SAMVIM Work Teams

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Work Teams to Southern Africa 2008

Updated 31 December, 2008

• 28 December, 2007- 11 January, 2008 : A Youth group from Asubury United Methodist Church in Allentown, Pennsylvania visited Lichtenburg, South Africa to conduct a Vacation Bible School and youth camp in this rural tribal settlement of the North West Province. The primary vision for the mission was "to provide a safe, accepting Christian environment through living in a camp-based community in order to lead camper to experience Christ, Accept Christ, grow in Christ and go forth in Christ" in the Deelpan community. The 2008 mission to South Africa was one of the best attended camps over the four year period their church has been participating on this program and has not only transformed the people of Lichtenburg and Deelpan, but also the team members. The photo below shows the team preforming for the Vacation Bible School.
  
  
  

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• The Perkins School of Theology from Southern Methodist University In Dallas Texas visited South Africa in January to look at the role of women in the church during the post-apartheid decade. Their program offers significant immersion experiences in cultures other than those of the participants. These students gain first hand experience in building intercultural relationships and learning from others with a different life experience and outlook. They visited the University of Natal in Pietermaritzburg and also the Phkamisa School Project in Pinetown. The photo below shows the Perkins Team.
  
  
  
  

  
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• 6th-21st March, 2008: A work team from the Louisiana Conference and the First United Methodist Church of Baton Rouge, under the direction of Larry Norman; and team leader Mike Owenby; helped local church members with the installation of a roof for a church under construction in Du Noon, a township on the outskirts of Cape Town. They also helped paint the interior walls of the church and held the first service of celebration with the congregation at the end of their trip. The Louisiana Conference has supported South Africa with a number of visiting teams during the past decade. The photo below show the team installing the roof at Du Noon.
  
  
  

  
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• 11th- 21st June, 2008: A work team of 15 people from Shady Grove Methodist Church in Richmond, Virginia visited South Africa, stayed at Epworth Children's Home worked at AMCARE Mission in Alberton. They visited aids patients and helped dig vegetable gardens in Tokoza Township south of Johannesburg. They also visited Akani Kids After School Care in Diep Sloot Township north of Johannesburg which is a project of The Bryanston Methodist Church. The photo on the left below shows the team working in Tokoza and the photo on the right below shows the Akani Kids preforming for the visiting team.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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• Roxane Richter and Dr. Tom Flowers, from World Missions Possible in Clear Lake, Texas visited South Africa in July to look at the Zimbabwe Refugee crisis at Central Methodist Church in downtown Johannesburg. They met with Bishop Paul Verryn, who manages many projects from the Central Methodist Church, one of which is the Albert Street Refugee School that opened it's doors recently to accommodate the children of the 800 refugees that sleep in Central Methodist each night. Ted Warnock of the United Methodist Commission on Relief (UMCOR) join us as we took the school administrators, all of which are refugees also, to the Rotary International Warehouse to collect school textbooks for the students. Over 600 textbooks were collected and three steel tables donated on behalf of World Missions Possible. Ted Warnock lead a work team the following weekend to the school to help build bookcases. Photos below show the school administrators Alpha, William and Raphel picking out school text books and the students helping to unload the books.
  

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• July 5th-21st, 2008: The First United Methodist Church of Round Rock, Texas sent a work team, led by Kelly and James Voorhies to work at Lomngeletjane School in Swaziland. The team helped install a fence around the perimeter of the property and build classroom dividers for the classroom. They also helped paint classrooms at Black Umbulzi, a school north of Manzini. See photos below of the work team in progress:
  

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• September 10 -21, 2008 Blue Ridge Parkway Methodist Church from Kansas City, Missouri sent a work team to work at AMCARE Mission in Alberton, South Africa. The team visited aids patients with the care givers for the home based care units and help assess the project. Rev. Ken Lutgen from Blue Ridge has visited South Africa many times in the past and we are excited about the upcoming project and team. The photos below show the team visiting aids patients.
  

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• October 1-13, 2008: Team led by Anne Forgey from Huntsville, Alabama in the USA visited South Africa and worked on the repairs, painting and restoration of 5 creches in Ivory and Ebony Park township in the Johannesburg area. They also conducted a bible school in each creche during the week.Anne's church has been supporting the creches over the past years financially and this team will participate in a celebration of 14 years of service to the community. Photos below show the team sharing the bible school at one of the cerches:
  

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• Church of the Resurrection in Leewood, Kansas sent a work team to the Pinetown Methodist Church in Durban to work with the Creches and preschools in the Phakamisa Project. They helped paint a creche and repair the floors in another creche. Photos below show the team in action.