January Mission of the Month
Learn about our Mission Co-Workers
News from Costa Rica
Dr. Karla Koll, our Mission Co-Worker in Costa Rica, wrote this last year of her classes at UBL (Latin American Biblical Institute In San Jose). She is a professor of history, mission and religion. Because of Covid-19 , all classes went online, and she developed a new skill, photography, which she shared online with her students and others. Her photos were of the natural world in the garden at her house. She says, “My decision became a daily discipline, the sharing of a blessing.” Over two years, she photographed more than 50 species of birds, dozens of insects, and many other creatures and plants. It made her aware of the importance of biodiversity.
UBL encourages students (many are online from multiple countries in South and Central America) to connect with the ecosystem in which they live. Ecological topics are incorporated into many of UBL’s courses, from Biblical interpretations to homiletics to mission. UBL has a green team that produces liturgical materials in appreciation of God’s world.
Dr. Karla Koll is one of the Mission Co-Workers we at Glen Avon support through our Mission Giving. For more information on Dr. Karla Koll go to www.pcusa.org (ministries/mission connections) or to Glen Avon’s Face Book page for updates.
Glen Avon supports both of these missions through our annual mission budget.
Mission Co-Workers Photos Courtesy of presbyterianmission.org
Through the year with the Turks-
In 2022, we introduced our Mission Co-Workers in Madagascar, Dan and Elizabeth Turk. Throughout this past year, they have sent us several updates on their work and life with the Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar (FJKM, PCUSA’s partner church). In June, the Turks told of the challenges resulting from Covid-19, famine-like conditions in southern Madagascar, and the extensive damage and ongoing recovery from several hurricanes. Dan’s work with the Fruits, Vegetables, and Environmental Education Program of the FJKM is to encourage and assist local churches to grow native trees and fruit trees, both for the betterment of the environment and to provide local food. One of Dan’s November letters listed trees especially suited for this project. (The list is on our FB page – see how many of these trees you’ve heard of!)
Elizabeth sent a November letter focusing on her work in health care. The FJKM and PCUSA are encouraging Prenatal care for pregnant women so they can be tested for HIV and take anti-viral medication, so the rate of transmission of HIV to newborns can be reduced.
The December newsletter was a greeting for Advent. In Madagascar it is the rainy season when everything is blooming and colorful and continues to remind them of God’s presence and love. Mirary Krismasy Sambatra!
Dan and Elizabeth Turk are Mission Co-Workers in Madagascar whom we at Glen Avon Presbyterian Church support through our Mission Giving. For more information on her and her work, visit www.pcusa.org or go to Glen Avon’s Face Book page.
