The representatives from the SEJ.

     I was privileged to represent the Virginia Conference and SEJ as a voting delegate to the Global Young People’s Convocation and Legislative Assembly from July 16-20, 2014 in the Philippines. It became a very memorable adventure early on as we arrived at CCT Retreat Center in Tagaytay City the same time as Typhoon Glenda. We were able to shelter in place and later change locations to a safer building at the retreat center during the eye of the storm. Everyone was very patient and flexible which is much appreciated by all when, at times, you have one semi-working bathroom with hundreds of folks trying to, literally, weather a storm together in one building. During the worst parts of the storm many of us prayed and sang together, even if we were exhausted from over 24 hours of travel with less than 2 hours of sleep. We were not able to stay at the retreat center due to the damage it sustained during the category three typhoon but the planning committee spent hours making contacts and working through the situation until they found a place for us to reconvene closer to Manila. Before we left CCT an offering was taken up and at least five denominations of cash were donated from representatives from around the world– over $1,500 was collected to help CCT as they begin to repair their facility. Once things began to calm down and the convention actually began we enjoyed meals, Worship, fellowship, Communion, and awesome music together! Our wonderful Filipino brothers and sisters blessed us with amazing hospitality! During the convention there was time to help fill food bags to help those devastated by the typhoon we experienced, a time of Worship to celebrate the Young Adult Mission Fellows from around the world who will be going out shortly to serve, and a time to discuss legislation. All items that passed will be sent to General Conference in 2016. The most amazing work to come from our short, hot, busy, emotional time together was a statement of unity which can be found here. We are all thankful for the prayers sent up for us during the GYPCLA and I encourage all to continue to support the young people in the church around the world as they work towards unity and work to fulfill the mission of The United Methodist Church.

My photos are available here.
The password is rachelmiller.

A video of our time in the Philippines can be found here. 

Are we there yet?

The countdown is (still) on... 115ish hours until I leave for the Global Young People’s Convocation and Legislative Assembly in the Philippines. Remember when you were 8 or 9 years old and you knew you were going to Disney World NEXT week - yeah - that's me right now! My mind is already on the way there but my body still has plenty to do in the next few days... 

Rec'd this in my inbox this morning - fairly cool!

Shout out to the Spares and Pairs Sunday School class at Main Street UMC in Waynesboro, VA for making a donation to help me cover some additional expenses - thank you!! A blessing for sure!

Have a great week and please keep those prayers coming! Many, may thanks!

"It's a party in the USA!"

     The song "Party in the USA" came out shortly before I went off to DRC for three months back in 2010 and I played it constantly on my iPod when I was alone... I don't care how much you do or don't like Miley Cyrus - when you're literally on the other side of the world and there's a fun song about your home country - you listen to it over and over and over. (Yes, I do know all the words......)
     ANYWAY... In 11 short days (roughly 264 hours) I'll be headed to the other side of the world. I'm very excited about my first trip to Asia! I'll be heading to Tagaytay, Luzon, The Philippines as a voting-delegate (Young Adult) from the Southeastern Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church to the Global Young People’s Convocation and Legislative Assembly (GYPCLA). I've recently seen the final list of delegates from the SEJ and I believe I'm the only one from the Virginia Conference. I leave Charlottesville early in the AM on the 14th and after stops in the US to meet up with some more delegates I head off to The Philippines after a very quick layover in Japan. I'll arrive around bedtime on the 15th and our event is the 16th-20th. I know very little about what to expect except that we'll have Worship, Fellowship, Prayer and Holy Conferencing. (Yes, we'll be going paperless, we've already rec'd a link to the legislative stuff in all the languages... I'm sticking with English so that I know what's going on.)
     Here are some links that might help describe the Conference a little better: here's one and here's another.
     I'm very grateful to the GBOD for providing a scholarship and my conference, district, and church for helping with the funding for this. Without all this I wouldn't be able to go. (Don't you love a call where they ask you to be a delegate for something but then tell you you have to pay for all of it?!?)
     While I'm away I hope to have the time and opportunity (aka: energy and wifi) to update this blog a few times with stories and photos. I covet your prayers for safe travels and a wonderful experience for each and every person who is a part of this event! In the meantime just think about how excited I am to rock out some compression socks on the 13ish hour flight from Detroit to Japan... OH YEA!

 

     This October a team, including members of Aldersgate UMC (and, of course, yours truly) will be heading to Honduras to volunteer for a week at Worldwide Heart to Heart Ministries. Heart to Heart's projects currently include a Children's Village, Church, Medical Clinic, Soccer Academy, and English Immersion School. Our team will be spending most of our time at the English Immersion School helping in the classrooms. 
     Our team is asking for prayer as we prepare ourselves for this time in mission. As the trip gets closer we will start a prayer calendar and ask our faith family to sign up for specific dates to be in prayer for us. At this point we are working on our applications and thinking about all the fundraising we'll be doing. The trip will cost approximately $2,000 per person. Could you help someone go to, and return from, Honduras with a $2,000 (tax-deductible) donation? Perhaps you can help someone go OR return with a $1,00 donation? (Great gift for that person you don't like who is going, hope they raise enough money to get back too!!) Perhaps you can help pay someone's application fee for $200? All donations are welcome! Please make checks payable to "AUMC" with "VIM" (Volunteers in Mission) in the memo line and mail them to the church or put them in the offering plate.
     To find out more about where our team will be serving you can check out the ministry online at http://h2hcv.org/
Gracias y vaya con Dios!

(You can also make donations to a specific person on our team, just write them a personal check! However, please know that it won't be tax-deductible...)

A week of HOPE(well)

Whew! I survived my first ever mission trip in the good ol' U.S. of A. I didn't have to board any planes, I spoke the native language, I didn't have to take anti-malaria meds, I was able to flush my toilet paper, and I didn't have to exchange currency to make purchases. It was a blessing to help right here in Virginia! I truly enjoyed getting to know the ladies I roomed with and the crews I served with!
So Sunday morning another adult and a youth and myself loaded up a truck and trailer and hit the road. (We missed those who had last minute situations arise that kept them from joining us!!) After about two hours on the road (and a lunch stop) we arrived at the newly renovated high school in Hopewell, Virginia that became our home for a week. I was roomed with some awesome ladies from NJ. They kept me laughing all week. (Not the "tee hee" type of laughing- the kind of laughing where you have to run to the bathroom to pee while wiping the tears from your eyes. Laughter is awesome medicine!)
Sunday evening we met our work crews. I was on crew 25 and we were paired with crew 26- I considered us one big crew- it was hard to tell where 25 stopped and 26 started!! We did our devotions together at our site all week, we ate lunch together, we worked together, we made messes together, and we served God together!
My crew worked at a home near the school. Our jobs included building a wooden deck over a brick deck, building a ramp off the new deck, moving the tomato garden, weeding, coating the top of the carport for more protection, scraping and repainting the supports of the carport, painting the bathroom, and repairing a section of the house near the roof. Whew!
During the week we met our "resident's" neighbor who asked us to pray for her 32 year old grandson who was dying of cancer. Sadly, he passed away the next day. I spent time talking to her and getting to know her. She was a light in my week for sure!
During the week we had a different question to ponder for the day that tied in to our devotions and times of Worship. On Weds our question was "Why do you doubt?" I shared with my group about a time I doubted and that out of that time rainbows became special signs from God. (We'd be here all day if I tried to write them all down- hope to do that some day though.) Well Thurs it was raining while we were working and the youth started saying that it would be cool to see a rainbow in the sky and kept looking up and around for one. I prayed to God that God would show them a rainbow- but if not- it was okay. So we left without seeing a rainbow. HOWEVER, that evening I was talking on the phone out front of the school and saw a huge rainbow across the sky. Not only did I see it, everyone on our crews, some at the school, some at other places around town, saw it too. God's awesomeness never ceases to amaze me!!!!
By the end of the week I was mentally, physically and emotionally spent- but spiritually shining bright! I'm STILL getting caught up on sleep and will probably have to run to the doctor- I was fighting a sinus infection when we left and all the sawdust, mold, etc we encountered seems to have not helped me get over it. However, it was an awesome week! I met so many amazing sisters and brothers in Christ and made some awesome friends!
Please feel free to check out photos of our week here. (The site is password protected. The password is: rachelmiller) Please feel free to save any photos you like, they're for all to enjoy! If you have some awesome additional photos please feel free to send to me so that I can add them.

God's Peace!