April 2006
Dear Friends and Family,
Greetings from Omaha. Chris and I are busy preparing for the first ever Field Forum that is taking in Sri Lanka March 27-April 1. We will gather WMF leaders from around the world- both North American staff and national staff from India, Nepal, Romania, Sierra Leone, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, and Argentina. After fifteen years of service among the poorest of the poor, these meetings in Sri Lanka have the potential to set the course for the next fifteen. It is an exciting day in WMF!
This year has been full already with a field visit to Peru in January and Chris speaking nearly thirty-four times in the first 60 days of 2006.
Our trip to Peru was really special. We hadn't been there for almost three years. It was so good to be reunited with some of our dearest friends. One of our friends, Gloria* has been forced to sell her body on the streets of Lima since she was about fifteen years old. We met her during her first weeks on the streets many years ago. Sadly, Gloria still has no substantial options for employment and is now the mother of two children. She and her husband live on the outskirts of town in the barren, desolate hills. During our last day in Lima, Chris and I made the journey with Gloria to her home to be with her and her family. There are no words to adequately describe the oppressive, historical and structural poverty that Gloria and her family are subjected to. Systematic poverty has its fierce grip on our friends. There are no easy solutions.
The below photo of Gloria's children and niece and nephew speaks a thousand words. This broken slide whose jagged metal has the power to sever limbs is one of their few delights.
From Lima, we returned to Omaha and Chris started an intense season of public speaking. Chris was the featured speaker for missions conferences at Anderson University, Indiana; Mt. Vernon Nazarene College, Ohio; and Indiana Wesleyan University, Indiana. Directly after these speaking engagements, Chris was flown out to Virginia to meet with the Parker Foundation to discuss ways in which the foundation might help support WMF.
I stayed back in Omaha during all of these trips to focus on developing the community care center. I've been blessed with Amanda Timm who has been serving with me as a part-time intern since January. She is a junior in college and has a beautiful heart for the poor. Sonya Gray has also formally come into the community care center serving in her original role as Hospitality Coordinator. Together, the three of us are getting a lot accomplished as we serve the community in an effort to bring hope to our friends around the world.
As far as international travel plans, Chris and I will visit the community in Madras while we are in South Asia for the Field Forum. In July, we will travel to Sierra Leone. August takes us to Romania. In addition, we are praying about making a visit to Peru and possibly Bolivia for Christmas.
Please see the included itinerary for more details about the next few months. As always, your prayers are greatly appreciated. In addition, we want to thank each of you who give so generously, sacrificially and faithfully to our support account. Thank you for partnering with us in so many ways.
with a prayer for Gloria,
Phileena
*Gloria's name has been changed to protect her privacy.
Gloria's nephew standing near exposed electrical wires on the edge of a cliff that provides entry to their home.
2006
01/11-19 Peru Field Visit (Chris and Phileena)
01/24-28 IN: Anderson University (Chris and Jara)
02/07-10 Mt. Vernon, OH: Mt. Vernon Nazarene College (Chris)
02/13-17 Indiana Wesleyan Missions Conference (Chris)
02/23-25 Richmond, Virginia: Parker Foundation Visit (Chris)
02/24-26 Spiritual Retreat (Phileena)
03/27-04/01 Galle, Sri Lanka: Field Forum (Chris and Phileena)
04/07-09 Spiritual Retreat (Phileena)
04/20-22 Omaha, NE: 2006 WMF Board Meetings
05/04-05 Omaha, NE: Altitude Group Consultancy
05/15-18 Pastors in Community Conference Meetings (Chris)