Prayers for Volunteers in Mission Team
The Volunteers in Mission (VIM) team left this weekend for Cambodia. Glenn Rowley, Conference Mission Director, and Juanita Csontos, Chair of the Conference Initiatives of Hope for Cambodia, are leading the team. Prayers for safe travel for the team and the strengthening of Christian leadership in Cambodia are requested.
Juanita has prepared lessons on teaching and interpreting scripture and also on explaining the principles which undergird the discipline of the Methodist Church; Glenn will cover discipleship and servant leadership. All four topics have been requested by the Cambodian Christians. The team plans to have the Cambodian Christians assume control in group discussions on these topics so as to help develop leadership skills.
On this trip the team will travel to churches in the northern provinces of Siem Reap and Beantey Meanchey. In addition to teaching, the team will visit several of the projects funded by Aldersgate’s Alternative Giving program, e.g., sustainable agricultural projects (livestock and poultry, rice banks, irrigation, vegetable growing, etc.), as well as visit with those benefiting from vocational and educational scholarships and medical assistance. While in Phnom Penh the team will visit the projects of Missionary Clara Biswas, which covers the street children, orphanages, dump site areas, and the soup kitchens in resettlement areas.
The team is taking with them the pillowcase dresses made by Sue Erbele (organizer of the sewing group), Debra Bennett, and Valerie Vanchieri. These dresses will be distributed in Beantey Meanchey, the poorer of the two northern projects the team will visit. The team is grateful for the dedication, effort, and expense put forth by these wonderful ladies of Aldersgate.