Virginia Episcopalian Magazine Spring 2012 Issue | Page 14

of the Diocese of Harare held a silent
retreat which was broken up at gun
point. Loyal Anglicans are turning to
rented facilities, school buildings and
tents for makeshift worship spaces.

It’s an issue garnering international
attention. The Most Rev. Rowan
Williams, archbishop of Canterbury,
met with Mugabe in October 2011,
urging the president to intervene and
stop the abuses toward Anglicans. The
Most Rev. Dr.
Thabo Makgoba,
archbishop of
South Africa, has
also implored
Mugabe to
end such
persecution.
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Chad Nicholas Gandiya is the
bishop of the Diocese of Harare in Zimbabwe.

“I met with the staff of Harare,
and they were all highly intelligent,
articulate, spiritual people who were
dedicated to the future of the Anglican
Church in Zimbabwe,” said Blanchard.
Their obstacle is new territory for the
Diocese, which is now in uncharted
waters in asking for help. The Rt. Rev.
Dr. Chad Nicholas Gandiya, bishop, has
expressed need for prayer, knowledge,
advocacy and resources.

“We have a perception of
Zimbabwe as a war-torn, corrupt place
to be when in fact it’s a vibrant, living,
deeply spiritual church in a country that
certainly has its troubles but is nowhere
near as difficult as we perceive it to be,”
added Blanchard.

Paul and Laurraine Landolt of St.
Peter’s, Purcellville have experienced
more than a few bumps in the road
in their planning of a mission trip
to Liberia. Inspired by a trip they
took to Bromley Mission School in
Monrovia, Liberia with members of St.
James’, Leesburg in the fall of 2009,
the Landolts decided to strike out
on a new mission partnership. The
group from St. James’ had focused on
teacher training at Bromley. As two
retired educators, such an opportunity
seemed like a natural fit.

“The teachers were just so
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thirsty for any kind of assistance,”
said Laurraine. “We met our goal, we
did what we wanted to, they’re very
satisfied with what we did – but they
want more.”

So, the Landolts started planning
for a December 2012 trip. They reached
out to the Rt. Rev. Dr. Jonathan Hart,
bishop of the Episcopal Church of
Liberia, seeking to form a partnership
with another school in Liberia. Hart
responded in the affirmative, but with
one request – that the trip be moved
from the end of 2012 to July 2012. The
Landolts quickly learned how to roll
with the punches when it came to
mission trip planning. Other obstacles
include travel – you can only fly into
Liberia on Tuesdays, Thursdays and
Saturday, and you can only fly out on
Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays –
fundraising and finding a team.

Laurraine Landolt of St. Peter’s, Purcellville
conducts teacher training on a visit to
Liberia in 2009.

But coupled with the obstacles
have been some blessings. One fellow
parishioner has proved a God-send as a
project manager for the mission team,
helping connect with travel agencies
and make arrangements. And another
local church, Purcellville Baptist, has
been a great resource and example in
how to lead mission trips. The Landolts
even participated in a mission trip to
Guatemala with the Baptist church,
giving them an opportunity to learn
about team building in mission work.

The Landolts are now partnered
wit