wfn.org | CWS seeking medical team volunteers

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

Dec.  4, 1998	Contact: Linda Bloom·(212) 870-3803·New York     {714}

NEW YORK (UMNS) -- Volunteers, particularly doctors, are needed for the
Church World Service (CWS) medical teams assisting Hurricane Mitch
survivors in Honduras.

The relief agency of the National Council of Churches already has
dispatched three separate teams and a fourth will arrive in Central
America on Dec. 6, according to the Rev. Lonnie Turnipseed. A United
Methodist pastor and retired CWS executive, Turnipseed currently is
coordinating the teams in cooperation with the Christian Commission for
Development (CCD) in Honduras.

One of the team members now in Honduras is Terri Stalder, 51, a
registered nurse and physical therapist being supported by First United
Methodist Church in Oak Harbor, Wash.

The Rev. David Lura, pastor of the 500-member congregation on Whidbey
Island in Puget Sound, said Stalder learned of the need through an ad in
the Seattle Times. Although she was new to the town of 20,000, CWS
encouraged her to contact churches there for financial support.

She called First United Methodist on a Friday, Lura said, met with him
and another member the next day, and came to worship that Sunday, where
she impressed the congregation which "gave $2,300 to send her to
Honduras." Another nurse in the congregation "talked to every doctor in
town" and filled a suitcase full of medicines for Stalder to take along.

"Folks here were very generous," Lura added. "It just kind of happened
real quickly."

And, just before she left for Honduras, Lura married Stalder and her
fiancé in a ceremony at the end of a Sunday worship service.

Turnipseed is encouraging other local churches to sponsor medical team
volunteers. Otherwise, they pay their own costs, which are $247 for two
weeks of room, board and insurance, plus air fare, which has been
averaging $600-$900.

Applicants also must have:

* At least two years of post-graduate professional work.
* The ability to work  with local partners and feel comfortable about
working for CWS.
*  The time for a normal two-week service period, with CWS making
efforts to accommodate desired departure dates.
* The ability to cope with stress.

Spanish language skills also allow greater opportunities for placement.
"Our teams are going to the rural areas, which means it's rather spartan
living," Turnipseed added.

Doctors who can deal with general medical problems and primary health
care are especially needed.

As of early December, CWS had openings for teams departing on Dec. 13
and 20, as well as departures on Jan. 3, 10, 17 and 24. "We anticipate
that the medical emphasis will begin to phase down in mid-February," he
said.

Applicants should call the CWS Latin America Office at (212) 870-3288.
The fax number is (212) 870-3220.

United Methodist News Service
(615)742-5470
Releases and photos also available at
http://www.umc.org/umns/