Our May Mission of the Month is Dr. Belinda Forbes. Dr. Forbes is a fully commissioned missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church. This is the tenth year that we have supported her work. She is currently serving in Nicaragua as part of Accion Medica Cristiana (AMC). AMC is a Nicaraguan non-government organization that works to carry out health development projects on the Atlantic Coast and other regions of Nicaragua. Belinda is a dentist assigned to the AMC clinic in Managua. She provides dental care directly to patients, coordinates subsidized care agreements, trains other dentists in continuing education, and is a general liaison with groups who come to Nicaragua.

We have committed $1,000 of this year’s mission budget to support the work of Dr. Forbes in Nicaragua. You can add to that amount by sharing your special gift to Dr. Belinda Forbes in the special “Mission of the Month” envelopes in the church pews.

To learn more about Belinda, please join us for her visit to LUMC on Monday, May 13th. We plan to share a soup and salad meal together at 6:30 that night and then Belinda will give an update on her work in Nicaragua. Every time Belinda comes we learn more about the people of Nicaragua and the difference that we are making by supporting her work. We have found that young people also benefit from hearing Belinda speak. We will also have visitors from nearby United Methodist Churches joining us that night.  Please put the date on your calendar now and plan to join us.

Of her assignment, Belinda shares, “Christian Medical Action’s model for local empowerment allows my contribution to be long-lasting and sustainable. The organization has evolved from a small clinic-based health organization into a development agent for change, committed to building local capacity in the areas of food security and nutrition; HIV/AIDS prevention; pastoral care; disaster prevention; clean water and sanitation; and health education and promotion, the Christian principles that undergird AMC's work are reflected as a living example of the Gospel
teachings.”