First update! (Finally!)

[Maria]

Kristo amefufuka! Christ is risen!

I am writing to you from Denver, where I am currently doing a week of
language training (learning Kiswahili!) before my departure to
Tanzania at the end of this month!

It has been a long process; but thanks be to God, with your help, I
have built a fantastic support team and am fully funded/pledged for
two years of missionary service as a nurse in Bukoba, Tanzania!

It feels like it’s been so long since my last update, and with this
being my first official emailed update. I thank you for your patience
with me over these past few months as I have been developing my
support team while working full-time in Washington, DC! My last day of
work was April 1, and since then I have been to Florida for my pre-
field training at OCMC headquarters, packed up and moved out of my
apartment in DC, and enjoyed Holy Week and Pascha at home in State
College, PA with my parents. For Bright Week I travelled out to
Calistoga, CA to visit my sister at Holy Assumption Monastery, and
then to the LA area to visit with my brother. I also had the
opportunity to visit Saint Barbara’s monastery while staying in Santa
Paula. Following this week in Denver, I will return to State College
for a few days. Then, I will be in Kansas City to attend a medical
missions conference for short and long term missionaries. This leads
me to my next big announcement…

On Sunday, May 22 at 5 pm, I will be officially commissioned as a long-
term missionary with OCMC! If you are in the DC area (or are willing
to travel) I invite you to attend Great Vespers at St. Sophia’s
Orthodox Cathedral in Washington, DC. The commissioning will follow
the Vespers service, and will be held in conjunction with the annual
DC area OCMC benefit banquet. If you would like to attend the banquet,
information is available on the OCMC website at
http://ocmc.org/resources/view_event.aspx?EventId=261. You don’t have
to attend the benefit to come and pray with and for me, though! I
would love to see all of you before I leave!

I’m so grateful to all of you who have been praying for me, and to
those of you who are pledging to support me or have donated to help
send me to Africa! I am so eager to finally be on my way and to begin
sharing Christ’s love and salvation with people in Africa! It’s also
very exciting to know that soon I will be using my skills as a nurse
to minister to the physical needs of people in Bukoba and in the
surrounding areas. I can’t wait to start sharing the details with all
of you!

May you enjoy a blessed Paschal (Easter) season, and please be in
touch! I hope to see as many of you as possible in DC on May 22!

In Christ,
Missionary Candidate
Maria Roeber