What is This Week? Click here to find out more.
April 11-14: Clear Lake UMC (from Texas) work team on campus – They’re working on the duplex and education building.
April 13: Trinity UMC from Birmingham comes for a campus tour.
April 14-15: Montgomery Catholic Prep School visits for an Learn & Serve (L&S) Retreat.
April 15: Youth from Christ UMC in Mobile travel to Ecuador for their Spring Break mission trip!
April 15-16: Several groups are coming for L&S Retreats: Clanton FUMC, Manchester FUMC, Pilgrimage United Church of Christ, Shady Grove UMC, Trussville UMC and Wellspring Community Church
What is This Week? Click here to find out more.
Wow! It’s another week of retreats and campus activities.
April 5-8: L&S Retreat – Pamela Day group
April 6-8: L&S Retreat – Spring Valley School
April 7: CARES – multiple groups
April 8-10: Auburn UMC Family Retreat – As part of their retreat, they’ll be working on our campground!
April 9: CARES – multiple groups
April 10: Speaking – Ivan Roman is meeting with our short-term mission team from Montgomery FUMC in preparation for their July trip with SIFAT to Ecuador.
We’re starting a new weekly blog post – This week! One frequently asked question we receive is what do you do when the international practicum isn’t going on or it isn’t the summer. We want to give you some insight into what happens all during the year at SIFAT, so on Mondays, we’ll post what’s going on our international campus in Alabama, what short-term mission teams are on international trips, where SIFAT staff are speaking and other items of interest. So…this week: Wisconsin UMVIM team – We have a work team on campus all week renovating and repairing the duplex, education building and possibly more. We’re so thankful they made the trip south to help us. Monday, March 28: CARES event in our Global Village Tuesday, March 29: Executive Director Tom Corson speaks at the Anniston Noon Rotary meeting in Anniston, Ala. Wednesday, March 30: SIFAT representative participates in a missions event at Western Heights Baptist Church in LaGrange, Ga. Friday, April 1: CARES event in our Global Village. Friday, April 1 – Saturday, April 2: Learn & Serve Retreat – Liberty Crossings UMC Friday, April 1 – Sunday, April 3: International Training Director Kathy Bryson is attending the Global Health & Humanitarian Summit at Emory University. Please pray for the Corson and Murphree families this week. SIFAT cofounder Sarah Corson’s mother, Mrs. Winnie Murphree, passed away Monday afternoon at the age of 100. Mrs. Winnie, or Granny as she was known around SIFAT, was a retired schoolteacher and United Methodist pastor. She blessed the lives of many people in Randolph County and seemed to have a positive impact in everything she did. For years, Granny was active at SIFAT, even traveling to Bolivia when she was in her 70s! She will be missed by all of us. Visitation will be Thursday, Jan. 27 from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. at Benefield Funeral Home in Wedowee, Ala. The funeral will be on Friday, Jan. 28 at 2 p.m. at Wedowee First United Methodist Church. A graveside service will follow at the cemetery in Wedowee. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made to SIFAT or the Wedowee First United Methodist Church.
Can you imagine being thirsty, but knowing the water you drink may be contaminated with cholera? SIFAT teams are making a difference by installing purification systems and training local Haitians how to do maintenance and upkeep. Now, they have hope! Hope that life is looking up…hope that they will not only survive, but also thrive! In 2011, Bahamas Habitat will provide air transportation for 12 SIFAT teams. As I write, SIFAT graduate Trey Reed is in Cape Haitian, which is now the area with the highest cholera outbreak in Haiti. SIFAT is working with medical clinics, partnership organizations and SIFAT graduates to install water systems where they are most needed. In May 2010, SIFAT taught 15 Haitian community leaders at our Alabama campus during a three-week intensive session on practical skills, such as food production and water purification. We have made a 3-year training commitment with approximately 70 Haitian community leaders to hold seminars and provide technical support. To accomplish this, Dr. Byron Morales from Ecuador has joined our staff to conduct seminars periodic training sessions in Haiti with these community leaders. Your continued prayers and support are needed now! To donate to our work in Haiti, please designate “Haiti” on your check. If you are donating online, e-mail hurttc@sifat.org with the subject online donation for Haiti, and we will make sure your donation is applied to our Haiti fund. |