2007 Mission Trip

Our 2007 Volunteer in Mission trip to Czech Republic was a great success. There were only 9 team members to make the trip this year.

We had 2 medical emergencies before we left, so 4 team members could not go with us at the last minute. All 9 worked hard and had great fun.

The Birmingham UMC group was separated into two and three teams to accomplish several tasks. One of the jobs was to paint several rooms in the large building "A" which has about 13 rooms for "clients" who live there full time for up to one year. In one of the rooms we assembled furniture, including two chairs, table, wardrobe, chest of drawers and two door cabinet. A rug and mirror were supplied as well as two beds.

In building "C" there are about 16 rooms that are only slightly larger and house families sometimes with two and three children.

There, a group of us expanded the front hall area by removing a wall and triming it for an area for shoe storage, to allow the residents to leave their shoes at the door, as is the custom. We also expanded the common kitch area by removing a wall to allow for more table space for eating.

Our group reconstructed a fence around the sheep area next to the soccor field. The sheep are to help the children get a feeling of country living which very few of them have in the city. We then painted the whole fence.

2007 Volunteers in Mission Team

Zola Webster, LaVere Webster, Jim Miller, Phoebe Vance, Cindi Boreland, Gayle McGarvah,Roger Vance, Cheryl Code and Donna Haymond

Accomplishments

Work in Building “A”
1. Patched walls - commons room, single family apartment and hallways.
2. Painted large commons room.
3. Painted hallways - walls and ceiling.
4. Painted metal door frames.
5. Assembled furniture for client apartment. 2 chairs, table, wardrobe, dresser and cabinet with doors.
6. Purchased 2 beds, mirror and rug for client apartment.

Work in Building “C”
7. Removed part of a wall to allow for shoe rack to be installed at the front hallway of client building C.
8. Trimmed opening with pre finished panels.
9. Laid vinyl flooring in new area.
10. Removed part of a wall in kitchen area to allow for more eating area.
11. Trimmed opening with pre finished panels.
12. Applied edging to finished panels.
13. Painted window frames.

Project money for center.
14. Identification signs for buildings and rooms.
15. Publicity materials.

Garden and Outside
16. Reconstructed old fence around sheep pen.
17. Cleaned memorial garden in front of church.
18. Cleaned memorial garden in back of church.
19. Painted (stained) total fence, old and new.

Work on Church Building
20. Scraped and chipped loose stucco around foundation.
21. Patched with new stucco, ready for final finish

Programs
21. Participated in Sunday morning worship service at Horni Pocernice UMC.
22. Team members gave sermon, testimony.
23. Participated in Sunday morning worship service at Nove Mesto, Jecna St. UMC.
24. Testimony and lunch with church members and friends.
25. Organized picture project with clients.
26. Hosted celebration “Thanksgiving Party” for staff, team and church members.
27. Helped with noon food deliveries. “Meals on Wheels”

Other
28. Met with Czech VIM coordinator Jana Krizova.
29. Three groups went to three different homes for dinner.
30. Translated center’s “5 year plan” into english.

Donna Haymond and sister Cheryl Code are preparing Horni Pocernice UMC wall for new stucco finish.

Zola Webster and Phoebe Vance are assembling furniture for a new client room.

This is the "Castle" as it looked in 2000 when it was opened as a "Methodist Help Center"

Some of our FUMC mission gifts where used to restore the "Castle" to what it looked like in the 1930's when it was given to the Czechoslovakia Methodist Church.

Cindi Boreland, staining the new fence.

Work continued while we were there at the center.