01-11-04
Dear Friends,
It has come to pass.... that I will be leaving very early this Wednesday morning, Jan 14, 2004 on a journey. A team going to Puerto Rico on a mission trip with WNCC UMVIM (Western North Carolina Conference United Methodist Volunteers In Mission) needed a few more members to complete the team and I was asked to join them. There are now 18 of us on the team. Going from High Point, NC is our team leader Joel K and his wife as well as 6 others. Jim H and I were commissioned as short term missionaries this morning in church and will be going from FUMC here in Hendersonville with 6 others from around NC, 1 from MD and 1 from FL. We fly out of Charlotte, NC at 10:30 AM and will return Wednesday, Jan 28, at 4:47 PM.
We will be working on the Villa Carolina Methodist Church in Carolina, Puerto Rico near San Juan (a little SE). We plan to replace woodwork that has been damaged by termites, repair damage caused by vandals, replace some windows with block and do some other things to make the building more secure, upgrade and expand their electrical wiring and system, do some structural remodeling (removing a balcony and replacing it) and remodel the bathrooms. At least these are some of the things that we expect to be doing. We will be there for 2 weeks and the next team will arrive the day after we leave and stay for 2 more weeks to finish up what we start. We will be using the Sunday school rooms for bedrooms and the church kitchen and area for our meals so will be living on site. They hope to have showers for us to use.
We appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we travel in these uncertain times, as we get to know one another and meld into a team for work and fellowship and as we work with our brothers and sisters in Christ to repair their house of worship.
Take care and God bless you, Letha
01-11-04 To the Congregation of First United Methodist Church
Dear Friends,
It is a wonderful thing to be commissioned as your representative to go forth in Christ’s name. Words cannot express the warmth and strength of the love and support that is felt, that envelops me, when you stand as a congregation – without hesitation, as one. It makes me feel truly a member of the body of Christ here and a part, together with you, of the universal Communion of Saints around the world today and back through the ages to the time of Christ’s early followers and believers. This was true when I went to Serbia and again as I now leave for Puerto Rico. I feel that you go with me as an essential part of the team through your encouragement and financial support and especially your prayers. Once again today was a special service of praise, message, song and fellowship to take in my heart as I travel to work for Christ. It is a blessing to worship with you.
We appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we travel in these uncertain times, as we get to know one another and meld into a team for work and fellowship and as we work with our brothers and sisters in Christ to repair their house of worship.
Take care and God bless you.
Love In Christ,
Letha