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FUM News

Sacred Moments by Sylvia Graves, FUM General Secretary
FUM Summer Mission Project Provides Clean Water for the People in Kenya
2010 Yearly Meeting Dates - East Africa
Spiritual Journey at Friends Theological College
The One Who Began a Good Work in You...
A Variety of Activities at Friends Theological College
We are the Body of Christ in Belize
My Visit to Belize
Preparing for a New School Year
Leadership at Friends Theological College
The "Fun" in Missions Fundraising

Sacred Moments
By Sylvia Graves, General Secretary

My spiritual journey started on a farm in central Indiana where we had dairy cows and calves, springtime planting and fall harvests, gardening and canning, chores to do and lots of school and church activities. In our family of eight in a house with only one bathroom, we learned to be thoughtful of each other’s needs. When we sat down to supper together, we always took time to count our blessings and thank God for them. In terms of finances, I guess we were relatively poor, but because of the richness of our parental upbringing, our relationships with our immediate and extended family and the valuable experiences provided by our little Quaker meeting at West Newton, we were wealthy beyond measure.

One person who contributed to those valuable experiences at West Newton Friends was Betty Fields. She passed away earlier this year, just two months short of her 100th birthday. Our music director for over 50 years, Betty had the art of persuasion and convinced many, many people to nurture their music talent (even those people who thought they had none) by participating in Easter and Christmas programs and/or singing in our church choir. She also led the children in 15 minutes of singing at the beginning of the Sunday School hour. One song Betty taught us related to our favorite Saturday morning TV cowboy shows; I felt led to sing it during her memorial service. It went something like this:

I’m just a little fellow, but I always want to be
A cowboy ridin’ close to the Man of Galilee.
I want to do some ropin’ of some friends I know so well
And keep them all for Jesus in the Holy Ghost corral.
I’ll be a cowboy, a Christian cowboy …

As I grew in years and in spirit, I learned about many Bible stories and memorized much Scripture, as well as pieces from Quaker writers through our meeting’s music. Playing the role of Mary Magdalene at the moment of recognizing the risen Jesus outside the tomb has been unforgettable. I am pleased to say that Betty Fields led parts of my spiritual journey and left me in places where I often could be found with “God alone” singing the songs I had learned because of her.

These words our choir sang from the poem, “The Meeting,” by John Greenleaf Whittier frequently arise as I come to worship with Friends on First Day morning:

And so, I find it well to come
For deeper rest to this still room,
For here the habit of the soul
Feels less the outer world’s control;
The strength of mutual purpose pleads
More earnestly our common needs;
And from the silence multiplied
By these still forms on either side,
The world that time and sense have known
Falls off and leaves us God alone.

I thank God for the many people who have been my travel companions on my walk with God, especially Betty Fields.

FUM Summer Mission Project Provides Clean Water for the People in Kenya

You are invited to participate in this year’s Summer Mission Project: Water of Life.

Earlier this year, a six-year-old from North Carolina asked his relatives to donate to this year’s Summer Mission Project to provide clean water for the people of Kenya rather than give him gifts. The result: nearly $2,000 in birthday donations raised for Water of Life! That is one-fifth of our $10,000 goal!

John Lomuria, a young adult Friend from Turkana, visited the FUM staff in Richmond, Indiana, in April. He spoke of the need for bio-sand water filters in the Turkana desert area. Even though there was flooding and too much rain in Turkana the first half of this year, there was still a great need to be able to filter the water to make it drinkable. Rain is typically uncommon in the desert region of Turkana, however, so there is also need for shallow wells to collect rain water and deeper boreholes to bring water from below the surface. This water, too, needs to be passed through a bio-sand water filter in order to be drinkable.

Friends United Meeting is working with contractors to bring clean water to villages in Kenya. From bio-sand water filters that purify the dirty water, to boreholes that bring the clean, fresh water up from beneath the earth’s surface, we want to bring clean water to the people of Kenya.

This year’s Summer Mission Project goal is to raise $10,000 to give the water of life to people in Kenya. It costs roughly $60 for a bio-sand water filter and about $2,500 for a borehole in western Kenya.

Water is life. Will you give life to the people of Kenya?

2010 Yearly Meeting Dates — East Africa

• Bware Yearly Meeting, 18-22 August, Nyamakorobo
• Central Yearly Meeting, 11-15 August, Murhanda
• Chavakali Yearly Meeting, 18-22 August, Keveye
• Chwele Yearly Meeting, 11-15 August, Chwele
• East Africa Yearly Meeting North, 18-22 August, Cherang’ani
• East Africa Yearly Meeting (Kaimosi), 11-15 August, Kavundingu
• Elgon East Yearly Meeting, 11-15 August, Kabuyefwe
• Elgon Religious Society of Friends (Lugulu), 18-22 August, Mukuyuni
• Kakamega Yearly Meeting, 18-22 August, Sirigoi
• Lugari Yearly Meeting, 18-22 August, Mugunga
• Malava Yearly Meeting, 11-15 August, Shivanga
• Nairobi Yearly Meeting, 25-29 August, Nakuru
• Tuloi Yearly Meeting, 11-15 August, Kamoroni
• Uganda Yearly Meeting, 25-29 August, Sibuse Quarterly Meeting
• Vihiga Yearly Meeting, 11-15 August, Muhanda
• Vokoli Yearly Meeting 18-22 August, Budaywa

Spiritual Journey at Friends Theological College
By Absalom Lumbasi, FTC Student

Friends Theological College (FTC) has continued to inspire me since I joined in August 2008. During that time we used to have different programs which enabled us to grow spiritually. One of the programs that was very touching was the small groups for discussion, on every Wednesday afternoon. These groups helped me to understand some challenges we face as Christians in the changing world. These groups made us learn to reason and challenge one another. Topics were to be presented by the tutor on duty in the morning service then instructions were given on what was to be discussed in the afternoon hours.

Apart from these challenges I also experienced one which motivated me as a servant of God. In the year 2008-09 I was able to serve at Kaimosi School for the special, which is just next to FTC, and that has children who are physically challenged. On Sundays we could go there and have a worship service. These dear ones made me to be encouraged to serve them because they are also God’s creation. At first, I was discouraged at the way these children behaved, but, at long last, I thank God because I was lifted spiritually when we could meet them and sing joyful songs unto the Lord.

I learned to show love to people in society with love. As students in the second year of the diploma program, we have continued to grow stronger even in academics as we see our results improving every semester. We are hoping that, as we finish our third year, our results will be better than ever. We would thank our principal for her efforts of improving the college by revising more courses to equip pastors and leaders who will serve the society and even in the government opposition.

I cannot forget also my family who has stood with me in all the situations I am passing through. Especially my wife, Eather, who always encourages me to keep up, and my children, Litreen, 19; Naomi, 17; Eliphas, 14; Victor,12; and Caren, 9, who always tell me when I am expected to come back home and tell them how I am fairing on. I feel encouraged by them, since I realize that they also need spiritual growth.

The One Who Began a Good Work in You...
By Edward Chakava, FTC Student

First and foremost I want to thank God for calling me in his ministry to serve him. It is not easy to get young men like me in church ministry. In my case, I experienced an inward force compelling me towards church ministry. Since the time I accepted to serve in God’s ministry, I have had various challenges. Despite these, they have really strengthened me in God’s ministry.

In 2007, I decided to join Friends Theological College-Kaimosi where I took my studies in theology. The Scriptures say in Philippians 1:6, “I am confident of this that the one who began a good work in you will bring it to a completion by the day of Jesus Christ.” Here at Friends Theological College-Kaimosi, we have good education empowering us to proclaim the gospel boldly. Kaimosi is a Christ-centered institution for spiritual nourishment. We have not yet attained the goal but we are still on the way struggling. A spiritual journey is a difficult journey which requires total submission before God. May the almighty father inspire and bless you as you serve him in the ministry. Amen.

A Variety of Activities at Friends Theological College
By Andronicus Ambani, FTC Student

To the world Quaker community and other peoples,

Greetings to you all. Two years counts my time at Friends Theological College-Kaimosi pursuing a diploma in theology.

Having landed in this new institution with beautiful architectural structures, flower beds, highly experienced teachers and great worship services, I have noted a great spiritual growth and knowledge in me. For example, before joining this college, rarely could I read Christian journals, but now it has become my favorite thing to do, especially those from Quaker Life, which carries feelings and insights of Quakers worldwide and even the activities they are engaged in.

Education wise, learning in this college is quite attractive. With a moderately equipped library, our new principal Ann Riggs introduced computer services of which I received as a great miracle in the village. For a long time, access to computers had been a great dream. With the privation of three computers for more than 40 students, I was motivated to enroll for computer classes elsewhere to get computer knowledge and be able to use the computers at school for any research work and other activities. I have become one of the computer teachers for Diploma 1 and 2 in this school. Friends, we are looking forward to expanding the computer lab if we get financial support to do so. We were behind in computer knowledge, but now, even for the three computers available for 40 students, we are pressing on.

Besides the above, I have had a good moment also in the Alternatives to Violence Program (AVP) which was conducted in this institution. I have been able to be among the facilitators. My AVP class was comprised of candidates of mixed ages and educational levels with the majority being my fellow theologians at Friends Theological College-Kaimosi.

Generally, I am involved in a variety of activities which greatly empowers me academically and spiritually. I greatly wish to invite friends worldwide to make an effort to visit us at this college and get to experience this nice, nourishing environment.

We are the Body of Christ in Belize
By Becky Barber, Co-Director of Belize Friends Boys School

My life journey has been an accumulation of deep emotional and physical valleys. Because of that I am truly blessed to be able to empathize with people in pain. While I tend to want to fix things, I recognize that it is not always my place or purpose to be the “fixer”. I have been intentional this year about trying to make good contact with the students each day and asking many of them about their previous evening. Quite honestly, I do fall short some days, but they know that I am available to them.

One student in particular seemed more open to me than the other students and at an earlier point in the school year. So when I ask Denielle how his evening was he will often tell me, “bad” and I know he has more to share. So, I ask for more. Just before Easter break his “bad” was that his grandfather had a stroke and was not doing well. This was particularly hard for Denielle because his grandfather has been a steady influence for him and lived with his family. It was also difficult because earlier this year his father, an erratic influence at best, had left his mom. So when he came to school that morning we talked for a while and I prayed with him as he cried.

The week after Easter break I would ask Denielle how his grandpa was and he would tell me that there wasn’t much change. Then one morning before I even asked he told me his grandpa had died. That is when Denielle’s journey intersected with my spiritual journey. The Lord reminded me in a new and deeper way of the passage, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, which speaks of the Body of Christ. I know we probably all have days where we feel like the toe, the heel or some other “insignificant” body part. But that day as I held Denielle I knew I was God’s arms. It was indeed a very beautiful and humbling experience for me.

God also showed me something new in that moment. Just as I was God’s arms, you, Friends, were the muscle. Through your prayers, financial support and encouragement you were there, too. I’m not saying that because it sounds good, but because I felt it and experienced it that day. In a land where there is no other Friends presence, I felt the agreement of Friends. Isn’t the Body good?

My Visit to Belize
By Frank Monroe, FUM Shipping/Receiving Clerk

On January 28 of this year, my wife, Mae, and I, along with our friends, John and Susan Roell, had the opportunity to visit the Barber family in Belize. Sylvia Graves assisted me in making the initial contact to allow us the privilege of being graciously hosted by Sam, Becky, Robert, Katie, Kristy and Kassie Barber. They greeted us upon our arrival and we were soon aboard a mini bus to begin our brief but enjoyable tour of Belize. The bus belongs to Christian Service International and is housed and cared for by the Barbers in this shared ministry.

Our visit to the Friends Boys School was much as I had expected, but to see firsthand the interest and politeness of the students and their teacher as they studied was a valuable insight. One quickly recognizes the effort put forth by all involved to provide as good a learning environment as possible for the students.

From the school we went to the Belize Zoo where we observed many animals and birds of Belize in their outdoor native habitat. Our visit also included lunch at the famous “Cheers.” This is a fine outdoor eating place with a wide menu of international food choices.

Much too quickly time restraints required we begin our return trip to Belize City. On the way we experienced the unique methods of Belize traffic on both rural and city roads. Sam did a fine job of showing us the necessity of being a good defensive driver to keep us all safe from the different kinds of traffic flow and road conditions than what we are accustomed.

I became acquainted with this missionary family in January 2009 when they spent time in Richmond prior to going to Belize. It was a privilege to visit with them in a very different setting. While Sam drove, Becky related some good and bad experiences since their arrival. She indicated one of their many objectives is to reflect the importance of how family unity can have a positive influence on all aspects of the culture of Belize. In observing and listening, it quickly became evident this is a quality that is seriously lacking in Belize. In our short visit we saw evidence of the many ways the exposure of this Christian family to the culture of Belize is having an impact on their own family as well as the lives of the native people with whom they are in contact.

Thank you Barbers for a wonderful tour that challenged us to be more responsive to our call to assist in bringing God’s message to other cultures.

Preparing for a New School Year
By Sam Barber, Co-Director of Belize Friends Boys School

Even though this past year I have been on many journeys, there is one journey that I look forward to. This journey is the beginning of the school year. I want to share with you the journey that I will go through between August 11 and August 30 when classes begin.

This summer our family will be visiting with Friends and family in the United States, sharing the work of FUM in Belize with you and your meeting. The very first thing we will do after returning to Belize is to check with Miss Candi, our teacher, to see her new baby and make sure mother and child are well.

Once we return to work, I will check our mail and get all of our utilities up-to-date. As soon as we open the doors to the upstairs office at the school, our high school scholarship students will be at our door to give us their grades and we will assist them in getting ready for the new school year.

Becky and I will also do another round of advertising. An advertisement will be placed in the Reporter newspaper, and we will utilize the free advertising on the Channel 5 community bulletin board. These outlets will reach most Belizeans.

Hopefully, I will already have my lesson outlines done, but if I do not, time will be spent in the office and at home finishing my lessons. As a group, Miss Candi, Becky and I will finalize the school calendar and our field trip schedule. While working on this, we will also be registering students as they come to the school.

Now the fun stuff! For me the best part of a new school year is getting the classrooms ready. We will hang posters, set up learning centers and clean. I will also chop the yard of weeds, clean the gutters and rake it all up.

We will also prepare an entrance exam. We do this every year so we can find out where students are academically and can place them either in the prep class, one-year program or two-year program.

The last thing we do is make sure the feeding program is in place. We will make sure the lady who makes our powder buns and johnny cakes will continue to do so. Getting the fruit is no problem since we are only four blocks from Queen’s market along the canal.

This is the journey I will take before the start of every school year. This journey is one that God has placed me on and it is one that I thoroughly enjoy. It is because of his call that I am here. It is your prayers and gifts that sustain my family and me. I believe that when God places you on a journey, God will provide for the journey. Will you be part of that provision?

Leadership at Friends Theological College

We are especially glad that Ann Riggs will be staying in her role as principal of Friends Theological College in Kaimosi, Kenya, during the coming year. We are also excited to announce that Lon Fendall will serve as academic consultant responsible for staff development, curriculum revisions, the accreditation process and perhaps some fundraising. He will work closely with Ann, but mostly from his home in Oregon. With Lon’s assistance in the above named areas, Ann’s load will be a little lighter in her administrative duties which makes it more manageable for her to teach classes.

Lon will make as many as four trips in the next year to do the parts of his job that must be done on campus. He has already spent time in Kaimosi to lead a staff retreat and facilitate some student community building. Lon is quite familiar with East Africa and has done considerable leadership development among Friends in Rwanda and Burundi. For more information on the peace curriculum project Lon has helped coordinate, see pages 23-26.

Lon Fendall recently retired from George Fox University, where he had served as director of the Center for Peace and Justice, Center for Global Studies and dean of Undergraduate Studies. Prior to that, he held administrative positions at Tabor College and Wilmington College. He and his wife, Raelene, and three of their grandchildren live on a farm near Newberg, Oregon.

The "Fun" in Missions Fundraising
By Deb Moyer, Iowa Yearly Meeting

In Neal Pirolo’s book, Serving as Senders, the mission supporters are referred to as senders. He lists the different mission support areas as moral, logistic, financial, prayer, communication and re-entry. Most frequently we are asked to serve as financial senders. When I was a young person, my home church in Iowa — Honey Creek-New Providence — was a financial supporter for several of my mission trips. Now I serve on College Avenue Friends’ mission team and am privileged to help with various mission fundraisers.

Missions giving can be fun for all, even the little ones. Children enjoy receiving quarters from adults to put into our quarter tube. Each month the missions team picks a different recipient. We place this quarter tube by the fellowship table where it is easily seen. It is amazing to watch how people look in their pockets or purses to find more quarters when a child is beside the tube. One of my favorite things to do during our once a month children’s mission message is to ask the adults to pull out their quarters and the children go collect them!

Why do people give to projects where they have never been, give to people they have never met, give to a land they have never visited? Perhaps it is because someone has touched their life. This is what my oldest sister, Judy Davis, did for me. Judy returned from three months of service at the Friends Kaimosi Mission Hospital in Kenya sharing stories about her work and the unmet needs of the patients. One concern was that patients could not afford their medications. Soon an idea was born. Judy gave me a list of the 10 most used medications and the cost of each. Members of the missions committee created little cards printed with the words, “The pharmaceutical ‘doxycycline’ was purchased in your honor by ________ for use at the Friends Kaimosi Mission Hospital in Kenya, Africa.” Our missions committee had not set a financial goal so we were thrilled with over $900 in donations!

At Iowa Yearly Meeting last year, Peace and Social Concerns presented the challenge of raising money for the Mwenyelizi Friends Women’s Group in Kenya through Right Sharing of World Resources. The women wanted to start a project that included selling firewood. I had taken a picture of women carrying logs out of the rainforest while visiting my sister in Africa. This photo reminded me of a tree ornament I had seen in a magazine. It was simply a few twigs tied with fabric to hang on a tree. Nothing exciting about that, but what would happen if the two were combined. After ripping some of my African fabric into long strips, I met with my artist friend who showed me just the right size and number of twigs to use. I reduced the photo and printed on the back of the card: “A donation was given in your honor to________”, explaining the purpose of the donation money. In a smaller font was, “Project sponsored by College Avenue Friends.” We told people that the ornament could hang on their Christmas tree and later be used to help them remember to pray for this group of women and their endeavors to provide for their families.

We received over $900 in donations for the Kenyan women. The biggest compliment we heard was from a young man whose mother had received one of the log tree ornaments with the picture. His response was, “Mom, this is a keeper!” Another young mother purchased an ornament for each of her nieces and nephews, including a young baby. Each year she gives them an ornament and thought this was a good year to provide a mission lesson with the gift.

The challenge for missions fundraising is to keep the cost of the project low enough so that giving to that project seems reasonable for both young and old. The focus is kept on the end result (i.e. money for medications) with the balance of presenting a reasonable path (donation cards) that will remind folks of the great needs beyond our borders so that they will give and pray. There is no limit to the ideas around us that can be turned into fundraising opportunities for missions. Need awareness is perhaps the biggest challenge of all — How will people know unless we tell them or show them, sharing what we have observed and actually experienced while on the mission field?