wfn.org | United Methodist volunteers find challenges around world

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

Aug. 20, 2001 News media contact: Linda Bloom7(212) 870-38037New York
10-21-71BP{355}

NOTE:  Photos are available with this story.

NEW YORK (UMNS) - Terrell Starr knows how hard it is to impact another
person's life in just two months.

As a Global Justice Volunteer with the United Methodist Board of Global
Ministries, the 21-year-old student from Detroit recently spent that time
interacting with children and youth at an orphanage in northern Russia.
Removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect, the children are at
risk for involvement in criminal activity or prostitution. About 10 percent
commit suicide, Starr said.

Although American youth may share some similar problems, the environment and
lack of resources in Russia make everything much more difficult. In fact,
Starr added that he's still having trouble comprehending all those
obstacles. "I think it's a lifelong lesson," he said about his experience
there.

The most recent class of Global Justice Volunteers met in New York the week
of Aug. 13 to share and discuss experiences. The program exposes young
adults to the challenges facing people around the world through a short-term
placement in social justice work.

Some of the volunteers had been involved in mission work before. Starr, a
student at Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Ark., was part of a Board
of Global Ministries' mission trip to Senegal and spent another week in
mission in Haiti.

In Russia, he and two other volunteers worked with an organization called
Miramed, which provides clothing, medical care and various classes for
children at the orphanage. One of the cultural adjustments for Starr was
"being a black person in a town where no one had ever seen one before."

For Sohee Yoo, a 19-year-old Cornell University student, the challenge was
relating to domestic workers from the Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka
who work in households in Hong Kong. She and two other volunteers worked at
Bethune House, a shelter for domestic workers who have suffered abuse from
employers or are waiting to resolve immigration issues.

"When I first got there, I wasn't comfortable talking to them," she said.
"They weren't comfortable talking to me, either."

Yoo moved to Pennsylvania from Korea when she was in high school. Meeting
young women who have suffered abuse while doing domestic work to provide
financial help to their families has made her realize the value of her own
opportunities.

She also learned the value of offering simple friendship to the women at the
shelter, "just to sit with them and talk with them and make them feel at
home."

Interacting with others in the community was the highlight of Michael Laux's
experience with Habitat for Humanity in Costa Rica. The 19-year-old
University of Wisconsin student had worked previously with the Appalachian
Service Project and had joined a group from his dormitory at a Habitat site
in Alabama during the past year's spring break.

During his time in Esparza, in the central Pacific region of Costa Rica, he
worked on construction at least three days a week and also made
presentations to classes at the local high school about volunteering for
Habitat.

"People deserve to have a good house," said Laux, of Milwaukee. "It was
great to get out and meet the homeowners and work side by side with the
homeowners every day."

He particularly enjoyed a house renovation project that involved not only a
few volunteers but also young people from the neighborhood. Although the
work wasn't finished when he left, "it was amazing what we got done in one
week."

The application deadline for the next class of Global Justice Volunteers,
which begins Jan. 15, is Oct. 15. More information and an application form
can be found at http://gbgm-umc.org/vim, the Board of Global Ministries' Web
site.

Information also is available by calling the Rev. Bud Heckman at (212)
870-3825.  

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United Methodist News Service
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