Our Missions are a very important part of our church life as we serve "outside
This group recently toured the UM Alliance Facilities
Tori News!!
The group of 7 ZIP team members leaving Pittsburgh airport
Before taking off on Thursday morning that 10 different mission teams traveling on her same flight to Africa, then dispersing across the continient. They prayed together before boarding the Air Ethiopia plane while transferring at Washington Dulles International Airport. This was nabbed from a traveller's camera.
The first three days in Zimbabwe she stayed with her team of 6 others in the capital city and at a U. M. mission/hospital. She had a great time there. Now, however, she is a three hour drive “out in the country” in a small village and things are a lot different – fewer people, fewer buildings, fewer things to do. Please pray that her host family and others there will help her see their culture and interact with lots of people. Her host family is a mom and her 12 year old son and a grandmother. The mom is actually the District Superintendent of the Bulowayo-Midlands District! Tomorrow she’s taking Tori to one of the most widely known icons of Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls. (Tori was told she probably wouldn’t be able to see the falls, since they’re so far away. But the D.S. has a meeting up there, so Tori gets to go! The last time I saw the falls on tv was when the Today Show was there.) Tori’s health has been good so far. Her water supply in her host home is boiled water, so that’s good. She’s eaten, but she says “not very much”. (She saw a chicken have its head cut off and feathers plucked before being cooked the other day.) She misses her church family, Pennsylvania and America. She will fly back into Pittsburgh on August 19th. Thank you for your prayers!
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July 31, 2012
Hello to my wonderful chruch family!
Even on the other side of the world, I can still feel you warm love. Thank you so much for all of your prayers! I'm constantly being blessed because of them.
I live with a single mother, Josephine who has a daughter, Natasha, in college who is exactly my age! How cool is that!? Natasha will be coming home for a month long break this Thursday. I can't wait to meet her. Josephine lives in an apartment building that has lots of little kids running around. It's so fun to get hugs from each one of them when I come home.
Our apartment building is right in town so it's easy to walk around with her and see the town of Gweru.
So far I have experienced a lot of the United Methodist church life. I have been to about 5 charge conferences, a men's fellowhips meeting, a UMW meeting (they call it RRW), and lots of lunch hour prayers. I've met so many loving, welcoming church people who are so excited to meet and bless me. I just hope I can bless them the same amount in return.
I've gotten to see some tourest destinations, also. I actually got to see Victoria Falls! It was a surprise because no one on our team was expecting to see it since it's all the way up in the north west corner of the country. However, the District Executive committe had a charge conference up ther last weekend and I got to tag along. The District Superintendant was kind enough to spend two extra days so that I could see the Falls. It was a long journey (about 8 hours) but it was totally worth it!!! I also spent a night at a safari lodge where I saw lots of animals when we took a safari drive, and got to walk with and pet 16 month lions!
Africa is awesome, but I sure do miss all of you in America.
I can't wait to see you when I return.
In Christ's Love,
Tori Moody
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Ride For The Refuge 2011!
Here are some pictures of our Asbury bikers
from the Labor Day
ride For the Refuge in Albion.
Ellis Giacomelli
Jeff Harshman
Ken Davis
Rich Giacomelli
Ken and Julie Blog or go to our Galveston gallery
Click the link to see more of the trip!
They found a real need there, and a work crew from our church went in May:
Where: Mission trip to Galveston, TX
Why: To help those less fortunate
How we got where we are: We called TX UM Conference, they put us in touch with Disaster Recovery, and there was only one place that had RV hook-ups, so the pastor of the University Baptist Church, who is heading up the recovery here in Galveston said "come on down". We parked and right after lunch we were working.
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Gordie Evans, 
has recently returned from a short term mission trip with a group from Christ Untied Methodist church. They worked at the hospital in Encase Ghana, as well as in the literacy center. Gordie was able to make many friends. Gordie was also able to meet a child he has sponsored through World Vision. 
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Emily Pasi had the wonderful opportunity to serve God internationally. A mission group from Penn State University with St.Paul United Methodist Church in State College stayed in the Christian Help Center in Horni Pocernice, PC.(Prague).
The type of work they did was based on the needs of the center. They helped repair the facility and helped to provide a daycare for the children living at the center.
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Below is a link to the Refuge home page:
The Refuge is an ongoing Mission Project for us. The needs are great and so is their ability to help others.
The Refuge has gotten a much needed new bathtub as we keep one of their bathrooms updated and furnished.