Title: Disciples find themselves on frontlines of Mitch relief
Date: December 1, 1998
Disciples News Service Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Contact: news@cm.disciples.org
98c-70
INDIANAPOLIS (DNS) -- When two groups of Disciples began planning trips to Central America, little did they know they would find themselves on the frontlines of Hurricane Mitch relief. But in a time of overwhelming need, both found ways to serve.
For almost two years, members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Upper Midwest had been planning a work/study trip to El Salvador. At the same time a group of Disciples pastors was making plans for a similar trip to El Salvador and Nicaragua. This trip was organized by the Church Finance Council and the Division of Overseas Ministries.
Working with the region's global mission partners, Greg and Dawn Nottingham, the Week of Compassion and the Division of Overseas Ministries, the Upper Midwest team had identified a small Lutheran congregation who needed a concrete floor poured for their new building. Then, the weekend before the group was to leave, Hurricane Mitch stalled over Central America, inundating the region. Now the greater need in El Salvador was medical aid.
Within the next two days, the 12 team members collected medical supplies, vitamins and general purpose antibiotics. Luggage was unpacked and rearranged to accommodate the needed supplies. Fortunately one team member was a registered nurse; three were emergency medical technicians. On Nov. 6 the team arrived in El Salvador, ready for a new mission.
With the assistance of Lutheran Bishop Medaredo Ernesto Gomez, the group traveled to Usulutan in the eastern part of El Salvador. There they stayed in a regional warehouse, sharing a single toilet and a cold water shower.
Here's how Upper Midwest Deputy Regional Minister Alan Mace describes the team's work: "Each day began with a 45-minute ride to the end of the road at Puerto Parada. There we boarded boats for an hour-plus ride into the mangrove swamps to reach small communities which were cut off by the flood waters. When the boat ride ended, we walked in mud and then on the dikes around washed-out shrimp farms some 20 minutes to the first village.
"Half of the group stayed there and ran a small medical clinic. The remainder of the group walked about 1.5 miles to the next community. Much, if not most, of this walk was through water, some of which was waist-deep. Again, a clinic was provided at this village as well. Our group was the first relief to reach these villages.
"We were received with open arms and gracious hospitality. We were also overwhelmed by what we saw. The people had been living in standing water for eight days when were arrived. They were dealing with a very powerful foot fungus which literally eats at the feet. Parasitic infections from bad water were very common as were a variety of internal infections. In addition, we treated colds, open sores and various wounds. All told, our group saw more than 450 persons. We stayed until we had exhausted all medications and supplies. We were fortunate to have the appropriate materials available to assist these persons in the face of the other calamities in their lives."
The second group was made up of 12 Disciples pastors. Their trip, planned over a year ago as a cooperative venture of Week of Compassion, Church Finance Council and the Division of Overseas Ministries, was expected to offer participants an opportunity to reflect on issues of stewardship and mission with partner churches in El Salvador and Nicaragua. The group did have some of those opportunities. But in Nicaragua, they worked with ecumenical partners coordinating emergency relief efforts.
While the team was in Nicaragua, Week of Compassion and One Great Hour of Sharing sent $15,000 to our partner church to aid their relief effort. The Division of Overseas Ministries also made available $1,000 for the immediate purchase of food and supplies.
The Revs. David Shirey and Verity Jones share this report of their work: "On Nov. 5, we gathered with our Nicaraguan partners in the small offices of the Mision Cristiana de Nicaragua and prepared our offering: we bagged rice and corn meal, put candles in plastic and placed packets of bleach into containers to purify water.
"The next day we loaded our goods and ourselves into the back of three pick-up trucks and headed for a small town north of Leon. It took us seven hours to travel about 50 miles. We drove through river beds where bridges had once stood, across washed-out roads, and through fields destroyed by mud and rushing water. We dodged a number of dead cattle and gave folks along the way rides into the next town. We got stuck in the mud too many times to count.
"But we made it, not quite as far as we had hoped, but to Larreinaga, where one of our partner churches ministered. We unloaded our gifts and gathered with the town folk to thank God for God's generosity even in times of trial. We returned home exhausted and dirty, but confident of God's presence and the hope that we share in Christ Jesus."
Participants in the Upper Midwest trip were all from Iowa: Joycelyn Haage, First Christian Church, Keokuk; the Rev. Traverce Harrison, First Christian Church, Burlington; Don and Martha Johnson, First Christian Church, Des Moines; the Rev. Phil Jorgenson, First Christian Church, Clarinda; Deborah Krichau, Pleasantville Christian Church, Pleasantville; and the Rev. Jerry and Gladys Sawyer, Ankeny Christian Church, Ankeny.
Other travelers: the Rev. Rebecca Strom, Pleasantville and Fairview Christian Churches, Pleasantville; Virginia Stuary, First Christian Church, Winterset; Harlan "Frosty" Van Voorst, Packwood Christian Church, Packwood; and the Rev. Alan Mace, Christian Church in the Upper Midwest, Des Moines.
Travelers to Nicaragua included the Rev. David Avery, Community Christian Church, Jefferson City Mo.; the Rev. Luis Ferrer, Board of Church Extension, Indianapolis; Angela Herrmann, associate editor, The Disciple, Indianapolis; the Rev. Verity Jones, Central Christian Church, Terre Haute, Ind.; the Rev. Marvin Owens Jr., Williamsburg Christian Church, Brooklyn, N.Y.; the Rev. Kevin Russell, Sparta Christian Church, Independence, Ky.; and the Rev. David Shirey, North Christian Church, Columbus, Ind.
Also: the Revs. Ed Taylor, Church Finance Council, Indianapolis; David Vargas, Division of Overseas Ministries, Indianapolis; Sarah Webb, chaplain, Bethany College, Bethany, W. Va.; Dan Webster, Christian Church of Arlington Heights, Arlington Hts., Ill.; and Rebecca Zelensky, First Christian Church, Gibson City, Ill.
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