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BY LINDA WORTHINGTON
UMCONNECTION STAFF

Sarah McLaughlin, 19, from Mt. Zion UMC in Bel Air, will be starting college in a few weeks. However, she begins her freshman year with experiences under her belt that few can match.

McLaughlin has spent more time in the mission field than many people two or three times her age.

McLaughlin just returned from Namibia, where she spent 12 months as a volunteer at the Children of Zion orphanage, built on the Zambezi River in this southwestern African country on the South Atlantic Ocean.

This was her third time to the country. 'I really wanted to help out and provide some stability for the kids,' she said. Her stays previously had been for two months, 'and it wasn?t enough time.'

She has spent the year after high school graduation as a pre-school and kindergarten teacher.

'I was also in charge of the clothing,' she said, working to mend, label and distribute items as needed. She also helped transport two deaf boys to a school in a nearby town.

McLaughlin is not alone in her sharing and service experience of the Discipleship Adventure. Mt. Zion UMC has several other members helping at the orphanage.

Esther Gant recently spent more than two months there, and Ray and Debbie Mastnjak will have devoted eight months this year by the time they return in December.

These short-term missionaries are part of a committed cadre of volunteers, more than 50 in all, who have spent weeks, months or years with the 55 residents, from 9 months to 16 years in age, at the orphanage.

How did this church become so dedicated to children in such a remote corner of the world?

Sarah?s mother, Lisa McLaughlin, whose husband the Rev. Craig McLaughlin has been senior pastor of Mt. Zion for 20 years, is instrumental in the congregation?s dedication to improving the lives of these children. During the past five years, she has gone four times, staying two to three months each time.

The orphanage began as a vision of church trustee and businessman Benedict Schwartz, and his wife Kathleen Schwartz, music director at the church.

In 2001, he approached the missions committee for $20,000 in seed money, but in spite of the church?s commitment to missions (spending as much as 47 percent of its income on mission), the committee turned him down, the year?s budget already allocated.

Undaunted, Schwartz went to the trustees and reminded them of a promise (and challenge) their pastor had made: the church would get air conditioning only after the congregation built a church in Africa. They allocated $20,000 from the building fund.

The missions committee, somewhat embarrassed, jumped in, replaced those funds and found another $30,000 to add.

It?s still a long way to Namibia, but just before Thanksgiving in 2001, Schwartz met with church members Rebecca and Gary Mink, missionaries at that time to Ghana, which Mt. Zion UMC had long supported. Schwartz hit a chord with Rebecca Mink. For 20 years, she had nurtured the same dream, and their new assignment was Namibia.

The Minks moved to Namibia in early 2002 and Schwartz and three other Mt. Zion members traveled to the country to search for a site for the orphanage. In what would truly be considered one of God?s signs and wonders, a village family offered them a 99-year lease on 17 acres along the Zambezi River. By the end of 2002, they had cleared the land and overseen the construction of the $200,000 children?s home.

Rebecca Mink obtained certifications to operate the home and school, formed a board of directors, and developed relationships with local welfare agencies and courts. They soon accepted children, all referred by the courts, all who had experienced abandonment and suffering, including deaths of parents, abuse and neglect. Some children were rescued from slavery.

Though the home?s capacity is 50 children, it now houses 55 'because the officials keep sending them,' Lisa McLaughlin said.

The home has a staff of 22, primarily Namibians with a few from Zambia or Zimbabwe, McLaughlin said. The staff provides all the services including teaching classes, maintenance of buildings and grounds, child care and cooking. Volunteers fill in wherever they are needed according to the skills they come with.

'We?re very conscientious to keep the home Christ-centered,' McLaughlin said. Children are taught Bible in school and have other Bible studies. They have regular Sunday worship and Sunday school classes.

Mt. Zion volunteer Debbie Mastnjak, a registered nurse, is working with Rebecca Mink, also a registered nurse, in the medical room. 'That helps relieve Rebecca so she can do her many administrative duties,' McLaughlin said.

Ray Mastnjak is busy with maintenance and construction, working alongside local staff and volunteers to build a new outbuilding and maintain the ones already there. They will return in December.

Mt. Zion covers the $13,500 a month to operate the home, which provides shelter, medical care, clothing and schooling for the children, and food not only for the children, but for chickens, goats and horses. It has also set up a fund to pay for medical emergencies.

The Mt. Zion volunteers stay in touch and contribute in many ways. Teams of volunteers are required to stay at least two weeks and individuals a month. They pay their own airfare and $200 a month living expenses while in Namibia. About 150 church members have 'adopted' individual children, committing to $25 monthly financial support and prayer. 'Every child has at least one sponsor from Mt. Zion,' McLaughlin said. It costs about $250 a month for each child.

Other churches are also helping with financial support and volunteers. Calvary UMC in Mt. Airy sent a team of four volunteers recently; Havre-- de Grace UMC had a volunteer there in its first months and another went for several months in July.

Some of the information in this story came from WORLD Magazine, July 23, 2005, Vol 20, No. 28.

SIDEBAR:
For information on how to volunteer, provide support for Children of Zion orphanage, or to 'adopt' an orphan, contact Mt. Zion UMC at (410) 836-7444 or Lisa McLaughlin at (410) 879-8840.

CAPTIONS:

Courtesy Sarah McLaughlin

Courtesy Sarah McLaughlin

Gary and Rebecca Mink

Courtesy Sarah McLaughlin

Sarah McLaughlin and her pre-school class in Namibia