04 Oct Travels in Eastern Turkey

At a church service in eastern Turkey

Jeff Bleijerveld and Kurt Uhen, from Emmanuel UB (Fort Wayne, Ind.), are currently traveling in Turkey. Jeff writes:

99% of the people in this eastern Turkish city are ethnic Kurds of Syrian, Armenian, and Iraqi origin. However, the official language is Turkish, so Kurdish is only spoken in the home and among friends.

We had a very Mediterranean breakfast with lots of olives, melon, fresh cheeses, and breads. We headed for church at 11 am. This church has a police officer assigned for security 24 hours a day. However, things are quite tranquil at present as the PKK (Kurdish separatist organization) has declared a 30-day ceasefire with the Turkish government.

Facts I learned today:

There are 73 million people in Turkey.

• Only 4000 evangelicals live in Turkey. Another 30,000 people are Christian, including Assyrian Orthodox and Chaldeans.
• The country was nearly 100% Christian at one time.
• Seven of the early churches’ councils took place in what is modern-day Turkey.
• The Apostle Paul was born in Turkey, and all three of his missionary journeys included time in Turkey.
• John wrote his gospel in Turkey and died here of natural causes.
• Christian Turks consider Turkey part of the Holy Lands.

30 Sep Project: Rebuild Centennial School in Sierra Leone

Global Ministries is partnering in a project to rebuild the Centennial Secondary School (high school) in Mattru Jong, Sierra Leone. The project is being spearheaded by two groups: the Centennial alumni association (many of whose members now pursue professional careers in the States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and other countries), and the Lehigh Valley (Pa.) chapter of Engineers Without Borders.

Before the civil war of the 1990s, Centennial was a United Brethren boarding school with 600 students. But rebel troops occupied and ravaged the school during the 1990s, dismantling the plumbing and electrical systems for their salvage value, and destroying the water, sanitation, and electrical systems. This project will rebuild the infrastructure of water, sanitation, and electrical systems.

To get things going, they are looking for 300 people/groups/churches to give $100 or more, with the goal of raising $30,000. That will enable them to get moving until grant requests are acted upon.

23 Sep Work Team Headed to Haiti in Early October

Ruben Ponce

A work team will be headed to Haiti in early October to help close in the Delmas 33 Church that has been central to much of our rehabilitation efforts since the earthquake. The team will consist of twelve Canadians and one Honduran. Pastor Ruben Ponce (right) is being sent and fully supported by the Honduran National Conference. He serves a local church and also is a skilled carpenter.

Efforts to rebuild more churches this October have been hampered by a number of factors, and so our plans to deploy more teams have had to be put on hold. The Canadian team will work to resolve some of these issues while they are in Haiti. We hope to announce dates for a late spring, early summer project following their return.

23 Sep Samaritan’s Purse Update from Haiti

Franklin Graham shares an update of what’s been happening to provide housing and safe sources of water since the earthquake of January 2010. Global Ministries has a strategic partnership with Samaritan’s Purse, the organization he heads.

15 Sep A Temporary House-Raising

The Myers Mission House

Things are a little “up-in-the-air” this month at the Myers Mission House in Huntington, Ind. Work has begun to raise the house and replace the basement walls, which had begun to cave in quite significantly. The decision to have this work done was a difficult one, as it will entail considerable expense, but the house is used on a regular basis by furloughing Global Ministries’ staff. Selling the house “as is” was not an option. Contractor Mike Tribolet says the work should be completed by mid-October. The Myers Mission House has provided a home-away-from-the-field for countless Global Ministries staff over the years.

14 Sep Sept 14 Update on Mamei Simbo

Billy Simbo sent the following update on his wife, Mamei, on Tuesday, September 14. Billy is serving a three-year term with Global Ministries in Sierra Leone, where he holds the title of Bishop of Sierra Leone Conference.

Mamei is still in the Coronary Care Unit at Abington Memorial Hospital (Abington, Pa.). They are keeping her because her heart rate is too fast and her blood pressure too erratic.

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14 Sep New Website for Global Ministries

After a year of planning and development, Global Ministries has launched a brand new website at UBGlobal.org. This new website replaces the former site located at UBMissions.com (which now directs people to UBGlobal.org).

The site contains:

• Updated info and photos for all Global Ministries staff.
• Information about each country in which we have United Brethren churches.
• Over a dozen videos you can view online.
• A complete list of projects, which you can sort by cost, region, and category.
• A host of recommended books, videos, training events, speakers, and more.
• Much information about work trips.
• Many ways to “Get Involved” in the work of missions–giving, volunteering, supporting projects, or entering missionary service.

Take a look at UBGlobal and browse around.

08 Sep Update on Mamei Simbo

Billy Simbo sent the following update on his wife, Mamei. Billy is serving a three-year term with Global Ministries in Sierra Leone, where he holds the title of Bishop of Sierra Leone Conference.

• The strep bacterial infection didn’t show in the latest blood cultures taken. Mamei will continue receiving antibiotics.
• Though there is still an infection spot on one of Mamei’s heart valves, no damage shows. The surgeon said Mamei is too weak to withstand surgery now or in the near future (she has not got out of bed for 12 days). To prevent the infection from spreading and causing a stroke, they will continue aggressively treating her with antibiotics.
• The oncologist will keep Mamei one more night in the Coronary Care Unit just for monitoring, and then move her back to the Oncology unit. He hopes to resume the chemotherapy treatments again for multiple myeloma, so it doesn’t get out of control. Her last treatment, on August 26, was given through a vein; an oral drug is also an option. There is no talk of putting in another port until the infection issue is settled.
• The immediate goal is to address the excruciating pain in her legs. Because of the pain, she has resisted all efforts to receive physical therapy, which is vital to her recovery. She is also not eating because she says she has no appetite. Since she is taking very potent pain medications, she needs food in her stomach.
• At this point, Billy plans to return to Sierra Leone on September 14. Son Alan and Katerina Simbo have agreed to have Mamei stay with them when she leaves the hospital.

Please remember Mamei in your prayers. Also pray for Billy. He writes: “Pray for me as I return to do all the things that have been interrupted by my absence from the field. I do a lot through emails and telephone conversations, but there is a pile that needs to be tackled as we prepare for the all-important conference in December to transition to a new Bishop and his administration.”

02 Sep Testimonies and New Life in the Philippines

Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries, is currently on a trip to the Philippines and then on to Macau with Donna Hollopeter, Kathy Bruce, and Barry Skinner. He wrote the following on September 2.

We’re on our way home from Tarlac, having visited seven or so churches in this farming province north of Manila in the Philippines.

The reception was very positive and we were impressed with the work of the pastors and congregations. One pastor rides his bicycle about 30 km to preach at a new church plant and also oversees all the other pastors in the area. Talk about commitment. In the rainy season he’s soaked with rain, and in the dry season soaked with sweat.

While we were meeting at one church, we were sharing a number of things and I asked if some of the newest believers would share their testimonies. I’ve done this in other places and have always been thrilled with the response. So three people shared, and then I also had Barry Skinner share his. We wrapped up some time later, but one couple that had joined us from the community stayed to ask for counsel – they wanted to receive Christ.

We were surprised but very pleased. We thought we were there to encourage pastors and a few of the church leaders. God had something else in mind.