There's a little village high in the mountains of Bolivia called Copacabana. Rugged, barrel-chested descendants of the ancient Incas at 14,000 feet elevation populate it. As a side trip during a conference I was attending, the missionary in charge wanted me to see a new church being built by a Work and Witness team. I don't recall where they were from. After a couple hours of winding mountain roads with breath taking valleys straight below, we arrived. Even I, in my 40's, found it difficult to breath at that altitude.
What struck me very odd was that when we got there, members of the Work and Witness team were sitting, exhausted, obviously oxygen deprived with far off gazes. Furthermore, most were elderly folk, in their 60's and 70's. What I remember from my conversation with their coordinator was, we didn't realize the project was at 14,000 feet altitude. Needless to say, they didn't do much work.
That was many years ago, long before the respective regions and/or Kansas City assigned regional and field Work and Witness coordinators. But things are different now. By the time a church or district team heads off to a project, a lot of detailed information has flowed back and forward between the mission field's project coordinator and the local Work and Witness Coordinator. The flow of information has allowed for the proper selection of team members and even the simplest questions have been adequately answered.
College Church is once again planning to respond to a need. It will be a unique trip and one that at this point is somewhat uncertain. You see nothing is normal when you respond to the devastation of an earthquake. I know. I have been in earthquakes in Nicaragua and Mexico. They disorientate you, they confuse you, and the resulting effect of the destruction, overwhelms you. But you go on anyway.
So as College Church proceeds with the planning for the July 28 to August 3 Haiti Work and Witness trip, be reassured that the information coming to us from a very capable and gifted regional coordinator, Curt Luthye, is current and as specific as possible. And as Rev. Jim Means tackles the coordination of College Church's team, remember to pray for him as he carefully and prayerfully selects a team. And as the team begins its own preparation, pray that their funding will be provided and that strength and health may be theirs as they go.
Yes things are done differently today, and that's good!
