A Missionary of note

Elizabeth Thiombiano

Assigned to the EMANA Project (Methodist Extention to Andean Youth) in Iquique, Chile, Ms. Elizabeth Yingling Thiombiano is a missionary through the Mission Intern Program with the Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church. (For information on the Mission Intern Program see end of bio).

Working with Becky Harrell, also a GBGM missionary, Beth assists with ‘Serenity', an after-school tutoring program for children whose parents are absent due to drug abuse or immigration issues. She travels with a mobile eyeglass clinic sponsored by EMANA as the clinic visits various pueblos to perform check-ups. Beth also assists with English classes in three Methodist schools as well as working with the Family and Violence Project, a program that provides weekly prevention workshops and works closely with ‘illegal’ immigrants from Peru.

A VIM trip to Jamaica as a young teenager and a Global Justice Volunteer for three months while in college deepened Beth’s understanding of her call to mission. ”It was through these two experiences that I learned the importance of building relationships and walking in solidarity. I hope through this experience I will be able to build relationships, learn from the people I’m working with and walk with them while working towards social justice.”

Beth was born in Westminster, Maryland. She received a diploma in General Studies from Carroll Community College and earned her Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisburg, VA. She worked for Commonwealth Center for Children and Adolescents and Target Community and Educational Services, Inc.

Westminster United Methodist Church in Westminster, MD in the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference is Beth’s home church.

(The Mission Intern Program is a three-year leadership development and mission service opportunity for young adults between the ages of 20 and 30 to be actively involved in mission service and social justice in both an international and a domestic context. The program encourages young adults to live with and learn from communities that struggle with injustice. Mission Interns have worked as community developers, educators, advocates, and grass-roots organizers, and their unique experiences provide vision for new opportunities and ministries within the church. The program offers an opportunity for Mission Interns to serve half of their time abroad, and their remaining time in a placement site in their home country).

Project websites: http://www.emana.org/ or www.7villages.com/chilemissionumc
Make an online donation to: Elizabeth Thiombiano #13105Z
Taken from the GBGM website.

More than a drop in a bucket!

What if a five-gallon bucket could provide the help someone needed? What if you could provide that five-gallon bucket? Would you?

The United Methodist Committee on Relief’s (UMCOR) level of flood buckets has fallen dangerously low following the 2008 hurricane season. These buckets are a part of the Sager Brown Depot through the General Board of Global Ministries. The buckets contain supplies such as bleach, sponges and trash bags – all vital to the cleaning up process from a hurricane.

These buckets are vital to those in need and who are trying to recover from the disaster. You can send completed buckets, bulk materials or a monetary donation to purchase supplies.

If you can’t provide a flood buckets, UMCOR also provides other buckets/kits that are in need.