Back to School Supplies

It isn't surprising that once again our congregation has come through for the students at Truscott Elementary School.  Donations included all the items on their wish list and then some.  On Friday August 30th, the supplies were sorted, bagged and delivered to the appreciative principal and staff.

Dr Emmanuel Mefor is a physician and his wife, Florence, is a midwife. They have been serving with Global Ministries in Zimbabwe since 2003. For many years, Dr Mefor treated patients at the Mutambara Hospital before moving into an administrative role as head of the hospital while Florence worked with pregnant women to help improve outcomes in deliveries. Back in September of last year, their situation changed when they were reassigned to Old Mutare Hospital, one of three mission hospitals that include Mutambara and Nyadire, to help implement the program for pregnant women there and to make improvements in hospital procedures.

After sharing a family profile with photos of their three adult children and their grandchildren, Emmanuel launched into a history of the evolution of care for expectant mothers at Mutambara and compared this to the efforts they are making at Old Mutare. Back in 2006, there were complaints being raised about the care pregnant women were receiving in Zimbabwe. Many problems stemmed from malnutrition. Women would knock at the Mefor's door asking for food. There were women that had to be resuscitated due to hypoglycemia. This touched the Mefors. With a donation of $50, Florence was able to feed about 20 women at the hostel. She would prepare a porridge mixed with peanut butter and sugar to feed the women for breakfast. The program expanded to three meals of porridge a day after efforts to raise donations, some of which came from our congregation. Eventually facilities were added at Mutambara that could shelter around 80 expectant mothers while providing them food and care of up to 6 weeks (or more) prior to giving birth.

Outcomes for these Zimbabwe women have improved dramatically. Mortality rates have been reduced. Birth weights have increased. Instead of low birth weights of around 4 pounds, they are closer to 6 pounds. Their presence has made a significant impact to the area, making the hospital one of the best facilities in Zimbabwe for pregnancy care.

With this success in mind, they were reassigned to Old Mutare to transform the hospital there. Florence threw herself first into acquiring beds and cabinets for the women's ward which was nothing more than an empty building. The common area got curtains, couches and a television. She addressed the womens need to keep active by training them in skills such as knitting and by engaging them in exercises and games. Great strides have been made since her arrival in Old Mutare and word is spreading, because the number of women there has increased from about 25 to 40 just while she had been here in the states.

Sustainability is something the Mefors have to address at the Old Mutare hospital. At Mutambara, chickens were being raised to provide a source of food and income. There were irrigated fields planted with peas. These are projects that could be established at Old Mutare. Other needs include funds to repair a vehicle. Emmanuel did discuss a success since arriving at Old Mutare. The outpatient building and the ward had been separated by a dirt road which made it difficult to transport patients in wheelchairs or on stretchers especially after rains, so funds were raised to pave a path in concrete between the two buildings and the mortuary as well. But be rest assured that there are still plenty of opportunities to help the hospital out.

Emmanuel waited towards the end of their talk to drop his bombshell. He will be retiring in December. He was quick to point out that Florence would continue working at Old Mutare. They both will be going back to live in Zimbabwe and Emmanuel expects to keep supporting projects at the hospital. They have dedicated their lives to do God's work.

If you're interested in coming out to help, the next Faith Build day is on September 9th this time starting at 8:30am until 3:30pm.

Maybe it will be cooler by then? To sign up, visit

lovelandhabitat.charityproud.org/VolunteerRegistration/?groupcode=Loveland0709

As Jordan Clegg, Community Engagement Specialist at Habitat for Humanity, mentioned in the last Mission Moment (if you missed it, you can view it at http://youtu.be/UndpPi5W5_4), more than 90% of the labor that goes into building a Habitat home is provided by volunteers. Even if our church can't provide the labor, we can still support Habitat for Humanity through our donations for building materials. Jordan has set out a goal for the year of $20,000 raised from the faith community of Loveland. The Missions Committee has challenged our congregation to raise 5% of that goal or $1000. To make a donation, simply include the phrase "H4H Faith Build" on your check placed in the offering or in the notes box when donating online.

On our first day we played. We attended church at Harper Chapel in the morning and were welcomed with open arms. After church we explored a near-by cave and swam in the Lake of the Ozarks. The free public swim beach was conveniently located across the street from Harper Chapel so we spent many evenings swimming.

On the second day we began our work. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday we volunteered at Hope House. This non-profit organization is a thrift store, resource center, and food pantry. We sorted donations, painted, and did whatever else was needed around the building. On Tuesday and Thursday we visited the Missouri Forget me Not Horse Sanctuary. Here we helped clean out stalls and pulled weeds. We also listened to many stories about the sanctuary and even got to ride some horses. Some other projects included cleaning out a garage, and spreading mulch in the Harper Chapel community garden.

Youth Mission Trips are an extremely important aspect of our ministry at our church. These trips provide volunteers to those who normally might not regularly receive help. It also teaches life skills to our youth and helps form lifelong friendships and bonds with the people who attend these trips. This has been my second mission trip as the youth coordinator and I could not be more excited for the 2025 mission trip.

On behalf of the youth group, we sincerely appreciate the continued support of the congregation for these trips throughout the years. I would also like to specially thank Ann Kessler, Neal Anderson, and Shannon Heusinkveld for being great adult volunteers on this trip. Their support and guidance allowed for this trip to be a success. And of course, thank you to the wonderful youth who attended this trip. I am grateful for each and every one of you and look forward to future trips!

Matthew Utley