Board for Mission - Volunteering

Want to become a BFM Volunteer?

Enquire about the VIMO program!

It's a real mixed bag:

• Singles in their twenties or thirties
• Retired teachers
• A couple with three young children
• Students on holidays
• Seminary lecturers
• Computer advisors
• Pastors in retirement or on leave

The common link?

They have all served as Volunteers in Mission Overseas (VIMOs), a program of the LCA's Board for Mission. They have all given up their time because they have wanted to reach out to our near neighbours and show them the love of Christ in action.

The Board for Mission works with its partner churches in Papua New Guinea and South East Asia to arrange for members of the LCA to do voluntary work in their country.

What are the conditions of service?

VIMOs are staff of the LCA’s world mission department and the conditions of employment are, broadly speaking, in accordance with the department’s guidelines. More particularly:

• The sending agent is the LCA, through its world mission department.
• On a daily basis VIMOs are accountable to the person in charge of the overseas program.
• VIMOs receive a return airfare, health insurance cover, accommodation and essential transport on location, out of pocket expenses.

For how long can a VIMO serve?

The length of service varies from one or two months to two years. The time is negotiable and depends on the individual as well as on the requirements of the area of service.

What qualifications are needed for a VIMO?

These, too, vary according to the area of service. Specialised ministry requires special skills. On the other hand there are sometimes also opportunities for service where no special training is required. Apart from this every VIMO should

• be willing to respect the culture and customs of the country in which he or she serves;
• be prepared to cope with a certain amount of isolation and loneliness which comes from living in a strange country with a different language;
• be able to adapt to a new life style and learn the language of the people;
• have a love of the gospel and a willingness to share the faith within the restrictions of a country where Christianity is a minority;
• be willing to adapt to situations that are quite different to initial expectations;
• gather as much information as possible about the country and people where he or she will serve (e.g. through the internet).
  

In the past, partnerships have been developed between:

• schools in the LCA and in Papua New Guinea
• youth groups and women's fellowship groups in the LCA and Papua New Guinea
• individuals and groups in the LCA and homes
• for children and women in Indonesia and Thailand.

Current volunteers include:

Martins Strikis (Bethany Home in Malaysia)
Rosemary Winderlich (Debora Orphanage - GKPA Indonesia)

Emilie’s story

Emilie served as a VIMO in 2001 at Bethany Home for handicapped children and adults in Malaysia. Emilie tells her story:

First thing’s first, and that would be how I got here.

I had heard about Bethany at Turning Point Conference 2000 and also from friends Ingrid & Yvette who were in Malaysia earlier.

Planning ahead didn’t really happen. I studied Biomedical Engineering at Uni and, when I was trying to figure out what to do next, one thing was that I didn’t want to be working on a project so costly that very many people would never have the opportunity to use what might come from it. I have a passion for helping people make the most of the things they have, especially people who don’t have a great deal in the first place.

Bethany seemed to be a place where I, and what I studied, might be helpful. So I came to Bethany - a training centre for people who have epilepsy or are intellectually challenged. Many of the children would be in mainstream school if they were in Australia, but they don’t get the chance in Malaysia.

I arrived not knowing what to expect, except that I was pretty sure that things would somehow be different to any way I thought they might be! As it is, there is no such thing as an average day in my life here! Always there are things to do and always they change.

My school time is generally spent making equipment for physiotherapy in the toy-workshop, painting banners and backgrounds and walls, teaching maths and basic computer, sometimes playing soccer or simply spending time with students and getting involved in the usual things that happen (like being a clown at a school Birthday Party or helping out with activity time on Friday afternoons).

Living in a different part of the world is both exciting and challenging. Malaysia’s culture is unique - a three in one combination of Indian, Chinese and Malay - each holding strongly to their own backgrounds. And then there’s the separate culture of our volunteer group in Bethany, mainly people from Northern Europe, so it’s different again.