Africa Support Letter

Dear Friends and Family, May 2008

I hope this letter finds you all well. God is good and I am constantly amazed at His goodness towards me and the opportunities He brings my way. This fall I will be going to Malawi, Africa with a team from my church and I would love to share with you the steps that have led up to this point and what I will be doing when there.

Work Update


Upon returning from Haiti, I had no idea what my next step should be. I came across a position within a Refugee Support Network in the Seattle area and since last August I have been an Americorps member placed at the International Rescue Committee. The Americorps position is similar to Peace Corps but in the US and is a one year commitment. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is an international agency that works primarily in areas of conflict or post-conflict, and has 24 refugee resettlement offices in the US, one of which is in Seattle. I first became involved with the IRC as an intern while I was still in college at the University of Washington and it has been really great to be involved once again, 3 years later. My job is two fold--volunteer management and oversight of in-kind donations. The IRC-Seattle has roughly 100 active volunteers in different areas such as computer literacy tutoring, ESL tutoring, office administration and family refugee mentoring. I have loved working directly with our refugee clients and one of the most fulfilling aspects of my job is facilitating matches between volunteer mentors and refugee families and individuals. I also coordinate material donations and set up households for new arrivals. Many of our refugees are from African countries and they are all so excited for me and my upcoming trip to Africa. Having worked with them and formed friendships with them, has made me that much more eager to go to Africa. Below are some pictures of my new African friends and although these particular refugees are from Burundi they eagerly tell me of their Burundian friends in Malawi.


School Update


This time last year I had decided that I did not want to attend law school but was back at square one. My internship at the International Justice Mission (IJM) was amazing and I loved working with fellow Christians who were incredibly qualified, professional and motivated by the love of Christ. I ended my internship very encouraged, inspired, knowing that God calls us to seek justice and help the oppressed, yet also knowing that I did not want to do that as a lawyer. While in Haiti I was introduced to the work of a lot of different NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and became very interested in project management and development. My experiences both in DC at IJM and Haiti redirected my graduate school goals. Starting Fall of 08 I will be pursuing a dual Masters degree at the University of Washington in Public Affairs and International Studies. I plan to focus on international development, particularly development through public justice systems. I never expected to choose this route for grad school but feel that the scholarship that I was granted is just further affirmation that this is exactly what I am meant to be doing at this time!

Africa--where and when?

I will leave on August 31st and come back home on September 21st. Malawi is located in Southern Africa along Africa’s southern most of the great lakes, a little sliver between Zambia and Tanzania and almost an enclave within Mozambique. It covers roughly the area of Pennsylvania and is one of the world's least developed countries. The population is almost 12 million people and 14% are living with HIV/AIDS. We will spend most of our time in the capitol, Lilongwe, at our home base, the African Bible College (ABC), which is training Africa’s leaders. ABC’s students come from all around central Africa and even from Liberia and Sierra Leon.

Who is part of the team?

Twenty individuals from Crosspoint Churches in the Seattle area make up the team. We are students, doctors, nurses, engineers, librarians, and business professionals. Mostly, we are children of God wanting to learn about the people and culture of Malawi and serve those living in poverty.
What will we be doing?

Members of the team will be serving in different areas depending on the need and their gifts and experience. The primary ways we expect to serve include the following.
Medical support: Some members of the team will serve alongside African doctors at the new Partners in Hope AIDS Center. The African Bible College also has a clinic which offers vaccinations, lab work and AIDS education in local secondary schools. There is also a crisis nursery center for babies with AIDS which provides health care and nutrition.
Maintenance and Construction: The team engineers, mechanics, and electricians will help repair facilities, design new projects, and more.

Teaching and Preaching: Some with teaching and preaching experience will teach college level classes at ABC. The team will also support the chapel ministry at the college with preaching and music.

AIDS Orphan Care: Part of the team will be sent from Lilongwe to the surrounding areas to work at the village level feeding children orphaned by the AIDS crisis.

Partners in Malawi:

Our goal is to encourage and support the on-going ministries of people we already partner with in Malawi. Working full-time at ABC, Jay and Laura Stoms are ministers originally from my church in Seattle. You can learn more about them at www.jaystoms.org and www.africanbiblecolleges.com/Malawi. At the ABC Academy, my good friends, Daniel and Bethany Robbins (www.robbinsabroad.blogspot.com), teach primary education. I am also excited to see some family friends, the Dehnerts, who are now full time missionaries at ABC Academy. Ministry of Hope (www.ministryofhope.org), founded by an ABC graduate, is an AIDS orphan feeding program that we will support. Partners in Hope (www.partnersinmalawi.org), founded by a former Washington resident, is an AIDS ministry that combines prevention, clinical care, home-based care, and clinical research.

My role

I am very excited to have more hands on experience and exposure prior to attending graduate school. I have been asked by the director of Partners in Hope to help organize and conduct legal workshops for families regarding ‘property grabbing.’ While widows have full property rights, their land is often seized after their husbands’ death with tragic results. I will work with local attorneys and community members to facilitate the drafting of simple wills to help protect property and livelihood. I am sure that I will learn much more than anything I can bring to the table! There are many other odds and ends but my other large role will involve music. We will have a music team share music at various services and you can be sure that I will be toting all my harmonicas along with me! J Music is a universal language and when I fail at all other means of communicating, music always allows me to express myself throughout languages and cultures.
Financial and Prayer Support:

Because of the distance and the length of this trip, the cost for this trip will be $3,500. The flight to Africa costs $2,000, and the other half is needed for housing, food, and ministry related supplies and equipment we will need while in Malawi. The last time Crosspoint Churches sent a team to Malawi in 2005, the team rejoiced in being able to leave over $15,000 of the leftover raised support directly with the organizations and Malawians they worked with.

Would you be part of the team?

In order for this ministry experience to be a reality, I need the support of others.
Most importantly I need a team of individuals willing to pray for this work in the months leading up to the trip and especially in the month of September, when I will be in Malawi.
Secondly, I need financial partners to help cover the expenses for the trip.

Ok, honestly, I feel awful knocking on your door once again asking for money. If it seems like I have been doing it a lot lately, well it probably is because I have! For that I am sorry, but while it may seem crazy that I do something like this every year (and sometimes twice a year), all these experiences have led me to where I am in life now. And once I have my two Masters degrees in hand, I hope to continue a similar line of work but with a livable paycheck! Until that point though, I am a poor Americorps volunteer looking at another 3 years of school and must humbly ask that if you would like to partner with me, please complete the enclosed reply form and return it to my church office as soon as possible. Financial gifts for this trip are 100% tax deductible, and you will receive a gift receipt. Please do not write my name on the check, but indicate that you would like your gift to be used for account M08-004. Even if you are not partnering financially, I am happy to give you an update on my life and do keep me in your thoughts and prayers.
I appreciate all of your support and encouragement!

Much love,

Erin Murphy