£17,110 pa, 4 days per week (£22,000 FTE)

We’re  seeking an individual to oversee and develop our international Christian mission trip projects, to enable disabled people to be included in church and community life.

The person successfully recruited to this exciting new role of International Missions Manager will manage, develop and co-ordinate all aspects of our growing Wheels for the World programme and our short-term Integr8 inclusion mission trips.

If you’re interested in this role, please download the job description and person spec (this includes details of how to apply).  We look forward to hearing from you!

Deadline for applications: 12 noon on Wednesday 23^rd May.

Interviews to be held: Monday 18^th June

Provisional dates for 2013 are the 2nd to 5th April – contact Margaret at the office if you’d like to register interest. We’ll have more details up soon and in the next Vital Link (you can see a few comments about the trip on our Facebook page: Follow this link to visit our Facebook page)

Please get in touch (on 01372 749955 or by following this link to email us) if you have any problems downloading this, or if you’d like to receive future newsletters by post or email.

This has been our 4th trip to Kimilili working with in-country partners IcFEM.  1158 wheelchairs (which would have been destined for landfill in the UK) are now being put to good use by their new owners.

After wheelchair transportation delays put the whole trip in jeopardy, we were delighted that everything came together in time to make this a really successful distribution.  Regular team members were especially pleased to see Moses, a disabled man who had received his wheelchair on our very first visit in 2005.

The only negative aspect of the trip was that we ran out of children’s wheelchairs and the team were very upset to have to turn away disabled children.  We have suppliers of unwanted adult wheelchairs (though we’d be happy to have other offers!) but we’d be particularly glad to hear from anybody who can help provide much-needed children’s wheelchairs – please do contact us if you can help.

Our partners in Kenya, IcFEM, have blogged about the arrival of the (much delayed!) wheelchairs and have described the work so far as the start of what will be “a busy but amazing week”.

After church visits yesterday, the team are once again hard at work distributing wheelchairs at Angurai today.  Two more distribution days based at IcFEM HQ will follow.  We’ll post news as we receive it.

If you are interested in joining a future Wheels for the World distribution, please do learn more by reading about our previous trips.  You can apply to join a team by downloading an application form and returning it to our Wheels for the World Coordinator (the address is on the form).  Current plans include Uganda in June/July (2012) and Nyeri, Kenya in November (also 2012).

• Follow this link to read the full challenge from More Than Gold

You’ll also find a checklist on inclusiveness, which was initiated by Through the Roof, and a list of resources from other Christian disability agencies which may be able to help you welcome people to your church or group, available by following this link.

Conditions like these would have brought the UK to a standstill, but it was business as usual for our hosts, the Chirica family.  Despite illness forcing team-member Ian to withdraw at the last moment, the intrepid team (wearing five layers of clothing each!) ploughed through snow and ice to train pastors, teachers and community workers to include disabled people in Moldova, Europe’s poorest country.

We were also privileged to visit Gabi, Katjie and Anatol, three young disabled people, full of life and potential.  However, all three are stuck at home, not because of the weather, but because typical Moldovan attitudes means there are no education, social or work opportunities for disabled people!  Whilst I am very aware of this in Africa, Asia etc I was shocked that this is still the case in our own continent of ‘civilised’ Europe.  These children’s example and MCM’s valuable support and input in their lives made us more determined to ‘speak up and defend the rights of the poor and needy’ (Proverbs 31:9) and highlight the value of disabled people.

Our team inspired, encouraged and challenged many people through the workshops we delivered.  The results were that delegates wanted to adopt some of the ideas and methods we presented.  After gathering together especially to meet our team, a  group of social workers wanted to continue to meet and network in future.  Also, encouragingly, two young people with visual disabilities were inspired by our disabled role model, Lena, who spoke about her personal experience of disability and Christian faith.  They now wanted to make positive changes in their lives and follow in Lena’s footsteps as a positive ambassador to their peers!

Doina was right – I will never forget this icy experience, nor will any of us forget the waste of young disabled lives shut away from society.  Our Integr8 programme will carry on doing everything possible to bring young disabled people into the light and be included in church and community life, to help change lives and work for the long-term building of a more inclusive society.

To find out more about the sports, the athletes, and even try out the game of Boccia on-line, follow this link to visit the Channel 4 Paralympics website.

Ideas for mission, youth sessions and Sunday sermons will follow soon…

Jenny was thrilled to receive the award from Her Majesty The Queen, who commented that Jenny had been doing the work for a long time… and not to stop!

Accompanied by her sister and a friend from church, Jenny described the day as ‘awesome’.

Congratulations once again to Jenny for this great recognition of her work.