V o l u m e 2 2 , N u m b e r 2F A L L 2 0 0 6

T h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l M i s s i o n A g e n c y o f S C O B A

Mission TEAMS 2007!Are you Ready to

Make A Difference?

A RAdiAnt LightFollowing the Apostles—

Spreading the Good News to the Ends of the Earth

his Eminence Archbishop dEmEtRios,

Chairman of sCoBA

A Life of Missionary

MinistryLynette Hoppe—

Memory Eternal

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page 5

page 12

Lynette hoppe the Eulogy of Archbishop Anastasios for Lynette hoppe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Delivered in shen Vlash, Albania, August 29, 2006

sermon: on Lynette hoppe’s Final moments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Excerpt from Fr . Alex Veronis

in memory of Lynette hoppe & her missionary Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

A Christian Witness of Living and dying in honor of Lynette hoppe . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Excerpt from a Eulogy prepared by Fr . Luke A . Veronis Family Friend and Fellow Missionary in Albania

On behalf of the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the

Americas (SCOBA), I am pleased to offer words of encouragement for the continued good work of our Orthodox Christian Mis-sion Center (OCMC). Formally established in 1994 as the official international mission agency of SCOBA, the important ministry of OCMC has been, in reality, an Apostolic en-deavor that our Holy Orthodox Church has carried out from its foundation. Indeed, the very lifeline of the Christian Church rests in the primacy of Her mission, namely, to spread the Good News of eternal salvation in Jesus Christ to peoples in all corners of the earth consistent with the Lord’s com-mandment to His Apostles to “go…and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” (Matthew 28:19). In light of this understanding of the primacy of mission, it is correct to assert that we are not properly acting as the Church, the Body of Christ, unless we, as a Church, are actively and globally engaged in the work of missions.

Today, OCMC has reached considerable levels of growth, as demonstrated by its fully staffed office of dedicated clergy and lay professionals and teams of Orthodox Christian missionaries and their families throughout the world. The people who carry out this very special and important ministry hail from widely varied backgrounds, cul-tures, ages, and life experiences; but they all share a commonly held conviction which hearkens back to the same conviction held by the Apostles themselves: “They can-not but speak of what they have seen and heard.” (cf. Acts 4:20).

In the articles that follow in this informa-tive and inspirational issue of the OCMC Mis-sion Magazine, you will see illustrations and read a variety of accounts from missionar-ies and team members in the field who are engaged in the sacred work of missionary activity across the globe. All of these illus-trations and accounts are different by virtue of their social contexts, yet each of them reveals and communicates an identical source of inspiration, namely, the Holy Spir-it. You will note that this issue begins with a special tribute to the late Lynette Hoppe of blessed memory, a dedicated missionary of our Church in Albania who fell asleep in our Lord on August 27, 2006, after fighting a courageous battle with cancer. On behalf

The OCMC’s Mission Magazine is published twice a

year for members of the Saints Cyril and Methodios

Orthodox Mission Society by the Orthodox Christian

Mission Center.

EDITOR: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fr ..Martin.Ritsi

INTERIM MANAGING EDITOR:. . . . Oksana.Klufas.Willower

DESIGN:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cameron.Thorp

The.Orthodox.Christian.Mission.Center.(OCMC).is.the.official.

international.mission.agency.of.the.Standing.Conference.of.

Canonical.Orthodox.Bishops.in.the.Americas.(SCOBA) .

For more information about OCMC visit our website at www.ocmc.org

or contact us atOrthodox.Christian.Mission.Center

P .O ..Box.4319.St ..Augustine,.FL.32085

PH:.(904).829-5132.Fax:.(904).829-1635Toll.Free:.1-877-GO-FORTH.(463-6784)

Email:.missions@ocmc .org

or visit us at:..85.S ..Dixie.Highway,.St ..Augustine,.FL

Program Contacts:Executive Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fr ..Martin.Ritsi

Associate Director/

Missionaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fr ..David.Rucker

Teams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrew.J ..Lekos

Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John-Paul.Conners

Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alex.Goodwin

Agape Canister & SAMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kenny.Kidd

Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jack.Klees

OCMC Missionaries and their families:Alaska:.Paul.Sidebottom.Albania:.Georgia.Gilman.*.Nathan,.

Tristan.and.Katherine.Hoppe.*.Dr ..Charles,.Maria,.George.

Anthony,.Joanna,.Adrian.and.Melania.Linderman.*.Driko..

(Andrew).Christine,.Anthony.and.Constantine.Pappas.*.

George,.Pauline,.Christopher.and.Madeline.Russell.*..

Dn ..Hector.and.Katerina.Firoglanis.Argentina:.Cynthia.

Baldwin-Thanos Guatemala: Christina.Hagelios.*.Edwin.Pier.

Romania: Flyod.and.Ancuta.Frantz.Uganda: John.Burnett.*.

Peter.&.Sharon.Georges

OCMC BOARD OF DIRECTORS:Mr. Cliff Argue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . President

V. Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .Vice.President

Fr. Raymond Velencia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Treasurer

Fr. George P. Liacopulos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Secretary

Fr. Alexander Veronis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . President.Emeritus

OCMC BOARD MEMBERS:Fr ..Nicholas.Anctil,.Fr ..John.Chakos,.Fr ..Louis.Christopulos,..Mr ..George.Conopeotis,.Mr ..Patrick.Crosson,.Mrs ..Cina.Daskalakis,.Dr ..John.Demakis,.Fr ..Peter.Gillquist,..Mr ..Robert.Gremley,.Fr ..John.Harvey,.Fr ..Gregory.Horton,..Fr ..David.Hudson,.Dr ..Spero.Kinnas,.Fr ..Dimitri.Leussis,.Mr ..George.Maragakes,.Fr ..Constantine.Mersinas,.Fr ..Luke.Mihaly,.Mr ..Scott.Mitchell,.Mrs ..Helen.Nicozisis,.Fr ..Ted.Pisarchuk,.Fr ..John.Rallis,.Fr ..David.Rucker,.Mrs ..Elizabeth.Slanta,.Fr ..Matthew.Tate,.Fr ..Nicholas.Verdaris,.Dr ..Gayle.Woloschak,.Mr ..Andrew.Yiannakos

Opinions expressed are those of the individual authors and not necessarily those of OCMC. We reserve the right to edit all articles and all submissions for length and content. Articles may be reproduced and used with written acknowledgement of the source.

Fa l l 2006 • Vo lume 22, Number 2

taste & see . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Andrew Lentz—Mission Team member to Tanzania

What is god teaching me? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Rachel mellas—Mission Team member to Albania

2007 mission team opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Let Your Journey Begin—detachable PosterA Fluid Blessing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 daniel Belonick—Mission Team Member to Alaska

A day in a Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Peter georges—OCMC Missionary in Uganda

i’d Like a one Way ticket – Arriving in Albania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 the Luisi Family—OCMC Missionaries in Albania

Your Continued Prayers for india . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 tim Arestou—OCMC Missionary in India

“dad” Work at the hogar Ayau orphanage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Ed Pier—OCMC Missionary in Guatemala

mission news . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

> > F E A t U R E s

ContEnts

MISSION M A G A Z I N E

The Orthodox Christian Mission Center: Helping Orthodox Christians respond to Christ’s call to preach, teach, baptize, minister to the poor and make disciples of all nations.

A Radiant LIGHTContribution by His EminEncE ArcHbisHop DEmEtrios, cHAirmAn of scobA

On the cover: A reflection of Lynette Hoppe’s ministries.

Each of these examples reflects the work of the Church in mission, which is nothing less than sharing with others the truth of the Gospel and the love of Jesus Christ. We share this offering as a Church to others freely, and we do this out of our love for all people, whom we recognize as living icons of God.

rica, countless people are being intro-duced to the Holy Gospel, many of them for the first time in their lives. In some nations where the Orthodox Christian faith has grown significantly over time, for ex-ample in Uganda, we see the emergence of seminaries which are uniquely situated to meet the social and spiritual needs and conditions of their people and to train lo-cal priests accordingly. In other countries, we see the love of Christ demonstrated by specialized initiatives of OCMC, such as the dispatching of trained teams of professionals to aid with the implemen-tation and support of substance abuse programs; or to engage in building and construction projects to meet the basic needs of others in developing countries.

Each of these examples reflects the

and life-giving work of OCMC, either through a monetary contribution, or even perhaps through the rewarding experience of serving on a missionary team. In any event, we ask for your continued and steadfast prayers for the growing prosperity of OCMC, so that oth-ers might know the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, His message of love, and the prom-ise of eternal life in His Name. On behalf of all the hierarchs of SCOBA, I bid each of you peace in Christ Jesus, and I pray that His radiant light may shine perpetually in your hearts, minds, and souls.

With paternal love in Christ,

† DEMETRIOSPrimate of the Greek Orthodox Church in Ameri-ca and Chairman of the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas

of all the hierarchs of SCOBA, I offer heart-felt prayers and condolences to her beloved family. May her memory be eternal.

Additional articles in this issue focus on the tremendous Orthodox Christian work that is being carried out by others in the name of Jesus Christ in places all over our world. From Alaska, to Albania, to Af-

work of the Church in mission, which is nothing less than sharing with others the truth of the Gospel and the love of Jesus Christ. We share this offering as a Church to others freely, and we do this out of our love for all people, whom we recognize as living icons of God. As you read this issue, please consider supporting the beautiful

Following the Apostles—Spreading the Good News to the Ends of the Earth.

The Orthodox Bishops convened at the SCOBA conference in Chicago, October 2006. His Eminence Arch-bishop Demetrios is located in the front row, fourth from the right.

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A Radiant Light- Following the Apostles—Spreading the Good News to the Ends of the EarthContribution by His Eminence Archbishop DEMETrIOS, Chairman of SCOBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

4 highlighting oCmC for 20 Years of service in Kenya: A letter from Arch-

bishop mAKARios of Kenya

10 the same Body & heart: stacy shipman—

Mission Team member to

Tanzania

15 Works of great Conse-quence—mission team Families: Alex goodwin—

Mission Team Member to Ke-

nya & OCMC Communications

Director

17 mustard seed, Patience and salvation: John Burnett

—OCMC Missionary serving at St.

Paul Seminary in Uganda

19 through the World of n . Cameroon and Chad:Notes from a First Travelogue of

metropolitan gREgoRios of

Cameroon

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2 O C M C M I S S I O N M A G A Z I N E • W W W . O C M C . O R G �O C M C M I S S I O N M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 0 6

Dear Fr. Martin and our beloved Friend in Christ,

Christ is in our midst!

We send our warmest felicitations and compliments as the Orthodox Christian Mission Center celebrates 20 years of sending missionaries. Truly, this occasion is a joyous one of

which you must be so proud. You, Fr. Martin and Presvytera Renee, Nicole and Stephanos, all are such a dedicted part of this wonderful undertaking of Orthodox Christians in the United States and Canada with so many Canonical Orthodox Jurisdictions working together to help build Orthodoxy in Kenya, in Africa and throughout the World. You, and your entire family have been seriously and sincerely involved in the work of missions since the beginning, as Missionaries in our very own Archdiocese, and now as Executive Director of OCMC. Even in this 20th year of celebration of OCMC you have been in Kenya doing the work of Christ, Jesus.

So many, similarly devoted Orthodox Christians have had their

Highlighting OCMC for 20 Years of Service in

A l e t t e r f r o m A r c h b i s h o p M a k a r i o s o f K e n y a

give educational opportunities for those who will use them as part of their daily lives.

With that said, we are very thankful for the support of the Students of Archbishopric who have benefited from further education at Holy Cross and St. Vladimir’s Seminaries. You have helped the local church through this essential support because it prepares these pious young priests for future leadership within the Orthodox Church in Kenya. We ask that you continue this vital support, as educated leadership continues the process of building a strong Orthodox presence in Africa.

The Orthodox Christian Mission Center’s presence is strongly felt in the Chevogere medical clinic which has become so crucial to local life. You have contributed greatly to the welfare of the local people in so many ways for which God will radiate His Love and Light upon you.

The Elder Iakovos Tsalikis, pinpoints the spirit of your work: “…I give one and God gives me ten. As soon as I think of giving something, immediately God’s response gives me many times over…our charity must be unmurmuring.” 1991

The service of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center reaches out to so many sources, human and material, because emphasis is placed upon the Lord and His Holy Teachings. Your Mission Teams are blessed because you emphasize the spiritual element of each member. The interaction and fellowship of the Mission Team with local Orthodox is a spiritual blessing, as well as an example. The experiences are shared in the common prayer and the common work which brings people together in Christ.

St. John of Kronstadt (1908) teaches:“The almightiness of the Lord is without limits. Whatever His power and His Grace touches, becomes life-giving…Jesus Christ is the consolation, joy, life and peace of our hearts.”

It is our prayer and wish that the work of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center will continue to be blessed by the Grace of God and the touch of the Holy Spirit. Traditionally, we sing the hymn, “God grant you many years!” We also sing, “Having asked for the unity of the Faith and the communion of the Holy Spirit, let us commend ourselves and each other and our life unto Christ our God”. With this we feel indeed deep gratitude for the work of OCMC especially for the sacrifices made by the entire Staff, Missionaries, Mission Teams and Donors on behalf of the Orthodox Church in Kenya and in Africa.

“Divine aid on the one hand and our will on the other hand bring victory against the devil.” St. Basil the Great

There is a song in Swahili which says: “Maisha ru milima, huwezi anguka” (Life is like a mount, you cannot fall off ). The implication is that on our Way to Christ, we face many temptations but our togetherness in Christ keeps us from failing to reach God.

St. Ephraim, the Syrian, speaks directly to all of us:“…Love is the capital of all virtues, the cause of all good, the salt of virtues…Blessed and thrice blessed is everyone who has obtained true and un-hypocritical love.”

The Spirit of the Holy Trinity dwells in each of you. May you be encouraged to love those who are in need. Know that whatever your role in Mission…through prayer, through donations of materials and money, or through your own personal contribution of yourselves, you are doing the Will of God. Feel blessed knowing that God loves you and your good works. St. John Chrysostom reminds us: “Whoever bears fruit with works of faith and love, he is a real disciple of Christ”. Asanteni! Thank you for your gifts and your Holy Works.

roles in the work of Orthodoxy throughout the World; as donors helping financially, spiritually through their prayers, and by even offering themselves as missionaries and members of the many Mission Teams which helped in the construction of the Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Laikipia, the Chevogere Mission Clinic, the Church of St. Mark, the Orthodox Secondary School in Chevogere and the recent Mission Team which helped to construct the Orthodox Church in Mpeketoni, in the Lamu area.

The Orthodox Archbishopric of Kenya has also benefited from the SAMP program (Support A Mission Priest). This support for our clergy has been so critical in the growth of the faith. Since the early days, American Orthodox have been involved directly in teaching in the Orthodox Patriarchal Ecclesiastical School, ‘Makarios III of Cyprus’. In those days the number of clergy were so few in number. Today we have 165 priests, serving Christ through His Holy Sacraments throughout the country; in Nyanza Province, in the Rift Valley from Turkana, Nandi, Nakuru and the Maasai areas of Ewuasu Kedong to Loitokitik in the shadows of Mt. Kilimanjaro. There are also priests in Central Province, the City of Nairobi, Nyeri, Meru and even Embu and now on the Coast in Mpeketoni! Surely, without the generous aid from the SAMP program, we might not have made the progress we have. OCMC has also made contributions of Holy Utensils, Vestments and books for the Ecclesiastical School’s Library which are so essential to our Liturgical Practices and to the reading of our students. Not only do you build the physical structures of Churches and Schools, but you

KenyaYou have just heard the Lord

say, “Truly, truly I say to you, he who hears My Word and believes

in Him Who sent Me has eternal life and does not come into judgment but has passed from death to life” ( John 5:24). This was surely the case of our beloved Lynette Katherine. She heard Christ’s word and believed with all her heart in the Father who sent the Son. She gave witness to this truth through the Holy Spirit. Lo, Lynette was in communion with Christ Who is the Resurrection and the Life. She obeyed the last commandment, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be My witness in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The last time I saw Lynette standing was at the girls’ camp on the 16th of August. She was thin, smiling, and radiating a secret light. Lynette had the seal of the Holy Spirit, knowing clearly that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. With this power of the Spirit, Lynette confronted sickness and pain for twenty months.

I remember her as a martyr ready to accept martyrdom in a certain unknown process. Lynette has confronted death—face to face—for a very long period—first, with a strong faith, a crucified and resurrected love; second, with a deep peace; third, with a sense of gratitude in the Lord; fourth, with an authentic joy; and finally, with radiating love transmitting around her more faith, more peace, and more love. She became a model of love and always, as you saw during these days, created this atmosphere.

Lynette is a modern secret martyr. In other ages, the faithful were confronted by lions and other threats; now, in our age, one of their names is cancer. A brave, gentle, noble soul, Lynette confronted death singing: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall it be tribulation, or distress or, or? For I am sure that neither

death nor life, nor hate, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

By her life she underlined that whether we live or whether we die, we are God’s. Lynette is of great importance for the new era of missionary work—underlining the importance of inspiring people, not only of clergy but especially of lay people, men, and women alike.

I would also like to emphasize the importance of Lynette and her family to the Orthodox Church of Albania. I said that today there is a great loss for us,

death, a secret treasure of the Orthodox Church, a sign of the universal character of the Orthodox Church. We are thankful for Nathan, Lynette, and their children. We are thankful to the whole family who all these years and days have embraced our beloved Lynette with so much love. I would like to express on behalf of the Church of Albania our thanks to her father, brothers, and sister for supporting her in her decision to return (I know that this is not self evident—some families actually create problems for people who would like to come here). Now Lynette will be an ambassador in heaven with the other holy women from Albania, who also gave their own witness in a very strong way here.

Pray for the progress of our Church, in order to always stay in this atmosphere of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Especially pray for the youth that Lynette loved so much. I hope that the young people and all those facing sickness and troubles will have her example as a concrete guide in all these struggles, an example of Christian courage and strength. May the Lord inspire more people to follow Lynette in her obedience to Christ and become partners in Jerusalem, in Albania, and to the ends of the earth—we do not know where.

Once again let us read the first verse, “Truly, truly I say to you, he who hears My Word and believes in Him Who sent Me has eternal life…but has passed from death to life.” Then this last grief is not in an atmosphere of sorrow and suffering, but an atmosphere of hope, an atmosphere of the resurrection, because we know that Lynette is in the hands of our Lord. She always lived with this hope, this expectation, this life of the Resurrection.

May Lynette’s memory be eternal! •

The Eulogy of Archbishop Anastasios for

but at the same time a gain of a precious treasure and asset. Nathan and Lynette decided to come to Albania only for the love of Christ…only obeying His commandment. It was not an easy decision. They were foreigners, accepting difficulties and risks. For them it was nothing in the presence of Christ. And this last commandment, “Go in peace,” was exactly their experience.

Lynette is an example of a devoted spouse. Nathan remains always the same: a person with a deep love, affection, and concern for all his family. They have shared all the troubles of our life in Albania for eight years with their two beloved children, Tristan and Katherine. Lynette and Nathan accepted living in simplicity, curing their behavior and life for the better. Humble, meek, pure in heart, merciful in His making. They have worked among the youth, edited different Church publications and made many other concrete contributions.

Finally, Lynette and Nathan decided to return in order to die here, or rather to pass from death to life here - to be buried in Albania, an everlasting symbol of the love of Christ which is stronger than

L ynette had the seal of the Holy Spirit, knowing clearly that the fruit of the

Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

gentleness, and self control.

Delivered in Shen Vlash, Albania • August 29, 2006

Lynette Hoppe

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Archbishop AnAsTAsios offers strength to Katherine during her mother’s funeral.

Children in Kenya clapping and singing during a

celebration with Archbishop Makarios

� O C M C M I S S I O N M A G A Z I N E • W W W . O C M C . O R G �O C M C M I S S I O N M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 0 6

Lynette is in her mid-forties, the mother of two young children 8 and 6. She and her husband Nathan, both well-

educated with advanced degrees, are OCMC missionaries. They converted to the Orthodox Church about 12 years ago.

Lynette and Nathan, children of missionaries, departed from the comforts and security of America to enter the Albanian Mission eight years ago to teach at the Resurrection Orthodox Seminary. Lynette, a graphic artist and writer, also edited the Church’s newspaper. She recently published a beautifully illustrated photo history of the 12-year Albanian Mission under the inspired leadership of Archbishop Anastasios. In December of 2004, Lynette learned that her

body was racked with cancer and returned to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota for treatment.

Presbytera Pearl and I visited Lynette and Nathan twice in Albania and witnessed their vibrant Spirit filled ministry firsthand. Lynette impressed us deeply. Her contagious faith radiates Christ’s love. Her simplicity, her joy, her gentle manner and gracious personality, and her skill with words pervade her ministry.

Lynette kept a diary about her battle with cancer and her many friends and admirers began a website on the Internet at www.prayforlynette.org to post passages.

Lynette knew her own days were limited. She and her family recently returned to Albania to be among the people she had served and loved so dearly.

Lynette’s Final Moments Delivered one week before her death at theAnnunciation Greek Orthodox Church, Lancaster, PA

A L i f e o f

Lynette played a vital role in the Albanian Camp Ministries, especially planning and implementing the craft projects. Here Lynette demonstrates how to make a mosaic with the girls at her first summer camp.

Lynette trained key young

Albanians in graphic design to build their capac-

ity for ministry.

BY Fr. Alexander Veronis, August 20, 2006

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Lynette writes as she faces imminent death:

“When I first got news of my pending departure, I was frantic, thinking I needed to do some kind of ‘ministry,’ but I soon realized that there was no value in ministry at this point. What I have done until now is what I have done.…I am allowing myself to simply relax in the love of Jesus, to enjoy Him in a new way. To think about joining Him soon.”

“I have so much peace in thinking that there is nothing I can do to win over Christ. All I can do is throw myself into His arms…. I feel that I am ready to die a ‘painless, blameless, and peaceful death’ as we pray every liturgy. I may have a lot of physical pain, but in spirit I feel no pain, other than the pain of leaving those I love.”

St. Paul wrote, “For me to live is Christ, but to die is gain.” Like him, Lynette lived for Christ and in Christ and is now ready to join Him. Like the great Apostle, she accumulated no wealth on earth, only treasures in heaven. When our own time comes, may we, too, be able also to say with Lynette’s faith and conviction, as did the Apostle Paul before his martyrdom: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. There is now laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have loved His appearing.” (II Tim. 7:8) AMEN.

To read the full text of Fr. Alexander Veronis’ Sermon on Lynette Hoppe, please visit our website at www.ocmc.org and click under News.

The Lord has blessed the Mission Center for the past eight years with

a missionary of Lynette’s caliber. The Albanians will never forget her!

Nor will all who saw her in action in Albania. Lynette taught many how

a Christian faces death with hope, faith and love. Her ministry brought

many people closer to Christ. May her life be an example to us all and an

inspiration to those called to a life in Missions.

During the Kosovo crisis, Lynette ministered to refugees.

At the national Art Gallery of Albania, Lynette stands in front of the poster advertising her book signing event.

SERMON:

Lynette entered the mission field in early 1998 with her husband Nathan and 3 month old son Tristan. Her role

as a wife, mother and homemaker plus her experience in illustration and graphic design were the foundation for vibrant ministries that influenced the growth in the Church of Albania. Lynette soon found that her primary role as a missionary was to assist with the church publications office, creating various church materials and mentoring others in graphic design. Even during the Kosovo crisis, Lynette’s compassion for others was evident as

implemented the craft projects. By 2003 the program continued to expand and flourish. Her presence as loving mother and full member of the church, impacted many young girls and women. She also reached out to the children in her neighborhood with a four day Neighborhood Kid’s Camp program, held at the Hoppe home, which helped draw the children from their street into closer contact with Christ.

In December 2004, Lynette was diagnosed with breast cancer by Dr. Charles Linderman, who urged her to seek treatment in the States. Her parents lived just 30-minutes from the famed Mayo Clinic in Minnesota where she

sought treatment. In the two week between her diagnosis and the Hoppes’ return to the United States, Lynette traveled to Greece to check the final proofs of her book at the printing press there. By February 2005, her book, Resurrection: The Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania, 1991-2003, was in print after almost seven years of effort.

The Hoppe family returned to Albania in May, 2006. Lynette’s battle with cancer continued, yet her solid faith served as a shining light of dependence on Christ. Through her Albanian diaries and newsletters, she shared her journey. Even during her final stages and struggles with cancer, Lynette gathered her strength and mental faculties to spend time speaking to the girls’ camp about the physical death and preparation to meet our Lord. Lynette’s testimony and her devotion to our Lord continue to be an example to help all of us, not only in our daily lives but on how to prepare for a Christian end.

she took care of a refugee family in their home for two months.

The Hoppe family grew with the birth of Katherine in April 2000. Her duties included creating an annual liturgical calendar, which was a challenge because the four color processing equipment available in Albania was either damaged or outdated. She also edited Archbishop ANASTASIOS’ English correspondence. Added to her tasks, Lynette illustrated a book for the Church of Albania and another about Albanian saints and designed English newsletters.

She played a vital role in the Albanian Camp ministries. Each year she developed and

Lynette’s battle with cancer continued, yet her solid faith served as a shining light of

dependence on Christ.

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Lynette sings at an outdoor concert in the countryside of Albania as part of an outreach project in conjunction with the 2002 oCMC summer team.

In Memory of Lynette

Hoppe & Her Missionary Work

>> To read more of Lynette’s inspiring journals visit; www.prayforLynette.org

Lynette, very near the end, surrounded by her family. Left to right are: Lynette’s father, Lynn Holm, her brothers, Brian, Joel, and John, and her sister Sherry

Just ten days before her death Lynette spoke at the st. John Vladimir’s girls’ camp, where she spent much of the last two months of her life, about a Christian end to life.

� O C M C M I S S I O N M A G A Z I N E • W W W . O C M C . O R G 7O C M C M I S S I O N M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 0 6

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“But the righteous person, though she die early, will be at rest…There was one who pleased God and was loved by him, and while living among sinners she was taken up. She was caught up before evil could change her…. Being perfected in a short time, she fulfilled long years; for her soul was pleasing to the Lord, therefore He took her quickly from the midst of evil.” (Wisdom of Solomon 4:7-15)

These words from the Wisdom of Solomon aptly describe Lynette Hoppe’s 46 years of life. Many people have been

inspired by the witness of faith, courage, strength, peace, joy and love which Lynette and Nathan have displayed these past 20 months. St. Paul writes, “For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.” (Rom 14:8) Lynette has modeled these words not only through the way she lived as a Christian, a missionary, mother, wife, daughter, mentor and friend, but especially through her unforgettable and inspiring journey of cancer, suffering, and death.

While some may wonder why a faithful servant of the Lord in the prime of her life needed to face

Heaven here and now. And Lynette lived well this mystery of life and death like few people we have ever known.

What has made this mystery even more poignant is how Lynette and Nathan invited others to join them in her final journey through the website www.prayforlynette.org. They reflected a genuine understanding of Christian community by inviting others to share their experience and walk with them —both by inspiring others through their example and lessons learned, while not hesitating to ask others to pray, visit, and help them in their moments of darkness.

I had the special and blessed privilege to experience this journey from an intimate perspective. Not only are our families dearest of friends, but throughout her illness, I spoke with Lynette almost weekly, along with being able to see her six times over the past 20 months. From such contact, several aspects

of Lynette’s journey brilliantly stand out as a light and example for all of us.

St. Paul wrote, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Phil 1:21) Shortly before she died, Lynette shared with me, “Although I cry at the thought of leaving my dear husband and precious children, I simultaneously realize that our heavenly homeland awaits me, and I look forward to dwelling with our Lord.” Life is but a brief sojourn on planet earth. God created us for eternity, and Lynette understood that eternal perspective so well. She had a passionate love for Christ, which filled her with the joy of going home.

Of course, her illness held many “valleys of the shadow of death” which often humbled her. In following the path of the saints, though, she was an astute pupil who humbly learned many invaluable lessons from her illness. In her inspiring journal, she describes her struggles with pride, self-righteousness, lack of understanding, immature desires, and life-long temptations. Yet, while honestly critiquing herself, she discovered anew the unconditional and divine love of God.

One of the most illuminating characteristics Lynette radiated throughout her illness was her spirit of joy and gratitude. St. Paul writes

A Christian witness of living and dying In honor of

by Fr. Luke VeronisLynette Hoppe

I met them (the Hoppe’s) a few weeks ago on a mission trip in Albania. They are the most

loving, brilliant, God-fearing, and inspirational family I have ever encountered. I hope, now that she has passed, people do not forget the beautiful examples and hope she provided for so many! May Lynette’s memory be eternal! Sophia Olson,

Mission Team Albania 2006

Please know that many who have been introduced to Lynette and her family

only since the onset of her illness are at once saddened for her obviously devoted, loving, faithful family and edified by her life and her passing from this life....May the Holy Spirit, the Comforter be their comfort.

With our respect, Father Peter and Nikki Salmas

We all send our Prayers and Sympathies to Lynette’s family and friends from

the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church,

here in Madison, Wisconsin. We ask that our Blessed Savior grant her soul rest; and courage to the family to continue without her. The world only knows a few individuals of her stature and her love for life. May those who she came in contact with have pleasant memories to cherish and may God grant her rest and may her memory be eternal. Presvytera Vasiliki &

Fr. Joseph Tzougros & the Assumption Family

We can thank God for all the ways Lynette was used by God and how she

accepted His guidance all her life, in times of strength and weakness.

Because of the Hoppe Family’s presence in Albania, as well as Archbishop ANASTASIOS and the OCMC Missionaries & Mission Teams, the nation of Albania will be in a better position to fend off the forces of evil. In Christ,

Darla Haines

Many notes and contributions have been received in loving memory of

Lynette Hoppe. Here are a few of the many messages that reflect the

strength and faith that Lynette displayed in her life:

Tributes to Lynette

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cancer and death —and no less with two young children—Lynette exemplified how such a path of illness and death, when experienced with faith, can lead one into a fuller union with God and offer a witness more powerful and memorable than many lifetimes on earth. As the Wisdom of Solomon so poetically describes, the righteous often don’t live to a ripe old age, but in the prime of their lives God calls them to remind the world of what a genuine, Christ-centered life of divine love and invincible faith is all about.

The saintly Bishop Gerasimos of Abydou once said, “Life is not a problem to be solved, but a mystery to be lived.” Lynette embraced this divine, and sometime harsh mystery of life, and allowed it to hone her faith, deepen her love, and increase her compassion. From a human perspective, we don’t understand cancer and death at a young age. From a divine point of view, however, life is a deep mystery that when lived properly, leads us into the Kingdom of

Life is but a brief sojourn on planet earth. God created us for eternity, and Lynette

understood that eternal perspective so well.

that we are to “Rejoice always…and give thanks in all circumstances.” (1 Thess 5:16,18) I’m not exaggerating when I say that at each stage of Lynette’s illness, her first words to me would always be, “Well, although the news isn’t good, still I thank God…”

She possessed the rare, yet divine, ability to see God’s hand at work in the midst of any and every situation. She held a deep rooted attitude of gratitude, understanding full well St. Paul’s promise that “Neither death, nor life…nor things present nor things to come…will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8:38-39) I heard Lynette thank God shortly after she discovered her cancer, after her cancer had metastasized, after the cancer entered her bones, and even in her last days, when the cancer entered her liver and the doctors gave her a few weeks to live. To be honest with you, if I had not talked with Lynette so frequently, and witnessed the authenticity of her gratitude, I’m not sure I could have believed that it was so sincere.

Feeling the concrete presence of God, and living with this spirit of gratitude, gave root to one of the most visible signs of an authentic relationship with our Lord—that of deep, spiritual joy and peace. In the midst of illness, suffering and dying, with the temptation of fear and doubt ever lurking nearby, Lynette never

lost that sense of deep, inner joy. As she wrote in one of her final diary entries, “Both Nathan and I feel overwhelmed by the amazing grace that God has given to us. We could not be so joyful without His help….I am happy and feel a great sense of joyful anticipation at my home-going. God is with us and will continue to be with us until the end.”

And such joy led to a deep, inner peace. During one of her final days of life, my wife Faith and I sat around her bed, together with Nathan, her father, siblings and friends, singing hymns and reminiscing about Lynette’s legacy. In those final hours, Lynette radiated divine peace. At times, she would open her eyes and struggle to smile. Yes, she was dying, but simultaneously she dwelt securely in the peace of her Lord.

So much more could be said about what a gifted woman Lynette was, but I think her beloved husband summarized it well a few days before her death: “My eyes are full of tears as I write but I also have a strong sense of joy. The jewel which I have been privileged to hold a short time is slipping away from me, but I know that she will be held in far more worthy arms until we are reunited. I am so blessed in these days by her joy and her faith and her love. She is truly an icon of Christ to me.” •

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Lynette shows the girls at winter camp 2002 how to do a stamping craft

Archbishop ANASTASIOS presides at Lynette’s funeral services at the Monastery of St. Vlash. Also presiding were Metropolitan John of Ko-rca, Metropolitan Ignatius of Berat and Father Martin ritsi, Executive Director of OCMC in the United States.

top: Nathan and Lynette’s sister Sherry with the children, Tristan and Katherine, plant a spruce tree in front of the church at St. Vlash in Lynette’s memory. Left: As Tristan Hoppe looks on, Father Martin ritsi lays a wreath on Lynette’s gravesite on behalf of the Mis-sion Center and its Board of Directors. Right: Katherine and Tristan lighting a candle at the 40 day service.

� O C M C M I S S I O N M A G A Z I N E • W W W . O C M C . O R G �O C M C M I S S I O N M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 0 6

I ventured off with some of the quirkiest, funnest people to be found within Orthodoxy, and as a

convert, I can attest that quirky and fun are both abundant here. They are also among the most compassionate and sincere people that I have met. We boarded our planes and made our way to the likes of Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Memories flood me now… Dr. Bill skipping in the Nairobi airport high-fiving everyone in his jet-lagged stupor, delirious with excitement and the experience of setting foot in Africa… the giant grasshopper that nearly ate Dimitri while still training in Florida… the look on Fr. Michael’s face when our gift from one village came walking toward us bleating and blinking. My Tanzania team debated on a good name for our goat, but in the end I think it just seemed too harsh to name dinner.

Of course, there are other memories, too. Memories of the Africans themselves, but one memory resonates in my mind, the memories of Josephina… or Fina, as they called her, a small little girl about five years old. There are children everywhere, all displaying the natural curiosity that makes all children endearing. They rubbed our skin to see if the color would come off. They touched our hair. They shyly sat in our laps when handed over by their welcoming parents. But Fina… Fina had a light in her eyes that shown unmistakably with joy. Her little face was radiant with life!

The first time I met Fina was in the village of Rubale where we taught a catechism seminar for the Bukoba Diocese under the invitation of His Grace,

W hat is God teaching me?” As an eighteen year old on my

first mission trip, this question by Andy Lekos (Mission Team Director at OCMC) echoed in my mind throughout our team’s 2½ week stay at the Children’s Home of Hope in St. Vlash, Albania.

How inspiring the children of the Home were! Each one of them lived in Christ, “letting their little light so shine” (Matthew 5:16) that I felt humbled and privileged to be there as a Mission Team member. In the two short weeks I was there, I learned valuable lessons in patience,

Bishop JERONYMOS. When our team arrived they rang the bell and everyone came running into the church, as the service was about to begin. Admittedly I was distracted from the service by the stares of the small children about me and the Kiswahili that impregnated the space around me. In the midst of all those beautiful children stood Fina. As others looked on shyly or in the boldest of curiosity, Fina simply smiled and looked up at me as though I were an old friend, anticipation lining her face. Amidst the “karibu’s” (welcome) and “faraha na amani’s” (peace and joy) her face is the one that made me truly feel welcome in this place on the other side of the world.

Morning after morning this delicious child would run up the village road to greet our team. She would accompany our team from class to class as we taught about salvation, missions, the role of fasting, and other such catechetical topics. Then, one day, she wasn’t there. We inquired with her father as to

her mystical absence. “It’s a bout with malaria,” he told us through Sanktus, our translator. Our hearts broke as our minds all immediately traced back to ensuring that we, ourselves, had taken our own anti-malaria pills, and we reapplied bug spray as we made mental notes to re-tape the holes in the mosquito nets covering our beds.

Thanks be to God that little Fina bounced back before our departure. How delighted I was when the crowd of students around me began to split and create a path, down which the amazingly resilient Fina walked carrying a gift. Her tiny little body was shadowed by the long pole of sugar cane which she had carefully wrapped in a banana-tree leaf and carried it toward me. Shyly she handed it to me and as though she had also given me the gift of her radiance. I beamed back at her as I received it.

When Bishop JERONYMOS arrived, little Fina marched with us through the village of Rubale as we sang hymns to the glory of our God. As the students danced and sang for Bishop JERONYMOS and said good-bye to our team, the tuckered out little Fina at last fell asleep in my arms. Little Josephina and I never spoke an understandable word to one another, but we understood each other perfectly. I continue to think of Fina daily. I wonder what will become of her life lived in such amazing poverty and constantly threatened by diseases completely treatable in my own country. Like we all do, I foolishly ponder the design of God—myself born into abundance and opportunities and she born into desperation and the fear of hopelessness. I ache to know if that glow in her beautiful young face will remain.

I suppose, though, in the end, what has changed me the most; no longer is Africa the romanticized dream I’ve carried about since I was eight. The names and faces are now those that belong to people with whom I have journeyed this life. These aren’t “simply” the starving Africans of commercials and “We are the World” sing-alongs, they are Orthodox Christians with whom I mystically commune at every Eucharist offering. They are of the same body and I am now gripped with the awesome responsibility to care for them as I would myself. All theological missiology debates aside, all jurisdictional squabbles stifled… we are of the same Body. Josephine is my sister and I miss her.

I f I were to tell you that there is a job so fulfilling that you couldn’t pass it up, would you listen? You would have everything you

need and you would be living in the comfort of knowing you are doing God’s work. Interested yet? No? Then how about experiencing a joy in your job so wonderful, that you couldn’t possibly imagine doing anything else with your life? Are you ready now? All you have to do is be a Christian!

What most tend to forget is that being a Christian is synonymous with being a missionary. Yeah, that’s right. I hate to break it to you, but you are in fact a missionary. It was your commission when you were baptized as a Christian. It takes some longer than others to realize, but once you do your life is changed

halfway around the world in their very homes. The importance of our mission journey was not in the places we went, but in the spiritual journey we took with the people we met. The blessing was having such incredible companions on the journey in Christ. The reward was receiving a taste of the Christian missionary life, a life in Christ.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34). Fr. Alexander Schmemann explains that this verse tells us we must first experience (taste) and only then will we understand (see). I offer a challenge to you: experience the Christian missionary life. Then, you will truly understand this account of my mission team journey in Christ in Tanzania. Furaha na amani! Joy and peace!

the common room, a room with a large fireplace, a circle of couches and chairs, and all sorts of colorful crafts that hung from the ceiling. The children sang songs in both Albanian and English, in loud voices, eager to show off for their visitors. The children each told us their aspirations for the future: to be doctors, missionaries, priests and nuns! I was amazed to see such young kids with such big hearts. I thought to myself, “How can I be an example of mission work to these children? What can I do”? Andy’s words echoed in my mind, “What is

of faith, love and the light of Christ that by the time we departed for the United States I was amazed to realize that these children taught me more about living in Christ than anything I could have ever hoped to teach them!

Yet another example of Christ working through others was the influence the long-term missionaries had on us. We had the opportunity to meet the Linderman, Pappas, Russell and Hoppe families. Each family impacted our missionary experience in unique and special ways and we were inspired by the faith and love that emanated from each missionary. I was incredibly

fortunate to have been able to meet Lynette Hoppe and learn from her and her family’s example in faith. I can speak for the entire Albanian short-term Mission Team that we felt truly blessed to be in the presence of such devoted Orthodox Christians.

“What is God teaching me? What have I learned from this experience?” For me, Andy, your question doesn’t need a long deep theological answer. It is found in the very scripture verse that we read at orientation; 1 Corinthians 13:13 “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love”.

When our team arrived they rang the

bell and everyone came running into the church, as the service was about

to begin.”“

I am a young woman of 31 who has dreamed of going to Africa. I have been preparing myself for the work of missions for the better part of my adult life. My mother might argue that I’ve been preparing for it since I was a child, but that’s another matter. When God orchestrated the time and means for that door to finally open, I found myself heading off on a Mission Team with the Orthodox Christian Mission Center.

By Stacy Shipman—Mission Team Member to Tanzania

LEFT: Bonding with the local children was a highlight for the Author, stacy shipman BELOw: in Tanzania, the Mis-sion Team joins the faithful for service at a new church still under construction RIGHT: in the eyes of a child, there’s hope for all that is to come for the Church in Tanzania.

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forever. I had such a life-changing experience on my mission trip to Tanzania.

Everyday on my trip, I arose with a joy I had never experienced before. The 5 a.m. wake up was difficult, but the joy pushed me out of bed. There was work to be done! Our mission was to teach basic catechism courses and visit with local communities who would otherwise have little or no contact with the rest of the world. In my time in Tanzania I learned what hospitality truly means, generosity was redefined, and being sincere in everything you say and do was as natural as breathing. My work became my life and my life became my work.

Being halfway around the world can be an incredible experience in itself, but we had the blessing to interact with fellow Orthodox Christians

By Andrew Lentz

flexibility, faith and love that I will carry with me throughout my life. I only hope to follow the children’s examples: to be a beacon of light, praising God and sharing that light with others.

One day we were situated in

God teaching me?” In just my first day, I experienced so much, beyond what I expected and witnessed God working through each and every one of us as Mission Team members and children alike.

The children’s lives were so full

Teaching Me?”

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with such big hearts. I thought to myself,

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to these children? What can I do”?

“By Rachel Mellas

“What is God

ABOVE: As a welcome gift from a Tanzanian parish, Fr. Michael Miklos, Mission Team Leader, receives a goat on behalf of the team.

A procession of the faithful in one of the ten communities visited by this year’s Tanzania team.

Joyous faces show true test that Christ lives in the children from the Home of Hope as they chase bubbles.

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There is usually a certain amount of anxiety associated with any travel, What should I pack? Will my luggage arrive on time? A

mission trip carries additional concerns, How will the group dynamics be? What can we expect? Will they have laundry facilities? Will we be effective in our goals? Many of these questions, ranging from the reasonable to the rather silly, crossed my mind several times during the journey across North America to what was for me a distant land—Alaska.

When I first heard of the opportunity to go to Alaska through OCMC I jumped at the chance, partly for selfish reasons. The mission team was designed to assist in teaching a youth retreat and help with the annual pilgrimage to Spruce Island. I had always wanted to visit Alaska. Not only was I attracted to the natural beauty I saw in photos but I wanted to walk the land where our first North American Saints, such as Saints Herman and Innocent, traversed. Several friends who had previously done missions trips in Alaska confirmed my desire. Moreover, I was attracted to the opportunity to teach the Orthodox faith to youth of the Kodiak region. Being a student at St. Vladimir’s Seminary I felt compelled to share, in some small way, the knowledge of the faith I had been given. What I did not expect however, was the learning experience that I was to go through.

After a day’s worth of traveling from New York, I finally arrived on Kodiak to the welcome of two of the Alaskan clergy. Although weary from the long trip, I was eager to get to work with fellow OCMC members who had already arrived and an Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) group from the University of Connecticut. My first act, however, was to venerate the relics of St. Herman which

in this manner. St. Herman after all wasn’t glorified only due to the numerous miracles he performed, but because of his tireless efforts in the simple, ordinary labors of love for the Alaskan people.

The day after, while half of our 14 member team remained in Kodiak to teach a youth retreat, seven of us, along with a seminarian from St. Herman’s, undertook the trek to the village of Ouzinkie, located on Spruce Island. Our task seemed simple enough, to run a teen camp for the Kodiak diocese. But I suppose the only way to describe our trip is a word we used often: fluid. We arrived in Ouzinkie hauling food, supplies, and other necessities for the five day camp, enough to cover 35 youth and our team. Knowing of only a few teens having signed

basketball at the gym, the Akathist to St. Herman in the Chapel with the villagers, the preparing of fish soup with the elders, sharing fellowship with everyone on the last night, and concluding the trip in the best way we knew how, celebrating the Divine Liturgy together. We went as a team to teach the faith, but we learned as a team how that faith is lived in the love, warmth, and incredible generosity of this little Alaskan village. I was joking with other members that when we left they gave me the key to the village. It’s simply knowing how to open a door without knocking!

The remainder of the trip was just as remarkable, taking part in the annual pilgrimage to Spruce Island, serving Liturgy both on Spruce Island and in Kodiak on successive days, with a Vigil in between! To say the least, we were all quite tired. But as His Grace Bishop NIKOLAI of Alaska reminded us, a pilgrimage is designed to take effort, but out of that effort one finds their spiritual rewards. To serve an Akathist to St. Herman is a beautiful experience. To serve the Vigil and Liturgy for his feast is just as stunning. But to be a part of these services in the presence of St. Herman himself is simply heavenly. Despite our fatigue from our camp experiences, manual labors around the Cathedral and Seminary, in addition to the many services, we found strength every day in the presence of St. Herman and the people of Alaska.

Our Alaskan experience was more than we could have expected. Plans changed, locations moved, feet and backs wearied. But right before our eyes miracles occurred. Doors opened that once were shut, ten youth turned into almost fifty, smiles came from shyness, cultures embraced, strangers became friends, even Fr. Michael completed knots in his prayer rope! We came to Alaska as visitors, we left as family. Throughout, we felt God’s grace through St. Herman guiding us. We left knowing that all we encountered proved to be a fluid blessing.

Blessingby Daniel Belonick

A Fluid

reside within the Cathedral on Kodiak. As a fellow pilgrim mentioned; “you have to start out right.” Here, in front of me, lay St. Herman’s relics, along with the heavy iron-cross and hat that accompanied him through the Alaskan terrain.

Many times I thought of Saints’ lives and works as distant from my own. But to stand before St. Herman and begin work where he labored was an experience that brought significantly more meaning to our efforts. Knowing about St. Herman’s life, this was a blessing I hadn’t expected, and I think, the only way to start this particular trip.

From this glorious beginning, I spent the rest of the day hitting cement with a pick-axe near the Cathedral to clear for drainage. This was followed by helping to stain the wooden chapel at St. Herman’s Seminary that was wearied by a long winter. Neither of these tasks I envisioned. But it seems more fitting to begin

up in Ouzinkie and bringing along a few from mainland Kodiak, our expectations seemed to be higher than circumstances permitted. Before arriving in Kodiak we had anticipated almost 30 youth, which turned into less than 15 by the time of our arrival in Ouzinkie. I think most of us at that point were feeling anxious, especially with confusion about where the camp was to be held. We eventually settled into the recently built community center which offered us both cooking facilities and room to hold classes and activities, the perfect hub for our camp.

Over the course of the week, what was to be a teen retreat became a village youth event. Our focus was the Creed, having two Christian educations per day, along with art and physical activities. The strongest moments of the camp, however, were not felt in the classroom, but in singing the Troparion to St. Peter the Aleut by the campers, the games of

St. Herman after all wasn’t glorified only due to the numerous

miracles he performed, but because of his tireless efforts in the

simple, ordinary labors of love for the Alaskan people.

UppEr LEfT: Chapel on Spruce Island built over St. Herman’s original burial site. LEfT: Liturgy on Spruce Island ABOVE: Ouzinkie Team at Monk’s Lagoon BE-LOW: Ouzinkie Youth performing native dances

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The ranks of this year’s short-term mission teams were filled with families in unprecedented numbers, heading a single call to serve and spread God’s word to all four corners of the earth. They all congregated far from their own homes in a seemingly coincidental anomaly; all hoping that a voyage of great distance would somehow bring them closer together. As it turned out, these journeys were longer than even the expansive and boundless wasteland that lazily floated by, for they began with a love for one another and they will live on as treasured shared experiences.

Warren Goodwin, of Roseville California, who served with his wife and son, stated, “We were blessed with the opportunity to experience our first OCMC short-term mission as a family. We experienced the wonders of Kenya, the enthusiasm of its people, and the solidarity of their Orthodox faith. We also were witness to the spiritual growth of one another as individuals. The two most significant events for my wife and I were the warmth and the gratitude given to the entire mission team by the parishioners of the community we were there to serve, and the opportunity to see our son expand his mission experiences and continue his spiritual journey.”

There are memories that mark seminal moments in every human life. The images of these moments warm our hearts, remaining clear in our minds, immune to the movements of time. The passing of a

brick from the tattered hands of a daughter to those of her mother as they toiled in a small village on the horn of Africa to build a house of worship was just one such memory. “For my whole life, my mom has watched and supported me as I’ve grown,” recalled Sara Breitsprecher of Minneapolis, Minnesota. “It made me proud to see her step outside of her comfort zone and I was thankful that I could be there to support her in her growth. Our trip signified a change in our relationship. She will always be my mom, but we saw each other as peers for the first time giving us a greater appreciation for one another as people.”

God has always worked profoundly through families. With them He has altered the course of human history forever. He reintroduced mankind

to its Creator in the generations that stretched from Abraham to Jacob. Through Saint Joachim and Anna came Mary, the mother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Constantine and his mother Helen brought faith to an empire. And two brothers, Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory of Nyssa, born in the fourth century to parents who are also canonized

saints, shaped Christianity as we know it. History reveals that works of great consequence

have often come through the family. As such, the seemingly coincidental contribution of so many families to mission work in 2006 is not coincidental at all. From Alaska to Guatemala, in Albania and Romania, and from Kenya to Uganda fourteen families shared the Gospel through their prayers, their words, and their service. As teachers, builders, and medical professionals, God worked through them, bestowing upon them the gift of time with one another and with Him.

Will the efforts of the families that shared in this year’s short-term mission experiences have as profound an impact on the course of humanity as Abraham or Saint Basil the Great? Indeed, they already have. In time their names may be forgotten, but their contribution, as part of God’s plan for salvation, will be eternal.

The common blood that flows through the veins of family creates an unspoken bond that is stronger than steel and more precious than the rarest of gemstones. It is incorruptible and timeless. The Holy Spirit rides on this current like the winds across the rolling dunes of the Sahara, tying one generation to the next , revealing the depths of the Father’s love for us, His prodigal children, offering us salvation, and beckoning us home. •

“ Wo rk s o f G r e a t C o n s e q u e n c e ”

We were blessed with the opportunity to experience our first OCMC short-term mission as a family. We experienced the wonders of Kenya, the enthusiasm of its people, and the solidarity of their Orthodox faith.

At 30,000 feet the red sands of the Sahara looked like an ocean of fire. The desert’s stillness could be felt even from on high, providing the

perfect opportunity to reflect on the great work that we had just completed. Most of the other team members were sleeping soundly, lulled by the roar of the engines and the smooth skies that God had blessed us with. Amongst them could be found parents, children, husbands, wives, brothers and sisters desiring not to serve merely as individuals, but as a family.

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UppEr LEfT : Breaking a sweat for the Gospel. ABOVE: father and son Mission Team members during orientation in St. Augustine rIGHT: A new Church takes shape thanks to the work of Mission Team members. LEfT: The sun sets on another day in Africa, affording the perfect opportunity to reflect on the great work that had just been completed.

MissionTeam FamiliesBy Alex Goodwin

Alex Goodwin, with his parents, Warren and Madeline Goodwin.

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MissionariesI am often asked to describe my typical day here in

Uganda and I never know quite how to answer. Some days are more eventful than others, and

no day is ever completely routine. Today there is no music festival, nor is it a school visitation day. I’m not traveling to a village deep in the bush, nor am I visiting our parishes in Gulu. I’m not even going to downtown Kampala. There are no prize bulls or goats in this story, but a pig will make a brief appearance.

The school term ended yesterday, and we collected report cards from about sixty of our sponsored students. I photocopied the reports for our files while we had power. Because of national load-shedding, we have commercial electricity every other day. Today was an “on” day and I wanted to take advantage of the situation so we could return the original reports to the children after church on Sunday. Then I spent some time preparing solicitation letters for our Children’s Fund.

Sharon has been working six and a half days a week at the hospital, so I offered to do a little shopping for fresh vegetables. On the way to the Kasubi open-air market, I stopped by the house where our “daughter” Panayota was spending the school holiday. Panayota is in sixth grade at a village boarding school. She ended up there last year after she had a discipline problem with an aunt with whom she had been staying. Panayota had been beaten on the head with a soda bottle and subsequently ran away from home. I didn’t want her to remain alone in the village, nor could I send her back to the aunt’s, so I prevailed upon her stepmother to take her in to spend the holiday with her half-siblings Sophia, George, and Paraskevi. I had crayons and coloring books for the kids and a little extra money for mom to buy food.

I’d heard stories about the irresponsible, drug-

By Peter Georges—OCMC Missionary in Uganda

“Dëshiroj një biletë vajije (I’d like a one-way ticket).”

After many months of preparation, the Luisi Family (Constance, Dennis and their five year old son Dominico) have arrived safely in Albania. Below, is a reflection from Constance of the family’s journey as missionaries to Albania:

The morning of September 8th, many of you will be waking up, and longing for

coffee when we arrive in Tirana. We’ll be a bit

addicted, alcoholic father, but there he was when I arrived—calm, industrious, and sober. His latest venture is raising pigs, and he hasn’t yet accumulated enough cash to build a sty. A number of giant hogs were rooting around the yard, and as I tried to navigate my way around their stout, aromatic bodies, one big fellow unexpectedly charged and nuzzled my rear end with his snout, much to the amusement of the children. After greeting the family, I privately gave mom the money for the family’s needs at Kasubi.

The sprawling outdoor market was bustling with activity and the women selling the vegetables brazenly and laughingly called to me, “Muzungu, over

here!” I found what I needed and marveled at how much I could buy for so little money. I accumulated a large bag of fresh tomatoes, green peppers, carrots, and potatoes for the equivalent of two dollars! Then I crossed the road to buy bread and eggs.

Having accomplished my mission, I looked up and saw the church van parked nearby. Aha! A cheap and convenient ride home. While I was waiting, I heard a musical voice greeting me. It was Father Joseph’s wife, Anastasia, with baby Pelagia. She had also seen the van and had the same idea. I took Pelagia from her arms and tried to convince the bread vendor that she was my kid but he wouldn’t buy it. The driver appeared and soon we were all safely back on our little hill.

Last week I told Ssem, a contractor friend, that I wanted to visit JjaJja’s house to see about

adding a “bathroom” to the premises. JjaJja is an old woman who takes care of about a dozen orphaned grandchildren in a small house between the main road and a swamp. Last year we finished her house and earlier this year we added a pit latrine, but the family has no private place to bathe. A bathroom can actually be an outdoor stall where one takes soap and a basin of water, and maybe a towel! That’s how many people wash themselves here.

Ssem arrived and we headed off to JjaJja’s. She and the kids were happy to see us, and after the obligatory greetings we inspected the site and agreed on a proposed location for the addition. As we were about to leave, JjaJja insisted we come in to see baby Simon whom she said was “sick.” I remembered that he had cerebral palsy, but still I was shocked by what I saw. The two-year-old was all head and belly, with tiny, vestigial-looking legs and arms dangling limply from his distended torso. His head lolled open-mouthed and his eyes gazed into nowhere. Eleven-year-old Fiona picked him up and gently held him while I sat down on the bed, feeling stunned and helpless.

I soon came to my senses, though, and called Sharon on my mobile phone. She prompted me with some pointed questions, and, ably assisted by Ssem as a translator we determined that Simon was seriously malnourished. His mother

has been feeding him only milk from a cup. We gave JjaJja instructions on how to prepare maize-flour porridge fortified with milk, eggs, and other nutrients, provided her with a little money to buy these items, and told her to come to our hospital for some nutritional counseling.

We departed, and just to add a bizarre note to our leave-taking, we passed a woman sitting on the side of the road playing with gravel. As we approached, I recognized her as one of JjaJja’s daughters, the mother of two of our kids. She seemed about manic, so I greeted her in Luganda and had a brief but interesting conversation. Then Ssem and I boarded a matatu back to Namungoona.

That evening after Vespers, I found two of our high school students, Sophia and Batte, waiting to give me their school reports. I reviewed their performances, gave a little advice for improvement, and sent them on their way as night was falling. So ends another day in Uganda.

Postscript: Thursday, August 24Today while I was in town, Sophia and her sister Maria, cousins to little Simon, tearfully came to tell Sharon that he had died this morning. Merciful God, may his memory be eternal. His suffering is over; now he is perfect and dwelling in perfect Love.

bleary-eyed, too, having flown from Chicago to Frankfurt, to Vienna, to Tirana in about 19 hours. We’ll have left the comfortable, familiar surroundings of Chicago, and will have arrived in the poorest nation in Europe.

We are joining a vibrant, growing community of Christians in Albania. The building of the new cathedral is well underway. There are plans for new Orthodox schools. There are hopes for a senior home, near the successful soup kitchen. The Children’s Home of Hope is now about full, with 30-35 children. Classes continue at the Seminary, the church camp season is over. It’s inspiring, and a little daunting, to be joining a community that the Holy Spirit has clearly taken in hand.

There are improvements in Albania. There is a new, brightly-lit imported goods ~ grocery store. There are other recently opened stores – a posh, four-floor shopping mall with European luxury stores has been putting up posters around town. Tirana has also been repaving the streets and with the new streets come new street signs,

to the joy of many who have had some trouble finding their way around.

We were on the road almost every weekend for the first 6 months of the year, traveling non-stop for more than a month during Lent. We’ve logged more than 100 hours just driving and have visited 12 states. None of this would have been possible without the encouragement, support and prayers of all of you. We are more grateful than we can possibly say.

During their missionary service, the Luisi’s primary job will be to work with the youth and children’s choirs, first in Tirana and then throughout the country. Dennis’ skills will be put to work on various building and repair projects. There may also be opportunities to put Constance’s language skills to work in teaching English and French.

We ask for your continued prayers for the Constance, Dennis and Domenico. Funds to help support the Luisi Family can be sent to the Orthodox Christian Mission Center, designated for the “Luisi Family” in the memo line, to P.O. Box 4319, St. Augustine, FL 32085-4319. To find out more about the Mission Center’s missionaries, visit www.ocmc.org. or contact us at missionaries@ocmc.org.

My work in the Ugandan Orthodox Church consists mainly in teaching and trying to

strengthen St. Paul Seminary in any way that I can. Generally, I teach Dogmatics, Liturgics, Old Testament and New. There are 16 seminarians from villages all over Uganda, of different tribes and tongues. We’re hoping to initiate some practical programs in 2007, which will make use of their skills as farmers. Like the mustard, which is the smallest of seeds, we will patiently

develop dignity, cooperation, and self-support in and among the parishes. There is a lot of room, and need, for creativity in Africa, and I am tremendously inspired and confident in the abilities of our seminarians.

Teaching is not my only activity. In church, I am struggling to provide translations of all the service books in modern English, some 10,000 pages of text. It’s been a great help for people to pray the entire daily cycle for the first time in a language they can understand. Once the Horologion and Octoechos/Paraklitiki have been distributed to all the parishes, and priests and catechists trained in using them—they can serve as a strong, uniform, accessible, and in fact, almost ideal foundation for catechetics. I’m impressed at how wise the fathers were, who put the Octoechos together and gave it to us as the main fare of each liturgical day.

By no means am I a professional musician, but I’ve sung in Orthodox choirs for 30 years and seem to have a good ear. As I’ve begun providing the English texts, it’s fallen to me to lead some of the chanting, especially of the Daily Cycle on weekdays. These efforts have been for the most part well-received. We’ve all gained a deeper understanding of the services from working with them every day. Serving Vespers and Matins with the seminarians and other faithful every day has been a major part of my ministry. There is vast room for liturgical growth here and it will play a key role in the future evangelization/catechetical programs we will be developing.

I’m trying to encourage some young artists to study icons and learn to write them, since our churches have so few. I’m trying to organize translations and service books in four languages. I’m trying to get a few people started learning computers. We can sure use their help when they do! We need a catechetical program. We need to train teachers and singers and catechists. We need to train priests and deacons. I love it here!

Weebale! (Thank you!)

What Can You Do?We ask for your continued prayers for John Burnett’s ministry with seminarians in Uganda. Funds to help support the him can be sent to the Orthodox Christian Mission Center, designated for “John Burnett” in the memo line, at P.O. Box 4319, St. Augustine, FL 32085-4319. To find out more about the Mission Center’s missionaries, visit www.ocmc.org. or contact us at missionaries@ocmc.org.

Help us to equip some wonderful young men to carry the flame of Christ’s love and truth deep into the vast continent south of the Sahara!

Arriving in Albania The Luisi Family

A Day in the Life

Mustard Seed, Patience and Salvation—The Seminary in Uganda

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By John Burnett—OCMC Missionary in Uganda

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peter Georges, OCMC Missionary in Uganda, watches the children dance.

Students of St. paul’s Seminary listen attentively while John Burnett offers Theological Training.

Children of Uganda smile as their lives are blessed by Missionaries peter & Sharon

The Luisi Family, Constance, Domenico, and Dennis

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21 FebruaryWe set off for North Cameroon by car. It is unbeliev-able how the scenery changes into an endless road in the jungle. On a dirt road, red earth everywhere, we proceed slowly behind large trucks carrying all sorts of merchandise, the earth covers everything. Late at night we arrive at Bertua, exhausted and unrecognizable from the dust. We have already traveled 850 km and still have a long journey ahead of us.

24 FebruaryThe next day, the sun rose very early around 5 a.m. and the people were already busy with their work as the temperature started rapidly rising. After Matins we began our visits to the parishes... people everywhere, hundreds of children, “Nine out of ten women have a baby on their back,” our driver explains. Everywhere we were greeted with demonstrations of joy, respect, and cries of approval were heard whenever the name of Patriarch Theodoros was mentioned. Doukoula, Dacheka, Gouai, Tchatibali, Bougai, Zouai, Giri, Biri, Kongron Baiga, Touilale, Tsigla, ToulouID, Gidigis, unknown villages—almost all of them laid-out in the exact same fashion, in the same desert and as strange as the accent with which they are pronounced. A world dressed in bright colors and strange impromptu songs welcomes us with wide, genuine smiles and with childlikeness so beyond any European maturity. I shake the hands of men, women and children. Hands made rough from hard manual labor. Never before has a hand-shake made me feel so bad. I listen to problems, accounts, speculations, all of which are tainted with a narrative spell, the telling of a story that must begin and end in a particular, perhaps epic, manner. Everywhere, there is hope in the way these people look at me - hope that certain things will change in their lives. They ask for schools and small medical centers, and I ask myself, are we the only organization active in this area? At night we return to our Missionary Centre, exhausted. I try to take notes of everything. There is a need for bare necessities everywhere and we need to develop a plan.

26 FebruaryWe moved what was needed for the consecration of the Parish of the Three Hierarchs in Doukoula and, after a special service, we moved the holy relics. We placed the icons on the iconostasis, and instantly the atmosphere of the church was transformed by the delicate Byzantine paint-strokes and modest colors.

I performed the Consecration for the first time. It was a unique experience not only for me, but also for the people. We had distributed the Consecration pamphlet, and then everyone watched in silence and devoutness. The choir was chanting the psalms in the Tipouri language with a heart-felt passion.

After the Liturgy, a meal was prepared for everyone, in the rooms of the neighboring schools. A

As my Spanish improves, and it still has a long way to go, I’m able to make more conversation

with the kids. Now they see me as more of a “Dad” type figure, and by doing so, I have been taking on more “Dad” work. This continues to be my most important task.

Thanks to a gracious donor, we were able to treat some of the children to concerts by the National Guatemalan Symphony. We took about six of the older kids at a time. Not only were the kids able to hear good music, it gave

celebration for all as the spirit of early Christendom resonated. This is how the early Christian “agape” must have felt with an atmosphere created by the simplicity and openheartedness of the people.

28 FebruaryAt Touloum, I was offered a basket of dried fresh beans and two batches of millet, both being traditional cultivations of the area. In the evenings at the Missionary Centre, we read the evening service in the Parish of the Twelve Apostles, which is packed with children. At the end, we give candy to each of them. Great joy for the children and surprise to us when we see that some of them are actually putting the candy in their mouth along with the wrapping!!!! Soon after, the songs begin.

6 March—Meatfare SundayI performed liturgy in the Parish of the Twelve Apostles. After the Gospel, I stood at the Holy Gate to speak. I had prepared a few thoughts on the Gospel the night before. Never before had I found it so hard to find the right words. I just looked around and saw men with dissolved clothing, children barefoot with what was left of their clothes on them (only to look at them, filled me with shame to be wearing shoes), mothers with children on their backs. God, what am I to say to these people who are the poorest of the poor? What can I say to these people who, for ages now, have only eaten one type of food? What

can I say to these people who tread miles of land to quench their thirst? What can I say to these eternal prisoners of the desert? To these mothers who have brought despair to despair itself? What can I say to these people who will be the judges of the First and the Second world? I thought of prostrating before them, of apologizing for having been born in the First world, and say nothing more. Suddenly, an image of these very people during a previous service came to mind; here during Holy Communion, they placed a little basket in front of the Holy Gate and each person, in turn, would approach it and leave a few coins, “for the poor,” recognizing, in this way, that there were others even poorer than themselves. This image saved me and so, I spoke of the even poorer of the poorest brothers of the Lord. When I finished, I wasn’t quite sure I had I done well in speaking or should

His Grace, Bishop GREGORIOS takes us through his journey of North

Cameroon and Chad last year, showing his gratitude to the people

he serves. Here are some excerpts from his travel log.

A First TravelogueTHROUGH THE WORLD OF N. CAMEROON AND CHAD

I just have prostrated before them?

7 MarchCrossing the borders to the first city, Fianga, we stopped at customs to obtain the required permit.During our wait, which was long as usual, we heard loud cries—a father running with a child in his arms, chased by two women who cried desperately, raising their hands every so often to the sky. They had just returned from the doctor where they had taken the child to be examined and during the examination, the child died of some galloping illness, an indescribable sight taken straight out of an ancient tragedy. Chad is a different world. It took us a several hours to reach the parishes, not only because of the distance, but also due to the bad state of the roads. I always remember the words of my departed father: “The varieties of people compose the beauty of this world.” It is remarkable how within such relatively small distances everything can be so different! Like the bad quality of the water, that looks more like rust than water. Yet the parishes are filled with enthusiasm which is uncannily reflected on the faces of the people. “Tradition commands that a visitor must stay at least one night.” We abide by the local laws.

8 MarchThe return to our Missionary Center is in unbearable heat. I sit down and record the needs, my impressions, words and expenses. In the evening, the children return and begin singing. A sudden silence baffles me and then I hear a hoarse voice of a very young child. “Ema... ema... Emanuel... ema... ema... Emanuel” it said. And the choir repeated “Ema…ema…Emanuel... ema…ema…Emanuel...” I was struck by the passion and strength of this little hoarse voice and approached the children. In the darkness, I could barely make out the little solo singer. He was probably not older than six years old, with nothing on him other than what appeared once to be a pair of shorts. He clapped his hands while singing to maintain the rhythm, “Ema... ema... Emanuel…ema…ema...Emanuel…,” and something else I couldn’t quite get. “What do the words of the song mean?” I asked our translator “Emanuel, Son of God, come, come to us, Emanuel come to us, Emanuel, Son of God, why won’t You come to us?”!!

16 MarchAt the end, it seems that Africa is discovered by each person, uniquely, and that Africa reveals her own self to each person, uniquely. Sometimes in the form of pain or thirst; other times in the form of a big heart that beats to an unknown, but oh so very real beat—a beat that, once listened to with resignation, makes every return to the civilized world painful...

“Never before had I found it so hard to find the

right words…God, what am I to say to these people who are the

poorest of the poor?”OrphanageThe all girl Orphanage of 158 is in Bakesware, a rural area located about 6 miles from Kalighat, Calcutta. The Orphanage currently supports orphans from school levels Kindergarten through College. It is the only orphanage that I know of in India that is willing to educate and support the girls from Kindergarten to completion of a university degree. All the orphan’s needs are completely free of cost to them. The Philanthropic Society has also built a vocational facility, right next to the orphanage, for those orphans who chose an alternative career path to provide training for developing skills in arts and crafts. Our goal is to educate and train the orphans to be contributing members of society in many respects.

School for the BlindWe currently have 5 blind students and their teachers living at our orphanage and utilizing our

vocational building. They are currently involved in a pilot program that is trying to integrate them into the mainstream school system. They will be shifted to the blind school once it is completed. This is done in association with the National Association of the Blind in India.

Church of the Transfiguration Ten kilometers from the Orphanage, in an impoverished area of Kalighat, a light shines—the Orthodox Church of the Transfiguration. Situated in a compound that contains a guest house, offices for the Philanthropic Society and clergy, and a free medical clinic, it provides space for tutoring services for local youths. Vitamin enriched milk and biscuits are distributed to the children in the poor neighborhood everyday. It distributes food to approximately 2000 individuals through a program that targets the poor. Those who are screened and registered are divided into two groups, which alternate on Mondays to receive rice, lentils, a soy product, and a hygiene item. Scattered in rural areas of West Bengal are four medical clinics providing low cost medical and prescription services.

There is also a welfare program that provides comprehensive care to those on an individual basis.

Primary SchoolsIndia has a high number of illiterates in its nation. The Philanthropic Society has built, operates, and funds five primary schools, from Kindergarten to Class IV in rural areas of West Bengal. Free tuition and text books are provided to several hundred students, preparing them with a good foundation for higher education.

Pastoral WorksThere are currently 11 Orthodox churches established in West Bengal, India, and all are served by indigenous priests. It is my blessing to meet with them once a month to receive information concerning their pastoral activities.

them an opportunity to learn to dress up practice their manners. Since we would take about three boys and three girls, one of my jobs was to teach the boys how to behave as proper escorts for the girls. We all agreed the best part about learning manners was the treats in the theatre’s café during intermission!

This semester, we start scheduled classes in the afternoons. The first project was to build a toolbox.

This project provided practice in simple woodworking skills. In accomplishing these tasks the children learned how to read simple plans, use a tape measure, compass, handsaw, block plane, coping saw, screwdriver and screws.

We’ve also began construction of a new greenhouse. So far, we’ve poured concrete footings, laid brick foundations, and begun the framing of the walls. Soon we will receive the remaining lumber to finish the project.

The children are helping me design and construct a storm water disposal system, that will help dispose of runoff from the intense rains that occur throughout the

wet season. I continue to investigate, map and repair the Hogar water system; designing elevated water storage, and upgrading the well pump.

As I see it, one of my responsibilities is to be a representative here; I am your presence with the nuns and children as I continue to do “Dad” work.

Funds to help support Ed Pier can be sent to the Orthodox Christian Mission Center designated for “Pier” in the memo line at PO Box 4319, St. Augustine, FL, 32085. Thank you for your prayers, love, and support!

After experiencing a Mission Team in 2005, Ed Pier decided to leave his home in Seattle and serve the OCMC at the Hogar rafael Orphanage in Guatemala. Based on his training and experience, Ed performs whatever work is needed, and offers assistance in the management of the orphanage facilities. One significant contribution Ed has made is to simply “offer his presence” among the children—to be a good example of a safe, appropriately loving and observant Orthodox man to the children. Below he reports on his efforts.

By Edwin Pier—OCMC Missionary

Assisting Ed to design and construct a storm wa-ter disposal system, this boy helps measures the percolation rate of the soil.

ABOVE: Ed Pier poses with the young girls of the Hogar Ayau Orphanage as they attend the National Guate-malan Symphony. LEFT: Ed with one of the Nuns.

Your Continued Prayers neededINDIAUnder His Eminence Metropolitan NIKITAS of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, the Orthodox Church ministers in India, through “The Philanthropic Society of the Orthodox Church.” Below are some of the major activities it performs.

By Tim Arestou

“With the blessings of His Emminence Metropolitan Nikitas, and my spiritual father Fr. Costas Constantino, also with the help of my parish at St. Gregory of Nyssa, and many churches, relatives and friends, I, as an OCMC missionary, am able to do a small part in something great.”

Parishioners sometimes walk miles to attend liturgy

“DAD” Work at the Hogar Ayau Orphanage

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have widened their understanding of the teachings of their Church. We wish we could continue having a mission team every year.

2007 MARKS THE 25 YEARS CELEBRATING ORTHODOxY IN GHANA

The orthodox Church of Ghana is preparing for a year celebration

of orthodoxy in the Diocese. 2007 will mark 25 years since the Church in Ghana was received into canonical orthodoxy by the Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa. it will also mark 10 years since the Diocese of Ghana was established. The whole year has been set aside to commemorate this important landmark in the history of the Church with various activities.

As the preparations for the celebra-tion are underway, it is appropriate to mention the two Churches in Ghana that the oCMC has had a role in construct-ing. in Brakwa, the community of st. George, and in Peki, the community of st. Paul, have been completed through the generous efforts of mission-minded people from the United states. Another community that will benefit by having a permanent building in which to worship in is Eshiem, which broke ground early this year on the Presentation of our Lord orthodox Church. His Grace Damaskinos, Bishop of Ghana, shares the exciting news of a mass baptism from that com-munity where 21 people were received into the Church.

The Bishop of Ghana inaugurated a two classroom Day nursery school in the Eastern Region of Ghana in the village of Domeabra which serves as a train-ing center for future leaders. in Asane, a suburb of oda, 40 people embraced the orthodox Church where they are wor-shipping under a wooden structure.

Another building is now under con-struction on the premises of the Holy Transfiguration orthodox Cathedral in Accra which was built by oCMC. it will house a seminary to train indigenous clergy. This has been identified as an urgent need by the Diocese which cur-rently lacks the required number of adequately trained clergy. This school building is due to be completed by the end of May 2007 with other prepara-tions underway, hopefully starting the

The Diocese of Bukoba is thankful for mission teams sent by oCMC that

help, in an integral way, new orthodox believers experience the day-to-day life in Christ. Taking on Christ substantially changes a person. it transfigures the in-ner person, helps to transcend the giv-en, and enables one to be filled with joy and happiness. A life in Christ is a life of belonging to each other with relations based on love and readiness to share. it is here that there is a taste of the king-dom of God which is “peace and joy in

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the Holy spirit” (Rom.14:17). Truly, mission teams, in particular

short-term teams, help the new ortho-dox Christians live in reality what they believe. in orthodoxy, all nations have space, all languages can glorify the liv-ing God, all colors can gather together and, in unity, worship God. Together they can say: “our Father Who art in heaven.” st. Paul would tell us: “if we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit” (Gal 5:25). The oCMC Mission Teams which have come to our Diocese

have expressed the love that orthodox in the United states have for us. And out of that love they are willing and ready to share with us our common faith. We feel we are true brothers and sisters in Christ. The orthodox faith has power -- the power to transcend that which is given and unite people in Christ.

in our Diocese, different teams have come over the years and accomplished different missions. Together we have built the Kasikizi Catechetical school. This is an important symbol for our Dio-cese. it is here that the future catechists and priests are trained. Together we have built the All saints Church in Kasikizi. it is a place for all nations, from all corners of the world, to worship the living God. What matters is our common faith—our orthodox faith. We have had teaching teams come for three consecutive years. The newly catechized have deepened faith and learned more about their or-thodoxy. And if we planted, the teams have watered, and we beseech God to help them grow. During the teams’ stay with us, we have worshipped together, communed from one common cup the Body and Blood of Christ, and shared our cultural values. indeed there has been a give and a take.

When these teams leave, first we are filled with tears. separation is pain-ful. soon we realize that these tears ce-ment our spiritual relations. We develop a feeling that we have orthodox broth-ers and sisters far away who love and pray for us and we must do the same for them. our understanding of what the Church of Christ is essentially changes. The mission teams come to us because we belong to the same Church - the one Church of Christ, which is for all nations all over the world. What is accomplished contributes to the growth of our mission Diocese of Bukoba. Things are not the same as before. A new Catechistical school is in place, a new church has been constructed, and the neophytes

academic year in september.His Grace extends his gratitude to all

the donors of the oCMC who have as-sisted in making the ministry in Ghana possible.

ALIVE IN CHRIST —SINGARAjA, BALI

In singaraja, Bali, the community of All saints orthodox Church celebrated

the completion of their church building last year. This in itself was a wonder-ful event to celebrate, but having the church completed had another positive result. This year, seventeen new people

have been baptized and chrismated and seven more are attending catechism. This is a significant increase from last year’s growth of only six new members. Having a building in which to worship has been instrumental in bringing more people to the faith.

An ongoing ministry of the Church in singaraja is the st. Thomas Home where orphaned children, young adults and the poor are cared for. Every day, morning and evening prayers, as well as Bible studies, are offered to the 20 students. Four of the students are currently study-ing English at the University, and six are

LIVING WITH “PEACE AND jOY IN THE HOLY SPIRIT” IN BUKOBA, TANzANIA BY HIS GRACE jERONYMOS, BISHOP OF BUKOBA.

Fr. Stephanos at the St. Thomas Home in Singraja helps the children with their studies.

His Grace, Bishop jERONYMOS, spending time with younger members of the church.

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Dear Friends of the Mission Center,Missions trips? Why yes, actually. I’ve recently returned from a short term mission trip to Al-bania with OCMC. In fact, at my home par-ish, St. Barnabas, I was one of 11 college stu-dents (all from our parish) to go on short-term trips with OCMC this summer. We went to Kenya, Tanzania, Alaska, Albania, and Roma-nia. It was such an incredible experience, and I hope and pray to go back whenever I can. While we were there, each of us had a unique and inspiring experience. We met most of the long term missionaries, and were so touched by the sacrifices that they make and the devo-tion that they had towards Christ and spread-ing the love of His Church. And now that all eleven of us are home safely, we are working to form a missions committee at our parish, and also to spread the word about Orthodox Mis-sions by visiting sister parishes here in South-ern California to speak about our experiences.

Mary BraunSt ..Barnabas.Orthodox.ChurchHuntington.Beach,.CA

Dear OCMC,On behalf of the congregation of Saint Her-man Orthodox Church in Port Graham Alaska, I would like to say “Thank You!” for sending a Mission Team to our village. It was the first time we’ve had a mission group here and it was a real eye opener for many. Our church attendance has declined greatly over the years and these wonderful people came to help us rebuild interest in coming to services. There have been many comments on how kind and friendly this group was, which is exactly what our people need—to know that there are Orthodox all over the United States and the world is very exciting! We were delighted with this group of people. Everyone of them

LETTERS to the EditorMISSIONNEWS continuedThe two weeks that the team spent

in Uganda, traveling over rough terrain and setting up temporary clinics, were not only about diagnosing, prescribing or dispensing drugs to the needy and sick Africans in the upcountry commu-nities. it was nothing else but an exten-sion of the healing ministry of our Lord, Jesus Christ. our Lord’s therapy was not only physical, but spiritual as well. it was a joy to see the doctors and their assistants so involved emotionally with their patients. The doctors went over-board by giving out icons, crosses, as-sistance, and above all LoVE. That was the Christian witness that other worldly doctors miss. This oCMC Medical Mis-sion Team was not intended for the sole purpose of proselytism, but love has a magnetic catch, or reaction. The spirit of the Lord was blowing wherever it willed. The doctors and i had to send away many hundreds of patients unat-tended because of our time constraints. Yet after the team left we did not hear ill words because people had not re-ceived the medical care for which they had come. instead, people were asking when the good doctors would come back. People, even in Africa, can per-ceive that there is a limit to human inter-vention or effort. What was not finished by the medical team, the Holy spirit will fulfill. After the team left, many people who were not orthodox asked for more information on the orthodox Faith; oth-ers have already started catechism and, God willing, many will come to the com-mon table of our Lord through baptism.

Another blessing that the Medical Team brought to Uganda was a clergy seminar on death and dying led by Dr. Dan Hinshaw. All of the clergy from the entire country were invited to this event.

on behalf of His Eminence Metro-politan JonAH, the patients served and unserved, the priests serving in Ugan-da and on my own behalf as the local team leader, we would like to express our heart-felt deep appreciation to the American medical team of 2006, the members of oCMC in Florida and the board members and donors who made this healing ministry to Uganda a suc-cess. May the name of the Holy Trinity be glorified among His saints.

Giving the Light of Orthodoxy to All in zimbabwe

His Eminence GEoRGE, Metropoli-tan of Zimbabwe, shares the many

ways that the Light of orthodoxy is spreading in Zimbabwe and Malawi. one of the most exciting of these are the massive baptisms which occur three times a year after candidates have undergone a six-month period of cat-echism with lessons twice each week. on the eve of Pentecost this year, 300 newly illumined were brought into the fold of the Church. Two Zimbabwean men began studies at the Patriarchal seminary in nairobi, a three-year pro-gram of course studies for the priest-hood. nektarios Justin, graduated in July 2006 and is now offering catechism in Malawi.

enrolled in tourism school. Food and clothing are distributed to old people, widows and widowers. The community has also had the blessing of marrying two couples from abroad, one from the United states and one from Timor, East indonesia.

had something special to offer along with their unique personalities. As for me, they touched my heart and strengthened my faith in the Or-thodox Church.

We gladly welcome another mission group in the near future!

Thank you all,Deborah McMullenPort.Graham,.AK

Dear OCMC,It is my privilege and honor to give you this donation on behalf of the Sunday school stu-dents of Holy Trinity. Our students look for-ward each year to take their coin boxes home and come up with creative ways to raise money for the Orthodox Christian Mission Center. Whether they set up lemonade stands or have a dollar for dollar match up with their parents, it is fruitful way for them to make a difference to others in need.

Sincerely,juli M. PritsosSunday.School.DirectorHoly.Trinity.Greek.Orthodox.CathedralPhoenix,.AZ

OCMC Healing Ministry— Uganda 2006A Word from the “Pearl of Africa” by Rev. Dr. Nicholas Bayego, Uganda

we waited with great anxiety for the arrival of the Health Care Team.

The two weeks that they were here was like a marathon journey around the vari-ous parishes of the orthodox Church in Uganda. Every day the team journeyed two to five hours, which was enough to drive one crazy. The program was certainly a taste for the American mis-sionaries of what missions is like in the heartland of Africa. Headaches, fatigue and mixed joy was the order of the day after the typical African bumpy road ride. Many of the team members may have considered the next plane back to the states, but they resisted that temptation so that the healing ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ could be accomplished. They stayed rekindled by the beautiful words of two beloved hierarchs in Africa who say that the three important virtues a missionary should apply are: first pa-tience, second patience, and third pa-tience.

During the ten one-day clinics throughout Uganda, Dr. Sanda Constantidi, along with an interpreter, offers medical treatment to young patients from the area.

Team Members from St. Barnabas Orthodox Church, Huntington Beach, CA (Left to right) Peter Wilson, Hannah Ray, Christine Gilbert, Sophia Olson, Joshua Haught, Claire Kruse, Fr. Wayne Wilson (Parish Priest), Monika Lehman, Tim Fogle, Meghan Ray, Fr. Martin Ritsi, OCMC Executive Director, Andrew Honore, Shannon Berry, Mary Braun

Children smiling as they greet his Eminence gEoRgE, metropolitan of Zimbabwe

Coin boxes give kids a chance to support missions . Go therefore and make

disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19)

Taking the Gospel of Christ to the ends of the Earth

1-877-go-FoRth (463-6784)www.ocmc.org

You can help us to spread the

Gospel of Jesus Christ around

the world.Please mail your generous

contribution today!

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For More Information about OCMC: missions@ocmc.orgwww.ocmc.org 1-(�77)-Go-Forth (���-�7��)