Final Thoughts

Hey all, Micah here one more time.

I had a fairly lenghty entry planned, but Breanna summed up many of my thoughts in many less words, so I'll improv and keep it short.

The trip to Africa was one that changed every person in the group. We laughed, cried, worked, played, taught, and, most importantly, learned. All in all, we were able to build walls, tear down others, teach everything from science to computers to songs, paint signs and murals, construct desks, build a wheelchair, share experiences, and take in a beautiful country and its people, both in the city and in the wilderness. For all of this, we are forever grateful for your contributions, thoughts, and prayers. What a trip. I hope that everyone can join us at Glady Branch Baptist on July 18th for a full in-person recap from the team and share in the experience first hand.

Most of the younger folks have posted pictures of the trip- I'll try to get them on here as they come. Click on the links below for my own pictures.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2721252&id=4912107&l=026f81ca93

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2728720&id=4912107&l=576082a524

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2728721&id=4912107&l=59a33706cb

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2728737&id=4912107&l=0a7c5e1aad

Again, thanks to all for the support. I definitely hope to return to MCC, and am so blessed to have had this opportunity.

This wall was my personal project throughout our week at Mercy Care. We put a new base layer on the wall - the bright green. I then came up with a new design to go over the real-life heart on the right side. I decided to stick with the heart theme but draw the cute heart overlapped with a cross. I wanted to keep Africa on the left side of the wall because it shows the students geography and I think Africa is a beautiful country. We also repainted the sign to go over their main building because the previous one was beginning to crack the paint was chipping. I loved having this project and it gave me time to get to know some the students that helped and play with the street children that were always around that area. I also ended up helping the Thompsons some while my paint was drying, which created new friendships. I'm so thankful for everything that took place while we were over there and I'm proud to be able to say that I helped make an impact at Mercy Care Centre during our trip.

An Amazing Experience

It has always been my dream to go to Africa so when I found out Glady Branch was going I was ecstatic. The trip was amazing, something I, or anyone in our group, will never forget. Working at the Mercy Care Centre showed my heart even more how much I want to live in Africa someday - and now I know exactly where in Africa I can live and what I can do. I wanted to share a couple of my pictures that I took during this amazing 3 week trip. Some are funny - like Micah kissing the giraffe, some are breathtaking - like the view picture of the slums, and some are just informative - the elephants were adorable, as were the other animals we encountered. The little girl I'm holding is Wendy, she was the sweetest little street child and came to sit with us every day we were working. It was heartbreaking to leave her. The animals and scenery were breathtaking. I want to sincerely thank everyone for the contributions and prayer that went into making this trip possible. Mercy Care Centre and the students touched all our hearts and I know they will never be forgotten and most, if not all, from our group would love to go back and grow the relationships we began.

The NC Team is back home and our lives are touched forever

Dear Friends: We wanted to thank you for all of your prayers. They have been felt all during our time before leaving for the Mercy Care Centre, while traveling there, while there and also on the way home. Our hearts were touched by the children of the Mercy Care Centre as well as the children on the streets in the valley. We believe that God used our team in a wonderful way while we were there and we were touched by the opportunity to go and serve. Thank you to the Browns who always make the trip possible and for all of their good work.

We are grateful for the friendships we have made over the years as we focus on one thing we all hold close to our hearts - the Children of Mathare Valley and their Hope through the Mercy Care Centre.

Love to all,
Beth C. Greene for the NC Team

More pics to be posted soon. :0)

Little Alfred

Interviewed several people today and here is one I thought you might appreciate.

My name is Alfred. I am 7 years old and I am in Mama Rose’s class-Standard 3. I am one of 5 children in my family. We are very poor. My father died and my mom goes every morning to the corner to get work washing clothes. Many mornings she does not get hired. I started MCC when I was two. The teachers noticed early that I had trouble walking and I fell often. Last year I became so weak that I could not walk. Mama Rose has been carrying me around the school. She is very tiny. Last week, doctors from America saw me. They say I have a disease called Muscular Dystrophy and that it is progressive. They were so kind and the visiting carpenters designed and made a beautiful wheelchair just for me. I have not been to field day for 2 years but tomorrow Mama Carroll is taking me in my new chair. She will push my chair in the races. I hope I win! God is good and he is blessing me through the visitors here!

Winding Down

Today we spent trying to distribute the rest of the shoes and things left. I cut the mosquito net for the children to take to Kisumu for nationals at the end of July. Wayne, Phil, and Ken met with Patrick about forming a NGO and several other pressing matters. Tomorrow they will meet with the chief and elders about getting our buildings and continuing the preschool building. There is an unbelievable amount of things to do. Hope all of you are enjoying the summer. Love, Carroll

Sunday

Today is Sunday and many people are coming and going. The EC Glass group left for Amboseli and the Brevard group and Ian, the Australian pastor, left today for home. Wayne and I will work with the Australians this week to set up the organizational structure of the school better. Aaron will take movies and teach. He is a hit with the teachers! We have been to Esther’s family and the last posting showed her family. Wayne finally today got our internet card working so we should stay in touch this week! Thanks for your prayers and love! Carroll

Photo

Teacher's Dinner

Last night we had our teachers’ dinner and we had 74 people present. All the Brevard group and the EC Glass group really meshed and we shared so much together. The Americans presented the teachers with a present and the Aussie’s gave each teacher $20. Six of the Brevard group go back today and 11 go to Mombasa by train. The Glass group has 2 doctors-Dr. Meadows and Dr. Brennan- and they are doing an excellent job with the kids and teachers. We are all so blessed to be in this place at this time. Internet is awful! Cards are not working and it is so much traffic to go to town and not enough time. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers! Love, Carroll

From an Internet Cafe in Nairobi

Thank you all for the prayers which we have felt so much. The trip has been wonderful and 6 of our team are at the airport now headed back home. We have accomplished many things and we have felt the hand of God upon this trip. The second half of our team was scheduled to get on a train and travel to Mombasa tonight, but we have been delayed and will leave tomorrow night. Pray for safety as so many are traveling.

Also, our trip to Ambosili was wonderful. We saw all of Mt. Kilimanjaro and so many animals. Our tents were very comfortable and the visit there was wonderful. I just can't wait to post pics of our trip. We have taken many, but have not had internet long enough to do any posting.

Know we love you all and can't wait to tell you all about the children.

Love,
Beth
for the NC Team

Yes, we're still hanging around.

Hey all, Micah here.

Sorry for the lack of updates since Thursday- internet has been sketchy at best. Since we last spoke, our team has finished the carpentry projects within the MCC grounds, added skylights to the primary school, built a wheelchair for a disabled local child, taught even more computer skills, helped build hundreds of crafts, played soccer and basketball at the students' field day, and have gone on safari at Amboseli national park. All in all, a busy few days.

Our trip to Amboseli was pretty incredible- we stayed two nights at a lodge located at the foot of Mt. Kiliminjaro, which is simply breathtaking in person. We took three trips out into the park and were lucky enough to see zebras, giraffes, elephants, hippos, hyenas, gazelle, water buffalo, wildebeast, lions (albiet from a distance), and more. After a week of working in the slums, it was refreshing to have a break in some of the most beautiful land we had ever experienced.

Today (Tuesday) we're wrapping up a few loose threads at MCC, saying our goodbyes to the students and locals, and heading out of Nairobi. About half of our team is headed back to the good old USA, and the other half is headed to Mombasa for a few days' break before going home.

I'll compose a summary post while on the plane, but until then, thanks again to all for the prayers, thoughts, and interest while we've been here. The experience has been nothing short of amazing. Take care, and God bless.

More Photos

Photos

Good Day

Today was a good the carpenters finished work inside the main building, the clinic saw 160 people, lots of children did crafts and learned a song while doing sign language, the choir received 3 places in the choir competition and thus move to Nationals, the carpenters made a wheelchair for a student who has MS and we had many other experiences. The Aussies arrive safely and have now gone with the Brevard group to Amboseli where they will be out of touch for several days. Carroll and the Sydnors have gone to Lake Navashia to visit Ester's (a Kenyan who lives in Lynchburg) family. Dr. Bob and Joan bought 800 eggs which were boiled at the school and served with lunch at school. Some other students ate the eggs with the shells still on. I am meeting the EC Glass people at 12 noon to take them to the guest house.

Have a good day,

Wayne

We are having a wonderful time at the MCC

Dear Friends: The trip was great and now we are having a wonderful time at the Mercy Care Centre. We are feeling your prayers and the children are doing great, not only in their classes, but also at the Clinic and at Competition :0) You all who have been here before would be very proud of your students.

Each Team Member is doing great! Wish you all could be here. We are grateful to Micah and to Breanna who is helping with the blog.

God's blessings to each of you and we will talk again soon.

Love to all,

Beth Greene and the NC Team

Hey all, Micah here again.

I decided a summary of our typical day would be a helpful tool for you to visualize what's happening over here. Here goes:

7am: Breakfast in the cafeteria at the Amani Center. Eggs, bread, and assorted jellies with tea and hot milk have been the staples thus far. While I'm not sure I'm speaking for everyone involved, I've enjoyed it.

7:45am: The first van leaves for Methare Valley. Turning left out of the Amani Center, we merge onto a major Nairobi highway that is full of buses, 14-passenger vans, and tiny cars. Hundreds of Kenyans walk to work, so the highway is lined with pedestrians on both sides. Exiting the highway after only a mile or two, we turn into the valley. Instantly, the road switches from pavement to dirt and is full of potholes, trash, sewage, and washwater. Peddlers selling everything from suitcases to clothing to food line the streets in makeshift tents in front of more tents or the occasional concrete building. It takes about 10 minutes to travel from the entrance of the valley to the Mercy Care Centre; while only a mile or so into the slum, the van never eclipses 10 or 15 mph on the terrible roads. All in all, the trip from Amani to the MCC usually takes about 10 minutes. Once the first load has been dropped off, the van returns to Armani to pick up the remaining 8 people.

8am- 12noon: Work. Team members teach, construct, play, treat, and paint.

12noon: Lunch in Patrick's office. We experiment with some of the local African food, but usually resort to multi-grain bars and fruit.

1230pm- 4pm: More work. The children rotate classes every hour or so, with our group moving in between all morning and afternoon.

430pm: Begin packing up and trips back to Amani.

5pm-7pm: Washing clothes, napping, prepping for the next day, showers, etc.

7pm: Dinner at the Amani Center. Pasta, meat, assorted veggies, and fruit have been staples thus far.

8pm: Team meeting for a short devotion, sharing of thoughts, and announcements for the next day.

9pm: Avacado ball for some, sleep for others, hanging out and conversations for others, and World Cup viewing for those who don't mind staying up late.

Rinse, repeat. Still going strong!

Teacher

MCC

We had a very busy day. The clinic is seeing about 80 patients a day and the general health of the children is much better. The carpenters have done a lot of remodeling to the main building and it looks great. The painters have nearly completed the paintings on the front of the building. Some of the group went to watch the choir competition and thought our students were outstanding. Micah (one of the group ) has been holding computer classes which is a skill much needed here. Several of our girl soccer players were chosen to go to Tanzania to compete in a soccer tournament. Although the days have been very hectic we are enjoying it greatly.

Work Work Work

Hey all, Micah here.

Two full days down at the MCC...what a whirlwind of activity! Our team has stayed uber-busy doing everything from teaching to constructing to treating medical conditions. A quick recap of the action:

Steve, Kim, Betty, Lydia, Casey, Emily, Breanna, and Aaron have all spent considerable time at the medical clinic screening and treating hundreds of the children from the school. Working with the school nurse, they have done a great job talking with children, cleaning them up, applying and dispensing medicine, and, of course, giving the students a bit of candy as they leave. It's amazing how tough and well-behaved the kids are, especially considering the often-painful treatment they receive.

In the building across the courtyard from the clinic, Mark, Luke, Jesse, Jim, Lee Ray, Melissa, and myself have made incredible progress demolishing and constructing just about everything inside the main classroom building. So far, they've managed to create a new office for the staff, expand an existing classroom, add a hallway to the back of the building, and completely renovate the entryway to allow improved foot traffic for the children and teachers.

Beth, Emily, Breanna, Casey, Lydia, Melissa, myself, and several others I'm probably not aware of have taught and worked with the children everything from computer skills to sign language, with a little bit of science, music, and English thrown in. The children are amazingly well-behaved, smart, and eager to learn. It's been a true blessing to see them grow in just two days' time; I can't help but think how much we could accomplish if we had such a passion and willingness to learn and grow too.

Breanna, Emily, Lee Ray, Melissa, and a host of volunteers have also spent time painting the main classroom building inside and out. It seems that Lee Ray hasn't quite figured out how to get more paint on the walls than on his hands and clothes, but we'll keep working with him as the week progresses.

We also had the chance to hand out flip flops and treat bags to the children today. You wouldn't believe how happy they were to get shoes, toothbrushes, and such. A big, big thank you to everyone that donated money and materials for all of the handouts. I'll get pictures of the occasion as soon as I can.

As you can see, the team has been pretty busy. I'd be lying if I said we hadn't been taking time to have fun while working though, and I think I can speak for the whole group when I say that we're all so happy to be here and are having a wonderful time. It's heartbreaking to see the conditions these people live in, but it's equally encouraging to see their wonderful attitudes despite it all. Perspective has been a key phrase in both our work and the situation; we're happy to be a small piece of a much bigger situation.

I'm still working on getting internet going at the Amani Center, and hopefully I'll be able to post some pictures this evening. Keep a look out for them. Thanks to all for the comments, thoughts, and prayers- keep 'em coming.

-Micah

Photos

Above Joan and Carroll tend to a baby while having tea in a Maasai hut. Bob was sitting across from us by a very hot fire.

Check-In

Hey everybody, Micah here with an update from the Greene group.

Since our last update, we've had a full day to settle into African lifestyle and time zone. Our home base, the Amini Centre, has been a good place to call home and very comfortable. Resting on a nice piece of property just off the major Nairobi highway, our quarters are located on a campus that also has classrooms, offices, a cafeteria, and church building with green spaces and a garden tucked in between.

We spent the majority of Saturday visiting the Mercy Care Centre and working out plans for our upcoming teaching, construction, renovation, and medical projects. Despite being on Holiday, there were still several dozen children at the complex to greet us with smiling faces and boundless energy. It's going to be a real blessing to see and work with them on a daily basis while we're here.

The Mercy Care Centre is located in one of the back corners of the Methare Valley slum. Composed of seven (I think) small to medium-sized stone and concrete buildings, the school is a sanctuary for the children living in the slum. Methare Valley has a population of approximately 1,000,000 people, all crammed together in a tiny area in horrible conditions. We're excited about being able to help, but realize we could stay here for years and still have to so much to do.

Between visits to the MCC, our group also spent time at an elephant and giraffe reserve just outside of town. Seeing these animals up close (and personal for a few of us) was quite the experience. It was nice to have a little bit of fun time before we get started with our projects; it doesn't look like there will be much down time in the next 10 days.

This morning we had the privilege of visiting Patrick's home church in Nairobi. For those who haven't read the blog before, Patrick is the headmaster of the MCC and a truly amazing person. Having dedicated his life to helping the people of the Methare Valley and surrounding areas, Patrick has become an influential and highly respected figure of the community. His church, the Nairobi Pentecostal Church, had a beautiful and lively service for over 2,000 people. While quite a change from the typical Southern Baptist fare we're used to, it was quite moving and fun.

Tomorrow will bring our first full day at MCC- stay tuned for updates on how the projects get started. I'm going to try to profile all of our team members and what they're working on as we get going, in addition to getting some pictures on here. Until then, take care!

-Micah

Sunday

Last evening went to MCC to fill bags for the students and finished about 450 out of the 725 but will finish Monday.
Today we went to Patrick's church (3,000 people in 3 services). Joan, Bob and I sat in the balcony. The service was great with a lot of good music which was very loud. We ate out and the others are now shopping at the Maasai market. I will shop some a little later.
Everyone is coping well to the housing and school. Medicine for the clinics will arrive tomorrow along with the rest of the lumber.
We have been keeping up with the World Cup as has everyone else here.
Wayne
Following are a few random photos. I will get some better ones from Aaron and Bob for tomorrow.

Dinner with Oley Kuuney

Swimming

Above as you we enjoyed swimming in the warm springs that we use to swim along time ago. It was near the Maasai village we visited. Here are few photos of things we saw along the way.
Wayne

Nairobi

Everyone is now in Nairobi -Brown's, Greene's group, Swafford and Sydnors. The have been on a short holiday but we have visited school twice and have identified the things we want to do. There were still lots of children around. We go to church tomorrow with Patrick, out to a nice lunch and some shopping.
Wayne

Greene's

The Greene' arrived without incident at customs and checked into their rooms with no problem. We have a room to sort the luggage tonight and can leave it there until we take it to MCC in the morning. The students are out until Monday so they will greet the guests then. Tonight we are exchanging money, using internet, eating out, etc. Everyone is anxious to get to work.
Wayne

We're Here!

Hey everybody, Micah here.

The NC team has made it to Nairobi in one piece. We've settled into our new digs (comfy), have made a trip into the city to exchange some money (schillings), and are about to head out to get some non-airport food (finally).

The trip over was rather trying, but thankfully Beth worked some magic with the airlines to get luggage and people here in one piece. The flights themselves were very long but smooth, and our overnight layover in Ethiopia went without incident. We will post updates and pictures as soon as possible. Thanks for the thoughts and prayers so far- we're ready to get going!

-Micah

MaasaiVillage

Yesterday we left Moshi and went to a Maasai Village to stay the night. Oley Kuney walked 5 hours to meet us. On the way to the village we stopped along the way to view plants that the Maasai use in every life for medicine, toothbrushes, etc. We also stopped to look to a trip of Ndorobo a tribe who wear no clothes, eat locust, honey, etc. We did not see the people but saw a Baobab that they had driven sticks into to get to a bee's hive. They don't seem to fear the stings. Then on to the village where were warmly greeted. We toured the schools and the clinic they have. Later we toured the village and had tea in a very small hut with an open fire (very hot inside). Bob was about 1 foot from the fire. That night we sat outside and talked. That night we were all give traditional Maasai cloths which to say the lest we did not wear well. Later we sat outside and were told about traditional Maasai life and we asked lots of questions about their daily life, religion, history, death, etc. We learned a lot. We are now in Nairobi and internet is better.
Joan, Bob and Carroll are at the game park and will return Saturday.
Wayne

Update from NC Team

Picture by Lydia Greene
After a sticky start, I received a text that they have arrived in Rome on Route to Ethiopia. Beth had to do some fancy talking as they began their trip in NC, but all was successful. The plane was overweight and over booked, but all of the people and bags headed to the precious children of MCC remained on board. God is watching over them and helping at each new challenge they encounter. I will let you know when they arrive in Ethiopia. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

NC Team Heads to Africa

We are coming from different directions, but we are headed to Kenya. Will post when we get there and can. Thank you all for your prayers for our Team. We are all very excited to be joining Patrick and the Children and Staff of the Mercy Care Centre.

God's Blessings to all <><

Beth

Breezeway

This is where we sit and look at Mt. Kili and watch the soccer matches at night. Headmaster Patrick and our driver Kamau have been enjoying the pool but the rest of us have not ventured into it. They have become fast friends.
Wayne

We have enjoyed our time at the YMCA. This year they gave us a suite (that I did not know they) with 2 bedrooms, kitchen, sitting room and private bath which is great.
Bob worked in the Orthopaedic Department and did some surgery and enjoyed it. To he is working in the clinic and Carroll and Joan are in the Physical Therapy ward. We plan to drive up part way on Mt. Kilimanjaro for picnic later this afternoon. The have been very good. After dinner we gather in the breezeway at the Y to watch soccer which they take very seriously.
We spent tomorrow night at a Maasai village and the next day Wayne, Patrick and Aaron go back to Nairobi and the others go to the game park for 2 days. We look forward to the Greene's group arriving and will meet them at the airport. Bob and Joan are great to travel with and we have many good experiences. They will post to blog when back in Nairobi.
Wayne

PT School

We met with the Provost who was also an Orthopaedic Surgeon. We received a warm welcome. We then toured the PT School and PT department at the hospital. Bob went to the Orthopaedic Department. He will be there today and tomorrow. The rest of us had nice lunch at a local place that we like. Joan and Carroll also did some shopping (imagine that). Carroll will write more later with a report from Bob.
Wayne

Moshi

We had a grand reunion here in Moshi. Boniface came from the hospital to greet us and he brought his family including “little Carol”. She recited a poem-“All things bright and beautiful” and we all had dinner together here at the YMCA. Tomorrow we are all going to the hospital and Bob will meet the Provost and then go to Orthopedic Surgery. He will be free to join in anything they do. The rest of us will tour the hospital and I will show off the PT school. It is wonderful being here with the lovely people of Moshi. Patrick got to meet Boniface tonight and they are already planning on Boniface coming to the Founder’s Day program as the speaker in November. We are very aware of your prayers and love! Carroll

1st Team Update

Hello everyone! Sorry we have been silent about the blog. Our internet card has not been working well. We have just arrived in Moshi and beautiful Mt. Kilimanjaro greeted us. We arrived in Kenya Friday and after going to the Guest house we went to MCC. The students lined the streets to greet us and my heart felt happy. I thanked God for letting us return to all our beautiful children. They sang and seemed overjoyed to see us. Garbage was piled high near the school and that will be our first priority - to remove the garbage pile.
On Saturday at 6:00 AM we left Nairobi and drove 9 hours to Tarangire. We had a wonderful visit. The highlight was 4 Cheetah. We left after lunch and came to Moshi. Tomorrow Bob goes to KCMC and we hope to return to our internet in a few days and post photos. My camera was stolen out of our luggage but will post pictures provided by Aaron.
Thanks for your prayers and love,
Carroll

Luncheon for the Team at the Greene's House

After the Commissioning Service, we had a time of wonderful fellowship and food at the Greene's house. We are all excited to be going to the Mercy Care Centre and we know God will bless us and those we come into contact.

Commissioning Service at Glady Branch Church - Rev. Lee Ray Greene

We had our Commissioning Service this past Sunday for the 15 Team Members who will be going to the MCC. Rev. Alan Thompson assisted with the Service.

Final packing of bags for the MCC

Glady Branch has collected 750 toothbrushes, 450 pair of flip flops, over 1,800 pair of underwear, teacher's dresses, school supplies, tools to upgrade the Mercy Care Centre, and crafts. We have packed 13 - 50 lb bags and have three more to go.

Glady Branch Church has a Silent Auction to raise $$

Glady Branch provided several fundraisers to raise funds for the team to travel to the Mercy Care Centre. The Silent Auction and Breakfast was a great way to raise funds and include the folks

Stephanie delivers the "Undie Fundie" from Temple Baptist Church

Stephanie Curtis led in collecting underwear for the Mercy Care Centre at Temple Baptist Church, our old church in New Bern, NC. The church collected over 1,600 pair .

1st Wave Departs

Last night the first wave of the 2010 team left for Kenya. They had no problems at the airport and we not charged overage on any of the 12 bags. Please keep Joan, Bob, Aaron, Carroll and Wayne in your thoughts and prayers as they travel to Kenya. It will be an exciting summer for everyone but especially the student's of MCC! More to come!

North Carolina Team

Glady Branch Baptist Church, Brevard, NC is so excited about being with Patrick and the Mercy Care Centre and the Browns this June and July. We have 15 people who will be traveling with our group. Rev. Lee Ray Greene and his wife, Beth lived in Tanzania, East Africa when Wayne and Carroll Brown lived there. They went to the MCC Summer 2007 and took their two daughters The Greenes will be returning to the MCC along with one of their daughters, Lydia. Along with the Greenes, there will be the following WONDERFUL PEOPLE:

Kim and Steve Rogers who live in Brevard and who attend Glady Branch Church will be going to assist in the Clinic at the MCC. Kim is a nurse and Steve is a physical therapist. Both will be working at the MCC in the clinic and also assisting with teaching the children songs and story telling. Their son, Micah will also be with the team. Micah lives in Georgia and will be helping in the area of Computer Labs, Science, Sports and Art. Kim is also excited to have her two nieces go with the team, Breanna and Emily Dobbins. Both girls are in college and will be helping in various areas at the MCC such as art, painting, library and reading. They plan to paint a mural again this year for the MCC.

In addition, we are excited to have the Thompson family who are also members of Glady Branch who will be going with the team. Mark Thompson and his three adult children (Jesse and Luke and Melissa) will be helping in various areas of the MCC. Mark and the guys will be helping with enlarging the buildings, putting in new walls, building new desk and repairing existing desk. Melissa will also help with the building and with painting of the new and existing buildings. Melissa will also help with Crafts, and "His Hands and Feet Ministry". All will be participating in the Sports Day.

Jim Sears, who is a member of the former church where Lee Ray and Beth served will also be going to the MCC. Jim lives in Raleigh and is a retired electrical engineer. His focus will also be in the building and desk making as well as Computer labs and teaching Math/Science.

Betty Scruggs who is a member of Glady Branch and who is a retired School Administrator will be assisting in the clinic, teaching and assisting with crafts and puppetry as well as assisting Carroll Brown with a sewing project.

Lydia Greene, who is a graduate of Campbell University will be assisting at the MCC with counseling, dancing, sports and His Hands And Feet Ministry - Drama/Christian Music.

Casey Olson, who is a college student and from Minnesota will be going with the team. Casey will help in the clinic, assisting with the sports and helping with the dance class.

Beth Greene will assist with crafts and doing an economics class; teaching "self esteem" as well as teaching the drama class "His Hands and Feet Ministry" - sign language to the song, "I Can Only Imagine" and "Grace Like Rain".

Rev. Lee Ray Greene will be working at the MCC in teaching Bible Classes, Devotions with the Staff , Communion, Chapel, painting and building as needed. In addition he will help with the Sports Day.

We are all so very excited to be a part of the Mission of the Mercy Care Centre this summer and look forward to working with Wayne/ Carroll/ and Patrick in helping the school to be stronger, healthier and tops. We pray that we will bring encouragement and hope to the children, staff and administrators of the MCC.

Thank you, Temple Baptist Church, New Bern for your hug donation of 1,609 pair of underwear. We were able to take almost 1,700 pairs. Thanks to all who donated toothbrushes, flip flops and every donation made to make this mission possible.

Introductions

My name is Carroll and I am so excited to being going back to Africa. My husband and I go most summers and look forward to seeing the joy in the faces of all the children because we have come to help them. We have 44 people going this year with many talents and gifts. We hope to build a preschool building, inoculate all the children with necessary immunizations, share teaching and craft skills and many other activities to encourage the teachers and children. Be in prayer for our safety, for the arrival of all the gifts duty free, and for our daily sharing with the children. We will try to keep you aware daily of our ministry. Wish all of you could be here to experience this time with the teachers and precious children of MCC.