WORLD MISSION SUNDAY

 Dear Friends: (this letter was added to my church bulletins October 23, 2011

 
  For me, personally, this a a very special day .  Having recently returned from Uganda, where I was commissioned by  –Lay Mission Helpers- to serve as a nurse-missionary for three years, I am honored to greet you  About six years ago I was researching various Mission Opportunities, such as The Maryknolls, when I had the honor to meet  Donna Buckholz., who attends St. Alberts. She told me about Monsignor Brouwers, who had started Lay Mission Helper and eventually Mission Doctors Association over 50 years ago, to give lay people an opportunity to serve in the mission field.

Over these 50+ years, hundreds of Doctor’s, Nurses, Teachers, Craftsmen and Office Workers have dedicated their time in foreign mission (Africa, Asia, South Pacific, Latin America) to share their skills and their Faith with their mission community.

I often felt that I not only represented Roman Catholics, nurses and missionaries, but I represented being an American, as well. All of which I am very proud to be.!

       Although I was accepted by  The Maryknolls, I chose LMH (Lay Mission Helpers) www.laymissionhelpers.org , an organization based in Los Angeles, Calf., in part due to Donna who had served in Malawi in the 1960’s..

     I studied for 4 months in community with others, everything from spirituality, culture issues, World religions, to the basics of survival in a developing country. .The training, in itself, was a very growthful experience and worth its weight in gold, even for those who were not able to go to mission. I will be forever grateful to Janice England, Elise Fredrick and David Braun. for  providing us with exceptional teachers in religion, scripture, social and cultural  studies, as well as providing us with the atmosphere that fostered personal growth, and life long friendships

     I would also like to thank my dear friends Carolyn Williams and Carol Balderree and my fellow parishioners from St. Alberts in Heber Springs and St. Jude’s in Clinton for their support and prayers while in mission..

   In 2007 I arrived in Kisoro , Uganda to serve 3 years at St. Francis Hospital, Mutolere, as a nurse-missionary. My original mission was to serve in Public Health, caring for those with HIV-AIDS, which I did, but eventually found my specific Calling was to work with the AIDS Orphans and Babies at Risk. .Along with daily activities of immunizing, weighing and evaluating babies for possible malnutrition and disease, I looked forward to Saturdays, when 100 to 150 children spent the day with us, learning skills , eating well balanced meals and just having fun. Lots of dodge ball, football, soccer and dancing kept me in shape, and I sometimes managed to pull it together to show them a movie on a 19inch TV screen .The Lion King and Superman I, were their favorites and never once was there a complaint when the power went out (smile).

  

      I was blessed to raise a sweet 2 lb. baby, named Michael, whose mother died at birth and is now a healthy 4 year old boy. I taught families how to bottle feed infants who were unable to be breast fed, I went to villages to do HIV Testing and worked in the Pediatric Dept. instructing nursing student in the art of taking Vital Signs. Ah, and then there were the children (all had been orphaned by one or both parents) where my heart still lies.

    I have stories that I could tell forever, often bringing you to tears of sadness, as well as joy, but you’ll need to read my blog site (http://mariemcgee.blogspot.com) or, if not computer literate, invite me over for a cup of tea., where I can go on and on about my life as a missionary. In Uganda..

   I have added some sites you may wish to look into and charities you may wish to support. God bless you and thank you from all the people in Africa and all mission fields around the world, where your love, prayers and dollars have filled their bellies, changed their lives and deepened their faith in God’s providence and the kindness of the people of the United States of America.

       Marie McGee..

                                                

Sites: My blog site, with stories of my time in Uganda from 2007 to 2010:

                             http://mariemcgee.blogspot.com

suggestions: August 2011- My Miracle Baby Michael

                     November 2010-A Compassionate Outreach

                     April 2010-I believe in the Sun

                     March 2010- Ugandan Updates Part One and Two

                     December 2009- There’s So Much To Be Thankful For

                     May 2009- Barton Brooks-An Update

Lay Mission Helpers----www.laymissionhelpers.org

Marie McGee- 10 Brook Hollow Rd. Higden, Arkansas 72067-(501-339-3758)

       To sponsor (or help sponsor) a child’s education.

Carolyn Tague (my cousin) who sponsors an entire village in Kenya, Africa

      The Lemongo Project—www.thelemongoproject.org

        :