Joshua UMC Takes a Half-Ton of Love to Haiti
Ten representatives of First United Methodist Church of Joshua will arrive in Port-au-Prince, Haiti this Wednesday, Aug. 3, for a 10-day service project that includes rebuilding classroom security walls, plumbing, electrical work and constructing a playground area for a school near Puit Blains in Port-au-Prince. (Pictured - back row: Michael Hartman, Debbie Lehman, Nicole Hutchison, Rev. Lara Whitley, and Alan Eastering; front row: Barbara Howard, Tim Corley, Kim Wolf and Leo Wolf. Not pictured is Tooky Roberts…hey, I guess somebody had to take the photo!)During the last few weeks, the congregation at Joshua FUMC has filled 18 large suitcases with medical and school supplies and other needed equipment, as well as two large boxes of hospital equipment and additional medical supplies. So if that sounds like a lot of stuff, it is. Maybe the following will help get your mind around the enormity of this offering: The Mission Team is taking 1,000 pounds of various 
supplies and equipment to the guest house, project site and Grace Hospital in Port-au-Prince (not counting any personal luggage). That’s a half-ton of love being carried by the people of Joshua UMC.
supplies and equipment to the guest house, project site and Grace Hospital in Port-au-Prince (not counting any personal luggage). That’s a half-ton of love being carried by the people of Joshua UMC.If you are interested in keeping up with the FUMC Joshua mission in Haiti you can follow their adventures on via their blog at http://joshuamission.wordpress.com. This is also an excellent resource to see some of the work, support and giving that helped pave the wave for this mission trip.
Lara Whitley, senior pastor, First UMC Joshua, wishes to express many thanks to the CTC North District churches who provided hundreds of the health kits that will be distributed in Haiti. This mission to Haiti is but one of the ‘goings’ going on in the life and ministry of FUMC Joshua this summer, specifically mission outreach projects. The junior and senior high mission trips kicked off a summer of service; that was followed by a three-day VBS program at the Bethlehem Center in Fort Worth; the church also recently concluded its annual Vacation Bible School with a new record attendance of 180 children; and now an adult mission team is headed for Haiti. It is truly an exciting time in the life of the Joshua church and the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Please join us here at ctcumc.org in praying for this mission trip as well as all those who are giving of their time this summer as we all go about the work of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
*Vance is the director of communications for the Central Texas Conference vance@ctcumc.org