An itinerary with a mission

Allentown church group sets out to travel to Malawi and offer help

Many people have seen TV commercials of charities seeking support for impoverished African nations. Aside from providing the opportunity to send a donation, few of these organizations provide the chance for hands-on support and interaction.

The congregation of the Allentown Presbyterian Church is working to change this. On Saturday, seven members of the church will make the journey of a lifetime to Malawi, Africa, to promote the growth and sustainability in the village of Sakata.

According to Malawi-bound church member Bob Rhoad, Malawi faces some daunting obstacles. "Some of the statistics are pretty staggering," Rhoad said.

"Thirteen percent of the kids don't make it to the age of five," he added, noting that Malawian life expectancy is less than 40 years. Rhoad also said AIDS and malaria, which plague the country, have left 500,000 children without parents.

"Three quarters of the population lives on two dollars or less per day," Rhoad said. He added that Malawi has an unemployment rate ranging from 60 percent to 70 percent.

The missionaries from the Allentown Presbyterian Church plan to address these problems, starting on a hyper-local level, by adopting Sakata, the small village of 800 residents.

"The ultimate goal is to go there and adopt a village," said church member Hal Boston. "We don't even know that anybody's ever done it before," he added.

"Our dream is to sort of have the whole community involved and have a real sister village that will develop," Rhoad said. "The people have been so receptive."

Boston and Rhoad said the team of seven will construct a standing structure that will function as a preschool and community center. The team will also enhance the local water supply, build fish ponds and will distribute mosquito nets to help combat malaria.

Faced with a two-bag luggage limit, each of the seven missionaries will pack one bag full of personal belongings and a second full of supplies for the community. Boston said the team will literally donate the clothing off of their backs, passing on their clothes to the villagers when they depart for the United States.

"We feel we're being led by the spirit," Boston said. "We don't really know what to expect. We know this: that it's going to devastating in what we see, in the sense of the poverty, the amount of aids that has ravaged them, malaria and different diseases."

Boston said the entire operation hinges on creating and sustaining a sense of community. It is this strong sense of community that has carried the entire project into fruition. The Allentown Presbyterian Church has raised $20,000 -- largely through individual community members from the Allentown and Upper Freehold area -- to carry out its mission.

The church held a "raft fundraiser" in late June to both promote awareness about the issues Malawi faces and to raise money for their trip. Church members constructed a large raft and launched it into Conine's Mill Pond. Five church members stayed onboard the raft to raise awareness for the mission trip while others collected donations on the shore in nearby Pete Sensi Park.

The church also has raised money by selling patches of a quilt that will adorn a wall in the completed preschool. Boston said the church has sold more than 200 patches, which require a minimum donation of $10. Purchasers are able to decorate their patches in order to connect with the villagers.

"The patch actually gives them a memento and physically helps them get invested in the trip," Boston said. He added that among the supplies the team will be carrying to Malawi will be quilt materials so the people of Sakata can reciprocate with messages of their own.

In addition to Rhoad and Boston, other church members making the trip are Ethan and Edward Rhoad, Charley Lyons-Pardue, Hal Boston Jr. and Ann Darlington.