Photos!

Jean has posted her photos on Flickr; you can view them here.
It may take several sittings to get through them all- there are over 900!

Safely Home!

The team arrived safely in Chicago this afternoon just ahead of a major snowstorm. There were sweet and joyous reunions all around. Only one piece of luggage (Jean's) was lost- but it was located in London and will be sent FedEx. Once we have the chance to sort through photos and video, I will post much more information about the trip.

The Journey Home

The team is packed and ready to return. They were able to catch their breath and debrief at the Okapuka ranch. They also had the chance to see rhino, giraffe, and lions (being fed!).

Tomorrow (Monday) they will depart Windhoek at 1:45 local time on SAA #75 and fly 2 hours to Johannesburg. After a 5 hour layover, they will fly 12 hours on UAL #4608 to London. Then a 3 hour layover followed by a 9 hour flight home on UAL #929. They are scheduled to arrive at O'hare at 1:20pm local time on Tuesday.

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for the team. Please continue to pray for their safety as they travel home.

Safe return to Windhoek

Jean called today- the team returned to Windhoek safely on Thursday. Everyone is well. Their time at Kalukembe was very productive. The workshops were a success. Jean spent significant time at the hospital training the nurses on assembly of the Trike, and they were able to give the trike to a woman and train her to use it. Hopefully this will be the start of a long relationship between the Kalukembe Mission Station and His Wheels.

Jean sounded exhausted, satisfied, both joyful and somber. The team was witness to tremendous suffering, the kind that is hard to put into words. I imagine that the more than 600 pictures Jean took will help to describe their experience. The team spent time worshipping in church with the local people nearly every night. Jean said that the faith she witnessed among the people was amazing. She also said that the hospital is without a doctor and sorely in need of one. Perhaps this is not the only time a Fisher will visit Kalukembe?

On Friday, the team will travel to Okapuka Ranch, a Lodge about 20 miles north of Windhoek. They will spend two nights there debriefing and catching their breath. They may have the chance to see some giraffe or even some lions. On Sunday they will return to Windhoek to begin the journey home.

Email from Jean

Today I received an e-mail from Jean. The team arrived safely in Lubango! Her message was brief. She said that they witnessed much suffering, but they also witnessed God's active, working hand. The Trike made it in safely and was well received. The soapmaking efforts worked. Both are answers to prayer!


Tomorrow (Thurs) the team will head to the Lubango airport and fly on TAAG #571 back to Windhoek, Namibia. Once they return to Namibia we may hear from them by phone.

Heading to Lubango

On Wednesday the team will pack up and leave the Mission for Lubango to visit the headquarters of the Igreja Evangélica Sinodal de Angola (IESA), the seminary that established a divinity school in Kalukembe and helped sponsor the women's conference. Lubango looks to be about 120 miles from Kalukembe, but takes 8 hours by ground as they will be traveling over some rough terrain. They may have the chance to take a flight with Mission Aviation Fellowship but it is uncertain.

In Lubango they may get to see a large statue of Jesus overlooking the city. They will visit with the leaders of IESA and begin to debrief from their time at Kalukembe.

Workshops Continue

Monday and Tuesday are full days of workshops. The women will again start the day with a devotional at the hospital. Diana gave Monday's and Jean will give Tuesday's. At the end of Tuesday's workshops, the team will say goodbye to the women with whom they have become friends over the past week. I am praying for a sweet time of praise for what God has done and a celebration of hope for what God will continue to do.

Sunday worship

Today (Sunday) the team will worship in the Kalukembe Mission Church. I must admit to being jealous of the opportunity to experience yet another side of our multi-faceted God through new music, language, and people. I imagine it will be an emotional time for the women. How reassuring it is to know that 7500 miles apart we are praying to and worshipping the same God!

Workshop Day #2

According to the itinerary, Friday will look much like Thursday. Michelle will lead the hospital devotion in the morning. I have been praying about saponification- Jean and Karen are teaching a soapmaking class, and there are so many factors that will affect the success of the soap- materials, measuring equipment, outdoor temperature and humidity- I am praying that they will find a method that allows the women to produce usable soap with available materials.

It is hard to imagine the devastation that Angola experienced during their civil war, or the obstacles to restoration that its people are now facing. Chicago Public Radio featured an excellent interview of an Angolan native who survived the violence (his wife and children did not) and is now working here in Chicago to establish a university in his hometown of Kuito, also in central Angola. The interview gave me a better understanding of the challenges facing the Angolan people. Listen here.

First Full Day at the Mission Station

Today (Thurs) will be the first full day in Kalukembe. The women will start with a 7am breakfast at the hospital, and their team will share a devotion with the hospital staff. Karen is giving today's talk with the help of Isabel who will translate into Portuguese or Umbundu, depending on their audience. Next they will set up for their workshops and lead the women in worship songs and a Bible study, followed by their skills-training sessions. It looks like this will fill their day until dinner at 7pm.

According to data I found at the US Naval Observatory, sunrise in Kalukembe this week is at 5:25am and sunset is 6:20pm.

Flying to Kalukembe

A view of the Ngiva airstrip in Angola via Google Earth. This morning (Wed) the team will fly from Ngiva to Kalukembe. a distance of about 250 miles, with an altitude rise of about 1700 feet, as they ascend into the highland plains of central Angola.

They will fly today courtesy of Mission Aviation Fellowship. Since 1946, this outstanding organization has flown missionaries and relief organizations to remote areas all over the world.

Once they arrive, they will settle in to their home for the next 9 days. They will tour the Bible School, hospital, and church and meet the pastors and directors of the facilities. The "Kalukembe Guest House", their sleeping quarters, is an abandoned church with no electricity or running water, where they will sleep on the floor in their mosquito nets.

Heading for the Border

Spoke to Jean again today. The team spent Monday loading up on supplies in Windhoek, and they will leave at 4am Tuesday to drive to the Angolan border. It is about a 400 mile drive. You might get a good idea of what they are seeing on their drive here or here or here or here. I believe they will pass near the Etosha Pan, a large salt basin where they may see this or even this.

When they arrive at the border they will hopefully cross smoothly without any trouble. The team is in good spirits, excited to get to Angola. There may or may not be a phone at Kalukembe, so today may have been the last contact until they return to Namibia on 12/11.

Contact!

Jean called from Namibia today. The team arrived safely in Windhoek today after 36 hours of travel. Jean was tired but sounded in good spirits. The team will recuperate a bit tonight and head for the Angolan border on Tuesday. Please pray for safe passage for the team and for their equipment, especially the trike from His Wheels. Thank you for your prayers!

Touchdown in Africa

The team's flight arrived on time into Johannesburg Sunday morning at 7:21am local. Now a 3.5 hour layover and then a 2 hour flight to Windhoek, Namibia on South African Airways #74. Continue to pray for safe travels!

The Adventure Begins!

A successful farewell at O'hare and the team is in the air as I type, en route to London. I'm tracking their flight at fboweb, a free flight tracker. Just enter UAL 938 into the "Quick Track" section. If you have Google Earth you can track in 3D- very cool.

Please pray for endurance as they have a 7 hour layover at Heathrow followed by a 12 hour flight to Johannesburg, South Africa, then a 4 hour layover followed by a 2 hour flight to Windhoek, Namibia, where they arrive at 1:00pm local time on Sunday (8 hours ahead of CST). Also pray for their baggage and equipment to pass safely through customs.

Great News!

The Visas were approved today! Thanks to everyone who was praying about that. Please pray now for all the last minute preparations.

Trip Overview

Progress Through Partnership
Working to Make a Difference in the Lives of Women

Since 2000, our team leader Karen Milco, her husband Michael, and countless volunteers have committed their time, resources, and skills to help alleviate the suffering of the Angolan people living in the Osire Refugee Camp in Namibia, Africa and across war torn Angola, Africa.

Angolan Christians suffering the long-term effects of Angola’s 27-year civil war are being renewed and empowered to find hope in Christ and become freed from oppression and poverty. Our Lord is using His church to respond to the spiritual and physical needs of the Angolan people.

The Church at home and in Africa is being strengthened through partnerships that provide opportunities for members of the Christian community to use their knowledge, skills and resources to:

• Train and equip men and women for ministry
• Improve lives through vocational skill training for men and women, and
• Diminish chronic hunger through sustainable agricultural initiatives.

In response to an invitation from Rev. Dinis Eurico, President of Igreja Evangelica Sinodal de Angola, we have the opportunity to join a team of volunteers who are preparing to travel to Angola, Africa in November to lead a women’s conference at the Kalukembe Mission Station.

Diana Woodland attends Park Community Church in Chicago where she serves on the Global Missions Team. She has been described as a “frontier woman” because of her expertise in fiber arts, cooking, canning, chocolate making, gardening and Bible study. In addition to co-leading the team, Diana will lead our morning and afternoon Bible session on the attributes of God and our response to Him in various aspects of life. Her desire is to help women grow and ground their faith firmly in scripture. In addition she will lead a workshop on Amish rug-making with the aim of teaching a skill that has the potential to provide income for women and their families.

Jean Fisher serves as the Director of Women’s Ministries at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Chicago. She is a dedicated wife and mother of three children and enjoys home schooling and any type of “creating,” whether gardening, decorating, photography, making stained glass or oil painting. Jean traveled to Africa 15 years ago with Wycliffe Bible Translators to assist missionaries in Ghana and is thankful for the opportunity to return to Africa to work with women. While serving in Angola she will share her personal testimony and the transforming power of prayer and God’s word in her life. She will also lead a workshop on soap making using locally grown ingredients.

Jean has also partnered with His Wheels International (video here) to develop a distribution site in Kalukembe. His Wheels provides adult tricycles (“trikes”) to people with disabilities. Angola is the nation with the second highest number of Africans who have been crippled by injuries from land mines. Many of them literally have no legs and must drag themselves through the dirt just to get anywhere. His Wheels constructs hand-pedaled trikes that provide not only a means of transportation, but a restoration of dignity, all in the name of Jesus Christ. Jean will help the local hospital develop a vocational rehab where people can learn to construct these trikes and distribute them to those in need.

Michelle Stambaugh serves in ministry with her husband, Pastor Scott at Sister Lakes Community Church in Michigan. In addition to working with the youth and leading worship, she is a professional artist. For several years, Michelle has prayed and waited for an opportunity to serve in Angola. During this time she has researched the pottery making tradition of the Ovimbundu people of southern Angola. While in Kalukembe, she will pursue, along with the Angolan people, how to use the resources available to create functional and accessory pottery, with the hope of creating an income-generating product. Her desire is to combine her love for pottery with the message of our gentle potter, God the Father, molding and shaping us into His prized and cherished vessels.

Karen Milco has served along side of her husband in pastoral ministry for 20 years. Since 2000 she has spent an average of three months a year in Africa working on projects aimed at addressing the physical and spiritual needs of the Angolan people. God has given her a love for women, especially those who are suffering. She feels compelled to finds ways for women from the US to use their natural gifts and abilities to support and strengthen the ministries of women in Africa. While serving in Kalukembe, she will partner with Jean Fisher to lead a workshop on infectious disease prevention and traditional soap making. She will also begin making preparations for her husband to lead a team of his students and colleagues from Moody Bible Institute to teach at the Kalukembe Bible Institute next year.

It is humbling and encouraging to be given the opportunity to serve with the church in Angola. Our heart's desire is to see the women of Kalukembe renewed and empowered to find hope in Christ, and become transformed when freed from oppression and poverty.

We desire nothing less than to serve well and celebrate the transformation that comes as a result. Please prayerfully consider how God will have you give. As they say in the Ovimbundu language, Suku ukalai la na. God be with you.

Seeking to make a difference for the kingdom,


Diana, Michelle, Jean and Karen

Just imagine the difference we can make,
Working together, making it possible!