Sunday May 3, 2009

Welcome to the May 1 issue of the eSpirit of Wyoming!
Special thanks to the folks that have contacted me about their Mustard Seed Mission Projects! Part of the convention will be highlighting what each church has done for the Mustard Seed Mission in a poster display, multimedia production, and presentation. I would like to visit with each church (phone/email) soon on the projects and, if needed, schedule a visit to interview folks, take pictures and video, etc. Also, if any churches need help with the Mustard Seed Mission project, I can help (and find help if it is out of my area of expertise). Already some exciting projects are being started and we at the Diocese Office want to make sure the story is documented so we can share these projects (from start to finish) with the world.

Also, a reminder that if you have articles you would like to share with the rest of the Diocese, please email them (and a picture if you have one) to info@wyomingdiocese.org. It doesn’t have to be earth-shattering news or events, but anything you would like to share. The Diocese is still putting together a list of blogs, too, so if you have a blog please send me the address so I can list it.

Thanks and keep the stories coming!

God’s peace,

-Andrew

Email: andrew@wyomingdiocese.org

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By The Rev Kay Rohde. Email: kay@wyomingdiocese.org

We are deep into the planning for the 2009 Mission to Honduras: plan reservations, hotels, transportation, finding medicines, getting immunizations. In less than 2 months 17 volunteers from the Diocese of Wyoming will be heading down to La Ceiba, on the north coast of Honduras. The group which includes 2 doctors and 2 nurses will be putting the finishing touches on a new medical clinic building in La Ceiba and conducting medical clinics for the people of the area. Six of the participants are high school students, and in addition to helping in the clinics, they will be looking for opportunities to build relationships and contacts in the community that can form the basis for the next youth mission trip.

Members of the team: Dr. Gary Hrnicek, Pat Hrnicek and Dr. Joe Bicek from St. Mark’s in Casper; Kay Jacoby – St. Thomas, Dubois; Sarah Hixson – St. Andrew’s, Pinedale; Richard Durney – St. Andrew’s, Basin. The youth presence include Garret Wilson – St. John’s, Glendo; Tyler Caldwell – Holy Communion, Rock Springs; Emma Becker – Trinity, Lander; Elizabeth Patterson and Josey Nickles – St. John’s, Powell and Nicolle Davenport – Holy Trinity, Thermopolis. In addition 2 nurses, Katherine Otte from Nebraska and Nancy Hill from Nacogdoches, Texas will join the group along with Gus Salbador, Andrew Kerr, Bruce Caldwell and Kay Rohde.

You too can be a part of the mission to Honduras. You can pray for the members of the team and their work. You can also help support the effort by contributing money to help offset the costs, or purchase medicines and medical supplies for use in the clinic. Contributions can be made on line or sent to the Diocesan Office.
 

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By The Rev Kathy Robinson. Email: kathy@wyomingdiocese.org

Every Wednesday, Cindy Gruwell of St. George’s, Lusk gathers together a group of children for bible stories, food and fun. Earlier this year I spent an afternoon with them watching them sell cookies at the local hardware store and florist shop. For several months they had been bringing their pennies to church each week in an effort to collect one hundred dollars to send to Honduras so that children there will have the food they need to grow healthy bodies and minds. But 10,000 pennies are an awful lot to collect in a few short months so they all met at Cindy’s house to decorate cookies and then split into two groups to sell their wares. Not surprisingly the children had a good time and people were very generous.

But what struck me about that afternoon was the way the children talked about the bible stories they had learned and how their lives fit into these tales. They kept talking about the story of the “Good Shepherd” and how Jesus calls everyone to “follow me”. For them, following Jesus meant helping others and you could just see the pleasure they were taking seeing themselves as an important part of God’s family.

This week they are having a party to celebrate as they write a check for $100.00. Way to go!!!
 

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By The Rev Doug Wasinger. Email: doug@wyomingdiocese.org

Well folks it is almost the end of April with May right around the corner. For me that means everything is going to get CRAZY with school ending, recitals gearing up, Memorial Day Weekend activities (the unofficial start of summer in Wyoming), and regional confirmation and on and on it goes. Even now it is the middle of the week and I am now getting around to sending out the weekly letter to the churches of Carbon County! I hope everybody is holding up well.

Last Saturday the Apostolic Team meeting for Region IV (4) went well. Linda Fleming was the facilitator of the meeting, and St. Thomas was the host and provided a wonderful space and food. Associated Priests (Jess and Ray) were in attendance and we had quite a cross section of leadership throughout the Southeast portion of the state. We would have had more, but given other commitments like the Bishop Search and Sabbaticals, had priority (for good reason). The meeting started promptly at 10am and ended at 2pm per one of the group agreements. During our time together we did an ice breaker (community building) exercise, established group norms, shared a meal, discussed Mustard Seed Projects and set another meeting on the web. I was really impressed and am eternally grateful for the leadership I am blessed to work with.

Sunday I was at St. Thomas in Rawlins for a service. As I pulled up to the church I was thanking God for keeping with the color of the Easter Season by providing a wonderful blanket of snow. The gathered group of people was in good cheer. It was also mentioned (the 2nd time that week) that the leadership of the church as really stepped up and is doing a good job. I could not agree more!

That afternoon I drove to Casper and caught up with the other Ministry Developers along with guests from all around the United States, one person from Canada, and a fellow Wyomingite for the 2nd Annual Wyoming Visitor Weekend. It was a time to hear what the visitors have learned (they were on information overload) and for us to learn from them. I do believe that we are slowly introducing a wonderful ministry to the greater whole and it is exciting to be at the ground level of this movement.

Monday and Tuesday morning I was in Casper with the Ministry Developers as we focused on reviewing our work and to learn how to use a Mutual Ministry Review process. Linda Wilson, Kathy Robinson, and Margaret Babcock all worked on developing enriching this process by adding group activities at each step. Unfortunately I returned to Rawlins early and missed the wrap up on (mid-morning) Tuesday. I understand more information will be coming and I am looking forward to seeing how we can incorporate this new tool into our lives in the Partnering Congregations along with sharing ideas with the Rector lead churches as well. That cross fertilization of ideas and ministries is attractive in this line of work.

The reminder of the week looks like this – Wednesday I am the tech/note taker for a web/phone meeting with those who are going to General Convention this year and that meeting starts at 4pm for an hour an half. Following that meeting I am a co-leader of a distant learning program called – Ministry Development for the Ministry Developer being hosted by EDS and our first web/phone meeting will be taking place at 6:30pm. Thursday I will be going to St. John’s (Green River) to meet with the leadership there for community building. Friday I will be at Kraft Hall at 10 for two hours and then head over to Laramie for the afternoon. Saturday I will be meeting with the Ministry Support Team of St. Thomas in Rawlins at 9am. Sunday I will be in Rawlins for Holy Eucharist Service starting at 9:30am.

Be well my friends!

Doug

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The Swine Flu – Information from the Medical Trust

We have all been hearing about the outbreak of Swine Flu in Mexico. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now reporting that 40 cases, much less serious than those reported in Mexico, have been reported in the United States.

According to the World Health Organization, Swine flu, or swine influenza, is a form of a virus that normally infects pigs. There are many forms of flu, and the different varieties have the ability to exchange genes with one another. The form of flu that originated in Mexico is a genetic mixture of viruses that have been seen in pigs, birds, and people. It’s being called a swine flu because the overall structure of the virus is of the type that affects pigs.

The CDC is working closely with state and local officials, as well as Mexico, Canada, and the World Health Organization, to investigate the human cases of swine influenza. It is important to communicate that there is no human influenza pandemic at this time.

This is a rapidly evolving situation and the CDC will provide new information as it becomes available. You can review this information at the CDC website http://www.cdc.gov/ and follow the links for Swine Flu. For more local information you can visit your state’s health department on line.

Things You Can Do

The Atlanta-based federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are recommending several steps to prevent the spread of the virus:
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs spread that way.
• Try to avoid contact with sick people. Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
• If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them. Do not return until two days after your symptoms are gone.
• Masks may be recommended for health care workers, family members, and others who come in close contact with swine flu patients, but there is no need for the general public to wear masks.

How to Properly Wash Your Hands

• Wet hands and apply soap
• Rub hands together to create friction
• Wash for at least 20 seconds
• Wash under fingernails and in creases
• Rinse well
• Dry hands
• Use paper towel to touch surfaces
• Dispose of paper towel

Learn more, including the proper use of hand sanitizers.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hand-washing/HQ00407

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