A Christ Follower: The Journey

       Someone once said "War is hell."  For a period of time, I thought this was not true.  NOTHING is as bad as the eternal darkness place; however as I have served both as a Military Chaplain and VA Chaplain,  I have decided that this does have a ring of truth to it. Think about this:  What would you call something where a teenager (or someone just a little older) is cast  where blood is everywhere, fire consumes bodies, machetes fly, explosions rip the human body,  hand to hand combat leaves the other dead,  and the incomprehensible swallows their humanity alive?   It may not be entirely accurate, but    it's close:  War sure does "taste" a little bit like hell!      Some come home from this place of torment and are able to get on with their lives. Yes they are indeed able to find some sense of normality... or at least that put the normality face on.  Others, however, are so profoundly ch...

Health Kit Assembly & Shipping Instructions Health kits provide basic necessities to people who have been forced to leave their homes because of human conflict or natural disaster. Health kits are also used as learning tools in personal hygiene, literacy, nutrition and cooking classes.   Health Kit  PDF (1pp, 78K) Health Kit Items Value:  $12 per kit Place these items inside a sealed one-gallon plastic bag. 1 hand towel (15" x 25" up to 17" x 27", No kitchen towels) 1 washcloth 1 comb (large and sturdy, not pocket-sized) 1 nail file or fingernail clippers (no emery boards or toenail clippers) 1 bath-size bar of soap (3 oz. and up) 1 toothbrush (single brushes only in original wrapper, No child-size brushes) 6 adhesive plastic strip sterile bandages $1.00 to purchase toothpaste ( NOTE:  UMCOR Sager Brown is now purchasing toothpaste in bulk to be added to health kits before shipping to ensure that the product does not expire before they are sent.) Impor...

January 28, 2010—A Texas mission leader with extensive experience in disaster relief will serve as liaison between United Methodist operations in Haiti following the January 12 earthquake and the enormous response of annual conferences and congregations in the United States. The Rev. Cynthia Fierro Harvey of Houston is taking a leave of absence from her current ministerial appointment to assist UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, in a time of challenge and transition. UMCOR's chief executive, the Rev. Sam Dixon, and the Rev. Clint Rabb, the head of the volunteers in mission office, both died as a result of injuries received in the earthquake. "Rev. Harvey will be a strong asset to UMCOR staff in helping to communicate and interpret needs in Haiti and the resources of funds and volunteers available," said Bishop Joel N. Martinez, general secretary of the General Board of Global Ministries, of which UMCOR is a part. Harvey has worked with Texas Conference disa...