Arrive Safely!

We arrived safely and will post more in the morning. We had no problems on the flight. Will give all the details tomorrow. It has been a long trip but we are here and ready to begin our work. Sad news came to us tonight. Gilbert Amimo who started Mercy Care Centre with his wife has suffered a heart attack and is in Intensive Care. Please keep him, Pamela, Patrick and their family in your prayers.

John and Joy have made it to DC!

Bryan and Rosetta have prepared a great lunch for those of us who have gathered for the flights in the morning.

We will be at the airport to fly out on Ethiopian Air at 6AM. Our first leg of the journey takes us to Rome, but we will not be allowed off the plane. Once a new crew has boarded, we will fly on to Ethiopia and then on to Kenya. It will take about 17 1/2 hours if there are no problems with the flight.

We started our malaria medications today. Helen and Joy managed to purchase new hair to take with them to Kenya (Joy now has a pony tail!) We stopped at a book store and John and Ray got some new (new to them anyway) books.

Joy will be teaching music, John will be teaching Bible, Ray will be in construction and Helen will be organizing teams.

Our friend Patrick has gotten word that he now has a visa so he will be able to come to the USA soon! This is great news for the Mercy Care Centre,

Kara and Andrew are also trying to get visas in Baltimore today for their move to Cambridge in September. We hope they are successful.

Tonight we are going to see a show at the Kennedy Center performed by seven folks with disabilities about "Folks with Disabilities."

Yesterday our friends at the Mission had a special time of prayer for us...praying that we had travel mercies, that we were able to be of some help and most of all that we "do no harm" while visiting our friends in Kenya.

Thanks for holding all of us (there are 21 of us) in your prayers.

Ray and Helen are on their way!

Off to Africa tomorrow morning! We just received our malaria med and a wonderful lunch at Wayne and Carroll's son's home. Tonight we are off to see a play at the Kennedy Center. We may see some of the DC sights tonight as well.
Agape!
Helen and Ray

A Note from Betsy

My favorite magnet from Alice in Wonderland reads,
“There is no use trying,” said Alice; “one can’t believe impossible things.”
“ I dare say you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”—Lewis Carroll
I have discovered that the Queen was correct. Since our trip to Mercy Care in March, many impossible things are happening.
Standing in the animal orphanage in Nairobi, I dreamed of bringing all the students to this magical place. A seven year old named Megan raised a $1000 to make that dream a reality.
Wayne and I watched as students danced for us, a number of them barefoot and we dreamed of shoes. And 10 suitcases full of new shoes arrived from the Hollar family for us to take to the children.
We stood in the dark classrooms and dreamed of computer labs and science labs.
I stood in the one latrine that serves our school and dreamed of more latrines.
Wayne and I watched the children eat Saturday lunch, knowing that our funds for Sat. lunch were going to run out in May. (Feed the Children-- bless them—feeds the students 5 meals a week.) You know what we dreamed.
I listened at the students tell me that their only sports area was the small cement square in front of the school. We dreamed of a grass covered playing field for soccer games.
I looked at classrooms with VERY FEW BOOKS and I dreamed of every student having a reading and a math book.
And we came home to your amazing generosity. Working with the Lynchburg Rotary, we wrote a grant and raised $25,000. We have already had it matched with $12,500 from the District Rotary. This trip we will be working on the dream to get another $25,000 from Rotary International. Our dreams of labs, latrines, sports field and books may soon be a reality.
Many of us have dreamed that Patrick would get a visa and be able to come to Virginia and share his story. Three applications were turned down. On attempt #4, the violence erupted and Patrick was consumed with trying to get food to the teachers and children, not paper work. I believe that God gives us dreams and I am in absolute awe at all the “impossible dreams” that He makes a reality. If I were a betting woman, I would bet on Patrick arriving in Lynchburg this fall. God Bless!
Betsy Garrard

Greetings from Patty

Greetings, my name is Patty Worsham and I am another Betsy Garrard recruit. I have two wonderful grown sons and a very supportive husband. Two of my greatest joys are my grandsons, Holden and Thomas, who are pictured here with me reading. This is my first year as a Mercy Care supporter and I am so eager to experience the real thing. I am an English teacher at E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg, Virginia, and plan to spend time with the secondary school students and teachers working with their literature and composition classes. Betsy and I have started a student organization, the Mercy Care Council, at E.C. Glass to raise funds and collect materials for the students at Mercy Care. We have blue and white Mercy Care tee shirts for all the students in the secondary school that sport a beautiful logo one of my students designed. We have sent ahead about 500 books we collected to help start a library and through the generosity and hard work of many Glass students and faculty, we have been able to contribute over $4000 to the school and purchase copies of Romeo and Juliet. The Mercy Care Council at Glass also sponsored an “Underpants Olympics” and collected 600 pair of underpants to give to the children at the Mercy Care Center. This trip will be an opportunity to create more ties between the students at Glass and at the MCC. I have received support for my trip from E.C. Glass High School and from the E.C. Glass Foundation, and I look forward to new personal, professional and spiritual challenges on my African adventure.

Toni in Africa

Hello!  I am Toni Sheets and will be leaving my beautiful boys and great husband behind when we leave Saturday for Africa.  I feel incredibly lucky that my husband has been supportive of this trip knowing that he will be home with two little men who are a handful @ ages 3 & 7.  He is going to take them camping and is taking volunteers for the other days!  :-)  This will be my first trip to Africa and I can only imagine how this will change my vision of the world and humankind.  Bethany Butcher and I worked together for a couple of years and she is the reason that I got involved with the Mercy Care Centre.  I will also have a blog at Toniinafrica.  Keep us in your thoughts and prayers (& my husband too!  :-)

After Bethany told me about the Mercy Care Centre several years ago, we were so moved by the work that was being done there, I brought it up to our vacation bible school volunteers to see if we could collect an offering for the mission work being done there.  We have done that for the past 3 years.  Bethany, her mom and Megan all came to speak and the children were most moved by the lack of food and having to share pencils.  To think in such a short time, so many people have contributed to this wonderful cause and unbelievable things are happening.  I can't wait to get there and see first hand how the support from the foundation has made a difference in this little part of the world.  

Note from Susan Lane

Hey, y'all !! When Betsy Garrard first began contempleting a mission trip for Mercy Care, I casually remarked that, if she went, I would go. So....here I am, along with my 22 year old son Edward (a recent college graduate), about to embark on the journey of a lifetime....it truly is, though I might even return......but let's get there first. Not being a teacher or computer wiz or dancer or handy-woman, I wondered what talent I possibly had to use for MCC-----and along came PUPPETS !...Of course, I have never "done" puppets either but it has been fun and inspiring to prepare---so Edward and I hope to present meaningful vignets and some Bible stories to these dear children of God! See y'all at Dulles at 6a.m.!

1,200 "Souls" from a Foot Solider in NC

Lee Ray, Lydia and I just returned from a wonderful visit with the Browns and the Butchers and Judy and Tim at the Lake. We had received 9 suitcases full of shoes from the Hollar Family - a ministry family/friend of our's from Seminary, to be sent to the MCC and one empty suitcase donated by our friend, Shirley Sorrell, to use on this next trip. We loaded up Lydia's car and off we went with the 600 pairs of shoes to deliver them to the Browns. Rebecca Hollar has spent months collecting these shoes and we count it a blessing to be able to deliver them to the Browns in order that they can bless the lives of the children of the MCC.

We so much would love to be on this trip this summer and know that the 21 going are going to bless so many lives (and you will be blessed also).

We wish the very best to each of you "as you go" to the Mathare Valley and our thoughts and prayers will be with you. Have a wonderful trip and we are excited to hear about your "stories" on the blog and when you return.

God Bless and know we are praying on this side of the "pond".

Love to all,
The Greenes in North Carolina
Lee Ray, Beth, Lydia and Sarah who is serving in Poland

A Few Comments from Patrick

Carol and Wynne
I am touched to know that once again you will be leading the team to Mercy care centre.This vineyard that you are dedicated to and even bring many workers to work here awaits you.
You touch many people by your love to the needy.You are my personal inspiration as i serve the needy on the ground.
God grand you wisdom as you lead.
My heart felt love to you all
Patrick

ALSO:
It is always to pleasure to know that we are going to host a team from America led by Carol and Wynne.Their dedication and love for this project is overwhelming.I am always humbled to see how the lord has led them to reach out to the needy children of Mathare slum.The children and teachers love them.
My heart is touched further to learn that those who have been here are able to touch base with the activities of Mercy care Centre.I was touched to learn that the Greens have donated shoes to the children of Mercy care centre.This is a precious gift that the needy children will cherish for a very long time.Many of you have contributed in one way or another or send messages of good will.i want you to know that we love you all and although you will not be with us this time we know the lord will tarry for you to visit us next time.
For all those that will be coming,it is a short while and you will be here in God's Vineyard.You are in our prayers and are all looking forward to host you.
The school has just completed the zonal/district music competition and the result was excellent.You will have time to see us perform at the provincail level.The fact that you will be here will make the pupils perform even better.Thank you for choosing to bring a smile to the faces of the needy pupils.
my love to you all
Patrick

June 20, 2008 3:19 AM

Bethany & Megan Butcher

I am Bethany Butcher and these are my children Megan and Kyle. We are excited about our trip. This will be Megan's 1st trip to Africa. I am Carroll and Wayne's daughter. I grew up in East Africa and this will be my 3rd trip back as an adult. My husband, Charley, is staying home with our son. He is so supportive and I am grateful for all he is doing while we are away and all he is giving up. I am looking forward to seeing Africa and Mercy Care Centre through my daughter's eyes. It will be an amazing trip and a life changing experience for Megan and me. I feel blessed to be a part of such a talented group of people. The work we will be doing will impact lives now and in the future. Seeing a child smile because they know and feel love is an awesome!
Megan worked hard on a project to raise money to take the children on a field trip to an Animal Orphange near Nairobi. She raised about $1,000 for the trip. She sold small wooden animals at church and her school. She also saved change that her Pops help her collect. She is also planning other activities with the children.
Please keep us in your prayers and thoughts as we are in Kenya.
Megan has decided to write to her own blog. For Megan's point of view on the trip, check out her blog at http://megangoes2africa.blogspot.com/.