Meet Team Member Sarah Annette Pollard

 

 

 

 

I have lived in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, most of my life.  I have a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education and a Master’s of Education in Elementary School Counseling.  I married Al Pollard who grew up in Ohio and had chosen a career in the United States Air Force; he died in 2009.  I have three adult children and three superior grandchildren.

 

                While we were traveling with the USAF, I chose to be a stay at home mom, and just substitute in the local schools.  When we settled back here, I taught for several years in a private Christian School.  Then I began my career as an Elementary School Guidance Counselor, a position that I considered more of a ministry than a job.  I retired in 2002.

 

            My faith and my church have always played a major role in my life.  I am a member of the church that I grew up in.  At that time, it was a “family” church and we all knew each other.  Now it’s 500 percent larger and most of the members are from somewhere else.  In my local church, I have a variety of responsibilities and participate in community ministries that we sponsor.  On the district level, I’m active in the United Methodist Women and Lay Servant Ministry.  I became interested in mission work when a pastor was assigned to our church and started leading mission trips; both Al and I went together on these trips. Curiosity got me involved, but love for and admiration of the people that we served captured my heart.   They have expanded my concept of mission and contributed to my personal spiritual growth in ways that I could never have imagined.



Presents for our Zimbabwe UMW Sisters

 

Click on this link to see some gifts made for the women we will be meeting in Zimbabwe.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/lqidvpx6khu5rxl/2014-01-28%2010.24.42.avi

 

Meet Team Member Shirley Ferrill

Shirley was born and raised in Wisconsin.  After graduating from high school in 1954 she joined the U.S. Navy.  Boot camp was in Bainbridge, MD; Class A Teleype School in San Diego and duty at Naval Communications Station in San Francisco. 

It was there she met a sailor, Joe Ferrill, and they were married in 1957.  He was transferred to the Philippines and in order for Shirley to go there, she had to take a discharge.  They spent 18 months in the Philippines, then to Norfolk, VA,  Alameda, CA and finally San Diego  They had three children along the way.  Joe retired from the Navy in 1969, and with three kids in school, they stayed where they were. Joe died in 1992.

Shirley was a stay at home mom and Navy wife for a number of years and then were to work for the local church and was the Administrative Secretary for 12 years.  From there she went on the the United Methodist Urban Miniistry Agency for San Diego District and spent 22 1/2 years with them. Her position Local Church Laison, but she also served as case manage, volunteer coordinator and edited a newsletter. 

She retired in 2002 and since then she stays busy with involvements in Veterans organization, United Methodist Women and several agencies where she served on the Board of Directors.  Her interests are reading, movies, theater and politics and traveling.

Her family of three children, four adult grandchildren and a brother and family are all in San Diego and are an important part of her life.  

Meet Team Member Loree Nicholas

Hi, my name is Loree Nicholas and I am one of the team members for the 2014 Zimbabwe Ubuntu mission trip. I currently reside in Carol Stream, IL.   I am married with two daughters ages 21 and 22.  I have been in private practice since 1988 as a general dentist in Glen Ellyn, IL. Prior to dental school I received my certification as an expanded function dental assistant in 1978  from University of IL and have been in this field ever since. In the earlier years after my graduation from Northwestern University Dental School I frequently went to the local grammar schools to talk about oral health and proper technique to clean your mouth and the impact that your mouth has on your overall health.  I did that for approximately 10 years and it was a true joy working with the children.  My own children after that took up much of my spare time.

My career has given me so many wonderful opportunities to expand myself in ways that I never dreamed of.  Through extensive continuing education I have been able to travel to many parts of the world and experience the cultures and love that so many people have to offer.  It has and will continue to be a humbling experience to see how the other side of the world lives.

I have been on two previous medical mission trips through the United Methodist Volunteers in Mission working both times in Panama with our devoted leader Jane Dunn. Both trips were amazing!  When the invitation to join in on this group effort to Zimbabwe was offered I did not hesitate to say a hearty "yes please"!  I am so looking forward to meeting our team... working together to help in whatever ways that we can to interact, help, share, laugh, cry and empower the women and children that we will be working together with.  We have all been given many responsibilities to share and one of mine is as the team medic ....I will surely strive to keep my gal pals healthy.

 

Below are a few photos of me working in Panama, taking a hike at The Great Wall with The University of the Pacific Continuing Education Group, and a photo amidst the lovely wooded orchards of Door County Wisconsin.  Thanks everyone and wish us well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meet Team Member Diana Smith from Iowa

 

 

 



My name is Diana Smith, one of the team members and blog master for the 2014 Zimbabwe Ubuntu mission experience.  I live in Des Moines, Iowa.  I am a lifelong United Methodist and am a member of the West Des Moines United Methodist Church.  I enjoy traveling and learning about other cultures and countries, especially in a mission capacity.  I have participated on several mission opportunities in the past.  In July of 2012 I was an adult chaperone for our church's youth mission trip to Colorado for the Week of Hope mission experience where my team worked at a senior assisted living facility.  In 2007 I spent four months in Guatemala as an individual Volunteer In Mission (VIM) through the United Methodist Church.  I volunteered at a low-income daycare facility in the mornings and taught English to elementary aged children at the local Methodist church in the afternoons.  In 2006 I was part of my church's mission work trip to Buffalo, New York.

 

Through my church I have also been involved in many programs and ministries.  I currently sing on our Praise Team and help lead our contemporary worship service as well as co-leading our young adult small group.  In the past I have taught children's Sunday School and English as a Second Language to adults.  I was a co-chair of our missions committee, volunteered with vacation Bible school, sang in the choir, participated in small groups and local service projects.

 

I currently work for the State of Iowa at the economic development department as the trade show coordinator on the marketing and communications team.  Before joining the IEDA, I worked for Children and Families of Iowa at the domestic violence shelter, where I coordinated donations for the families using our services as well as facilitated staff trainings and gave community presentations to raise awareness about domestic violence. 

 

I am a recent breast cancer survivor, having been diagnosed in October of 2012 and I finished my last treatment in July of 2013.  I am now cancer free and thankful that God isn't done with me yet.  I am a strong, quiet individual who is very passionate about my faith and women's issues around the world.  I enjoy history, traveling, practicing speaking Spanish, gardening, reading, music, spending time with family and friends, volunteering at church and helping people.  I have never been to Africa and I am very much looking forward to this trip to learn about the women of Zimbabwe and their lack of healthcare and how we can help.  I hope this is the first of many international team mission trips I will be involved with and someday I hope to be a team leader of one of these trips.

 

I have one cat, Chloe, who provides me with daily enjoyment.  I have two wonderful parents and one younger brother plus many more family members and friends.  Below are pictures of me from my time volunteering in Guatemala.

 



Meet our Team Leader

I am Jane Dunn and am privileged to participate in the Ubuntu Zimbabwe Journey as leader.  I am a life-long Methodist/United Methodist.  My husband Richard and I have enjoyed 25 or more United Methodist Volunteer-in-Mission experiences to Panama, Honduras, Guatemala, Cambodia, Senegal, Chile, Belize and to disaster areas within the United States.

 

We have 3 adult children.  Two sons live in the Portland, Oregon area with their families and a daughter resides with her family in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.  We are the proud grandparents of  5 grandchildren ranging in age from 8 to 16.

I have a masters degree in Nursing.  My background includes experience as a hospital staff nurse, clinic work, a hospital service line manager and Assistant Professor at Lewis University School of Nursing’s Baccalaureate Program.  I am retired from full-time work but for the past 5 years have served as Consultant to the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries as Manager of a Blog for Health Volunteers at www.umvim4health.blogspot.com .

While on an UMVIM experience in Cambodia, a United Methodist Medical Missionary Nurse named Irene Mparutsa served as one of our hosts.  Irene showed me the work she was doing regarding Community Health.  Irene is originally from Zimbabwe, is now retired and has returned home.  She will be volunteering to help host our group in February when we visit Zimbabwe. Pictured below is a photo of Irene and me during the Cambodia visit in 2007.

 

 

 

Zimbabwe Background Info

Zimbabwe /zɪmˈbɑːbweɪ/, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in southern Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. The capital is Harare. Zimbabwe achieved de jure sovereignty from the United Kingdom in April 1980, following 14 years as an unrecognized state under the conservative white minority government of Rhodesia, which unilaterally declared independence in 1965.

Zimbabwe has 16 official languages with English, Shona and Ndebele being most common. The present territory was first demarcated by Cecil Rhodes of the British South Africa Company, becoming a self-governing colony as Southern Rhodesia in 1923. President Robert Mugabe is head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Renowned as a champion for the anti-colonial cause, Mugabe is also viewed as an authoritarian responsible for Zimbabwe's problematic human rights record and substantial economic decline. He has held power since internationally recognised independence in 1980: as head of government since 1980 and head of state since 1987.

 

Most of the country is elevated in the central plateau (high veld) stretching from the southwest to the northwest at altitudes between 1,200 and 1,600 m. The country's east is mountainous with Mount Nyangani as the highest point at 2,592 m. About 20% of the country consists of the low veld under 900m. Victoria Falls, one of the world's biggest and most spectacular waterfalls, is located in the country's northwest as part of the Zambezi river. The country has a tropical climate with a rainy season usually from late October to March. The climate is moderated by the altitude. Zimbabwe is faced with recurring droughts; and severe storms are rare.

 

The country is mostly savanna, although the moist and mountainous east supports tropical evergreen and hardwood forests. Trees include teak and mahogany, knobthorn, msasa and baobab. Among the numerous flowers and shrubs are hibiscus, spider lily, leonotus, cassia, tree wisteria and dombeya. There are around 350 species of mammals that can be found in Zimbabwe. There are also many snakes and lizards, over 500 bird species, and 131 fish species.

 

 

Zimbabwe's total population is 12.97 million. According to the United Nations World Health Organization, the life expectancy for men was 37 years and the life expectancy for women was 34 years of age, the lowest in the world in 2006. An association of doctors in Zimbabwe has made calls for President Mugabe to make moves to assist the ailing health service.  The HIV infection rate in Zimbabwe was estimated to be 14% for people aged 15–49 in 2009. UNESCO reported a decline in HIV prevalence among pregnant women from 26% in 2002 to 21% in 2004.

Some 85% of Zimbabweans are Christian; 62% of the population attends religious services regularly. The largest Christian churches are Anglican, Roman Catholic, Seventh-day Adventist and Methodist. As in other African countries, Christianity may be mixed with enduring traditional beliefs. Besides Christianity, ancestral worship is the most practised non-Christian religion, involving spiritual intercession; the Mbira Dza Vadzimu, which means "Voice of the Ancestors", an instrument related to many lamellophones ubiquitous throughout Africa, is central to many ceremonial proceedings. Mwari simply means "God the Creator" (musika vanhu in Shona). Around 1% of the population is Muslim.

Bantu-speaking ethnic groups make up 98% of the population. The majority people, the Shona, comprise 70%. The Ndebele are the second most populous with 20% of the population. The Ndebele descended from Zulu migrations in the 19th century and the other tribes with which they intermarried. Up to one million Ndebele may have left the country over the last five years, mainly for South Africa. Other Bantu ethnic groups make up the third largest with 2 to 5%. These are Venda, Tonga, Shangaan, Kalanga, Sotho, Ndau and Nambya.

Minority ethnic groups include white Zimbabweans, who make up less than 1% of the total population. White Zimbabweans are mostly of British origin, but there are also Afrikaner, Greek, Portuguese, French and Dutch communities. The white population dropped from a peak of around 278,000 or 4.3% of the population in 1975 to possibly 120,000 in 1999 and was estimated to be no more than 50,000 in 2002, and possibly much less. Most emigration has been to the United Kingdom (between 200,000 and 500,000 Britons are of Rhodesian or Zimbabwean origin), South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Mixed-race citizens form 0.5% of the population and various Asian ethnic groups, mostly of Indian and Chinese origin, are also 0.5%.

 

The information and photos in this post from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimbabwe