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Christian Baptist Church Playground Trip 2014

11/19/2014

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On the road...photo by Phil Kniss
The work team on I-81 en route to New Orleans' Ninth Ward. Sam, Ralph, Elmer, and Phil (not pictured) in the cab, with luggage, tools, cement, and playground parts in the back. Stay tuned to this page and Facebook for more updates from New Orleans throughout the week. If you'd like to contribute to the cost of the trip you can pledge here. 

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Service Trip Reflection Day 5: Kelly Ndayizigiye and Emma Nouri

7/19/2014

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Today marked the end of a long week journey of building Frank Lewis’s house. We started off the week with lots of energy but as the days went by our energy went down. We got restless because it seemed that there was so much to do, but so little time to do so. In the end we accomplished a lot. We painted half the house, covered the roof, got almost all of the siding done, installed the front porch, started on the back porch, and finished up small details on the inside. When everything was cleaned up, we stepped back to admire our contribution in building the Lewis’s house. It was amazing to see our accomplishment over the past five days. Especially, since many of the youth had not participated in this kind of service project. In the end, this house was not only the Lewis’s house, but ours as well. Something that Jeongih Han said, during pow-wow-how (that is, “pow” what was really hard today, “wow” what was really great today, and “how” did we see God at work today?), connected with our service project. That it is not only the poor that benefited but us as well because we bonded over this experience and created new memories that we will cherish forever. After a long day of successful work, we visited Habitat for Humanity’s International Village. The exhibit consisted of various houses that they built from around the world. They had many unique designs starting from shacks, to tree houses, to clay homes displaying conditions that people live in all around the world. This experience was very eye opening to how blessed most Americans truly are compared to people that live in tiny homes that aren’t kept up very well at all. To end a very accomplished day, the youth group went over to the Lyman-Barner’s home to cool off in their pool. We are grateful for the opportunity to be down here in Americus, Georgia and thank all who have contributed towards the trip, our growth as a youth group, and other experiences.

Kelly Ndayizigiye and Emma Nouri a.k.a Kiwi and M&M

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Service Trip Reflection Day 4: Kayla Leaman

7/19/2014

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Today everyone woke up very sleepy as we had played body-body as a group until late. Smiles greeted us as everyone was still buzzing about the game the night before, and how it was a great opportunity to relax and get to bond. We then continued to load up and return to Cassie’s house to finish seeding her yard. With everyone pitching in we got the job done really quickly, and we were then able to move back to our original work site. We got right to work with the excitement of what we might accomplish fueling our smiles and laughter. Today was a hard workday where we started to finish our tasks and see the house really turn from a construction site into a place for a family. The roofing crew got right to work, and managed to finish the roof even in the blistering heat. The siding crew worked really fast in order to completely side the front of the house, with the paint crew following behind. The porch crew started to wind up the front porch in order that our last day could be focused heavily on the back four by four porch. With Andre and Brendan doing up high on the ladder nailing the beams, I got to reconnect with Grace Lyman-Barner. And what a treat that was. Grace and I had been good friends when she lived in Harrisonburg, and getting to catch up with her, as well as just be, was really meaningful to me. Some conversations we had made me think more about this experience and what it means in my life. When the top was done, we moved to create steps to finish off the porch. We had the privilege of meeting one of Grace’s closest friends, Christian, who was quite the character and really fun to interact with. The time crept closer to five as we all wanted to finish our tasks. We rushed back to clean up before heading right back out to a picnic that Americus Mennonite Fellowship put together for us. The evening there was really meaningful to me, as I got to interact with five boys that Genevieve, Andre, and I started a game of Ultimate Frisbee with. José, Jesus, Marco, José, and Joe were really cool to play with because of the way they interacted with us and with each other. We played till eleven, and had a blast doing so! Overall, the day was really fun and meaningful. 
Lucas Schrock-Hurst created a devotional in the morning that inspired many of us, and sparked something that will stick with us forever. I truly saw God working in us throughout the whole day. It’s a great journey we have been on this week, and I am sad to see the end coming closer, but the relationships and skills we gained on this trip will stay with us, even when we leave this quaint place.

Kayla Leaman aka Kale
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2014 Sand Dam Trip

6/24/2014

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SAND DAM TRIP 2014

Working with the Utooni Development Organization in the Ukambani District of Kenya
Work Schedule

Sunday: 
Orientation with John Masyula using several fine videos of UDO work

Monday: 
Utooni Starlight Academy (MCC supported).
Joshua Makusia's farm; sand dams, sustainable farming with appropriate technology.
Introduction to "our" sand dam project.  Was to be only an introduction to the next day's work, but we couldn't resist grabbing shovels and pitching in.
Visit to several mature dams, including the one PVMC helped to build in 2007.  Coincidentally met two key members of that project of seven years ago.

Tuesday: 
First day of work at the sand dam.  Established warm relationships and acquaintances with working partners, enjoyed UDO's skillful and perceptive motivation techniques and encouragement of all workers.  Key event, a misfortune, was Ed's injuring his back lifting a large stone with another man.

Wednesday:  
Second day at work on the dam.  Lots of singing and joy with the self-help group.  
The 12 widows of the self-help group danced and sang for us in their tradition as a farewell.

Thursday:  
Enjoyed the farewell program for Jacob and Alvera Stern (seven year MCC veterans) at the Kola compound grounds.
Traveled to Mtito Andei to visit a rock-catchment project with the Miamba Mitamboni Self-Help group.

Friday:
Visited a UDO  sponsored agro-forestry and animal husbandry demonstration farm near Mtito Andei.  Returned to Kola.
These two days were capably hosted by Annie Murimi and Regina from UDO.

Saturday:  
A warm and appreciative farewell meeting with all UDO office staff members.  
Returned to Nairobi.

Weekend Activities
First weekend:
Orientation to MCC work in Kenya, Selena
Visit to Alice Hinga's school at Kiambu
The elephant orphanage; Kazuri bead-making, markets with Ten Thousand Villages

Second weekend:
Hymn sing with Nairobi area MCC and various mission staff and families
Church service with Mathare North Mennonite Church (in slum) and lunch
Visit to Maasai Integrated Development Initiative (MIDI) office and to food security demonstration farm in the Rift Valley.


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Working and Learning

Pictured above are the members of the MCC Work and Learn (WAL) Tour to Kenya from Park View Mennonite Church, Harrisonburg, VA. The tour took place from January 22 to February 4, 2014, and was hosted principally by Selena Carpenter, co-country MCC representative for Kenya. The primary focus was to assist with building a sand dam for the Muthongolowe Self-Help Community under the direction of Utooni Develpment Organization (UDO) in Ukambani District southeast of Nairobi.  

In addition to the work on the Sand Dam project Selena scheduled a series of visitations during both weekends. This proved to be an excellent plan for our team, and it resulted in many remarkable and memorable experiences.  "Work and Learn" indeed describes what happened.

Appropriately, the highlight of this WAL tour was watching the shaping and growth of the dam for which our church members provided funding. We witnessed the anticipation and joy of the self-help group, as we worked along side them. Personal attachments were immediate, as a dream became reality in a common endeavor, a dream to have easier, better access to water, the key to life, to health, to income, to better opportunities for children, and less suffering for all. We learned what it must be like to live day to day with insufficient water. We learned about "mwethya," the Kikamba word that eludes full translation, but means something like "community cooperation to achieve a common end."  We learned what it means to have to "harvest" water.

Highlights for me personally were to meet significant persons from my sand dam experience seven years ago. It was a thrill to unexpectedly renew acquaintance with them; two persons, a cook and the group secretary at the "old" sand dam, and a Maasai mother and seven year old son whom I had photographed back then at another demonstration farm.

I will send additional photos in another message. On behalf of the team, I want to express our deep gratitude to all who contributed to making this WAL Tour a meaningful and satisfying experience.  That includes PVMC, the Missions Commission, and all who made it possible through their giving and support.

- Ervie Glick, Team Leader




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Guns to Plowshares

5/16/2014

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“He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” - Isaiah 2:4

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What does it mean to beat swords into plowshares in the midst of our nation’s capital? This question, and many others were behind an event at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. on October 20, 2013. For the National Observance of Children’ s Sabbath, the Children’s Defense Fund organized and sponsored an event titled, "Beating Swords Into Plowshares: Ending the Violence of Guns and Child Poverty". In addition to a service dedicated to these themes, the organization also ran a blacksmith station outside the cathedral where Park View Mennonite Church’s very own Larry Martin worked at transforming gun barrels into gardening tools. 

Larry’s involvement in this event is one of those happy coincidences that comes along every so often. The Children’s Defense Fund was working with a group called RawTools based in Colorado Springs, CO that promotes transforming weapons into gardening implements. But due to the difficulties involved in getting a blacksmith and tools to the east coast RawTools began looking around for local help that might be interested in this opportunity.

While browsing the Valley Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center’s website they noticed that the Center had a blacksmith on staff. They contacted Larry and asked whether he’d be interested in participating in this event. 

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To explain how Larry got into the blacksmith hobby requires a journey back to his life pre-Heritage center. For most of his career Larry taught welding and other courses at Massanutten Technical Center. But a different kind of metalwork was his hobby. Smithing has long been an interest of Larry’s and he is a member of the Shenandoah Valley Blacksmith Guild. When he was contacted about being part of this event he did his research and decided that it was something that he wanted to be a part of.

At the event Larry, and his assistant Marty Miller, were set up at the entrance to the National Cathedral with another blacksmith. Starting at 9am they worked on beating gun barrels into garden tools (see image above) until 12:30. During that time there were 2 regularly scheduled services that came and went from the Cathedral. Several congregants from the service and staff from the Children’s Defense Fund stopped by to talk about the work that was being done. Also present at the event were members of the D.C. police force who presented several gun barrels for transformation. Larry described the officers as very interested in and happy with the work that was being done.

Several people told Larry how personally meaningful the work he was doing was to them. People who had lost family members to gun violence were particularly moved by the intentional repurposing of these weapons into tools for community gardens. Moreover, this event which demonstrated a unique yet poignant way to strive for peace and wholeness in our communities was a very powerful and meaningful day for all who had the opportunity to attend.

by Aaron Kishbaugh
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    Edited and compiled by:

    Aaron Kishbaugh, Communications Specialist

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