The First OCMC Orthodox Missions Team of 2007 prepares to Provide Healthcare in Kenya

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

5/22/2007

NEWS FROM THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN MISSION CENTER (OCMC)
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Nairobi, Kenya – The first Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) Mission Team of 2007 departed for Kenya earlier this week. Following an orientation at the Mission Center in St. Augustine, Florida they boarded a plane for the 14-hour flight to East Africa.

The seven member Healthcare Team is comprised of Orthodox Christians from around the United States. They will be serving at several clinics in and around Nairobi as well as the Orthodox Medial Clinic in Chavogere. The Chavogere Clinic was built by a previous OCMC Mission Team and Missionary personnel in 1988 and was one of the first projects completed by Team sent by the Mission Center. While at the clinic the Team will offer basic healthcare services to people seeking treatment for malaria, complications with HIV/AIDS, and a variety of physical injuries. They will also provide preventive care in by distributing vaccinations, immunizations and other medications.

There is a great need for healthcare in Kenya. Travel is difficult in almost all of East Africa. The roads are in poor condition and many people can’t afford a car or public transportation. As a result, even basic medical services are luxury beyond the reach of many Kenyans. The Healthcare Mission Teams of the OCMC are partly sent as a response to this need. The services they provide, however, extend beyond the physical wellness of their patients. As participants in missions, the medical professionals that serve on OCMC Healthcare Teams are also charged with caring for the spiritual well-being of those they serve. Through medicine, love, and prayer they offer a living witness to the healing power of Christ.

Those who volunteer for medical mission service experience things that are physically and emotionally challenging. They see the pain and suffering that poverty brings in a very tangible way. Please pray that the Team currently serving in Kenya (Linda, Sanda,Michele, Mary, John, Stacy and Maria) is given strength in the face of these challenges. Hopefully, the Holy Spirit will work through them to address both the physical and spiritual ailments that afflict the people they will see.

Though this is the first Team to be sent by the Mission Center in 2007, many more are scheduled. Openings remain on some of these Teams. Please prayerfully consider following in the footsteps of those currently serving in Chavogere by joining one of these Teams. For more information about the opportunities still available or to apply, please contact Andrew Lekos by phone at 1-877-463-6784, or by e-mail at teams@ocmc.org.

The Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) is the official international mission agency of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA). Its purpose is to encourage, support and facilitate the establishment and development of self-supporting, Eucharistic Orthodox Christian communities worldwide, thus incorporating the person into the fullness of a life in Christ. For more information on OCMC, please visit www.ocmc.org.

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Though this is the first Team to be sent by the Mission Center in 2007, many more are scheduled. Openings remain on some of these Teams. Please prayerfully consider following in the footsteps of those currently serving in Chavogere by joining one of these Teams. For more information about the opportunities still available or to apply, please contact Andrew Lekos by phone at 1-877-463-6784, or by e-mail at teams@ocmc.org.