CAMBODIA CONSULTATION; ALASKA VOLUNTEER INFO; VOLUNTEERS NEEDED IN CHINA, CUBA, & KENYA; SERVE IN HAWAII AT CAMPSITE

Photo: The Great Wall of China, courtesy nationalgeographic.com. Voluteers are needed there to teach English. Read the story below.

* CAMBODIA CONSULTATION SEPTEMBER 2009

VIM'ers!
Let me take this avenue to cordially invite you to attend the next Cambodia Consultation scheduled for September 17-19, 2009 in Metairie, Louisiana. Metairie is part of the makeup of the city of New Orleans, so you can expect not only exciting news about our work in Cambodia, networking with our missionaries and other UMVIMs engaged in Cambodia but that marvelous South Louisiana hospitality and food! (Jambalaya and New Orleans Po-Boys are on the menu!)
Attached is the brochure and registration and you can also register on line at http://events.signup4.com/camcon2009.

Information is also included for two hotels, Radisson and Sheraton, where you can find reduced rates for the Consultation, $79 plus tax, available until 8/28.
Romy del Rosario, Country Director, Svay Youtharoat, Principal of the Methodist Bible School and Tuy Chamroeun, President of the Methodist Youth, Clara Biswas, Irene Mparutsa, Katherine Parker and Esther Gitobu, missionaries, are among others slated to be here from Cambodia.

The deadline for registration is August 31, so please consult your calendars and plan to come. Metairie is the site of the New Orleans Airport (MSY) and Airport Shuttle and the Sheraton will get you safely to your hotel destinations.

If you have questions contact me at 225.346.1646 or LduckN@aol.com.
As we say here, Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez - Let the Good Times Roll! Welcome to New Orleans and the Cambodian Consultation!
Larry Norman, LAVIM Director

* ALASKA VOLUNTEER INFORMATION

Volunteers are still needed and welcome to come and serve in Alaska due to the ice-flooding. You can connect with Robert Paire and Rev. Richard Whetsell whose contact information is found in the blog post right below this one dated July 8, 2009.

Robert recently noted: Alaska is a big place, and I am still learning myself. Dawson City, Yukon Territory Canada, is our nearest neighbor 100 miles up the Yukon River from Eagle. I think you can purchase commercial flights into Dawson, or at least into the provincial city of Whitehorse 200 miles away. Everyday there is a large commercial river boat called the Yukon Queen, run by Holland America, transporting passengers from Dawson to Eagle and back. It’s a very handy way to get into Eagle, the trip only takes about 4 hours and it’s free. The only catch is you will need a passport to travel around in Canada, but I think it’s worth it because the roads into Dawson are much better than the roads into Eagle.

We are having a lot of trouble scheduling volunteers out of Fairbanks. In the first place it’s 360 miles to Eagle, Holland America takes two days to get here. If you drive yourself you will have trouble finding a rental car that will allow you to drive on gravel roads. Not to mention that the roads are narrow twisty mountain roads with blind turns and 1000 foot drops offs.

In addition he notes: FYI if you decide to pursue things a little further on your own the fastest, and probably the easiest way to get into Eagle is as follows:

- Book a commercial flight into Fairbanks
- Spend the night at Golden North Hotel $80/Night 800-447-1910
- Leave Weekday by Everts Air $170 One way to Eagle 907-450-2350
-or-
- Make arrangements through Arlan DeYong to travel by Holland America Coach.

1) Bring a Tent to sleep in
2) It is much easier to get to Eagle from Fairbanks or Dawson City YT than from Anchorage
3) Bring basic hand tools such as tool belt, hammer, tape measure, small pry bar, utility knife as so forth.
4) meals are provided for volunteers by the city.

For more information about serving in the village of Eagle, Alaska go to http://www.eaglecity.org/.

Thank you for your willingess to serve in this time of need!

* TEACH ENGLISH IN CHINA - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Teach English in China for Big Stone Education group. Big Stone hasestablished an educational company in China for the purpose of placingteachers and providing educational management services. Profit from thiscompany provides funding for our charity work in China's rural countryside.Our current big project is a non-institutional sustainable orphanage andorganic farm.We are currently in need of 40 Americans willing to come to China for a yearor more, and teach English to the students in our partner schools.

The employees are paid and managed directly by our company. This will helplighten or eliminate the stress and discomfort caused by the office politicsfound in most schools in China, and allows them to focus on what they camehere to do. Our salary and benefits package is a cut above many of the otherteaching jobs in this province.The benefits include:. 10 month (renewable) employment contract (September - June). 6,500 RMB monthly salary. 20 teaching hours per week. Airfare reimbursement in cash. Private off-campus housing (3-star standard). Private transportation to school each day. International medical/health insurance. 1 all-expenses-paid travel excursions per term (2 per year). Weekends and holidays off. 2 - 3 Chinese language classes per week. Kung Fu classes (optional). Experienced American management For more information or to apply please contact:ChristaWingert@bigstonechina.org

Requirements:. Native English speaker (US, Canada). Good communication skills. Willing to live / work in Henan, China. Above 18 years oldPreferred:. Bachelor Degree (any major). TESOL or equivalent. Teaching experience

* VOLUNTEERS NEEDED IN CUBA

Rev. Nick Elliott, former Executive Director of UMVIM, SEJ, will be leading a 12 member construction team to Havana, Cuba. Team will assemble in Miami on November 30 and fly to Havana on December 1-10. We will be working on the Methodist Seminary in old Havana, worshipping in different churches, and learning about the Cuban culture.
Please email NSEUMVIM@gmail.com for an application.

Special consideration will be given to persons who have never been to Cuba. Anticipated cost is $2250 from Miami.

* URGENT NEED FOR PASTOR IN KENYA

There is a critical and immediate need for an additional pastor to assist a Virginia Conference UMVIM team in the training of UMC pastors in the Nakuru District of Kenya in the East Africa Conference. A last minute and unavoidable team member cancellation has led to this vacancy. The focus of the training is basic theological, doctrinal, and pastoral education instruction for approximately 20 pastors. The need is immediate as the team leaves August 13.

The cost of the trip is $3000…with most of the money due now as we make travel and lodging reservations. On such a short notice we trust that the Holy Spirit will touch the heart of the right pastor(s) to assure training commitments are met. Can you help?

Details of the trip:
Dates: August 13 to August 28, 2009 (these dates are firm)
Leave and Return from: Dulles International Airport
Cost: $3000, all inclusive (except for personal purchases and optional safari at the end of the trip)
Place: Nakuru, Kenya, in the Rift Valley, East Africa Conference UMC at a new UMC boarding school

Contact for more information: Rev. Nancy Robinson, 804.264.7856 (H), or 804.873.1487 (C);
call anytime, but hurry!

* WANT TO SERVE IN HAWAII?

Opportunity to work on New Construction at Camp Mekokiko on the Big Island of Hawaii, October 1 - 16, 2009 !! This would be a UM/VIM team open to any who would like to experience a little different work location. Housing is in a mixed dormitory with only 14 beds available, thus setting the maximum size of a team. We do our own communal cooking, have laundry and showers available and all tools needed are provided by the camp. Couples or singles are welcome.

You arrange your own transportation to Kona, HI and we will coordinate meeting members coming in to the airport. Camp is about an hour and half from the airport. Follow on travel is at your discretion, but highly recommended if you have not been to the Islands before. We will have ample time to sight see around the Big Island on our days off (when it rains!) Individual cost (in addition to your airfare) are estimated to be $350, which includes $100 each to the camp building fund, car rental, GBGM insurance, camp shirt and food.

Check the camp out at: www.hawaiipacificmethodists.org/mekokiko.htm
For more information and sign up contact:
Tom and Mary Louise Hager tomterrific3@juno.com
695 Summer Lane White Salmon WA 98672-7400 Phone (509) 493-2445 or cell: (206) 399-3523

MORE NEWS FOR VOLUNTEERS ABLE TO SERVE IN ALASKA; WORK TEAMS WANTED TO SERVE AT BIRCHWOOD CAMP-ALASKA; STORIES FROM THE GROUND-GUATAMALA

Photos: Volunteers serving in Guatamala, courtesy J. Grant Weins. For more information see their story below under "Stories from the Ground: Guatamala"

*FURTHER DETAIL FOR VOLUNTEERS ABLE TO SERVE IN ALASKA DUE TO ICE FLOODING

Thank you so very much for spreading the word about the opportunity and great need for volunteers to serve in Alaska in rebuilding homes. If you are interested in serving and/or know someone that is please contact me with their names and contact information as I am creating a database of persons/teams available to serve.

Wanted to correct you on the name of one of the villages that I gave you in my previous email. The village is not "Canana" but "Tanana". Please forgive me for any confusion here. Again, the three villages are EAGLE, TANANA, AND STEVENS VILLAGE. As it stands now, volunteers DO NOT need to bring tools. Tools will be provided/donated some by Samaritan's Purse and the Mennonites. Individuals are welcome to bring their favorite hammer but the bulk of the tools will be provided to them at the site.

Since it is customary for volunteer teams to bring an amount money that can be used for a donation/love offering, we are awaiting news as to what is culturally appropriate with the residents in the villages of Eagle, Tanana, and Stevens Village for bringing in money and/or leaving it behind. Once I receive word of this, I will pass this information on.

Safe Sanctuary training and background checks (especially of teams leaders) is encouraged to be done PRIOR to arrival at the site. If you have any further questions about this please contact me.

In addition, the village of Eagle seems to be serviced thus far through the Mennonites and as such we've been asked as the UMC to first direct our efforts towards the village of Tanana where there is a place for volunteers to stay and we are awaiting news as to how and if meals will be provided there as they will be in Eagle. I am still awaiting news on Stevens Village.

The greatest cost for volunteers will be for them to get from their homes to Fairbanks, where volunteers are encouraged to fly into. Fairbanks is the preferred place for teams to fly into but teams may also fly to Anchorage as well. Then Holland America will transport them most likely by boat to the village of Tanana. So far, Holland America is offering to do this as a courtesy for volunteers helping in this recovery effort.

Please note that hotel accommodations are available for those teams that need overnight stays in Fairbanks/Anchorage as a result of airline/flight schedules. Thank you again. I will continue to update you as further details develop.

* OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE IN ALASKA AT BIRCHWOOD CAMP

Birchwood Camp of the Alaska United Methodist Missionary Conference is building a new log building on our camp and we are in need of willing workers. Due to the national cancellation of a scheduled MDA camps, we have a week of camp space available from July 31 to August 6 this summer. We need a variety of workers and abilities during this time. If enough people are available we will do some log building. We also need those skilled in carpentry and basic repairs as well as those of you who just enjoy working in yard.

Ever dream of going to Alaska but don’t want to be just a tourist? (Or if you want to tour after work we can supply information)

Perhaps you have been to camp at Birchwood and want to give back.

Perhaps you live near by and would love to be part of a giving group.

Maybe you’ve been a part of other volunteer in mission work teams and are ready for another experience.

This week may be for you. We can promise meaningful work, great meals, and warm hospitality, awesome scenery, and perhaps campfire sharing and singing.

The Details:

Your biggest expense (if you live outside Alaska) will be your transportation). You would fly into and out of the Anchorage airport. Cars are expensive to rent but are available. If we know your arrival time we may be able to facilitate transportation to camp. You will need to bring bedding or a sleeping bag, pillow, only casual clothes (Jeans long and short sleeve shirts, raingear, close toed shoes. Layered works well in Alaska)

We can feed and house you that week for $20 per day. There will be parking available for those who want to bring an RV. Go on our website http://www.birchwoodcamp.org/ for an VIM application, health form, and voluntary disclosure form. We do require that you have health insurance and can facilitate short term insurance for you at a low cost if needed. Fax it to us at 907-688-2734. If these times don’t work for you but you want to help, e-mail us at Director@birchwoodcamp.org and tell us of your interest and availability.

*STORIES FROM THE GROUND: GUATAMALA BY J. Grant Wiens

We were in Guatemala from May 18-27. We flew into Guatemala City and got thereon the evening of the 18th and stayed there for the night. The next day westarted our drive to the city of Quetzeltenango (also known as Xela), which iswhere we did our work. We got to Xela on the 19th after going to Lake Atitlanand Santiago.

In Xela we stayed at the VIM headquarters There they have amedical clinic and some dorm style rooms for volunteers to stay in. There weresome rooms that weren't finished and needed some work done on them. The wallsand ceilings needed some spackling and cementing work done, so that's what wespent most of our time doing.

We had to do everything by hand. We had to siftthe sand into a wheelbarrow then take it to another part of the compound wherewe mixed the cement/spackle with shovels. After we mixed the sand there withthe mix to get what we wanted, we carried it with buckets to the walls andceilings we were working on. We had to use trowels to get it on the walls andceilings with trowels. We had a plumb line that we had to get to and wouldsmooth out our work with boards every now and then to see how close we were togetting to that line. We covered multiple walls and ceilings while we worked.

In addition to all that, we also built some scaffolding and unloaded a truckfull of bricks, both of which will be used for future projects there. Weusually worked from about 8:00 in the morning to 4:00 in the afternoon with acouple of half days. In addition to all that we had the opportunity to takesome school supplies, which can be a real luxury in Guatemala, to a school there in Xela.

When we weren't working we got to see some of the sites therein Xela, as well as some Mayan ruins and sites in Antigua. The trip was veryrewarding for all of us. We got to work and interact directly with some of thelocals and hear their stories, and really got to make an impact by helping them.We also got to bond with each other, see the sites of Guatemala and makememories that will last a lifetime.