June 2010 report:

The Missions Committee is once again sponsoring a produce

"sale" every Sunday until fall.  People are encouraged to

bring not only produce, but plants and even foods prepared

from said produce as the summer progresses.

Ninety six blankets were given in honor or in memory of

someone for Mothers' Day.  Tools for Fathers will be the

next opportunity to help people while remembering others.

The Soup Kitchen has been serving well over 100 guests each

day.

An emergency housing program is well under way and several

families have been assisted.

NIRDA had a successful dinner at Sol Rio to raise money for

their Mission.

UMCOR

DISASTER KITS, SUPPLIES DELIVERED TO THE UMCOR WEST DEPOT

On February 3, 2010 the Andersons delivered a truck load of donated supplies to

the UMCOR West Depot in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The items were the efforts of many people. The volunteers that made this

possible were people from Trinity UMC, St Paul’s UMC, Friends for Learning,

Eastern District United Methodist Women and the FISH (Friends in Service

Here) organization.

We had 110 school bags sewn by volunteers, 55 school kits , 63 health kits, 46

birthing kits and a variety of bulk items but especially, school supplies, to fill

many more kits.

We were greeted by Brian Diggs, the director and had a tour of the new facility.

It is an exciting new ministry that can be supported by the many fine people here

in the West.

We see that there are many opportunities to help prepare the Depot facility to be

able to serve UMCOR as well as prepare kits to be distributed throughout the

world when needed. Teams are being organized to work at the depot with a limit

of about 20 people each week. He has teams already scheduled into August

2010.

In recent years we spent time at the UMCOR Depot in Baldwin,

Louisiana and we were delighted to see this new depot starting so

close to us in Salt Lake City.

Thanks for all the donations and we were very happy to deliver the goods. We are

looking forward to returning to the depot soon!

Jim and Betty Anderson

NIRDA

MARCH is “NICKELS FOR NIRDA”

(Nicaraguan Rural Development Agency)

Because of the Hurricane Mitch Disaster in 1998 a VIM

Team from Eastern Idaho spent 2 weeks in a rural

Nicaraguan community in 1999. After that trip we knew

more long term help was needed. NIRDA was formed

here in Idaho Falls in 2002 and has continued to help the

people of this rural area ever since. Our efforts have gone

primarily to giving students the opportunity to complete

high school. NIRDA hires teachers and provides school

supplies. Our funding comes from fund raising efforts,

donations and pledges. The recycling of aluminum, cell

phones and printer cartridges here at Trinity and in other

churches and schools helps also. Each year we need about

$12,000 to continue this mission work. Please help

continue this work by donating money to help make a

difference. The committee welcomes new volunteers to

help this cause. All donations can be given to Trinity, -

designated for NIRDA.

A container for NICKELS and other money will be available during March.

Thank You!

Need more information?  contact Jim and Betty Anderson – 523-8272

HAITI

UMCOR Relief Efforts One Month after Quake

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), with the help of the Methodist Church in Haiti, has leased office space in Port-au-Prince and hired staff to advance the work plan that was drawn up by a team of UMCOR executives that assessed damages and needs following the January 12 earthquake.

"Our intention is to be operational as soon as possible," said Sharad Aggarwal, one of the executives who participated in the assessment. Aggarwal expects the office to begin operating this week.

The generous support of donors, who have contributed more than $11 million to UMCOR's relief and recovery work in Haiti, will be critical to moving the work plan forward both in the initial emergency phase and throughout the projected five years of the recovery plan.

Bishop Joel Martinez, interim general secretary of the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) called the funds raised so far "a good start." He added, "UMCOR will be there for the long haul and will need additional support.

Aid has come in other forms, too, including the components for more than 350,000 health kits, which are positioned to be distributed in Haiti as soon as circumstances allow. Layette kits for newborns are also needed.

Read more about Haiti one month after the earthquake. And look for a special update e-newsletter dedicated to UMCOR's recovery work in Haiti--Hope for Haiti--that began circulation Friday, February 19. (UMCOR Hotline 2-16)

Trinity’s Health Kits for Haiti will be delivered by Ron and Joyce

Ayers during the first week of March. If you still have a health kit

you would like to donate (see our website at www.tumcif.org for

more details) please bring them to the church as soon as possible!

Here is the Missions Committee report for Church Council for March 2010

    Fourteen sweaters have been turned in to Judy Baldus

and she will take them to the Good Shepherd Church at Ft.

Hall.  Judy is also organizing a denim quilt making project

for homeless in Idaho Falls.

     Prayer shawls and lap robes have been made and given

to people from TUMC.

     Joyce Ayers took the Interfaith plan to Church Council

and TUMC will be an advocate.  Joyce will be the go between for TUMC.

   The Soup Kitchen is going well with between 80 and 120

being served daily.  There is a good Sunday crew in addition

to the 1st, 3rd and 5th Monday crew that faithfully works at

serving those who come.

   The Honduras team is emphasizing the Clean Water

program; the team is not planning a trip at this time.

    Betty and Jim Anderson attended the EDMS meeting; one

loan was made.  Someone from this area of the Eastern

District needs to be found to be on the EDMS committee.

    Betty reported on the NIRDA program and will put up a

bulletin board for the mission focus in March.

    Andersons delivered items to the UMCOR depot in SLC as

did Ron Ayers.  Churches from the SLC area donated materials

for shelving and a fork lift.  Teams are already scheduled

through August to work at the SLC depot.

    Patti Edwards said that the minimum amount for a

Covenant Relationship is either $5.00 per church member or $2500.

     The Emergency Housing Exchange is up and running.

     April's mission focus will be Camp Scholarships and

Sarah Bettinger will be contacted to do the bulletin board

and also give input.  Mothers' Day Blankets will be in June,

Emergency Housing Exchange in August and a spaghetti dinner

in September for those who buy "stock certificates" to

finance the youth mission to Ft. Hall the end of June and first of July.

    Visioning strategies were discussed and will be

revisited at the May meeting of Missions.

    There will not be a Missions Committee meeting in April

since the regular meeting date will be Maundy Thursday.

Marilyn Taylor,  Missions Committee Chairman