Four adults and one 8-month-old made a difference at Lydia Patterson Institute in El Paso, Texas on August 1-5, 2010.  The participants included:

• Alexys Maxwell – “This trip was a great opportunity to visit and learn more about the school our church supports. It was also very encouraging to see how hardworking and grateful the students are.”
• Taryn Maxwell – “The Mission Trip was a lot of fun. We had a great time serving fellow Chrsitians, growing in our relationships with each other, and in our personal relationships with God!”
• Micah Sims – “Ah, bah, bah, bah, bah!”
• Sandra Sims – “We worked in the hot sun pouring cement. More importantly, the time we spent with some great people helped cement our partnership with Lydia Patterson Institute.”
• Troy Sims

After making it to El Paso  on Sunday, the group was treated to authentic, homemade pork tacos and Mexican snow cones by the Iracheta Family.  YUMMY!

Monday was the first day of work that included the tasks of:

• Leveling and preparing an area for concrete;
• Fixing, sanding, and varnishing a cabinet in a classroom to be used for storing CPR training equipment!

That evening, we went out to eat with our friends in El Paso, Cecil & Martha O’Hagan at the State Line B-B-Q.

Tuesday found us mixing and pouring 18 sacks of concrete and installing doors on the cabinet from Monday.  Then we did some sight seeing in Old Mesilla, New Mexico and eating at La Posta Restaurant – great Mexican Food.

Wednesday, we mixed and poured an additional 35 bags of concrete, installed hardware on the cabinet (finishing that project), and replaced mini-blinds!  Then, Lydia Patterson staff treated us to another authentic Mexican Food Restaurant.

Fun Facts About El Paso, Texas: Despite the fact that El Paso sits adjacent to one of the least safe cities in North America (Juarez, Mexico), El Paso was named the 2nd safest city in the United States with a population greater than 500,000! Per capita, El Paso is safer to live in than Wichita Falls! Lydia Patterson Institute provides high school education for youth of Mexico who would not have that opportunity otherwise due to very limited high schools in Mexico – not everybody can attend!  LPI’s hope is to educate young people to make Mexico a better place!

Read the rest of this entry »

On this mission trip to El Paso and Lydia Patterson Institute, we’d leave on Sunday, August 1, work Monday-Wednesday, and return Thursday, August 5.

• We’d like to make this a family trip with parents and children!
• Breakfast would be like cereal, granola bars, pop tarts, etc.
• Lunch would be like sandwiches and chips.
• Supper we’d go out to eat!
• Cost is TBD and dependent on number of folks interested – the more the cheaper!

Contact Rev. Sims (tsims@fumcwf.org or 940-766-4231, x229) for more information!

Read the rest of this entry »

FUMC Bridgeport (where Rev. Dana (Compton) Coker now serves) has invited FUMC Wichita Falls to participate in a “skeeter shoot” (aka skeet shooting contest) to help in the effort to eradicate malaria on the continent of Africa by 2015 through the Imagine No Malaria Project of the United Methodist Church.

Here are details:

• April 30, 2010
• 11:00am-3:00pm
• $100 / Individual OR $500 / Team
• Not a shooter?  Eat a catfish lunch for only $10!

For more information or to reserve your spot today, contact FUMC Bridgeport at 940-683-2780 or fumcbridgeport@fumcbridgeport.org.

Read the rest of this entry »

The president of the United Methodist Council of Bishops, Bishop Gregory V. Palmer, is calling on the United Methodist Church to “rise to the occasion” of meeting both the emergency needs of the Haitian people and U.S. community development needs supported in a special offering scheduled for Sunday.  Our church Finance and Missions Teams agree.

A “bucket of hope” will be available for you to drop donations into on Sunday to benefit UMCOR (United Methodist Committee On Relief) efforts to help those suffering in result of the recent Earthquake in Haiti (please write checks out to FUMCWF, writing “Haiti” in the memo).  In addition, you can make donations through the church office or on-line now by click HERE.  Rest assured that 100% of these donations to be channeled through UMCOR will benefit the Haitian people in this difficult time!

---

If you are not able to make a monetary donation at this time, you may also donate health kits. Health kits provide basic necessities to people who have been forced to leave their homes because of human conflict or natural disaster. Health kits are also used as learning tools in personal hygiene, literacy, nutrition and cooking classes. When people gain the knowledge and materials to maintain personal hygiene, their overall health improves.

1 hand towel (15″ x 25″ up to 17″ x 27″)

1 washcloth

1 comb (large and sturdy, not pocket-sized)

1 nail file or fingernail clippers (no emery boards or toenail clippers)

1 bath-size bar of soap (3 oz. and up)

1 toothbrush (single brushes only in original wrapper, No child-size brushes)

6 adhesive plastic strip sterile bandages

$1.00 to purchase toothpaste
(NOTE: UMCOR Sager Brown is now purchasing toothpaste in bulk to be added to health kits before shipping to ensure that the product does not expire before they are sent.)

Place these items inside a sealed one-gallon plastic bag. Average Value: $12 per kit.

Important:  Please do not include any religious, political or patriotic notes or emblems in any kit. Thank you for your donations.  You are helping to make a difference in people’s lives.

These may be placed in marked baskets in the first floor hallway between the office and Education Entrance.

Did you know that there were many United Methodists serving in ministry in Haiti at the time of the earthquake. Read more about them HERE (AOL users may need to copy and paste this link into your web browser: www.umc.org/haiti).

For more information, please contact Rev. Troy Sims:
tsims@fumcwf.org or 940-766-4231, x229.

Read the rest of this entry »

FUMC began raising money for the UMCOR (United Methodist Committee On Relief) efforts to ease suffering in Haiti on Friday, January 15, 2010 at Kiyo Watanabe’s Organ Concert.  Then on Sunday, January 17, donations were accepted in Sunday School and in “Buckets of Hope” in both worship services.  From that alone, $4190.25 was raised (this does not include any donation that may have been made through UMCOR’s on-line donation site: www.umcorhaiti.org)! In addition, 12 health kits have been received thus far.

It is not too late to make donations to this important initiative.  You can:

• Bring or mail donations to FUMC (make checks payable to FUMCWF with “UMCOR” or “Haiti” in the memo);
• Donate on-line now at www.umcorhaiti.org; or
• Bring health kits (CLICK HERE to see the list of items to pack) to FUMC and drop them in the white baskets in the 1st floor hallway between the Education Entrance and Office.

Thank you for your generosity, FUMC!

Read the rest of this entry »

Dr. Kiyo Watanabe is no stranger to earthquakes being a native of Japan.  So, he was more than willing to allow people to make donations at his annual concert on Friday, January 15, 2010.  The very good and generous crowd donated $812 toward UMCOR’s effort to relieve physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering in Haiti following the devastating earthquake.

CLICK HERE for more information about how you can make a difference in the lives of hurting people in Haiti.

Read the rest of this entry »