Local family on a mission to make a difference in Albania
As the Covid-19 pandemic sweeps across the globe, leaving death in its wake, the Ingram family remain hopeful and intent in their quest to fulfil their mission.
Dad Sean and mom Michelle, with their two children, Thora and Levi Ingram, are ministering to the Roma gypsy communities in Albania.
Over the past few years the family have been involved in numerous activities, assisting to alleviate the hardships endured by many in the Lowveld.
“Myself, Sean and a team at Nelmeth have over the last number of years been active in mission activities, including assisting Helen’s Children in Daantjie and Betty’s Haven Children’s Home in Nelsville when it burned down in 2018.
We also took two trips to Mozambique last year in the aftermath of Cyclone Idai, providing relief to families who had lost everything,” said Michelle.
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Since then, the couple established Love Grows, a mission ministry which is a separate entity, but works in collaboration with the church to raise support from the community.
“Love Grows has done community outreach with the vision of taking the good news of Jesus Christ to the least reached. My family and I have taken up this calling to go to Albania to reach out to the Roma gypsy people,” she said.
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According to Michelle, the Roma gypsies’ history is one of marginalisation and a quest to preserve and maintain their collective identity in a country with less than one per cent Christians.
She continued, “This leaves the Roma people without much of an identity and without faith. My husband and children decided to give up our home, with the blessing of the Nelspruit Methodist Church, and partnered with Operation Mobilisation to take up the call in Albania.
“This particular mission and outreach organisation was established in 1957 and we have just graduated from a five-month mission discipleship training programme with them.”
Now based in Pretoria, the family will be embarking on a mission and will focus largely on the women and children in this group.
“Very few of the children go to school as the parents ‘need’ them to work and to help provide for their livelihood. This usually is done by collecting plastic bottles for recycling.
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“The project that we will be involved with will focus on encouraging and helping them go to school. We will be extending and pioneering the programme to new areas in Albania. We are extremely excited to be part of this mission and blessed to be called to it,” Michelle added.
Members of the public are welcome to donate to:
OMSA,
Standard Bank
Acc No. 331947331;
Bar code 051001;
Ref (80033480 including your surname, and name)
or MT Ingram
FNB Acc No. 62392782291;
Ref OM Support, your name and surname.
