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CHELSEA: Chelsea First United Methodist Church parishioner to visit Liberia to deliver $4,000-worth of funds raised by the church
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Victoria Tomah (left) of Liberia visited the Chelsea First United Methodist Church in 2010 to share information about health improvement initiatives in her country. She is pictured here with Edie Wiarda who is traveling to Liberia for three weeks to work at the Camphor Mission and donate $4,000 raised by the church to improve maternal and infant health outcomes.
Visiting Liberia, a West African country attempting to recover from a 14-year-long civil war, would not be at the top of most people’s bucket list. But for Edie Wiarda, it’s a dream come true.
Wiarda, member of the Chelsea First United Methodist Church and five-year member of the church’s missions committee, is traveling to Liberia this weekend to deliver funds raised by the church and to spend three weeks at the Camphor Mission Station in Grand Bassa County.
According to Wiarda, the Camphor Mission Station is a “longtime United Methodist facility that includes a clinic, school, church, guest house and agricultural test gardens.” She expects to participate in and evaluate a variety of work while there, including gardening, light construction, infant care and activities with school-age children.
“I will also be doing some traveling with the education coordinator of the United Methodist Church in Liberia, visiting schools that are being supported by the Ann Arbor District churches,” Wiarda said. Additionally, regional ministerial leaders in Liberia will be showing her church and well water projects that Ann Arbor District churches have supported.
“Several members of the Ann Arbor Liberia group think it’s important that we periodically visit in person and do some hard-nosed evaluation of whether we’re making any difference,” Wiarda said. “If you’re serious about Third World development, then good intentions aren’t enough.”
Wiarda’s previously close involvement in the Liberian mission grew to a new level when she recently volunteered to take on the position of chair of the Ann Arbor District Liberia task force.
According to Wiarda, each United Methodist Church in the Ann Arbor District has been assigned a partner church in Liberia. The Chelsea church has two partners in River Cess County, Liberia: the Bennie D. Warner United Methodist Church and the New Jerusalem United Methodist Church.
One of the most exciting things that Wiarda will be doing in Liberia is delivering $4,000 that was raised by the Chelsea church in December for the purpose of reducing the maternal and infant mortality rates.
“Liberia has some of the worst maternal and infant mortality rates worldwide, especially in the rural areas,” Wiarda said. “The United Methodist Church’s health program in Liberia developed a pilot program where they bring traditional midwives once every three months to a facility to provide training on pregnancy and childbirth issues. These women are given rudimentary equipment and sanitary supplies. They are also trained to go back to their villages and teach about public health issues, such as the prevention of HIV transmission, tuberculosis and malaria. They are taught the importance of immunizations and where to get them.”
The traditional midwives are lay persons who have previously had no formal education. Because most of them are illiterate, they receive verbal instruction and pictorial training materials. Continued...
Wiarda, member of the Chelsea First United Methodist Church and five-year member of the church’s missions committee, is traveling to Liberia this weekend to deliver funds raised by the church and to spend three weeks at the Camphor Mission Station in Grand Bassa County.
According to Wiarda, the Camphor Mission Station is a “longtime United Methodist facility that includes a clinic, school, church, guest house and agricultural test gardens.” She expects to participate in and evaluate a variety of work while there, including gardening, light construction, infant care and activities with school-age children.
“I will also be doing some traveling with the education coordinator of the United Methodist Church in Liberia, visiting schools that are being supported by the Ann Arbor District churches,” Wiarda said. Additionally, regional ministerial leaders in Liberia will be showing her church and well water projects that Ann Arbor District churches have supported.
“Several members of the Ann Arbor Liberia group think it’s important that we periodically visit in person and do some hard-nosed evaluation of whether we’re making any difference,” Wiarda said. “If you’re serious about Third World development, then good intentions aren’t enough.”
Wiarda’s previously close involvement in the Liberian mission grew to a new level when she recently volunteered to take on the position of chair of the Ann Arbor District Liberia task force.
According to Wiarda, each United Methodist Church in the Ann Arbor District has been assigned a partner church in Liberia. The Chelsea church has two partners in River Cess County, Liberia: the Bennie D. Warner United Methodist Church and the New Jerusalem United Methodist Church.
One of the most exciting things that Wiarda will be doing in Liberia is delivering $4,000 that was raised by the Chelsea church in December for the purpose of reducing the maternal and infant mortality rates.
“Liberia has some of the worst maternal and infant mortality rates worldwide, especially in the rural areas,” Wiarda said. “The United Methodist Church’s health program in Liberia developed a pilot program where they bring traditional midwives once every three months to a facility to provide training on pregnancy and childbirth issues. These women are given rudimentary equipment and sanitary supplies. They are also trained to go back to their villages and teach about public health issues, such as the prevention of HIV transmission, tuberculosis and malaria. They are taught the importance of immunizations and where to get them.”
The traditional midwives are lay persons who have previously had no formal education. Because most of them are illiterate, they receive verbal instruction and pictorial training materials. Continued...
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Chelsea’s partner churches were too far away to be included in the pilot program. The funds will allow the newest training program that was begun in July in River Cess County to continue.
The money was raised during the Advent season through an appeal for donations.
“There’s a lot of activity in the area that’s very impressive,” Wiarda said, “The caliber of people involved in the informal network of volunteers and helpers has been astonishing.”
Wiarda feels like she has become friends with several people in Liberia already, even though she has only met one of them in person.
“I thought it would be interesting to go and help, and to see how they are pulling themselves out of the civil war,” she said.
“Last summer I said to my husband, ‘I probably should go to Liberia at some point.’ And he said to me, ‘I don’t know why you don’t have your ticket already.’”
The money was raised during the Advent season through an appeal for donations.
“There’s a lot of activity in the area that’s very impressive,” Wiarda said, “The caliber of people involved in the informal network of volunteers and helpers has been astonishing.”
Wiarda feels like she has become friends with several people in Liberia already, even though she has only met one of them in person.
“I thought it would be interesting to go and help, and to see how they are pulling themselves out of the civil war,” she said.
“Last summer I said to my husband, ‘I probably should go to Liberia at some point.’ And he said to me, ‘I don’t know why you don’t have your ticket already.’”
Visiting Liberia, a West African country attempting to recover from a 14-year-long civil war, would not be at the top of most people’s bucket list. But for Edie Wiarda, it’s a dream come true.
Wiarda, member of the Chelsea First United Methodist Church and five-year member of the church’s missions committee, is traveling to Liberia this weekend to deliver funds raised by the church and to spend three weeks at the Camphor Mission Station in Grand Bassa County.
According to Wiarda, the Camphor Mission Station is a “longtime United Methodist facility that includes a clinic, school, church, guest house and agricultural test gardens.” She expects to participate in and evaluate a variety of work while there, including gardening, light construction, infant care and activities with school-age children.
“I will also be doing some traveling with the education coordinator of the United Methodist Church in Liberia, visiting schools that are being supported by the Ann Arbor District churches,” Wiarda said. Additionally, regional ministerial leaders in Liberia will be showing her church and well water projects that Ann Arbor District churches have supported.
“Several members of the Ann Arbor Liberia group think it’s important that we periodically visit in person and do some hard-nosed evaluation of whether we’re making any difference,” Wiarda said. “If you’re serious about Third World development, then good intentions aren’t enough.”
Wiarda’s previously close involvement in the Liberian mission grew to a new level when she recently volunteered to take on the position of chair of the Ann Arbor District Liberia task force.
According to Wiarda, each United Methodist Church in the Ann Arbor District has been assigned a partner church in Liberia. The Chelsea church has two partners in River Cess County, Liberia: the Bennie D. Warner United Methodist Church and the New Jerusalem United Methodist Church.
One of the most exciting things that Wiarda will be doing in Liberia is delivering $4,000 that was raised by the Chelsea church in December for the purpose of reducing the maternal and infant mortality rates.
“Liberia has some of the worst maternal and infant mortality rates worldwide, especially in the rural areas,” Wiarda said. “The United Methodist Church’s health program in Liberia developed a pilot program where they bring traditional midwives once every three months to a facility to provide training on pregnancy and childbirth issues. These women are given rudimentary equipment and sanitary supplies. They are also trained to go back to their villages and teach about public health issues, such as the prevention of HIV transmission, tuberculosis and malaria. They are taught the importance of immunizations and where to get them.”
The traditional midwives are lay persons who have previously had no formal education. Because most of them are illiterate, they receive verbal instruction and pictorial training materials.
Chelsea’s partner churches were too far away to be included in the pilot program. The funds will allow the newest training program that was begun in July in River Cess County to continue.
The money was raised during the Advent season through an appeal for donations.
“There’s a lot of activity in the area that’s very impressive,” Wiarda said, “The caliber of people involved in the informal network of volunteers and helpers has been astonishing.”
Wiarda feels like she has become friends with several people in Liberia already, even though she has only met one of them in person.
“I thought it would be interesting to go and help, and to see how they are pulling themselves out of the civil war,” she said.
“Last summer I said to my husband, ‘I probably should go to Liberia at some point.’ And he said to me, ‘I don’t know why you don’t have your ticket already.’”
Wiarda, member of the Chelsea First United Methodist Church and five-year member of the church’s missions committee, is traveling to Liberia this weekend to deliver funds raised by the church and to spend three weeks at the Camphor Mission Station in Grand Bassa County.
According to Wiarda, the Camphor Mission Station is a “longtime United Methodist facility that includes a clinic, school, church, guest house and agricultural test gardens.” She expects to participate in and evaluate a variety of work while there, including gardening, light construction, infant care and activities with school-age children.
“I will also be doing some traveling with the education coordinator of the United Methodist Church in Liberia, visiting schools that are being supported by the Ann Arbor District churches,” Wiarda said. Additionally, regional ministerial leaders in Liberia will be showing her church and well water projects that Ann Arbor District churches have supported.
“Several members of the Ann Arbor Liberia group think it’s important that we periodically visit in person and do some hard-nosed evaluation of whether we’re making any difference,” Wiarda said. “If you’re serious about Third World development, then good intentions aren’t enough.”
Wiarda’s previously close involvement in the Liberian mission grew to a new level when she recently volunteered to take on the position of chair of the Ann Arbor District Liberia task force.
According to Wiarda, each United Methodist Church in the Ann Arbor District has been assigned a partner church in Liberia. The Chelsea church has two partners in River Cess County, Liberia: the Bennie D. Warner United Methodist Church and the New Jerusalem United Methodist Church.
One of the most exciting things that Wiarda will be doing in Liberia is delivering $4,000 that was raised by the Chelsea church in December for the purpose of reducing the maternal and infant mortality rates.
“Liberia has some of the worst maternal and infant mortality rates worldwide, especially in the rural areas,” Wiarda said. “The United Methodist Church’s health program in Liberia developed a pilot program where they bring traditional midwives once every three months to a facility to provide training on pregnancy and childbirth issues. These women are given rudimentary equipment and sanitary supplies. They are also trained to go back to their villages and teach about public health issues, such as the prevention of HIV transmission, tuberculosis and malaria. They are taught the importance of immunizations and where to get them.”
The traditional midwives are lay persons who have previously had no formal education. Because most of them are illiterate, they receive verbal instruction and pictorial training materials.
Chelsea’s partner churches were too far away to be included in the pilot program. The funds will allow the newest training program that was begun in July in River Cess County to continue.
The money was raised during the Advent season through an appeal for donations.
“There’s a lot of activity in the area that’s very impressive,” Wiarda said, “The caliber of people involved in the informal network of volunteers and helpers has been astonishing.”
Wiarda feels like she has become friends with several people in Liberia already, even though she has only met one of them in person.
“I thought it would be interesting to go and help, and to see how they are pulling themselves out of the civil war,” she said.
“Last summer I said to my husband, ‘I probably should go to Liberia at some point.’ And he said to me, ‘I don’t know why you don’t have your ticket already.’”
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