United Methodist Volunteers in Mission   North Central Jurisdiction

Mission Discovery 2000: Liberia   Eighteen youths from the North Central Jurisdiction flew to Liberia. Waiting for them were an equal number of Liberian youths whose lives had all been touched by tragedy due to in-country fighting. Years of war had torn this fragile country apart. Together these youth worked to repair a damaged retreat center near Monrovia. These two groups talked, painted, enjoyed the beach and worshipped together. Work was done on refurbishing the retreat center, but the real satisfaction was the interaction within the groups. The impact on all the youth participants was clear as they bonded together in a powerfully spiritual way.       Ghana Airways' cancellation of their regularly scheduled flight home necessitated them returning two days early. Upon reaching New York City and facing a change fee on their domestic airline tickets they decided to enjoy the Big Apple as guests of the General Board of Global Ministries.   Commenting on their trip, the majority of participants stressed how thankful the Liberian people were for their blessings when it seemed they had next to nothing. The NCJ youths felt their eyes were opened to how fortunate they were but had failed to realize this fact. The North American youth have had several reunions and continue to keep in touch by e-mail. Many of the returned youth have continued to serve their churches in significant ways, have become missionaries, and have entered seminary. The following photos will highlight just a few of the Liberian Mission Discovery experiences. For more information on the Liberian experience, contact leader David Harsh at dvharsh@aol.com.             Click on photo for a larger image.

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October 4, 2004	Lorna Jost, Administrator • North Central Jurisdiction Volunteers in Mission 928 4th St., Office #2, Brookings, SD 57006 / (605) 692-3390 / Fax: (605) 692-3391 E-mail: umvim-ncj@brookings.net