Missionary, Michael Pagedas, welcomed me to town and we spent a couple of days resting there before taking an overnight ferry across Lake Victoria to Bukoba!

I’m living in a house belonging to the Orthodox Church , right next to Twelve Apostles Orthodox Church, quite a fitting name since my first Sunday Liturgy here fell on the Feast of Pentecost! Between Matins and Liturgy, Kneeling Vespers and the Churching of a mother and child, the service lasted about four hours! Quite a welcome! I now know a few more phrases in Kiswahili: “Bwana hurumia,” means “Lord, have mercy,” and “Amina” means “Amen!” I’ve also learned that “Karibu!” means, “Welcome!” and everyone here says it to me! “Asante” means, “Thank you!” and I say that word more than anything else!

The weather here is a balmy 75 degrees, with blue skies and sunshine all day, every day. We’re officially in the “dry season,” so I’m being diligent about sunscreen and hats, as we’re very close to the equator . Outside the house are palm trees and roses in the front garden, as well as an avocado tree in the back yard! We’ve had guacamole for dinner a couple of times already!

Speaking of food, the diet here consists mostly of carbohydrate staples like beans and rice, and potatoes. We eat those every day for our main meal, and usually have some type of fried bread for breakfast. I’ve eaten pineapple and guava so far, and vegetables are usually green peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant. Dairy is fairly non-existent, although you can buy eggs here. Meat is rare in our household diet. We do have access to bottled water, which I am drinking almost to the exclusion of anything else!

Each morning the church bells awaken us for Matins, which is served at 7 am, and every evening we hear Father ring the bell for Vespers at 6 pm. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, we go to Liturgy. I’m blessed to have a copy of the Divine Liturgy with Kiswahili on one page and English on the next, so I am able to participate a little. I’ve been made most welcome in the congregation by many people, but especially by Simeon, our priest’s 16 month-old son. Simeon toddles up to me any time I enter church and either grabs my fingers to hold my hand or throws both of his arms around my knees until I pick him up. He’s been a delightful companion, as he’s in about the same language-development stage as I!

I have so much more to tell you, but I’ll save it for another update. Overall, I am well and am almost adjusted to the time change, I’m making small journeys into town to learn my way around and accomplish chores and errands, and I am blessed to live with dear friends and missionaries from the United States, so I am well supported by people who’ve been here for nearly a year.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support over the past year! I wouldn’t be here without you, and I am so excited to begin my ministry as a nurse and more importantly as a loving witness for Christ! You are in my prayers and I ask for yours! Glory to God for all things!

In Christ,

Maria

P.S. Check out the OCMC website or my Facebook page for videos and pictures of my commissioning in Washington, DC and of life here in Africa!

P.P.S. Feel free to email me by responding to this message—it’ll only be sent to me, and I am eager to here from you!

Video footage from Missionary Michael Pagedas: Good Friday in Bukoba

2011-07-20T15:23:00.000-04:00

Tanzania and James - Mid-Pentecost 2011 Update

2011-07-20T14:44:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends,

Kristo amefufuka! Christ is risen!

Greetings from Bukoba in northwest Tanzania, where I have spent the past week visiting with fellow missionaries and Archdiocesan leadership. Bukoba is the headquarters of Kagera Region, a brilliant green area with hills, mountains, and rocky cliffs cascading down into Lake Victoria. As I sit here listening to songbirds, I am only a ten-minute walk from the lakeside. Yesterday was the 15th anniversary of the sinking of the MV Bukoba, a passenger ship that went down nearby to the loss of more than eight hundred lives. It's a time of mourning and remembrance for the town.

Things are going well. On the Sunday of the Paralytic, I joined the Archdiocesan leadership to survey a community called Ibale, far up in the hills of Muleba District just south of here. Ibale looks essentially like a bare hillside with a church, a clergy home, and a view of hills and valleys dotted with homesteads and banana plantations. But it is central to a number of other communities, and so we have chosen it as the site for this year's youth seminar.

Every year the seminar is conducted in a different region of the Archdiocese of Mwanza, and every year we are joined by volunteers from the Finnish Orthodox Mission and from OCMC in North America, who assist in conducting the Christian education program. This year we hope to host up to two hundred students... yes, on a bare hillside. God willing, by the end of July there will be tents to house the students, staff and Team Members, kitchen and dining facilities, and temporary structures for classrooms. Already many details have come together since my initial visit in January, and it's exciting to see how much can be developed from apparently sparse resources.

On Friday, 20th May, I was invited to join Missionary Michael Pagedas on a visit to another rural community- this one called Rubale, in Bukoba Rural District, about a two-hour drive from town and site of Saint Sosthenes Secondary School. Although the school is only in its third year, already its students have made a big splash in National Examinations. I was impressed by the faculty and by the facilities - which are high-quality by local standards, but still face similar setbacks as other schools here... crowded dormitories, not enough desks for all the students, equipment shortages.

All secondary, post-secondary and graduate education in Tanzania uses English-language curriculum, so success in school depends heavily on ability to do academic work in English. Imagine if all North American high schools, colleges and universities conducted classes exclusively in Urdu (after English-only education through seventh grade) and you'll begin to get a sense of how great a challenge this is! So, at Archbishop JERONYMOS' request, the headmaster of St. Sosthenes and I are assessing the possibility for me to facilitate the school's English-language education. I am excited about the possibility.

These are only a few of many exciting things going on in our Archdiocese, but I'll mention only one more right now: Maria is coming! OCMC Missionary Maria Roeber hopes to arrive in Tanzania in early June, to begin learning local culture and Kiswahili language. She plans to be stationed in Bukoba, and is a maternity nurse from Georgetown University Hospital. Complications with birth are among the very biggest health issues locally, so once she has learned the language and culture well, Maria's professional abilities and calling will be of tremendous value. I've known Maria since 2008, and am eager to welcome her to Tanzania.

I miss you guys, and I miss my Florida! It recently hit me that Florida springtime has passed me by and I never saw a single azalea, camellia, phlox, dogwood or magnolia blossom. Lakeside Tanzania has probably the most perfect climate imaginable (Southern California is extreme by comparison), and it'd be hard for me to find anything to complain about here. But that doesn't mean I'm not just a little bit homesick...

Thank you for sending me here. Thank you for your financial support, for your friendship, for your correspondence and encouragement, and especially for your holy prayers. God is keeping and sustaining me because of you.

Amefufuka kweli! Truly he is risen!

By your prayers in Christ,

James Hargrave

Visit my webpage at http://jhargrave.ocmc.org.

OCMC Mission Team Skits present the Gospel to Turkana

2011-07-15T15:51:00.001-04:00

Pentecost: An Update from Missionary Katherine Wilcoxson

2011-07-15T15:11:00.000-04:00

Pentecost

"…they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language."

"Pole Sana"

It means "very sorry." This is the only phrase in Kiswahili that expresses sympathy for anything. In English there are so many different ways to express your sympathy. We even have sympathy greeting cards. There are also lots of physical ways of showing your sympathy for someone. Hugs are a big one, especially for me. I have always felt hugs were one of the best ways to show someone your sympathy or your love.

But I can't do that in Tanzania. Women don't even hug other women--and hugging someone of a different gender is a big taboo. People do shake hands in Tanzania, but hold your left hand on your right elbow while you're doing that. If you are an Orthodox Christian you might even say: "Furaha na Amani" (joy and peace), but it has been a struggle for me to find ways to show my love for others without hugging.

But, thanks be to God, on Pentecost, the Apostles, broke through this barrier and all other communication barriers through the power of the Holy Spirit. Now it's possible to communicate and love and even show sympathy across different languages and cultures.

But learning exactly how to do that is my Pentecost challenge. So please pray that the Holy Spirit will give me the wisdom and the guidance I need.

Sunday of Orthodoxy--Video footage from OCMC Missionary to Tanzania Michael Pagedas

2011-07-06T16:22:00.002-04:00

Agape Grants to Assist Ministries In Eight Countries in 2011

2011-07-06T15:40:00.000-04:00

The Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) is excited to announce some of its 2011 grants from the Agape Canister Program. So far in 2011, monies from Agape canisters will assist nine projects in eight countries: a Youth Camp in Albania; the Protection of the Theotokos Family Center, the St. Dimitrie Program in Romania; the St. Thomas House Orphanage in Indonesia; Youth Outreach in Kenya; Youth Day Camps in Kosovo; medical supplies in Uganda and Tanzania; and a Youth Camp in Guatemala. All of these projects will be administered by OCMC missionaries, mission priests, and mission teams during 2011 under the guidance of each respective hierarch.

OCMC 2010 Uganda Healthcare Team member Sue Nelson writes, “The last two mission trips that I participated in resulted in frustration over not having the most effective malaria medicine to offer, due to cost and availability and being somewhat misguided and ignorant of the full impact that malaria has on its victims. Medical missions are so expensive primarily because of the cost of the medications needed. Our Team applied for and received a grant from the Agape Program. We are most thankful for the Agape Program to provide this money to purchase medications.” The Agape Program has, again in 2011, awarded the Uganda Medical Team a grant to purchase medicines. Last year the team ministered to nearly 4,000 Ugandans and will do the same again this year.

For over 20 years, the Agape Canister Program has served as a philanthropic and development program of the OCMC that is dedicated to meeting the needs of children, families, and communities where Christ’s Church is newly planted and beginning to grow. Today, nearly 200 active Agape Canister Partners oversee approximately 1000 plastic Agape canisters placed in offices, restaurants, parishes, and businesses throughout the United States and Canada. New Agape partners willing to take responsibility for one or more canisters in their community are always in need. To find out more information about this vital part of international Orthodox missions and/or to become involved in the Agape Canister Program, call 1-877-GO-FORTH or email agape@ocmc.org.

Video footage from OCMC Missionary to Tanzania Michael Pagedas.

2011-07-05T20:12:00.002-04:00

OCMC Annual Report Now Available Online!

2011-07-05T15:49:00.001-04:00

Dear Faithful Supporters and Friends of international Orthodox missions,

Greetings in Christ on this blessed Feast Day of the Twelve Apostles! We are pleased to announce that the 2010 OCMC Annual Report is now available online at:
http://www.ocmc.org/images/PDFs/2010_Annual_Report_web.pdf
We invite you to review this report so that you can know how your time, prayer and support has helped share the message of love, hope, and salvation with people around the world. Please prayerfully consider renewing your support for the ministries of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center, so that we might continue to participate in the work begun by the Holy Apostles of making disciples of all nations.
Please know that you are in our prayers. On behalf of the OCMC staff, board, missionaries, and volunteers, we thank you for your continued prayers as well.

In Christ,
The Orthodox Christian Mission Center

July SAMP Spotlight: Fr. Christos Sarkar

2011-07-02T16:44:00.003-04:00

July SAMP Spotlight: Fr. Christos Sarkar

Fr. Christos Sarkar serves in India, at St.Thomas Orthodox Church in Arambagh Hooghly.

There are nearly 400 priests serving in 20 countries around the world who depend on support from OCMC's Support A Mission Priest Program. Please help us to provide this much needed assistance by making a gift to the SAMP Program at www.ocmc.org, and continue to pray for these faithful servants who minister to our brothers and sisters around the world.

Fast, But Not Fast Enough: An Update from Missionary Michael Pagedas

2011-06-16T16:03:00.000-04:00

Kristo Amefufuka! (Christ Has Risen!) Amefufuka Kweli! (Truly He Has Risen!)

The Orthodox Church of Tanzania has taken Great Lent and Pascha to a new level for me. Living next to the church, I was able to participate in all of the Pre-sanctified Liturgies, Akathist Hymns, and Holy Week services--something that had been all but impossible for me to do in the states. As with Christmas, I wasn’t subjected to holiday distractions like the Easter Bunny (which I recently discovered was a symbol taken from paganism!) and candy sales. Pascha was simply a feast day focusing on the Resurrection of Christ and nothing more.

This was definitely one of the more spiritual Lents I have had; but as far as fasting from food goes, I came up way short. Going into Lent, I knew things would be difficult, seeing as our daily diet is similar to what the monks eat on Mt. Athos and that we always take full advantage of any chance we get to stray from that diet. I decided that I would make this Lent more about what comes out of my mouth than what goes into it. It was almost like I knew what was in store for me. When Katie and I arrived in Nairobi (right in the middle of Lent) we soon discovered that fasting would be all but impossible. Our meals were included with our stay at the guest house, and it was all the stuff we missed eating stateside--burgers, pizza, and some of the best desserts we’ve had in almost 10 months. I gave in to the temptation based on 2 things: 1) it was the food that was prepared for us by our hosts, and 2) I knew that I probably wouldn’t get food like this until my next trip to Nairobi or until I got back to the states, whichever came first. Perhaps it was a cop-out on my part; but for me, fasting is more than just abstaining from food. Many Orthodox Christians (myself included) often put too much of an emphasis on fasting to the exclusion of faith, good works, and prayer. I made sure to embolden and underline the last part of that statement because I don’t want anyone to think I am downplaying the importance of fasting. Fasting is an essential part of Orthodox spiritual life, but all too often I have heard people either making a big deal about fasting or asking others about what they are giving up for Lent. St. John Chrysostom wrote:

"I have said these things, not that we may disparage fasting, but that we may honor fasting; for the honor of fasting consists not in abstinence from food, but in withdrawing from sinful practices; since he who limits his fasting only to an abstinence from meats, is one who especially disparages it. Dost thou fast? Give me proof of it by thy works!"

One of the daily Lenten readings also resonated with me:

“They seek Me day by day, and desire to know My ways. As a people who did righteousness, and did not forsake the judgment of their God, they now ask Me about righteous judgment, and desire to draw near to God, saying, ‘Why have we fasted, but You did not see it? Why have we humbled our souls, but You did not know it?’ Because in the days of your fasts, you seek your own wills, and mistreat those under your authority. If you fast for condemnations and quarrels, and strike a humble man with your fists, why do you fast to Me as you do today, so your voice may be heard in crying? I did not choose this fast, and such a day for a man to humble his soul; nor if you should bow your neck like a ring and spread sackcloth and ashes under yourself, could you thus call such a fast acceptable. I did not choose such a fast,” says the Lord; “rather, loose every bond of wrongdoing; untie the knots of violent dealings; cancel the debts of the oppressed; and tear apart every unjust contract.” --Isaiah 58: 2-6

For me, this is what fasting should be about--not just abstaining from certain foods, but also from things like gossip, envy, greed, and lust. I still failed from abstaining from even those things, but that brings up one of the most important reasons why we fast: to show us that we can’t do this alone and that we need to rely on God’s grace to get us through.

Thank you to my support team!

Michael
m.pagedas@ocmc.org

An opportunity to support OCMC by bidding for our items at the Bay Area Wine Project!

2011-06-13T17:10:00.000-04:00

June SAMP Spotlight: Fr. Augustinos Batalingaya

2011-06-10T10:58:00.002-04:00

Fr. Augustinos Batalingaya serves in Tanzania, at St. Dimitrios Orthodox Church in Ibamba.

There are nearly 400 priests serving in 20 countries around the world who depend on support from OCMC's Support A Mission Priest Program. Please help us to provide this much needed assistance by making a gift to the SAMP Program at www.ocmc.org, and continue to pray for these faithful servants who minister to our brothers and sisters around the world.

Love, Laughter, and Family: An Update from Missionary Katherine Wilcoxson

2011-06-09T14:01:00.001-04:00

I had mentioned in a previous update that one of my favorite phrases in any language is 'I love you'. Fr. Spyridon, our parish priest in Bukoba, has a daughter named Sofia. She is four years old. When we first met Sofia, she did not talk to us at all. Even if we spoke to her in Kiswahili she would only nod her head for yes or no. At that time, my Kiswahili was limited, but that doesn't matter; I knew the most important phrase. So everyday when I saw Sofia, I would whisper into her ear, "Ninapenda Sofia." Just those words. At first she didn't respond--probably because she didn't know what to do with this white person speaking to her in Kiswahili. But it only took a day or so, and then, when I whispered in her ear, she responded, "Ninapenda Katrina." Ever since then Sofia and I exchange this greeting every day when we first meet each other. It has been said over and over, but the best way to learn a language is to become as a child--and, you can ask anyone, I usually don't have a problem with throwing myself into this role. Whenever Sofia sees me coming her way she runs to me and stops just short of me, and I spread my arms way out, and she does the same, and we embrace. I have also taught Sofia how to blow kisses, and that's what we do when we say goodbye.

Speaking of kisses and saying goodbye, when I learned that I would have to travel home for awhile, James Hargrave escorted me to the Nairobi Giraffe Park. The big attraction at the park is that you can feed and pet the giraffes--but, the best part of all is that, if you put the maize pellets in your mouth (that's what they give you to feed the giraffes) and pucker up, you have the once in a lifetime experience of getting a (very wet and sandpaper feeling) giraffe kiss. I can't think of a better way of leaving the continent of Africa than to be kissed goodbye by a giraffe.

James also arranged another blessing for me. The day before I was scheduled to leave for the States, I found myself in the Nairobi Hospital as a patient. I was diagnosed with a kidney infection, and I wasn't able to leave the hospital until three days later, on the Tuesday of Holy week. James had been attending the daily services, and he spoke with Metropolitan Makarios of Kenya. When James mentioned that I was still in Nairobi Hospital, His Eminence offered to come to my room to anoint me with Holy Unction oil. That afternoon His Eminence came by, and he even brought his own photographer! So I can't wait to see my picture in the Newsletter for the Nairobi Diocese.

Differences in Babies

While I have been in Tanzania, many of my friends from home have had babies. As you can imagine, there are quite a few differences in American babies and Tanzanian babies. In Tanzania for example, it is very rare to see a child younger than two to be carried on their mother's hip. These children are always transported on their mother's back. Usually two pieces of cloth called kanga are used to support the child. The mother leans over, keeping her back straight, and places the child on her back. As this is done, the child actually balances itself on the flattened back as the mother ties the child in a sling with the two kanga (it's pretty amazing to watch). Once a child grows out of being carried on their mother's back, they are expected to walk everywhere. One last difference is that my friends have lots and lots of gadgets and toys for their child and themselves. One gadget has a timer to tell you when to feed your baby, which side you breast fed on the hour before, and how many diapers were changed. It is very uncommon for a woman to have a baby in Tanzania without a whole lot of support. Even if the woman doesn't have family, her neighbors, the neighbor's family, and the neighbor's friends help the woman especially if she is a first time mother. Community, relationships, and families are not just an idea - it is a lifestyle.

It is hard to not feel like part of some sort of family in Tanzania, which is really great when you miss your biological family. There is no shortage of love, laughter and the feeling of belonging to a family in Tanzania.

A Helping Hand: An Update from OCMC Missionary Christina Semon

2011-06-07T10:51:00.000-04:00

My travels back to Romania went without problems, thanks be to God. My fellow Missionaries, Floyd and Ancuta Frantz, were hosting me for several of the days that I was in Cluj. On the schedule for Palm Sunday was a food/clothing drive for the Protection of Theotokos Family Center (PTFC) at Holy Annunciation Romanian Orthodox Church which is located near the Center. We parked the van in the courtyard of the parish. . The priest came out before the service to ask how we were doing and blessed us to have a van full of goodies for our mothers and babies of the Center. At our location in front of the church, people of all ages came to the van to give their donations. We caught peoples’ attention with our presence in the neighborhood. It was humbling and yet wonderful to see the grandmothers and the elderly bring in a bag of flour or cooking oil to us. That was all they could afford to give. Many of the elderly are barely able to survive on the low pensions that they receive, but they came to us to sacrificially give and participate with the Center in this effort. I learned something very special from this event. Once we acknowledged people’s gifts with a ‘thank you’, many of them responded by saying, “May God receive.” In other words, they are saying that they do not deserve the credit; but rather that the credit belongs to God.

This is an example of the community taking responsibility for their own people. The priest of the parish started a relationship with the PTFC. His heart was touched by the services offered to the mothers and their babies. Through his leadership, he was able to gather and encourage his parishioners to participate in taking care of their people.

OCMC’s goal is to help local churches be the Church to its own people. The PTFC has been receiving boxes of generous clothing donations from many parishes in the USA. Through their prayers and holy action, which enable these shipments, seeds of Christ’s love are being planted in the fertile soil of Romania. The director of the PTFC, OCMC Missionary Ancuta Frantz, said that she did not expect such a strong response. There have not been many parishes that have jumped to action like this parish in the history of the PTFC. The outcome was a full van loaded with food and clothing essentials for the PTFC to assist the mothers and their babies that God has brought to them.

Glory to God for all things!

An Ascension Greeting from the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC)

2011-06-04T15:51:00.000-04:00

The staff, board, missionaries, and volunteers of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) pray that you have a blessed Ascension Feast. On this day we have a great opportunity to consider our response to Christ’s last words prior to His Ascension, which were to “go and make disciples of all nations”. The OCMC stands ready to help you answer your call to share the Orthodox Faith so that the whole world may know hope and salvation in Jesus Christ.

Support Team Update: From Missionary Maria Roeber

2011-06-02T14:32:00.001-04:00

Kristo amefufuka! Christ is risen!

I am writing to you from Denver, where I am currently doing a week of language training (learning Kiswahili!) before my departure to Tanzania at the end of this month!

It has been a long process; but thanks be to God, with your help, I have built a fantastic support team and am fully funded/pledged for two years of missionary service as a nurse in Bukoba, Tanzania!

It feels like it’s been so long since my last update, and with this being my first official emailed update. I thank you for your patience with me over these past few months as I have been developing my support team while working full-time in Washington, DC! My last day of work was April 1, and since then I have been to Florida for my pre-field training at OCMC headquarters, packed up and moved out of my apartment in DC, and enjoyed Holy Week and Pascha at home in State College, PA with my parents. For Bright Week I travelled out to Calistoga, CA to visit my sister at Holy Assumption Monastery, and then to the LA area to visit with my brother. I also had the opportunity to visit Saint Barbara’s monastery while staying in Santa Paula. Following this week in Denver, I will return to State College for a few days. Then, I will be in Kansas City to attend a medical missions conference for short and long term missionaries. This leads me to my next big announcement…

On Sunday, May 22 at 5 pm, I will be officially commissioned as a long-term missionary with OCMC! If you are in the DC area (or are willing to travel) I invite you to attend Great Vespers at St. Sophia’s Orthodox Cathedral in Washington, DC. The commissioning will follow the Vespers service, and will be held in conjunction with the annual DC area OCMC benefit banquet. If you would like to attend the banquet, information is available on the OCMC website at http://ocmc.org/resources/view_event.aspx?EventId=261. You don’t have to attend the benefit to come and pray with and for me, though! I would love to see all of you before I leave!

I’m so grateful to all of you who have been praying for me, and to those of you who are pledging to support me or have donated to help send me to Africa! I am so eager to finally be on my way and to begin sharing Christ’s love and salvation with people in Africa! It’s also very exciting to know that soon I will be using my skills as a nurse to minister to the physical needs of people in Bukoba and in the surrounding areas. I can’t wait to start sharing the details with all of you!

May you enjoy a blessed Paschal (Easter) season, and please be in touch! I hope to see as many of you as possible in DC on May 22!

In Christ,

Maria Roeber

Missionary Candidate

Paschal Greetings to the Moldovan Elderly: An Update from Missionary Christina Semon

2011-06-01T11:25:00.000-04:00

The youth of St. John Maximovich Social/Youth Center were focused on feeding the elderly. They collected old paper that people had around their homes. They turned in all the paper to a paper company which was recycling it and, in return, they received money. They did not use this money to take a special excursion for themselves but instead used it reached out to the sick and poor elderly in town during the Great Feast of Pascha. They made food bags for 10 elderly and they would have done more bags but that it was all they could do.

As I got to hear this beautiful news, I asked the question of how the elderly would get these bags. The youth said that they would ride their bicycles to their houses. I thought that would be a big challenge since they were carrying eggs! So I offered my car to assist with the deliveries which would not have been possible without the blessing of my support team in allowing me to have this transportation. The kids were excited about this offer of mine. We loaded the car and left to greet and visit the elderly from the church, especially those who were not well enough to make it to church.

As the driver, I could see from the car some of their facial expressions of joy and appreciation that the kids remember them this Pascha. The poor elderly gave a simple joy which truly made an impression on the youth on the day before Pascha.

Missionary Katherine Wilcoxson looks back at Christmas in Kasikizi

2011-05-31T17:07:00.001-04:00

Most of Holy Week, I was either in the hospital or on an airplane. But one of the things that sustained me during all that was the memory I have of celebrating Nativity in Tanzania.

On the Eve of Nativity, we had Liturgy in the morning in Bukoba. I wanted to visit Kasikazi during the feast, but I am not able to travel long distances by myself—it’s just not safe. But, Tambua, one of our friends there, was going to be traveling at that time, so I was able to ride with him on the dala dala (which is what public transportation is called here). It took a while to find the "right" dala dala when we arrived at the bus station. The bus station is a carnival size area of land with buses scattered everywhere. People approach you trying to sell what they have in hand, maji (water), perfumes (manukato) and of course senene (grasshoppers, which are very popular here). We found the right bus that would let us 1) sit together and 2) sit in the front seat. I had mentioned in a previous blog that sitting in the front seat on the bus comes with responsibilities. This trip was no different. I actually enjoy the responsibilities. The front seat is the most comfortable seat, and, basically what this means is that you don't have to have someone's back in your face. This trip I had the responsibility of holding 3 loaves of bread and a two year old girl. The trip to Kasikazi took us about two hours.

Tambua and I had a warm welcome from Fr. Geronimos and two of his seminarians, John and Thomas. There was then a little catching up in Kiswahili between the men. I like to listen to people speaking Kiswahili to see if I can recognize any words I have learned in class. I knew only a few, but I also know it will get easier to understand. I was shown my room after the catching-up-conversation finished. I put my bags down and decided to take a walk around the seminary I hadn't seen for eight years. Not a lot had changed, but I was finally able to see, in person, the finished church my short-term mission teammates and I helped build. My team was assigned to dig the narthex of the church. When I saw the area we had dug, I was surprised to see a beautiful courtyard. I later learned that here the Narthex is made into a courtyard with beautiful landscape. It was a special moment which brought me to tears. After my visit to the church, I went down the hill and ran into some men. I worked on my Kiswahili and told them who I was, where I live, where I was from, and why I was here in Tanzania. There were a lot of laughs, but I am used to that. I found out that these men were some of the seminarians I had seen and took pictures of when I visited Rubale village with His Eminence. I told them about my video and the photos I had of them, and they became excited and asked to see them. I came back with my laptop, and they all crowded around looking at the pictures. Not long afterward we had dinner. After dinner, Fr. Geronimos gave a very welcoming speech to me. The seminarians then sang a welcome song in Kiswahili. As I headed outside to make my way to my bed, I was delighted to see "lights" outside. I have only lived in cities so I had heard and seen pictures of lightning bugs, but I had never seen them in person.

The Liturgy at All Saints in Kasikazi was beautiful! The church was very crowded. The children packed themselves into benches that would usually seat four people, but there were ten of them to a bench. One of the older women (Mama Mzee) would go around unpacking the benches and then return to her bench. Since All Saints is on the grounds of the seminary, the seminarians are always in attendance. They serve as the altar boys, chanters, readers, and choir. Another of the seminarians’ duties is to direct the controlled chaos during communion. By now I was used to being "stared at", but being in a village takes staring to a whole new level. In a village, the people would be more likely to see a space alien than to see a westerner (mzungu) or someone with orange colored hair for that matter. After Liturgy, I handed out some gum (juju) and pencils to the children. I had never spent Nativity away from my family. Even though a big part of the holidays for me is being with my family, surprisingly I didn't feel sad or lonely. I felt I was given a gift of another family. My mom sent me an email saying ‘Your mom and dad miss you, but our best Christmas is knowing our children are happy’. And that is all that matters. That afternoon we had goat, rice, and beans for lunch. Some of the seminarians and I walked through the village, and I was honored to meet the All Saint's church chairman. Chai tea was served along with coffee beans. I ate right into the bean and then found out I was supposed to take the bean out of its shell first. It was much more enjoyable to eat them without the shell. The seminarians had many questions for me about America. They were surprised to know that we have some of the same plant life as they do. Also they were surprised to hear that there were dark skinned people in America just like them.

Fr. Geronimos is the rector of four different parishes. Since Nativity was celebrated at All Saints, Fr. Geronimos celebrated Liturgy in the village of Kikagate on Sunday. I was told I needed to ride a motorcycle (pikipiki) to the church. There are no roads or smooth ground in the villages. The service was much like the day before. There were more children (watoto) in attendance at St. Anastasios. The stares continued, but I figured out a counter measure--smiling back at them. After Liturgy, traditionally the priest gives a homily (mahubiri) and then, the person we would call the church president, gives a short talk. Kihaya, the local dialect, was being spoken, so I was only able to use the men's body language to follow what was being said. Quickly I noticed people turning around and looking at me. The council president was also talking excitedly and pointing his finger in my direction. Fr. Geronimos would cut in on the president's talk and give a comment or two. At one point, I thought maybe there was a fight going on about my being in the village because of the way the two men's voices were getting louder and louder. I later found out that the president was telling the people what a blessing it was to celebrate the Divine Liturgy with a mzungu (westerner) at St. Anastasios because everyone can now see that there are Orthodox Christians in the western world. The president said that many people in villages like Kikagate will live until they are seventy years old before they ever see a westerner. I was just hoping that I made a good impression for all of the western world.

Father Geronimos, John, Thomas, Anastasios, and I all decided to walk home. We got caught in the rain, and so we took pikipiki back to the seminary. Dinner would be the last meal I would share with the seminarians, so we all said our official goodbyes. Father Geronimos talked about how happy he was to have me back in Kasikizi and hoped I would return again. Then each seminarian was asked to say something and there were tears (from me mostly) but a good bit of laughter as well. That evening the seminarians heard for the first time that I was a nurse. After dinner there were many questions about each man’s health concerns. I did my best to answer them (there was a huge need for dental care). The next morning we took the early bus (daladala). All of the seminarians had gotten up to see me off. I came home exhausted but renewed finally being able to visit my Kasikizi again.

Missionary Katherine Wilcoxson looks back at Christmas in Kasikizi

2011-05-31T17:07:00.000-04:00

Update on Floyd and Ancuta Frantz in Romania

2011-05-26T14:21:00.000-04:00

Greetings, and I hope that this finds you well today, and in good spirits on this most blessed day of Meatfare Tuesday.

It has been a few days since our last newsletter, so I am sending one out to keep those interested up to date. Actually, we have been having some activities, and I have more than once felt the need to write.

A most blessed thing was that one of the babies in Ancuta's program, The Protection of the Theotokos Family Center was baptised recently. What was really nice about this was that the father of the child was there. This is sort of unusual, as usually the mother is abandoned by the father when she gets pregnant. He had been in jail, but is out, and trying to find some real work. We hope for all the best for him, and will try to find him a job. This may be hard to do, as things are pretty slow over here these days. I was able to chat with him a little, and he seems like a nice guy who just needs a good start in life.

We have a new bishop in Cluj, Archbishop Andrei Andreicut. I knew him previously, and we are very much looking forward to working with him. Well, we have in a way, as yesterday we did a training course for a priest and some other folks from Turga Murus, a town 70,000 about 120 km from here. They are wanting to start a counseling center, and so we are helping them by doing some trainings for them.

A nice story, two of them actually. The first guy that came to our treatment program at Polyclinica St. Pantelimon, in 2001, has now celebrated 10 years of sobriety. This was a joy for me, as his life was a disaster before he got into our program. His wife was divorcing him, he could not hold down a joy, his kids were not speaking to him, and it was all down hill. All of that is now in order, and he is back in his Church. Also, he is working with alcoholics in the Greco-Catholic archdioceses program. (We had a hand in starting that one also!! The guys who actually started it up and got the finances for it had both gotten sober in our program!)

Well, there are many churches but only one God. I thank him for his love for each of us. Please do keep us in your prayers, we always need them.

In His Love,
Floyd & Ancuta Frantz
OCMC Missionaries in Romania

If you would like to contact us please use: floydfrantz@gmail.com

You can visit the St. Dimitrie Programs web page at www.stdimitrie.org

If you would like to make an online donation in support of our work in Romania please go to the Orthodox Christian Mission Center web site at www.ocmc.org After finding the Frantz Family page, you will need to log in, but it is a simple process and it is very important to us. You may also call 877-GO-FORTH, and they will assist you with making a donation online or with your card.

Why Are You Here? : An Update from Missionary Michael Pagedas

2011-05-25T12:11:00.000-04:00

The last few weeks have been busy and full of surprises. We were treated to a visit by Fr. Martin Ritsi and His Grace Bishop Savas, who had just spent time in the Turkana region of Kenya. Katie and I then traveled with Bishop Savas and Fr. Martin back to Nairobi where Katie had made an appointment to receive follow-up care for her appendectomy. This was my first trip to Nairobi, or even Kenya for that matter, so I was happy to go along. Katie was under the care of a doctor who is quite famous, although it’s for something that almost killed him. Dr. Shem Musoke is a General Practitioner who works in a nondescript office at Nairobi Hospital. If you have ever read the book The Hot Zone (a book which inspired the movie Outbreak, starring Dustin Hoffman and Rene Russo), you may remember reading that, back in 1980, Dr. Musoke treated a patient with the Marburg Virus, a virus that is very similar to Ebola. Dr. Musoke, himself, contracted the virus but somehow survived, making him a medical miracle. I had no idea who the guy was until Katie told me, but I feel honored to have had the chance to meet and get to know him.

Our lodging in Nairobi was the Mayfield Guesthouse, a resting place for missionaries, medical professionals, and even businessmen who happen to be passing through on the way to different parts of Kenya. The Mayfield was a place where the family of James Hargrave, who is now our Tanzania Field Coordinator, used to visit while they were missionaries living in Africa, and James had recommended the place to us. In addition to nice, comfortable rooms, we were given full board, and the meals were quite a substantial part of the stay. Katie and I ate food that we hadn’t eaten since leaving the states, and we nearly came to tears at how good it was to have that stuff again. Being a Christian establishment, it was customary for one guestto begin with a devotional before breakfast every morning. One night after dinner, one of the staff members approached me and asked if I would like to lead the next morning’s devotion. Whether you are a long-term missionary or even a short-term team member, there is always a chance that you will be called upon to witness. It’s something that you always have to be prepared for because you never know when it will happen. Even with that in mind, I wasn’t anticipating having to witness away from my “home territory” to a group of non-denominational Christians from all walks of life. I immediately went back to my room to think about what I could present the next morning.

That day had been a busy one. Katie already had a couple of tests done and was sent by Dr. Musoke to have a surgical consult. While we were sitting in the waiting room, Katie picked up a magazine and started reading about a nurse who was helping cholera patients in Haiti. Katie handed me the article when she was done and said, “This is the kind of work I had hoped to be doing.” There have been some “tie-ups” with getting the hospital here in Bukoba open, and because of that, Katie has not felt like she has really been doing what she was called to do yet. I responded that there was still a lot of time left in our two years, and that things could happen unexpectedly. What I didn’t realize at the time was that “unexpectedly” would come about 20 minutes later. On our way out of the building, we stopped at the pharmacy where I happened to recognize a family that was staying at the Mayfield with us. The parents were picking up medication and looked visibly shaken. They had all been in the bush for about three months, and one of their daughters had come down with a serious respiratory infection. They decided to bring their daughter to the hospital a day before they were to leave for home (a 40 hour trip to Alaska). When we met up with them, they were getting ready to take her to Radiology for a chest x-ray. The daughter looked very pale and was having extreme difficulty breathing. Katie immediately went into nurse mode and helped them make their way to the ER. Katie’s experiences in Tanzanian hospitals (and as an ER nurse back in the states) allowed her to help the family through the process of getting her daughter admitted and counseling them on what tests would be done, what those tests would entail, etc. As Katie and I left the hospital, we marveled at how we just happened to be in the right place at the right time. “We were definitely meant to be there,” Katie said.

I decided to incorporate that experience into my devotions session the next morning. I began with one of my favorite verses in scripture: “The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps.” (Proverbs 16:9) I then asked everyone a very blunt question: “Why are you here?” I followed that up by asking if they knew why they happened to be at the Mayfield Guesthouse in Nairobi, Kenya at that particular moment in time. I explained that we were all there because we answered a calling, but that there was also a plan for each of us at that very moment to be together at the Mayfield. The reason for that would be beyond most of our grasps, and perhaps we would find out much later on, or not at all. I then told the preceding story and concluded by saying that what happened was more than just a coincidence. We really were meant to be at the hospital at that exact time to help that family. The father and one of the daughters from the family we had helped were also at breakfast and attested to that.

It’s experiences like that which help me to feel more relaxed about being here in Africa to do my missionary work. I needed to be here, and now that I’m here, I really shouldn’t have to worry about anything else.

Thank you to my support team!

Michael
m.pagedas@ocmc.org

Help Make Disciples of all Nations by Supporting a Mission Priest

2011-05-24T10:22:00.000-04:00

One of the goals of OCMC is to bring the life saving message of Christ to places where it does not currently exist. The Support a Mission Priest (SAMP) program supports this effort by offering financial assistance to Orthodox priests around the world who nurture growing Orthodox communities while also sharing the Good News with those who may have never heard it. If you would like to learn more about the SAMP program or support mission priest as they welcome others into the Body of Christ, please contact us at samp@ocmc.org or 904-829-5132 ext. 163.

OCMC Health Care Missions

2011-05-18T15:04:00.000-04:00

Medical personnel are needed to conduct medical clinics and offer health instruction on OCMC Teams in 2011. Especially needed are doctors in Uganda and nurses in Tanzania. Most communities around the world do not have access to basic medical care or instruction, nor do they have the opportunity to visit with a physician or receive regular medical attention.

OCMC health care teams travel to regions where most clinics are set up in church buildings, existing health care facilities, schools or outside in remote locations that often do not have access to electricity. Stacy Loejos, a nurse on the health care team to Uganda in 2010, which treated over 3800 patients, reported how the team learned and applied “field medicine”: “Though overwhelmed at times, our team became a well oiled machine, learning from each day and applying it to the next, as the unending lines of people explained their many ailments to us.” She explains, “I was using my God given talents to help those in need, and that however small, we would somehow change their lives for the better.”

Participating on a health care outreach team, you will help treat various common illnesses found in other parts of the world - malaria, parasites and other tropical diseases. Medical personnel participate in an outreach of the local Church to heal the sick, care for the poor and needy and offer a living witness of Christ as our Lord and Savior.

The Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) offers two Health Care Mission Team opportunities in 2011. A Team to Uganda will minister to various communities in the Kampala area and a remote region in western Uganda, June 11-26. The Team to Tanzania will serve in an area around the Metropolis center of Mwanza and work with the long-term OCMC Health Care missionaries who serve there, October 4-16.

OCMC invites you to join this holistic ministry that offers both tangible and spiritual benefits to people as you offer primary health care where access is limited. For more information on how to apply, please visit our website, www.ocmc.org or email us at teams@ocmc.org.

Tanzania and James - Resurrection 2011 Update

2011-05-12T15:00:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends,

Kristo amefufuka! Christ is risen!

I did not expect to find the Risen Christ here in Kenya. I expected to be home in Tanzania for Holy Week and Pascha. But today I write you from Nairobi, Kenya.

Two weeks ago, I was called to Nairobi to assist OCMC Missionary Katie Wilcoxson as she sought diagnosis and treatment at Nairobi Hospital for some ongoing issues. You may have read Michael Pagedas' recent update about this. While in Kenya, I also took the opportunity for some doctors' visits of my own. On Holy Wednesday, Katie was released to the United States for further evaluation and treatment. After accompanying her to the airport on Holy Thursday, I went down to the bus station to get a ticket back to Mwanza. There were none to be had.

Exactly one year ago last week, I was unexpectedly delayed in England on my way to Tanzania. This year, I was unexpectedly delayed in Kenya. Should I expect to be delayed somewhere next year?

I did arrive in Tanzania on 23rd April 2010-- one year ago yesterday. This means that today, the Sunday of the Resurrection, marks the beginning of my second year of missionary service. God willing, I will return to Mwanza on today's overnight bus (the ticket's in my wallet!).

The year has been full of surprises, and none so many as during the past month. Great Lent has been tough. We have had to say goodbye-for-now to two missionary colleagues, Charita Stavrou and Katie Wilcoxson. Both are currently in the United States seeking evaluation and treatment for unrelated medical issues. The team is incomplete without them, and I look forward to welcoming them both back to Tanzania when each is ready to return.

Next month we look forward to welcoming OCMC Missionary Maria Roeber, a maternity nurse who has been preparing for service for some time now. She hopes to serve at Holy Resurrection Hospital in Bukoba along with Katie Wilcoxson, Michael Pagedas and Felice Stewart.

It has been very good to be here in Nairobi for Holy Week and Pascha. I am staying with lifelong friends and have been attending services at the magnificent Ss Cosmas & Damian Cathedral not far from their house. Archbishop Makarios of Kenya has welcomed me kindly, and I have gotten to know some of the seminarians as well as members of the Cathedral. It was an unexpected Pascha, but filled with joy.

This means that I will have been in Tanzania two full years before first experiencing Holy Week and the Resurrection in my adopted home. I am looking forward to the experience.

May your lives be filled with the life of the Risen Lord in every circumstance, expected or unexpected.

Amefufuka kweli! Truly he is risen!

James Hargrave