In case you missed it, VIM has a new website under the Conference
Board of Global Ministries (CBGM). Go to susmb.org/vim to
check it out! You can find what VIM is all about, see photos of teams
from the past year, find a project to work on or a training that would suit
you, and mission resources. These pages are constantly being updated
with new materials and projects so check it out regularly.

Keep an eye out for upcoming VIM Training, sessions are scheduled
regularly or by request. VIM Training prepares us to have a positive
impact in mission whether it is a few hours or weeks; local, national, or
global. It is open to those who have led teams and those who have never
served on a project. Taking this training does not require you to lead a
trip but equips you for service. Topics covered include Best Practices,
Cultural Awareness, Health & Safety, Team Orientations, Useful Forms,
Insurance and Fundraising. If you, your mission committee, or mission
team are interested in the VIM Training, contact Michelle at
vim@susumc.org or 717-766-7441 ext. 3105.

A gem that the Susquehanna Conference VIM provide is supplemental
accident insurance for your teams FREE of charge. If you’re serving in
your local community or sending teams out further into Pennsylvania,
other states, or other countries, contact Michelle for information on how
to acquire this insurance. It’s another way we care for our teams and all
the work you do.

What to look for in 2022???
Right now, the Susquehanna Conference VIM offers a grant for VIM
team’s material costs. Check it out at https://susmb.org/resources/. We’re
creating a new grant that will debut later this year to help the journey
costs of new missioners. But we can’t continue to offer these grants
without the help of generous donors! You know that it all adds up and
any amount donated helps tremendously! The grants come from United
Methodist Advances and that means that 100% of the money donated is
used for the grants, not administrative fees!

Please consider a donation to VIM, here’s how to donate to our VIM
Advances

Volunteers in Mission (VIM) Advance Special (#4055)
VIM is a grassroots movement of United Methodists who seek to put their
“Christian Love in Action.” VIM offers a connectional framework through
which disciples can engage in short-term mission journeys locally,
nationally, and globally. VIM provides training, resources, insurance, and
support to our VIM teams.

Volunteers in Mission (VIM) Materials Advance Special (#7010)
This ministry helps with the costs of materials for VIM work including
local mission, domestic and international VIM Journeys.

Make checks payable and send to:
“Susquehanna Conference UMC” - Memo line: Advance and number
303 Mulberry Dr., Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

VIM is the short-term mission agency of The United Methodist Church
who seek to put their “Christian Love in Action”. I celebrate all our
Conference Missioners and those who support us with your prayers,
monetary gifts, and relationship. I’ll leave you with one of our core values
from John Wesley: Do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God.

Michelle Schwartzman, VIM Coordinator
vim@susumc.org • 717-766-7441 ext. 3105.

By Pennsy Waltman

Faith UMC, Bellefonte, and Mt. Calvary, Harrisburg, were so blessed to return to Carteret County N.C. this fall after having served there in the spring. There
are 250 families still waiting for help from the 30 inches of rain in 24 hours in 2018 which came up through the floors and rotted them from the bottom up. We helped
three families in the spring and two on our trip in October: a grandmother raising four grandchildren (wonderful kids!) and a retired gentleman on disability who had a broken
back and neck and isn't able to do a lot of repairs himself. Both homes should have been condemned! Floors were rotted out so that you had to walk on the floor joists in
order to cross the room and not fall through the floor. You could see the earth beneath the floor while using the bathroom. Insulation was hanging two feet above the bunk
bed where a teenage granddaughter was sleeping. Four tarps on top of each other was keeping some of the rain from coming into the home. The back porch had fallen
down onto the concrete making it unsafe to enter the house that way. In one home there has been no hot water since 2018!

The job/housing coordinators are working six days a week without financial compensation but are greatly compensated by seeing what God is accomplishing
through His children in mission. We were able to install shower/bathtubs, toilets, new flooring, new roof, a hot water heater, drywall, and much more. The day after we
left, God sent another team to finish where we left off. Praise God both families are back in their homes. We always invite past and present families we have served
to join us for dinner and it was a joy to have them all together and hear their stories. The son of the gentleman homeowner helped us on his days off and is taking
vacation to join us on our next trip in the spring because "I haven't seen my Dad smile in 3 years and he's been smiling all week!" A couple we helped in the spring thought
God had forgot all about them and lost their faith, stopped going to church, and gave up. Seeing us driving all the way from Pennsylvania, sleeping on the floor, and helping
people they never saw before brought them back to God and they paid it forward with a check for $1,000 to help us help someone else!

As we all say, "We always get more than we give on these trips!! Maybe God just wants us to keep paying it forward!"

For more information contact Volunteers In Mission Coordinator Michelle Schwartzman at 717-766-7441 ext.3105 or email VIM@susumc.org

By Douglas Hoy, Disaster Response Coordinator

Have you ever seen those advertisements offering an all-expense paid, week-long vacation to a tropical location? It’s an offer that seems almost too good to be true, right? Just spend a few hours touring a vacation resort and listening to a salesperson attempting to sell you a condo. No strings attached. Just give them a few hours of your precious time. How bad could it be? Fill out the registration form. Provide them with your mailing address, telephone number, and e-mail address. Convinced it’s
worth it because all expenses are paid? It’s a great opportunity because you were planning to take a vacation anyway. Then, you start receiving junk mail and spam
e-mails. Your phone rings constantly. The texts never stop. You discover the airfare is free—well, except for the taxes and fees. Suddenly, what seemed like a great opportunity with no “catches” has turned into an expensive, time-consuming nuisance.

Recently, I felt like one of those sales persons. I was assessing a home that had been damaged from one of the storms that passed through Knoxville in north-central
Pennsylvania. As the homeowner accompanied me, we documented the damage and discussed what needed to be done to fix it. Remove the mud. Dispose of the debris.
Re-build the basement staircase. Replace the hot water heater. Inspect and repair the electrical service. As we talked, I could see the concern becoming evident in his
eyes. He was already overwhelmed by the circumstances surrounding the flood and being forced from his home.

Then he asked the question, “What is this going to cost me?” What’s the catch?

This year, the Disaster Response Ministry was active in supporting the relief and recovery efforts for multiple disasters. Of course, supporting the on-going pandemic
is at the top of a list that also included helping with storm clean-up at Camp Penn; resourcing various Conference and local church ministries, providing national crisis hotline operators to record disaster needs; doing flood relief, cleanup, and rebuilding in multiple locations throughout the Conference.

We learn from scripture that “God loves a cheerful giver.” More specifically, 2 Corinthians 9:7 clarifies that we should give without reluctance or compulsion. The people of the Susquehanna Conference have been generous with its financial support. And, that generosity has enabled the Disaster Response Ministry and UMCOR to be a caring, Christian presence in the aftermath of these disasters. We have been able to meet the needs of survivors by providing them with temporary heating, replacing medical equipment, paying for utilities, meeting essential needs, and awarding grants to assist with recovery to name a few.

As I spoke with that homeowner a few months ago, I thought about your willingness to give without hesitation. I turned to the homeowner and confidently shared that he
would not incur any costs. Immediately, I could see the relief in his eyes. The stress he was experiencing faded quickly as he processed that idea that there was no “catch.”

As we move into a new year, I look forward to continuing in ministry and mission with you, being the hands and feet of Jesus, and sharing His love with those who are suffering ... with no catch! Contact me at drc@susumc.org

United Methodist Action Reach-out Mission by Youth (U.M. ARMY) is a national youth mission organization offering summer mission opportunities for youth, young adults and adults across the United States. U.M. ARMY works with VIM at both the national and local conference level to ensure quality, faith-based, mission weeks.  READ MORE

It has been 14 years since my first of many trips to McCurdy Ministries Community Center in the beautiful Española Valley of Northern New Mexico. At the time, I was a senior high youth leader at a United Methodist church in York, PA.  READ MORE