April 28, 1999

Texans heading key relief project
___By Robert O'Brien
___Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
___SKOPJE, Macedonia--Texans Rick and Martha Shaw have become the focal point for distribution of clothing and shoes for Albanian refugees.
___The Shaws, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship missionaries based in Skopje, Macedonia, have set up a procedure, with specific directions, for the clothing to be sent directly by donors to them to fulfill projected long-term needs.
___"We're thankful to all the churches, individuals and groups who have sent us clothing and hygiene items," said Rick Shaw. "We've distributed almost all the clothing we've received. There's a tremendous need for more,

AN ETHNIC ALBANIAN BOY kisses his crying mother in Malina village in Macedonia April 22. (Reuters/ RNS)

especially for children, including underwear and socks."
___Meanwhile, former missionary Tony Buesing has arrived in Tirana, Albania, to serve as a long-term Cooperative Baptist Fellowship volunteer refugee relief coordinator in cooperation with Canadian Baptists.
___Buesing and CBF missionary Darrell Smith, a Texan based in Macedonia, have been surveying how CBF can best use its funds and resources to help mobilize ministries to Kosovo refugees flooding Albania.
___The Fellowship's national office in Atlanta already has begun receiving contributions to a special CBF refugee relief fund and is gearing up to send medical volunteers into Albania.
___Besides the Shaws and Smith, another CBF missionary couple from Texas in Macedonia--Arville and Shelia Earl--will play a key role in the relief effort.
___"Early medical volunteers will be primarily doctors and nurses with skills in dealing with trauma and field settings," said Tom Prevost, CBF associate global missions coordinator.
___Prevost said opportunities for medical and other volunteer service "will multiply as Albanian refugees are sent to countries beyond the Balkans, including Turkey, Germany and the United States."
___"Volunteer medical workers may be on the way before the end of April," Prevost said. "They'll probably go first to Skopje, Macedonia, and then into Albania and will pay for their own travel, food, lodging and insurance."
___The global missions office continues to call for prayer for the crisis, volunteers and financial contributions to CBF designated for "Albanian Refugee Relief" to cover food, clothing and medical supplies.
___Buesing and his wife, Ricki, were two-year CBF Global Service Corps missionaries in Albania before they and 10 other CBF missions personnel evacuated Albania in 1997 amidst violence and political chaos.
___Potential volunteers for CBF projects in Albania should contact Tom Prevost by calling (800) 352-8741 or e-mailing him at tprevost@cbfnet.org.
___To send clothes for the project coordinated by the Shaws, follow these instructions carefully to ensure proper delivery and use:
___ Send good, clean clothing and shoes to: NOV ZIVOT Humanitarno zdruzenie; Richard & Martha Shaw, CBF Representatives; ul. Rokomija 74a, P.O. Box 199; 91000 Skopje; R. Macedonia.
___ The packaging must not be any longer than 42 inches. The girth and length may not total more than 79 inches. The box may not exceed 70 pounds.
___ Use Customs form PS 2976-A, following the instructions on the back of it. Attach the form to the front of the package. The contents must be listed on the form (for example: 10 T-shirts for children, 5 pairs of men's pants). Please check "Gift." Include a reasonable U.S. dollar value (estimated) of the items in the box.
___ Include a statement such as, "This stock is coming for the purpose of humanitarian aid. It will be distributed through a humanitarian aid agency free of charge."
___ Air mail parcel post takes five to seven days. Surface mail parcel post takes four to six weeks.
___

---

Frontpage / Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!