Thank You !!$10,000 raised! On 24 May around 100 volunteers from the Sydney Church of Christ with friends, participated in the Walk of Water in PNG at Wilson Park in Sydney to raise funds to provide clean running water to communities in the Central Highlands of Papua New Guinea. The event raised $10,000 so far! The village of Gumine is where HOPE worldwide manages a small clinic, serving about 14,000 people in the remote Highlands. The community has poor access to water and sometimes this leads to tribal disputes. The water project aims to work with the local community to allow shared access to water at the HOPE clinic. A second supply will be located at the Gumine Church of Christ, another focal spot for the community. Hilary Gumley, one of the participants who ran most of the way!: “I want to thank you for supporting me to run even further than my initial goal of 12km. I was so motivated by your support, I met my personal goal on the day of approx. 20km. I ran most laps of the course with a small group of runners, and towards the end it was the support of all the volunteers at the start/finish line that made the run so enjoyable!
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It was a pleasure to be involved in the 2014 HOPE Volunteer Corps to Papua New Guinea in early December 2014. We had our largest group of Australian volunteers so far- 21! The group spent their first night together in Port Moresby before dividing into 2 groups- 14 stayed near the capital to help out with HOPE projects in the settlement areas and 7 ventured up to the Highlands to help rebuild the nursing accommodation at the Bokolma clinic. HOPE Volunteers shortly after arriving in Port Moresby FROM LEFT: Holland, Sirilo Salbogi, Dave Vanuku, Pierre Van Zyl, Steve Darvodelski, Katie Mulhearn, Korio, Jesse Lee Charles, Michelle Atkins, Walker Tabua, Rebecca Gelsi, Forest Versele, Tamsyn Hutchison, Frank Snoeks, Mark Timlin, Brett Bennie, Michael Monahan, Olly Grandy, Luke Bennie, Leo Furnez, Sue Park, Ossie To'ope, Alex Chong The team start work at 9 mile clinic. Scroll through more photos below The Port Moresby group was led by Alex Hernandez and focused on repainting the 9 mile clinic and fixing up the TB treatment area at the Lawes road clinic. In-between the manual labour there was opportunity to get to know church members, teach life lessons from the Bible, meet the local community, enjoy local food, and have fun (sports and games)! The volunteers were personally impacted and also left a really positive feel. It was a good result to have the planned projects completed and to have everyone return home safely. PNG is beautiful, but also a harsh environment and not a place you want to get sick! Scroll through more photos below... The Port Moresby Volunteers sitting with some of the HOPE PNG staff and the Deputy Health Secretary at a 20 year HOPE Anniversary celebration. BACK: Dr Mark Timlin, Dr Paison Dakulala (Deputy Health Secretary), Brett Bennie, Luke Bennie, Franc Snoeks, Wayne Merry, MID: Stephen, Joan Timothy, Rebecca Gelsi, Sue Park, Michelle Atkins, Tamsyn Hutchinson, Kopsie FRONT: Alex Hernandez, Sirilo Salbogi, Jessie Lee Charles I especially would like to thank Walker and Lara Tabua who hosted us and arranged for volunteers to stay with members of the Port Moresby Church of Christ- which added to the ‘local’ experience. Everyone felt loved and well cared for. Joan Timothy, Country Director of HOPE worldwide (PNG) still did a lot of the organizing, despite being on maternity leave! There were many inspiring lessons from the Fiji volunteers- Alex and Siri, as well as the volunteers from Sydney- Dave and Forest. The theme, ‘Light of the World’ was very fitting and the daily devotionals called us to deeper levels of compassion- to touch peoples lives through serving them, to listen and to get to know people more personally as Jesus did. The lessons are locked away in my head and stored up for a rainy day! The adventurous 7 who went to the Highlands also had a great time and successfully completed the rebuilding of the Bokolma clinic nurses accommodation and installed solar panels- so they had light at night. As yet there is no mains power supply in Gumine! Dave Vainuku led the team and his morning devotionals started to become popular and even attracted a crowd from the local community. Alex Chong, through his work contacts secured all the solar equipment, which finally arrived up to the Highlands a couple of days after everyone else (it took half a day negotiating with cautious airport customs and another day for Alex’s lost luggage to be found- I got to do this job with Holland, a very patient Papua New Guinean!). There was only one Australian woman on the Highlands team, Katie Mulhearn (below), and she was a magnet- attracting the local women to her. She was in high demand for fellowship- everyone wanted to meet her and spend time with her! The only minor upset was with Leo- a twisted ankle from playing rugby with the locals! Back in Port Moresby, Walker also got sick- Malaria and Dysentery (fortunately early treatment at a private clinic and good medicines fixed him up in a few days). Again, I want to thank all the volunteers who participated in the 2014 HVC, the Port Moresby Church of Christ who were very hospitable and HOPE worldwide PNG for putting on a great service program as well as celebrating their 20 year anniversary! The balance of work, church activities and meeting the locals was just right and the impact was felt all around. To get some feedback from the volunteers of their experience in Papua New Guinea we asked them to answer the following 3 questions: (1) What was most challenging? (2) What was most impacting? (3) What did you take away? Have a look at the responses below and maybe this might motivate you to join a future volunteer corps! To support future volunteer opportunities we will be putting together a short video and organising a fundraiser around ANZAC day in late April 2015. We hope to have a smaller HVC to PNG mid 2015 and a larger group go to Fiji in Dec 2015. Let me know if you are interested!! Much Love and may 2015 be full of joy, peace and love! Mark Timlin (Country Director HOPE worldwide Australia) Here is some feedback from the HVC participants: Franc Snoeks, from Melbourne with nurse Florence (1) Most challenging: Not being able to explore and move around Port Moresby safely. Lack of resources available to tackle obvious needs i.e. ‘sanitation’ and ‘hygiene’, maintenance and education. (2) Most impacting: The joy and appreciation of the PNG disciples of us just being there. Their warmth and happiness, even in their abject poverty. Their eagerness to give and share everything they have with us. The fellowship. (3) What I will take back to Australia: A strong desire to return to encourage and support the PNG churches. Build closer relationships with the kingdom in our region. Jessie Charles (from Brisbane) (1) Most challenging: o Having limited freedom, where you could go and what you could do. o Relying on the brothers and sisters to get you to and from places was humbling and a great cultural experience. o To be among the local community and see some of their strong interactions with each other was a little confronting at the start. o Leaving my family and my boyfriend. (2) Most impacting: o Seeing the brothers and the sisters strength and convictions in their faith. o Being so content with so little. o The overwhelming number of people who were open. o How loving and warm everyone was in welcoming us. o The other brothers and sisters from Melbourne, Sydney and Fiji. o The hearts of the people!! (3) What I will take back to Australia: o A deep faith and love for God and the relationships I’ve been blessed with. o To be grateful. o Tried to fit everyone in my suitcase! Rebecca Gelsi (from Melbourne) (1) Most challenging: I found the lack of independence and control I had here to be very challenging. Relying on others was extremely humbling. (2) Most impacting: I have felt my heart soften as I’ve see and experienced the deep love the Papua New Guineans have for God, their families, and their community. (3) What I will take back to Australia: I’m going to focus on building deep interdependent relationships that draw me and others closer to God. Sue Park (on the left, from Sydney with Tamsyn from Melbourne) (1) Most challenging: o The weather – it gets unbearable at times of the day as it is so hot and humid constantly. (2) Most impacting: o Great chance of leadership. Leading singles devo. It was a great chance to learn to become a leader. I felt absolutely communicated and fulfilled. o Lots of evangelism. We had great opportunities to impact and talk to local people. (3) What I will take back to Australia: o Share the photos. o Share about HOPE Worldwide PNG. o Share about PNG disciples – pure heart, warmth, faith, devotion, smile, food. Mark Timlin (on the left, from Melbourne with Alex Hernandez from Nadi, Fiji) (1) Most challenging: The need for water constantly. The heat was intense and without a water bottle on hand it didn’t take long to feel faint. Also seeing the lack of provision of health services and shelter. To walk around the settlements and to see the squalor that people happily lived in convicted me. Also to see the queues of people waiting to be treated at the Nine Mile Clinic and the reliance they have on free health care the Clinic provides because there is no way they can afford this. (2) Most impacting: The hospitality of the disciplines. We stayed with TJ and Maurine and were treated like royalty. The children in the home were especially warm and respectful. To see Maurine come home from a full days work and still prepare a feast for us was convicting, especially knowing that her health was not that good and she was very tired. Another impacting thing was the love expressed by one of the church members Holland. He works in Customs at the airport and greeted all the volunteers on arrival and made sure we all had a safe departure. On top of that he personally ensured all our equipment for the Highlands Clinic made it through Customs and helped us with the paperwork. (3) What I will take back to Australia: To not get overwhelmed when I see problems beyond my ability to solve, but to do my bit and rely on God and the help of others to contribute. I can be quite self reliant and being with a team of volunteers who had my back covered (i.e. made sure I didn’t lose things or forget to eat/drink/put on sunscreen) was really encouraging. It made me realise that investing in relationships is so important because together we can achieve so much more. Brett Bennie (in the middle, from Melbourne) (1) Most challenging: o There is so much work to be done and I couldn’t help feeling like I was not doing enough. But learning to trust and that God is in control and all we can do is our best. o Definitely missed my wife and son. o Seeing the difference between those who are well off (from a worldly perspective) and those who don’t have much – this showed clearly the selfishness of the world and I can see that in my heart of hearts I am deeply selfish but want to change. (2) Most impacting: o Seeing the love and faith of the disciples and the power of spiritual relationships. o Hanging out with little children who were full of joy (reminded me that I need to be that joyful about my relationship with God). o The lessons and devos – having my heart massaged by the scriptures every day and sharing with the other disciples. (3) What I will take back to Australia: o New friends and relationships and a deep desire to come back to PNG soon. o Renewed convictions on the importance of the ‘family’ of believers and a desire to have more fellowship with the disciples and be much more involved in building the Kingdom. o A desire to shine my light and build for the Kingdom rather than for myself – I can’t wait to get back with my wife to work with the teens to help us be lights for God! Michelle Atkins (on the left, from Melbourne with Kopsi from Port Moresby) (1) Most challenging: o The poor living conditions that people live in, including many brothers and sisters in Christ. Often only one or two rooms separated by material. Holes in floor. Many people living in the one room. How hard it must be to have QT, dress, wash, etc. Many did not have much food, let alone a fridge or toilet – yet did not complain. o The huge gap between rich and poor i.e. limited health services available in PNG compared with much of Australia. (2) Most impacting: o love, warmth, serving hearts of PNG disciplines despite hard circumstances. o We had a great devo on how Jesus touched people – the outcast that nobody else did i.e. the man with leprosy and the bleeding woman. Jesus had so much compassion and love that he reached out and touched people, healed and shared faith. So I decided to imitate Jesus. I spoke to people at Nine Mile Clinic and said more than hello. I was impacted by their loving response. For example: A mother had a 3yr sick boy sitting on her knee. She sat next to me during devo and whilst we sang. We talked. Later on she brought her younger baby to me to have a cuddle. She was so happy and trusting to let me have a cuddle. I was so humbled and privileged, me a complete stranger. (3) What I will take back to Australia: o Be quick to repent i.e. no arguing or complaining. o Be a lot more attentive to the needs of the poor both physically and spiritually. o Specific prayer – praying and sending stuff to brother and sisters in PNG. Tamsyn Hutchinson (from Melbourne on the right) (1) Most challenging: Experiencing the hottest time of the PNG year and fatigue (although it was awesome whenever we dug deep despite depleted energy so that we could make the most of our time in PNG). (2) Most impacting: o The beautiful hearts and incredible faith of our brothers and sisters in PNG, Fiji and around Australia. Feeling so grateful for the friendships we all formed. o Stories about the way God had worked in the lives of the PNG disciples – the profound challenges so many of them have faced and overcome. o The Australian sisters were so fortunate to stay with Kopsy, whose faith, wisdom, discipline and love for God is truly inspiring. We stayed at a women’s hostel with amazing local women, whose love and care for each other and the community was very impacting. (3) What I will take back to Australia: o I cannot wait to swap stories with my new friends and continue to encourage and support each other in our faith (a disciple’s life is such a blessing). o A conviction to bring the PNG-way to Australia, to strive to emulate the same warmth, hospitality and generosity… and to smile and laugh as much! Luke Bennie (on the left, from Melbourne with Sirilo from Nadi, Fiji) (1) Most challenging: o The weather was super hot o Working during the weather was a killer o Being the youngest volunteer o Not having internet (2) Most impacting: o People from PNG are so friendly and humble o Everybody is open to hear about Jesus o The locals didn’t have much to live for but they were all so happy (3) What I will take back to Australia: o Being grateful for everything o Try to be friendly like a PNG local o Let my light shine Alex Chong (from Melbourne)
(1) Most challenging: It’s hard to stick to your plan in the land of the unexpected. You just need to go with the flow and get creative to work things around and see how God put one stone at a time for you to move up. (2) Most impacting: Equality is not about having the same material blessing but that our needs are met by God who shows no favouritism. It’s convicting to see gratitude overflow from the people in Gumine when we try to meet their need of having basic lighting, which once again reminded me of what I’ve taken fro granted for the ‘abundance’ that we have in the 1st world. (3) What I will take back to Australia: Solar system brightens up the community in Gumine which is one of the most remote areas in the world. Everybody loves to see solar powering lights at night allowing them to see in the darkness. But there is no greater light than God’s light (the word of God) that shines through our hearts transforming us from an empty life to one with purpose. If you would like to be added to our email list, please contact us at hopeausltd@gmail.com. Also contact us at this address to change your details or to be removed from our email list. The Highlands in Papua New Guinea are beautiful and full of natural beauty but are not a place to get sick due to its remoteness and lack of health services. I met with Jon Jon who coordinates the HOPE work in the Highlands and leads the Gumine Church of Christ. He was in Port Moresby for a few days collecting medicine supplies for the Bokolma clinic which caters for the community around Gumine, Simbu district, Central Highlands, some 14000 people. He told me about a measles outbreak that had just affected their area. The Bokolma clinic is in need of repair but still treats up to 200 patients every week. Currently only one Community Health worker runs the clinic and Jon Jon is looking to train a nurse to help out at the clinic and start a much needed immunization program. The measles outbreak started in early July and affected 1000 children across all the nearby schools (Gumine High School, Gumine primary school, Mul primary school, Sua primary school). The Gumine Church has around 30 adults and 30 children, of these 9 caught measles and were very sick. Even Jon Jon’s 6 year old daughter contracted measles and had to be admitted to the district hospital. She made a recovery and is now at home, although weakened by the illness. Many children suffered at home without medication. Symptoms included a rash, fever, bleeding noses, sores in the mouth and stomach ache. Parents were obviously distressed and 3 children succumbed to the illness and died. The 2014 HOPE Volunteer Corps aims to bring a total of 25 volunteers from the Australian churches to Papua New Guinea to lend a helping hand. Here are the details: Two groups of 10-15 volunteers. The first group will go from Dec 1st to 8th and focus on the Capital city, Port Moresby and surrounding area. The Goal: to fix up the HOPE Clinics, School and visit slums. In addition there will be an opportunity to encourage the Port Moresby Church and get involved in spiritual outreach. The second group will go from Dec 1st to 12th and travel up to Gumine, in the Highlands. Goal: to complete the construction of the Bokolma clinic, encourage the church and local communities. There may also be an opportunity to visit 2 of our remotest churches: Mogiaggi and Calvary that are a 6-8 hours further on from Gumine by foot. This is also hoped to identify future poverty programs. The environment in the Highlands is challenging and not for the faint hearted! Generally the Volunteer Corps is open to anyone attending our partner churches, but there may be opportunity for friends of colleagues outside the churches to also attend.
Numbers are limited, so email an expression of interest to me: mark_timlin@hopeww.org and a registration form will be sent to you in the coming weeks. A final list of who is coming will be drawn in August. The cost will be about $1500 per person (flights plus accommodation). On Sun 22 Dec 2013 at Hemmings Park, Dandenong volunteers and supporters engaged with the local community to bring Hope to Refugees and Asylum Seekers. Members of the Melbourne Church of Christ journeyed from their usual location for church on a Sunday morning at Glen Eira College. Food and gifts were donated by church members with a financial contribution from HOPE worldwide. The Dandenong local government area has the greatest number of people nationwide arriving into the area from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Sri Lanka - often poor, isolated and even traumatised from past events related to war and conflict. Hope welcomes them to a new start in Australia! A Christmas Carol service was led by Ford Lee and many refugees listened to the singing, despite not fully understanding the words. Peter Appla shared a lesson about Gods love and compassion, and talked vulnerably about the love he felt from his late father and related this to the love God has for us as demonstrated by Jesus’ life. After the service, church members and volunteers from the Rotary club cooked up a barbeque lunch. There was a steady flow of refugees lining up for food- around 30 families in total. It was good to see people from different races smiling, eating and talking to each other! The food disappeared pretty quickly! A number of the Aussie teens and campus students along with a local soccer coach (Andrew Whelan) organized a soccer game. Teams were a mix of Aussies, Sri Lankans and Afghans. Children from refugee families also lined up to receive presents from the children of Australian families. To begin with people were a little coy. Later Mothers started to spread the word amongst their friends and relatives who soon arrived with their children! There was enough presents to spare and many returned for a second gift. Slideshow below!Ali and Zahra (names changed) with their 3-year-old daughter fled persecution in Iran 9 months ago. Reza has a large scar on his arm, the result of a group of armed men coming to his home and attacking him. As with many asylum seekers, in their desperation to escape to safety they jumped on a boat in Indonesia and arrived on Christmas Island for detention and processing. They now may be waiting years before receiving a decision on whether they are genuine refugees. Ali is depressed and not allowed to work, with no work rights and is dependent on the support that he can receive from settlement organisations like the Red Cross or Adult Migrant English School (AMES). Overall it was an encouraging community event which brought together people from different religions and cultures. Here are a few comments from those who attended: Zahra (Asylum Seeker) – “People were really friendly. I am very grateful for the lunch, the community and the presents for my daughter!” Sofia (3 year old Asylum seeker) – “I really loved the presents. I wanted more!” Carol from Mordialloc Rotary club was one of those serving food: “I enjoyed the opportunity to meet people with such diverse backgrounds and such gorgeous smiles and gratitude.” Geomer Manalasta (Teen) - “ Yeah, the giving was good. I saw most kids get two presents which was great to see, especially at Christmas” Phil Tutt (Church member) – “ I was inspired from hearing the stories of despair turning into hope for a new life. I enjoyed the soccer game. It was great that two groups of people with completely different backgrounds, language and culture could compete and share a few laughs.” Graham joins his daughter Hilary on the board. Graham is a medical professional and long time supporter of Hope serving with distinction for many years in Cambodia. The board welcomes Graham. Graham Gumley has been a disciple and a member of the Churches of Christ since being met and baptized in Boston in 1986. He has been a part of the Sydney congregation since arriving in Australia in 2003 and is currently a part of the Church leadership group. Hope worldwide Australia is appealing for timely and generous donations to support HwwPhilippines in their Typhoon Haiyan relief efforts. Donations are tax deductible via the Hope Worldwide Australia (OAF) fund. Please annotate 'HwwP' followed by your surname. Please notify the office of your donation by email. Below is news from Jun Velasco, Executive Director, HOPE worldwide Philippines Typhoon Haiyan affected over 10 million Filipinos and killed more than 1,800 people as of today official report. Authorities is saying that the casualties may escalate to over 10,000 people because many of the island and far flung communities is not even being reach by the rescuers and other helping agencies. Sunday 22 December 2013, Hemmings Skate Park (‘Afghan Park’), 61-75 Princes Hwy, Dandenong Hope worldwide Australia is supporting Christmas Gift Giving to Asylum Seekers at Dandenong. An outdoor Christmas Carol service is being held in conjunction with Melbourne Church of Christ. Link to flyer below. All welcome. Bring gifts as you are able!
The Board has called the Annual General Meeting to consider the FY13 Annual Report, constitutional changes and (re-)election of directors.
The AGM will be 2pm Sun 24th November at Glen Eira College, Booran Rd, Caulfield East, VIC 3145, in the main hall. This is notably the first time the Hope worldwide Australia AGM has been held outside of Sydney, NSW. This is the same venue as the Melbourne Church of Christ which is meeting at 10:30am, and members are welcome at both events. The proxy form is available here. The annual report will be published when available. We now have a 6 minute video from the Hope Volunteer Corp PNG 2013. Produced by Simon Cahill- thanks!
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