Mary Zigbuo – Missionary Letter & Liberia Crisis

From Missionary Mary Zigbuo:

Warm greetings to you in the name of Jesus Christ.

Your support of Global Ministries has been a great source of strength for United Methodist missionaries, especially those who have answered God’s call in some of the world’s most dangerous places.

In parts of Central Asia where Christianity is not a recognized religion, our missionaries and churches must go underground to create new worship spaces, taking care not to be discovered.

In war-torn Ukraine, missionary John Calhoun is doing his part to ensure The United Methodist Church in Ukraine remains vibrant and growing where little more than 2 percent of its citizens are Protestant and face severe judgment as a religious minority.

And there is West Africa, a place near and dear to my heart. (See Missionaries Return to Liberia!)

My husband and I served as United Methodist missionaries in Liberia for more than 20 years — through a 14-year civil war, the rampant spread of life-threatening diseases and other challenging times. Your prayers, your gifts and your presence lifted our spirits and filled us with calm reassurance that we are never alone in our mission service!

As I write to you today, my adopted daughter’s family is coping with the loss of 10 of its members to the recent Ebola outbreak in Liberia. It is the worst outbreak of its kind.

Still, in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and elsewhere, United Methodist missionaries like Dr. Albert Willicor remain in place to serve their communities. They are working to bring God’s healing power in even the darkest of hours.

Today, I would like to make a special request. Will you make an extra donation to help our United Methodist missionaries wherever they are doing God’s work?

Global Ministries’ vision to equip and transform people and places for God’s mission around the world is fueled by our collective responsibility to fulfill God’s will.

Regardless of the political or cultural context where we find ourselves …

… regardless of unrest or peace …
… regardless of affluence or poverty …
… regardless of placing ourselves in dangerous situations or not, we respond as part of God’s mission of redemption in the world.

Psalm 46:10 reminds us to be still and know that I am God. In the stillness of our faith, our hope and our dreams, God is at work guiding and empowering us toward the completion of God’s mission, and therefore, we must be there for the least of these among us.

I hope you will keep our missionaries in your prayers and donate what you can today to support their courageous, Christ-centered ministries around the world.

There is an image I will never forget from my time in West Africa. At Ganta United Methodist Hospital in Liberia, where there is very limited electricity, I saw a premature newborn in need of an incubator that wasn’t available. Wrapped in clean but tattered pieces of cloth, the baby was lying in a crib heated by a kerosene lantern.

I continue to marvel at the creative ways our Lord inspires us to respond to the needs of people living under desperately challenging circumstances.

The lesson I’ve learned over and over is that we must look beyond the physical circumstances and looming threats around us and see the possibilities with eyes of faith.

We missionaries see the extraordinary opportunities and results of God’s love and compassion. We become part of the communities we serve. We build relationships, feel what members of the communities feel and move in one accord. These communities are our extended families. You are a vital part of our extended family as we count on you and others to support our United Methodist mission service wherever the need is greatest.

So please, make your special gift today

Mary Zigbuo
Missionary Support Coach and
Global Ministries Missionary

P.S. A gift of any size will make an enormous difference in the lives of United Methodist missionaries and the communities they serve, especially those in the world’s most dangerous places. Thank you for your continued support.