The First OCMC Orthodox Missions Team of 2007 prepares to Provide Healthcare in Kenya
5/22/2007
NEWS FROM THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN MISSION CENTER (OCMC)
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Nairobi,
Kenya – The first Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) Mission Team
of 2007 departed for Kenya earlier this week. Following an orientation
at the Mission Center in St. Augustine, Florida they boarded a plane
for the 14-hour flight to East Africa.
The seven member
Healthcare Team is comprised of Orthodox Christians from around the
United States. They will be serving at several clinics in and around
Nairobi as well as the Orthodox Medial Clinic in Chavogere. The
Chavogere Clinic was built by a previous OCMC Mission Team and
Missionary personnel in 1988 and was one of the first projects
completed by Team sent by the Mission Center. While at the clinic the
Team will offer basic healthcare services to people seeking treatment
for malaria, complications with HIV/AIDS, and a variety of physical
injuries. They will also provide preventive care in by distributing
vaccinations, immunizations and other medications.
There is a
great need for healthcare in Kenya. Travel is difficult in almost all
of East Africa. The roads are in poor condition and many people can’t
afford a car or public transportation. As a result, even basic medical
services are luxury beyond the reach of many Kenyans. The Healthcare
Mission Teams of the OCMC are partly sent as a response to this need.
The services they provide, however, extend beyond the physical wellness
of their patients. As participants in missions, the medical
professionals that serve on OCMC Healthcare Teams are also charged with
caring for the spiritual well-being of those they serve. Through
medicine, love, and prayer they offer a living witness to the healing
power of Christ.
Those who volunteer for medical mission
service experience things that are physically and emotionally
challenging. They see the pain and suffering that poverty brings in a
very tangible way. Please pray that the Team currently serving in Kenya
(Linda, Sanda,Michele, Mary, John, Stacy and Maria) is given strength
in the face of these challenges. Hopefully, the Holy Spirit will work
through them to address both the physical and spiritual ailments that
afflict the people they will see.
Though this is the first Team
to be sent by the Mission Center in 2007, many more are scheduled.
Openings remain on some of these Teams. Please prayerfully consider
following in the footsteps of those currently serving in Chavogere by
joining one of these Teams. For more information about the
opportunities still available or to apply, please contact Andrew Lekos
by phone at 1-877-463-6784, or by e-mail at teams@ocmc.org.
The
Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) is the official international
mission agency of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops
in the Americas (SCOBA). Its purpose is to encourage, support and
facilitate the establishment and development of self-supporting,
Eucharistic Orthodox Christian communities worldwide, thus
incorporating the person into the fullness of a life in Christ. For
more information on OCMC, please visit www.ocmc.org.
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Though this is the first Team to be sent by the Mission Center in 2007, many more are scheduled. Openings remain on some of these Teams. Please prayerfully consider following in the footsteps of those currently serving in Chavogere by joining one of these Teams. For more information about the opportunities still available or to apply, please contact Andrew Lekos by phone at 1-877-463-6784, or by e-mail at teams@ocmc.org.