Making friends around the world!

By Rev. Lorraine DeArmitt

District Mission Coordinator Long Island East

Retired Elder, UMC

Friday October 14, 2016 – I woke up this morning in a very comfortable room in the Phoebe Retreat House (Built and maintained by a church) in Korea for the use of Korean missionaries stationed in the Philippines.) The back wall, all glass, looked out on a small patio and beyond that, a muddy stream whose banks led up on the far side to jungle. Lush vegetation, thick growth, narrow footpaths running from the stream to what may be a barrio in the jungle.

We gathered early and took our bus, driven by Fredo, to Union Theological Seminary in Desmarinas. Faculty were waiting for us with a breakfast feast. Also there were some international students, from Nepal, Myanmar, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. The meal was wonderful – a savory rice porridge, salad, eggs and a ginger/tamarind tea. And the fellowship! I made friends Daaniel Silvakumar from Sri Lanka. His work there, someone else told me, is very important in his country, providing aid and supporting communities there. He and I spoke about the war there, the conflict with the Tamil. The war was over in 2009, leaving many widows. Daniel and I agreed to become Facebook friends, and I look forward to us learn more about each other.

The church truly empowers us, equips us and sends us all over the world to befriend and serve each other.

Then we traveled to Manila, and settled into our rooms at UCCP’s Shalom House “Your Christian Home in Manila”. We met Bishop Juan, of the manila area whose episcopacy responsibilities include 12 Annual Conferences! He is a hard worker, visiting all seminarians within his area twice a year, visiting and providing for new pastors and seeing to feeding the hungry outside the UMC building, fund raising for the renovations for his headquarters in Manila.

Today was one more day meeting people of the UMC who are doing ministry under difficult conditions in creative, productive, Godly ways. A good day!