Mennonite Weekly Review

Lisa Landis wanted to better support the efforts of mission workers. So she went to see that work for herself.

Lisa Landis visits Good Shepherd Nursery School in Pirang, Gambia. The nursery school is a ministry of Mennonite Economic and Horticultural Development Associates started by Eastern Mennonite Missions. — Photo provided by Lisa Landis

Landis, anchor of radio station WJTL’s Get Up and Go show, traveled April 12-21 to report on the work of Eastern Mennonite Missions in Gambia and Guinea-Bissau. Now she is sharing her stories back in the United States.

“We all can’t go to the mission field, but there is a lot I can do here,” she said. “I can make sacrifices here to support the work of those on the field.”

In Gambia, Landis visited EMM workers Gary and Denise Williamson and Lori Doll. The Williamsons work in community development, particularly with Mennonite Educational and Horticultural Development Associates, or MEHDA.

“It great to see local people in positions of leadership,” Landis said, noting that Gambian Jeremiah Sillah is the director of MEHDA. “I appreciate the relationships I see being built with the community on many levels.”

Landis met women who work as part of My Sisters Company, a fair-wage cooperative organized through MEHDA, that creates items to sell to small businesses and individuals abroad. Ten women work for the company, which produces tie-dyed fabric and creates items such as purses, aprons, pillows and jewelry. The goal is for women to supplement their incomes without neglecting their gardens or their families.

Landis gained respect for international missionaries, she said.

“I saw more than ever how much mission workers sacrifice to bring hope to people,” she said. “I saw how many modern conveniences many missionaries go without, even basic things like running water.”

After her time in Gambia, Landis visited Beryl Forrester and Andrew Stutzman, EMM workers in Guinea-Bissau, along with an EMM Youth Evangelism Service team serving there.

In Catel, Guinea-Bissau, she learned about the need for a permanent building for the elementary school in the village. One of the two current classrooms is made of palm fronds, which are vulnerable to rain and high winds. Many of the village’s more than 300 children of elementary school age don’t attend school.