16 May Hong Kong’s Outreach

Here are a variety of news items sent in April from Hong Kong National Conference.

Myanmar. Planning is underway to raise $50,000 to buy a new Language Center. Carmen Chin will return to Hong Kong in May to prepare for the delivery of her second child.

Thailand. Rev. H. M. Lee has employed another mail preacher to assist the work of the center and the church. A short-term mission trip from Hong Kong to Thailand has been postponed due to the SARS epidemic.

Sri Lanka. Bridget Ho, a member of Hong Kong Conference, is serving with Operation Mobilization in Sri Lanka. She is involved in voluntary work in a children’s centre, in teaching English, and in distributing rice. She is looking for suitable churches for mission work.

07 May Easter in Haiti

Luanne Brooks, missionary to Haiti, writes about Easter activities she was part of.

“n Good Friday we visited the pool of St. Jacque. This is a voodoo holy place. My heart broke as I watched a couple of men and women worshiping Satan. I cried as I watched a woman dip a cup into that filthy slimy pool and drink from it as an act of worship.

“On Saturday we went to a village and passed out Bibles and radios that are fixed-tuned to the Christian radio station. I spoke to a young man who thought he was too young to be converted to Christianity. He believed he still had time to have fun. I read to him from John 3:16 in Creole. I asked him if he were to die today, would he not want to spend eternity with God. He said he didn’t believe there was life after this one. There are hundreds of thousands just like this young man. People who have been tricked by the witch doctors into believing that they should live only for today, that there is no tomorrow.

“Many of the local missionaries gathered on Sunday morning for a beautiful sunrise service on the lawn of the radio station. Afterwards we fellowshiped together with a carry-in breakfast.”

06 May Easter in Brazil

Wes and Jean Bell write about Easter in Brazil. “Here in Brazil, Good Friday is considered a Catholic holiday and is not celebrated in many Protestant circles. Traditional Easter hymns are not sung unless there is strong missionary influence. Some churches are adopting the early morning breakfast, but not a sunrise service. The church we attend did a play along with choreography of two modern music pieces. Chocolate eggs are highly commercialized, but the general atmosphere does not seem nearly as festive as at New Year’s.”

02 May Update from Luanne Brooks

Luanne Brooks, UB missionary serving with OMS in Haiti, sent this report, which is both heart-rending and heart-warming.

“Today I met a young girl named Ketteline. Ketteline is 16 years old and she is dying. Maybe within the next few days. She weighs 65 pounds and is the thinnest person I have ever seen. She had difficulty walking into the clinic, and her breathing is labored. We ran a very simple test that confirmed our worst fears: she is dying of AIDS.

“When Ketteline was just a small child, a horrible monster (my words, not hers) violated her. She is one of the countless s who are suffering the consequences of this hopeless disease. Her mother was devastated by the news. Ketteline sat quietly, numb I am sure. Not a tear from her eyes, though mine were running over so much I could hardly see. I told her Jesus loved her and is looking forward to taking her home with him. I walked with Ketteline and her mother to the chaplain as they expressed the wish to ask Jesus into their hearts. This is what it is all about, folks. The angels are rejoicing. They will soon welcome this earth angel into heaven.

“Please pray that God will send comfort to Ketteline. I pray that she will pass along peacefully into her Savior’s arms. She will never suffer again at the hands of a monster. Please pray for her mother as she has to be able to let her child go. This will not be easy for her. I have noticed the great sacrificial love these Hatian women have for their children. I know that she would take her place if she could. But very soon Ketteline will be in a safe place.”

11 Apr News from Dan Wust Family

Dan Wust, director of Arise & Shine Ministries in Honduras and an endorsed UB missionary, has been working on his Masters degree from the Huntington College Graduate School of Christian Ministries. He completed his work on March 28 and plans to graduate in May. He writes, “This training will greatly help me in my teaching role with the ministry.”

Two Honduran coworkers are also pursuing further training. “Both Tomas and Gerardo have enrolled at the Tegucigalpa Theological Seminary in their Pastoral Ministries program. They have been attending classes since March three nights a week and are working towards a two-year degree that is a preparatory program for those who do not have a high school degree and want to go on to study for their Bachelors degree. Both have expressed satisfaction in being able to study, but at the same time fear and trepidation because they, like most Honduran men, do not have a solid education background and are finding that the classes are hard and require a different kind of effort than what they expected.”

The Wust family will be in the States from June 6 through the end of July, and are available for speaking engagements.

31 Mar Luanne Brooks Arrives in Haiti

Luanne Brooks and her cat have arrived in Haiti to begin serving with OMS International. Luanne is a UB missionary on loan to OMS. Luanne is from the Daytona UB church in Holly Hill, Fla. She starts language school in Cap Haitien on Monday, March 31.

25 Mar New Superintendent in Sierra Leone

Albert Beckley (right) was elected as the new General Superintendent of Sierra Leone National Conference. He replaces Rev. Joe Bob Amara, who served in that position through much of the 1990s. Rev. Beckley has been serving as Administrative Assistant for many years. He was elected during the national conference meeting in February. Six North Americans attended the February conference: Gary and Rhonda Dilley, Jason and Donna Hollopeter, and former Sierra Leone missionaries June Brown and Ruth Benner.

25 Mar Wedding of Melissa Hull and David Kline

Melissa Hull has been one of our missionaries in Macau with the English Language Program. On Saturday, March 21, she was married to David Kline. The wedding was held at Banner of Christ UB in Grand Rapids, Mich. The Klines plan to go to Macau in the spring of 2004 to serve together as missionaries there.

21 Mar Hendricks Family Set August Departure

Troy and Julie Hendricks and family are planning to arrive in Spain at the beginning of August, where they will serve with SEND International. They are UB endorsed missionaries from Lake View UB in Camden, Mich. Troy is finishing the year as a high school teacher in Angola, Ind.

21 Mar New Endorsed Missionaries

The Global Ministries Leadership Team has endorsed three new missionaries–one family and two singles.

Jim and Michelle Kegerreis are from the Otterbein UB church in Greecastle, Pa. In 1998, they began working with a ministry that built family-style homes for children at risk in Honduras. Jim oversaw the construction of nine buildings and the overall infrastructure, while Michelle helped with bookkeeping.

In November 2002, they joined Providence World Ministries as self-supported missionaries. Jim will lead teams of volunteers to build facilities near Tegucigalpa, Honduras. PWM aims to reveal God’s love to orphaned and abandoned children, widows, and the poor through direct and practical help. For this, they are creating a new kind of orphanage, in which 100 children will receive basic necessities, education, and medical attention. They will be nurtured by Christian, native house parents in family groups of eight children. The presence of elderly widows means the children will receive the love and nurture of grandmothers as well. A medical clinic and school will also minister to the community.

Mark Stephan is from College Park UB in Huntington, Ind. He serves in the Middle East with Mission to Unreached Peoples, an organization based in Seattle. MUP has over 100 missionaries in 16 countries. They focus on evangelism and church planting in places which are often closed to traditional missionary work. In Mark’s case, it involves ministry to Muslims.

Bridget Ho, a Hong Kong native, committed her life to Christ in 1989 at St. Luke’s UB church. In 1993, she volunteered to help plant St. Mark’s UB church, and has been very active there ever since, doing some of everything–secretary, deaconess, worship leader, piano accompanist, Sunday school teacher, and more.

Bridget holds a degree in Translation from Hong Kong Baptist University, and has worked as a translator. She also earned two Certificates of Church Ministry from Ecclesia Bible College, and has acquired significant training in evangelism through several programs.

In 1994, sensing God calling her into mission work, Bridget traveled to Thailand to visit the UB work there. She asked herself, “Could I spend a year or a few years in the mission field like Pastor Lee in Thailand?” She visited Thailand again the next year, and also in 1998. In 1999, Bridget began working for Operation Mobilization as Assistant Personnel Officer, and continued in that role until August 2002. She then decided to join OM’s Asia Challenge Team. She is now serving in Sri Lanka on a two-year assignment.