WMUV – Woman's Missionary Union of Virginia

We will spend much of Shine 2011 focusing on a local ministry called Embrace Richmond. It was founded by Wendy McCaig (our speaker for the weekend) and has helped many, many people over the years, both in area congregations and in Richmond’s homeless population.

One part of Embrace Richmond’s ministry is Blessing Days. Once a month, an area church helps a family move into their new home after being homeless or after exiting a shelter. Girls who come to Shine will be contributing to and putting together “Welcome Home” packages for those families.

These baskets will include basic necessities that a family can use. Each group is asked to bring the following items with them to Shine for the packing event:

• Mop bucket
• Windex
• Comet
• All-Purpose Cleaner
• Dusting Spray
• Dish Detergent
• Paper Towels
• Sponges
• Jars of Peanut Butter and Jelly (many families have children to feed and money is tight following their move)

Participants may bring enough supplies for a partial baskets, a whole basket, or multiple baskets…it is all much appreciated and will be put to good use.

Perhaps you can involve others in your church (WMU circles, Sunday School classes, even the entire congregation!) in collecting items to bring for this project. What a great way for your church to be on mission together!

Learn more about Shine at www.wmuv.org/shine. Have further questions? Contact Kristen White, WMUV Student Missions Coordinator. Read all the posts about “Why Shine?”.

Leadership development has been, and continues to be, a pillar of WMUV and CrossRoads.

LITe (Leader-in-Training Extended) is a new leadership initiative among high school students. The first LITe event, a weekend retreat, was held recently at CrossRoads.

Twelve students from around Virginia came together to explore ways to grow as leaders – not only through CrossRoads/WMUV, but also in their homes, schools, churches, and communities.

Through Bible study, discussion, teambuilding activities, worship, and individual reflection, students were challenged to take the next step in leadership. We are looking forward to providing more ways to invest in students and develop them as leaders in God’s Kingdom.

When we arrived to our destination at the Tea Plantation Area we heard beautiful voices singing. We didn’t understand the language, but we knew the songs were praises to the King. We walked in and met 20 women of “Loving Touch“. While there are more who benefit from this ministry, they were not well enough to walk to the place where we gathered.

The first thing we noticed were their eyes: curious, probing, wondering, burdened, sad, tired. As we spoke words of encouragement, love and strength over their lives, their eyes became brighter; as we prayed over them, their eyes shed tears of gratitude; and as we contributed gifts of food and basic care products, we began to see hope.

Hope for women who have been neglected, widowed or abandoned. Hope because of a Savior who loves them. Hope because of your faithfulness in making this possible.  It is this hope that is “adding life to their days, not just days to their lives.”

Keep the prayers coming – we surely feel them! Pray for each women of Loving Touch (www.wmuv.org/wmui), for Divya and Asish Matthew as they minister to these wonderful women, and for those we will meet today in the name of Christ.

Be sure to read all of the India 2011 trip blog posts at wmuv.org/blog/india.

Traveling for almost 24 hours straight is pretty tough, especially when you lose a day in travel. So why, in our exhausted state, quickly freshen up to attend the services at Areepparambu Baptist Church?

Very simply because we were eager to join our brothers and sisters to worship the Lord and celebrate His goodness together. Singing familiar hymns  (“Praise Him, Praise Him” and “Lead Me To Calvary”), and listening to a Sermon from 2 Timothy 4 (I have run the race…) brought to mind the unity Christians share around the world as they sing praise to Jesus, despite the diversity of race, culture and style.

After the service we were introduced to a group of students from Myanmar who travel as much as 12 days (6 days walking) to attend IBTS. Several of them cannot go home during break, and have not seen their families in several years. Two of them had close family members who died, yet they could not go home to attend the funerals. Their sacrifice is humbling, and causes me to question my own.

Today is the visit to the Tea Plantation area in Eastern Kerala to minister to the aged women of Loving Touch, the first initiative of WMUI.

Please pray for all of the IBTS students who sacrifice a lot to become stronger disciples for Christ; pray for the leaders of IBTS as they mentor and train up these gifted students; pray for continued safety as we travel; and for the women who we will meet today.

Be sure to read all of the India 2011 trip blog posts at wmuv.org/blog/india.

Since most of those on our team have not been to India before, it has been fun preparing them for the experience.

It takes over 16 hours to fly to India, plus 2 hours to drive to our destination. When we arrive, it will be 90+ degrees with a lot of humidity – quite a difference from what we left!

While in the state of Kerala the women should wear long skirts and shirts with collars and sleeves, and the men should wear long sleeve shirts with ties.

In addition to packing appropriate clothes, converters, and Pepto-Bismol, I also include safety pins (always handy to have), a small flashlight (the electricity goes out quite frequently), and a small photo album of my family (people in India love pictures).

What else do you pack when traveling overseas?

We would appreciate your prayers for:

• Protection while traveling
• Our families while we are gone
• The men, women and children we will be spending time with

Since the beginning of the year, we have been planning a trip to India in February where we will lead a team to engage in many activities and events in Kerala and Delhi.

While we have decided the details of our schedule ahead of time, we are mindful to expect the unexpected.

As with any overseas trip, flexibility is so important. More than likely, the schedule will change while we are there – and it may be right at the last minute!

We would appreciate your prayers for:

• Our preparation for the activities and events we will be involved in
• Opportunities to encourage and love those we meet
• Our flexibility in the event of changes

Fox Hill Road Baptist Church hosted a gathering of churches for a Hunger Dialogue in Hampton last September. Jean Felberg sent us an update from that event:

I just wanted you to know that the meeting that was held at Fox Hill Road Baptist Church in Hampton, did not fall on deaf ears.

Our WMU last Tuesday prepared a meal for six homeless veterans and took it to the home where they are staying ( Through H.E.L.P.) Our Pastor went with us and we had a time for fellowship and conversation. I would not have thought of this if I had not attended the Dialogue.

Would you consider hosting a Hunger Dialogue in 2011? Information about hosting this 3 hour event is available at wmuv.org/hunger or call Maria Lynn at 1-800-255-2428 ext. 8301.

In past years, there has only been one schedule for those attending Shine – Friday night through Sunday morning.

Many felt rushed to get from school/work to their church, grab dinner on the road, and make it to Lynchburg by the time the program began.

Others were unable to come at all due to the cost incurred by spending two nights away.

We are excited to offer two different scheduling options for Shine 2011 to provide more flexibility for you.

1. The main event will begin at 12noon on Saturday, April 9 and end at 12noon on Sunday, April 10. This time will be filled with all of the good things that have always happened at Shine – large-group worship with a mission speaker and worship band, breakout sessions, Bible studies, and of course hands-on mission involvement. The cost (BGAV church, staying in a lodge) is only $60/person. This includes lodging, meals, service/facilities fee, and all of the programming.

2. Some groups love having two nights away together. So the other option is to join us for the kickoff, beginning on Friday night at 8pm. We’ll have time for games, worship, and fellowship before joining in with the main event action on Saturday/Sunday. A BGAV church staying in a lodge pays $88.40/person.

You can find a more detailed schedule here for the weekend