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Rev. Dr. Kevin Murriel gives thanks for a recent trip to Bangui, CAR, to witness the dedication of the first United Methodist Church facility in the country.

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When I reached Montevideo, Uruguay, to begin missionary service as a Global Mission Fellow, I thought I would be working with youth and children. But the first place church leaders assigned me was Espacio VAR, which operates a shelter for people who have no permanent homes.
One of the greatest necessities and challenges for Christians is to genuinely love those whom we serve, especially those whom we do not know.
By God’s grace, I have settled into my new position as Community Outreach Coordinator with Gulfside Assembly of Waveland, Mississippi, and I absolutely love it. I am surrounded by the best of the best who have helped with my transition.
Jonathan, a physically challenged maintenance worker at the hospital, often catches a lift with me after work. In appreciation, Jonathan says, “May God give you long life.” He is slow at walking to the vehicle and in getting in and out.
When I received an email confirming my selection as a missionary to serve in Mozambique, I couldn’t believe it. When I arrived, I faced different challenges, including language, since I come from an English-speaking country.
As a United Methodist clergy member from the Philippines, my missionary assignment is to serve the “coldest capital city in the world,” Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. 
As a Global Mission Fellow US-2, I moved from my small town in Arkansas to Miami to serve as the Fundraising and Outreach Coordinator for Florida Justice for Our Neighbors, a nonprofit that provides free, high-quality immigration legal services to low-income immigrants throughout the state of Florida.
Roland Fernandes challenged Global Ministries’ directors to hold fast to God’s grace in a report delivered at their semiannual meeting, May 11-12.
Although people in Western nations generally think of bread and wine as the elements served at the Last Supper, Christians around the world may relate to other elements. The Rev. Claudia Genung-Yamamoto, a missionary in Kobe, Japan, offers a Maundy Thursday devotion.
Would you answer the unexpected call of Jesus to participate in Palm Sunday celebrations? GMF Sims Siamoonga shares a devotion from his work site in Kenya.

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Have questions? Send us an inquiry and we’ll get back to you promptly. Please direct all media inquiries to Susan Clark, chief communications officer for Global Ministries and UMCOR.

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Six Years, No Solution: A 500-Gallon Tank Carries Hope to West Virginia’s Forgotten

McDowell County is one of the poorest in the U.S., and the communities of Anawalt, Leckie and Gary are some of the hardest hit by the current six-year water crisis. All have Methodist churches that are part of the Welch Charge.

To ease the burden of residents who have to purchase many gallons of drinking water weekly, the Welch Charge contacted the West Virginia Conference Disaster Response Coordinator, Jim McCune, for help. McCune’s United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) connection put him in touch with Global Ministries’ Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) program. 

A WASH grant allowed them to obtain a 500-gallon “water buffalo.” The conference disaster response team arranged to fill the portable water buffalo from the Welch water system, the county seat of McDowell, and transport it to Gary, where residents have been supplied with refillable containers. Residents of all three towns can come to get water, and volunteers will also continue deliveries for those who need it. Meanwhile, residents, including church members, continue to advocate state and local officials for a permanent solution to their aging, compromised water infrastructure. Full Story