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Mission Direct
A year ago last month (21st December 2005), T4:12 and various others left Leeds and began a journey that was to take them to West Africa, Sierra Leone. The trip organised by Mission Direct was led by Nigel Hyde, Mission Direct's director and a couple of in-country leaders. Looking back on how T4:12 had prepared for the trip, the previous months leading up to going to Sierra Leone, had meant many fun hours of car washing; supermarket packing; promise auctioning and other means of raising cash for the trip. Fun and enjoyable hard work. All credit to them for a trip of a lifetime. Whilst in Sierra Leone, the many experiences, memories, laughs, meeting a different culture and everything connected with the place, meant a complete change around in the way we connected. We met amazing wealth of people who had undergone immense struggles coming out of the civil war there. The people we met had an abundance of grace, joy, hope faith and determination about them, which enabled them to see the vision of how things could be transformed with God's help. We met people from Hastings, Waterloo and Freetown SL and lots of other places. People with a day to day reality of struggle in their lives. It was an awesome trip for us all - just two weeks at christmas to spend time there and work with Mission Direct partners and meet with those people in their villages and townships.
After another Christmas celebration, it is another stark reminder of just how lucky we are living in Leeds and surrounding areas. In comparison, the men women and children old and young still have no luxury such as ours. They have their hope for the future, but remain without adequate provision and resources to maintain any consistant supply of medical supplies and much more. Each mission direct project has its own wish list of material goods ie medical, tools, clothing etc which they still need urgently to furthur equip them to progress and move forward. Simple items, ranging from paracetamol to sledgehammers, school supplies to men's work boots. Anything at all - see the Waterloo Clinic Wish List at www.missiondirect.org. They literally have nothing.
So this year, we have another representative from Wharfedale Vineyard stepping up to the plate and doing a Mission Direct trip - Michelle Harrison will be joining a team setting off for Uganda, in August. Please think of ways you may be able to support the work of mission direct and also help towards aiding Michelle towards her target of fundraising for her trip, and also maybe think about going on one yourself - speak to those that have already been on one to gain better insight, and especially to T412. Any ideas, or resources please speak to Michelle.
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Elaine Sadler, 12/01/2007 |
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