wfn.org | Students Immersed in Culture

[umethnews-request@ecunet.org]

"UNITED METHODIST DAILY NEWS" by SUSAN PEEK on Aug. 11, 1991 at 13:58 Eastern,
about FULL TEXT RELEASES FROM UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE (3033 notes).

Note 3032 by UMNS on June 25, 1996 at 16:14 Eastern (6046 characters).

SEARCH: Africa University, United Methodists, students, mission

  UMNS stories may be accessed on the Internet World Wide Web at:
                   http://www.umc.org/umns.html
Produced by United Methodist News Service, official news agency of
the United Methodist Church, with offices in Nashville, Tenn., New
York, and Washington.

CONTACT: Linda Green                           318(10-31-71){3032}
         Nashville, Tenn. (615) 742-5470             June 25, 1996

United Methodists attending Washington colleges 
participate in hands-on mission at Africa University

                          A UMNS feature
                         by Andra Stevens

     The trip was billed as an opportunity to encounter God in a
different place.
     For that reason, 14 students from Howard University and the
University of Maryland, both in the Washington area, along with
the college chaplains, traveled to Africa University for a hands-
on mission project, May 24-June 6.
      Dubbed as a "Touch of Africa," the two-week trip was
designed to increase the students' understanding of the nature of
the United Methodist Church. 
     With sponsorship from their United Methodist Wesley
Foundations, the students were also the beneficiaries of a
cultural immersion tour of Bulawayo, Harare and Victoria Falls. 
     The students, who raised funds for the experience through
their congregations, families and friends, went with varying
expectations and interests, to share and to serve.
     I'm United Methodist but I never knew about the church
building a university in Africa and creating something like this,"
said Sarah Knox of Bortonville, Md. When she learned of the trip
from her campus chaplain, the Rev. Kim Capps, Knox was intrigued
by the idea that her congregation, Liberty Grove United Methodist
Church, had connections to a project that was so distant from her
community.
     Kamila Alexander of Dallas learned about the ties between the
North Texas Conference and Africa University when she talked to
her parents about making the trip. "What sparked my interest was
the fact that I could give something back not only in the United
States but in Africa as well," she said.
     Others, like divinity student Vanessa Williford of Compton,
Calif, had been interested in Africa University for years. "I've
been designating my contributions to Africa University and
tracking the project since before the opening," Williford said. "I
wanted to come and see for myself what had been accomplished."
     The students found a vibrant, diverse and multilingual
community. Nationals from 18 African countries are studying at
Africa University and faculty and staff have been drawn from
Africa, Europe and North America.
     The visitors quickly found themselves integrated into campus
life. They lived in the dormitories, shared meals in the dining
hall and often were involved in discussions with their Africa
University counterparts. 
     They worshipped with the university community in chapel. Each
day, the visitors went off to work at the orphanage or hospital at
Old Mutare Mission Centre across the road from the university
campus. Some worked on the foundation of a staff house being
constructed on the campus. Built into the schedule were excursions
to prominent historical and tourist attractions. 
     At the end of the two-week visit, the students spoke of being
touched and changed by the experience of mission in Zimbabwe.
     Alex Pickens III, a student at Howard University, was the
only non-United Methodist in the group. His home church is New
Prospect Missionary Baptist, Detroit, Mich. Having an interest in
Africa, he participated in the trip after talking with Howard
University's chaplain, the Rev. Lillian Smith.
     As he played with the orphans and changed diapers at the
orphanage, Pickens said he was struck by both the diversity and
the "sameness of life" around him. "Lines are drawn between people
and borders put in place, but what hit me as I compared the goings
on in Africa and those in the United States, was that existence is
the same everywhere," he said. "People are involved in everyday
struggles about healthcare, work and keeping the family going no
matter where they are."
     Being outside their normal routines brought insight for
others as well.
     "Seeing it makes it more real," said Katie Grover of Lusby,
Md. "I've been through something real that I can go back and
share. People will listen to me more because they know me and have
grown with me," she added.
     "It's kind of selfish too, but not in a bad way," said Kasha
Richardson, a Howard University student and native of Washington.
She said, "a lot of Americans, people I know, write checks to
charity all the time but it's like another bill to pay. It's
really impersonal ... When I see what the money is doing , my
commitment becomes more personal and sending means more to me."
     Emminette Sawyer, a member of Locust United Methodist Church,
Columbia, Md., said its one thing to talk about a global church,
but its another actually to share in the day-to-day lives of
United Methodists in another culture -- even for a short time. 
     Larken Evliss of Burlington, N.C., described working
alongside the caregivers in the orphanage at the Old Mutare
Mission as humbling. "We couldn't live like this, accepting that
it's all in God's hands," she said. "I saw how they care for and
love the children. I saw a real wonderful face that I had not ever
seen before ... Watching the folks here, I learned I had to make
the children feel good and it didn't matter how I felt."
     By the end of the trip, most of the students had committed
themselves to sharing the experience with the people at home. They
left Africa University with a sense of what it means to involve
oneself in something new. The experience stirred in some the need
to act and the desire to continue to participate.
                              #  #  #
     * Stevens is director of information at Africa University.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

 To make suggestions or give your comments, send a note to 
 umns@ecunet.org or Susan_Peek@ecunet.org

 To unsubscribe, send the single word "unsubscribe" (no quotes)
 in a mail message to umethnews-request@ecunet.org

-----------------------------------------------------------------------