Experiencing AIDS through victims' stories

For the next five days, visitors to the World Vision AIDS Experience Tent at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach can not only learn more about these children — and many others throughout Africa — but virtually step into their lives as they meander through the 20-by-60-foot structure.

"We wanted to bring awareness of the issue of AIDS in Africa," said Laurie Jaworski, director of global outreach at the church. "This is a good opportunity for our congregation and the community to understand the devastation caused by AIDS and poverty and so forth."

Each guest is given an MP3 player that provides the narrative for the 20-minute audio tour through the life of one of the three children, and photographs and displays reveal the millions of lives that have been and are affected by the devastating disease.

The three life paths end in a pseudo-medical clinic as each child receives the results of his or her HIV examination, and the tour concludes in the clinic chapel, where visitors can take time to reflect or write a prayer or thought to be delivered to families in Malawi.

"These are very real life stories and situations of those affected not only by AIDS and HIV, but also poverty and injustice," said Lauren Alevy, tent exhibit producer.

The traveling exhibit was originally crafted by a church in San Diego, based on a series of similar experiences offered by World Vision, a Christian relief and development organization assisting children worldwide.

After visiting Malawi last summer, Alevy wanted to find a way to share with others the effects the trip had on her life.

"Even though they are materially poor, the people there are the richest people I have ever met because they are rich in spirit and family and faith," she said.

The tent began its tour in September, visiting several universities and churches in the San Diego area. Gathering donations from more than 12,000 visitors, the organization was able to sponsor 150 children and raise about $40,000 to supplement development projects in central Malawi.

St. Andrew's sponsors about 600 children through World Vision and maintains a Malawi task force. The church is holding a sponsorship drive in conjunction with the tent exhibit with the goal of sponsoring 425 more children.

"It's heart-wrenching to see the number of people who are dying from this disease," Jaworski said. "We hope this tent will have an effect on people."

Mom and son plan another ’bags of hope‘ trip

Watching a slide show about his trip to Malawi on his mom‘s laptop, Jaako Polkki dances in his seat.
Arms waving above his head, he sings along quietly to the African voices projected from the computer.
On-screen, photos show the boy with the mop of white-blonde hair surrounded by Malawian children, handing out his “bags of hope” to kids his own age and younger.
Nine-year-old Jaako and his mom Sue returned in February from a trip that saw them buy truckloads of food and farm animals to donate to villagers in rural Malawi.
An exhausting illness after she got home – a parasite picked up in Africa – meant Sue has only felt back to normal in the last week.
It was a visit to his family‘s church last May by a missionary from Guatemala that led Jaako to creating Hope for Malawi.
He and his mom appealed to the public and to their church, hosting yard sales and meals.
They raised $32,000, well shy of Jaako‘s $800,000 goal, and 2,000 cloth bags full of small toys, pencils, notepads and candy.
Mom and son intend to continue raising money, and have tentatively chosen June 2008 for their next trip.
“We went there to help them and they ended up teaching us so much,” said Sue.
Beyond the foot-long centipedes and crossing flooded rivers, she‘ll treasure memories of her son‘s compassion and watching him emerge into a self-confident person who took charge of roomfuls of people.
The day after landing and being met by their host missionaries in Lilongwe, the southeast African country‘s capital, mom and son went to market.
They bought 75 50-kilogram bags of maize along with sugar, oil, rice and other staples.
Over three weeks, they visited 10 rural villages to distribute the food through church or community leaders.
Canadian donors had pledged money for chickens, oxen and goats. Sue and Jaako bought them at each village.
That program, they discovered, was a bit stressful, as they struggled to find 63 chickens, 45 goats and two oxen – and keep track of exactly how many they‘d already given away.
Also, because it was the rainy season and crops weren‘t in yet, what people really needed was maize, noted Sue.
“There are things we will do again and things we won‘t do,” she said. “But all the money donated went to good use.”
At each village, they arrived in two trucks with their interpreter, usually at the community church or school – or the building that was both.
Church leaders had organized groups of children to meet Jaako, but everyone in the villages showed up.
Ritual greetings and exuberant singing and dancing – Jaako taught them English songs as well – were involved at every meeting.
At every village, Jaako handed out hundreds of his bags of hope.
“We always ran out,” said Sue. “It was so heartbreaking.”
The visitors brought blades and fashioned hockey sticks from branches.
“Well, it was good to have a translator,” said Jaako about teaching hockey to people who speak another language. “I‘ll just say that.”

BENEFIT CHICKEN BAR-B-QUE At the Union Masonic Lodge

The Masonic Lodge #31 in Union and the People's United Methodist Church (PUMC) of Union will hold a benefit supper on June 16 from 4 to 6 PM to raise funds for the “Little Field Home Orphanage” at Chigamba Village, Malawi, Africa.

Proceeds from this event will be used to purchase supplies (medical, school, food etc.) needed by the orphans during the Mission Trip to the orphanage in Malawi in July.

This benefit is being organized by Myrna Soule and the Mission Committee of PUMC, whose members expressed their hope for continued charity, "We feel it is important to remember these orphans on Fathers Day weekend. We appreciate the generous support we have received from the area residents to build a medical center for the orphanage. This is another opportunity for people to enjoy a good meal together while helping those who are so much in need."

Each chicken dinner will include: Chicken, Coleslaw, Chips, Roll, Pickle, Beverage, and Dessert Bar.

The barbecue will be held at the Union Masonic Lodge, located on Sennebec Road, north of Route 17 in Union. For more information on the benefit supper or about the Mission Trip to Malawi, call Myrna Soule at 785-4117.

A MINISTRY OF HOPE IN MALAWI

One year ago, Dr. Kenneth Root, a member of Valley Presbyterian Church, Paradise Valley, AZ who is a physician specializing in neurology joined with a group of medical missionaries to work with the Ministry of Hope in Malawi, an extremely poor sub-Saharan African country. Upon his return, he shared his experience with fellow members, telling them that he had personally been changed by the experience, saying, “The infants and children of Malawi have placed upon my heart a new life calling for me.” Now, other members of Valley Presbyterian Church have been inspired to reach out with Ken to the children of Malawi. Photo: Dr. Ken Root

On April 16, 2007 a Malawi Mission Team from Valley Presbyterian Church Valley will leave on an eighteen day journey to Malawi, where they expect to experience the “warm heart of Africa”.

In 1999, a young Malawian college student name Fletcher Matandika was deeply moved by the plight of so many orphans. He established one small feeding center in Matapila, a village outside the capital city of Lilongwe. Demand grew quickly and what began as a mission serving a few children has grown into the Ministry of Hope (MOH) with six regional centers, serving a daily meal to over five thousand children. The ministry is under the Mkuza Presbyterian Church of the Nkhoma Synod in Malawi.

MOH also supports a crisis nursing care facility for a growing number of abandoned and critically ill babies. The center opened in late 2002 and has cared for nearly a hundred infants, nursing them back to health and returning them to their extended families or placing into adoptive families.

MOH also sponsors a high school scholarship program for those orphans who pass rigorous qualification exams to enter high school but cannot afford the tuition. A $350 scholarship can cover student school expenses for a whole year. MOH believes that to break the cycle of poverty, it is important for these bright students to continue their education, so that they can become teachers, health care workers, and other professionals serving the people of Malawi.

In response to this human need in Malawi, hundreds of people, many groups, young and old alike at Valley Presbyterian Church are supporting the Ministry of Hope in Malawi by sending a Malawi Mission Team.

Their Malawi Mission Team consists of Dr. Root and his son, Brandon; Carmel Courtright and her daughter Katy; and Dr. Marilyn Manning, Valley’s Pastor for Missions, who will be traveling to Malawi.

Led by efforts of fourteen year-old Katy Courtright, over $50,000 was raised to help purchase goats and chickens for an orphanage farm, build a yogurt factory, buy a maize mill, and dig a water well. The team will also be bringing some medical supplies for diabetics, homemade blankets and some infant clothing for the Malawi Crisis Nursery.

Youth made and sold bracelets, and Sunday School “Kids with a Mission” saved coins. Malawi Mission T-shirts were designed and sold. These combined efforts raised over $1,200 for Malawi student scholarships.

The original Malawi Mission Team goal was to raise $50,000 for this mission. Entering the last month before leaving, the Mission Team decided to try to raise another $5,000 for the renovation of the Nkoma Synod Hospital in Malawi. Once again, the Courtright’s came up with a grand plan to make contact with 500 people in 10 days with an objective to raising and average of $10 from each contact. Carmel and Katie raised $1500 in one day alone and the amount is growing!

Valley Presbyterian Church asks for prayers and support for their mission team and the people of Malawi as they prepare to witness for Christ on this mission.

Malawi: Pope Appoints New Bishop for Mangochi Diocese

Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi)

April 5, 2007
Posted to the web April 5, 2007

Vatican

Pope Benedict XVI has named Fr Alessandro Pagani the new bishop of Mangochi Diocese in Malawi.

Fr Pagani of Montfort Missionaries, aged 70, was appointed on Tuesday. He is the third bishop of Mangochi, succeeding Bishop Lusiano Nervi who headed the diocese for only 38 days, before a sudden death on March 8, 2005.

Bishop-elect Pagani was born in January 3, 1937 and comes from Torre Boldone in Bergamo, Italy.

Since his priestly ordination in 1965, he worked as a formator at the seminary of Montfort Missionaries for four years.

In 1969 he was sent to Malawi and for the past 38 years has worked in different parishes. He is familiar with the activities of the diocese's three deaneries: Utale-Balaka, Mpiri and Mangochi.

His first mission was Balaka (now Kapire, Kankao and Phalula parishes), where he remained till 1972. In 1973 he was appointed parish priest at Kankao. Later he was appointed in Nankhwali where he remained up to 1976. In 1977 he went to Mpiri Mission where he remained till 1985. From 1986 - 1997 he was in Zambia in the Diocese of Chipata.

Fr Pagani was from 1998 - 2001 regional superior of the Italian Montfort Fathers working in Mangochi and Chipata.

Relevant Links Southern Africa Malawi Religion

While in Malawi, Fr Pagani joined the itinerant team, a group of missionaries working for specific lay groups like the Legio Mariae, or special activities like the Saint Joseph House for the handicapped in Balaka.

He went for Lumko training in South Africa and had courses in Spirituality at the Gregorian University in Rome.

His second vocation is commitment to writing and translating books with Montfort Media to reach out to as many people as possible. He speaks Chichewa fluently.

Malawi: Passion and Compassion

Kilimanjaro Climb Demonstrates Leaders’ Hearts for Africa March 19, 2007 By Steve Haas, Vice President, Church Relations

A group of U.S. church leaders summited Tanzania's Mt. Kilimanjaro, using their passion for mountain climbing to help draw attention to the needs of orphans in Malawi.

Churches and individuals across the United States are learning to link their passions to compassion as they care for the poor while they enjoy their favorite sports and activities. Recently, individuals from U.S. churches partnering with World Vision in Malawi found a creative way to use their passions — in this case, mountain climbing — to help in the critical work of caring for orphans struggling to survive in Malawi. World Vision Vice President Steve Haas, who climbed to the top of Africa’s tallest mountain with this group, shares their story:

“Done!” And so concluded one of the great adventures of my life.

Triumph mingled with relief as I wove my way down the 19,340-foot peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro. At my side were nine climbing partners, all U.S. Christian leaders whose hearts are invested in Africa. For us, this was our opportunity to use our passions to benefit some of the world’s poorest people.

It seemed the perfect match. Join in some hobby or personal pursuit — a sport or some recreational activity you enjoy — mix it with an invitation to show compassion … and "Voila"! Not only have you accomplished something physically stimulating but also given friends and family an opportunity to participate with you in a meaningful way that serves others. Last time I did the math, that's a win-win-win.

The seeds of this adventure were sown when, just over a year ago, a group of churches across the U.S. entered into a partnership with World Vision to help the 25,000 desperately poor people of Nkhoma, Malawi, get on their feet. This fragile community is suffering from the double tragedy of poverty and HIV.

Community Development Desperately Needed

To give you a sense of the region’s need, the Nkhoma children we visited last year attended school in a mud hut — which was a great improvement over their previous open-air classroom with large rocks for chairs. The only source of hydration was a polluted seasonal stream that regularly provides large doses of cholera to the community.

Now the U.S. churches, who are partnering under the name “Y-Malawi,” have provided the initial start-up funding for community development in Nkhoma. They have committed to 5,000 child sponsorships, which will supply these children with clean water, education, health and hygiene, food, microenterprise development, and spiritual nurture.

Yet some of Nkhoma’s needs still beg for funding. So you can imagine my excitement when I realized I could climb Tanzania’s Mt. Kilimanjaro and raise money for Nkhoma special projects. All of a sudden, we weren’t just climbing a mountain, we were climbing for a vital reason!

But how could we raise money while indulging in adventure? I decided to give Team World Vision a try, offering friends the opportunity to “sponsor” my effort — with the funds going to the worthy cause of caring for Malawi’s orphans.

I had such a low view of my own internet fund-raising ability that my goal was a mere $5,000. You can imagine my surprise when the final tally was more than four times that amount!

What makes your heart burn with excitement? And what breaks your heart? How can your church mix passion with compassion? We’d love to explore this with you further.