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June Brown, who served some 30 years in Sierra Leone as a missionary, underwent a four-hour quadruple bypass surgery on Wednesday, September 24. It went very well.
June will be in the hospital probably until September 30 or October 1. Here’s the hospital address:
Harrisburg Hospital
111 South Front Street
Harrisburg, PA 17101
A malignant tumor has also been found; it will be dealt with after the heart surgery.
Roger Reeck, a UB missionary with Wycliffe in Honduras, is in Dallas undergoing tests for some health problems which have plagued him for some time. “Things are looking a little more hopeful than we thought at first,” says Marilyn Reeck, “but he still needs to undergo a few more tests.”
A bronchoscopy was to be done on Wednesday. “Our prayer is that through that test, they will see exactly what is behind the mass.”
Luanne Brooks, UB missionary in Haiti with OMS International, sent this note on September 23:
“My heart is very heavy this morning. I have a very good friend here named Delores Pudwell. Delores and her husband, Brunell, have become like parents to me. She is in her early 70s. She and her husband have been independent missionaries to Haiti for many, many years.
“Over the past few months, Delores has been having stomach problems and losing a lot of weight. Last week the Pudwells flew to the US for tests to see why Delores has been so sick. Brunell called me this morning and told me they will not be back for a while. They are flying to North Dakota (their home) this week, where Delores will undergo surgery and further treatment. In the tests this week they found that Delores has a malignant lesion in her stomach. Please pray with me that our God, the great physician, will touch this sainted child of his.”
Missionary Roger Reeck is currently in the States undergoing tests for what may be cancer. He flew to Dallas to see specialists on September 20. Marilyn was scheduled to fly up later. Daughters Amanda and Teresa live in the Dallas area.
Marilyn writes, “About six weeks ago Roger came down with a virus that was going around. He couldn’t seem to shake it and was feeling not up to par. The middle of August he took a trip to Guatemala and had a hard time driving the 14 hours back home. He went to see a doctor who, after running preliminary tests, decided that he had a recurrence of the virus. He was still feeling poorly with strong headaches, weakness and low grade fevers, so he went to another doctor who recommended several tests.
One of the tests was a CAT scan, which they did a week ago. The results showed that he has a problem area in the lungs. Dr. McKinney (a thoracic surgeon and part of the mission hospital where our daughter Christy works) read the tests and concurred that it needs immediate attention. He suggested that Roger leave for the US immediately.
On Monday, September 15, Roger contacted a doctor at the Wycliffe clinic in Dallas. He set up an appointment with a pulmonary specialist for September 22 in Dallas. He will see the specialist, who will schedule him for another CAT scan and then for an endoscopy and biopsy. At the moment things do not look good, but we believe in the God of miracles and are very hopeful for a good outcome.
“We praise the Lord that this was discovered quickly and that necessary medical attention has been set up for Roger so quickly in Dallas.”
Bishop Emeritus Wilber and Mossie Sites are in Jamaica, serving another short-term stint at Jamaica Bible College.
Jana sent these items from Macau on September 21.
June Brown, former missionary to Sierra Leone, will undergo quadruple bypass surgery on Wednesday, September 24. The need for heart surgery was discovered at the same time she was diagnosed with a malignant tumor. The malignancy will be dealt with after the heart surgery. June is from the King Street UB church in Chambersburg, Pa.
Arek and Donna Delik are endorsed missionaries serving with Operation Moblization in Kutno, Poland. Donna is originally from the UB churches in Hong Kong. Here are excerpts from their September 2003 newsletter.
“After two wonderful weeks in the United Kingdom, we returned home safely last week. We did quite a lot of traveling this time and I am really proud of Arek for he drove on the other side without a single accident. We are so glad that we could attend the OM conference in Keswick, which was specially dedicated to our founder, George Verwer. The conference itself was both inspiring and challenging. OM has entered into an new era under the leadership of Peter Maiden.
“During our Global Challenge campaign, the outreach team went to four different towns, ministering to people through street evangelism as well as a gospel meeting. In the second week of outreach, half of the team ran a children’s English workshop in Kutno, which went really well. Despite a rumor that some kind of ‘sect’ may use English teaching to ‘convert’ people, the feedback from the parents was very positive and we got the chance to share with some why we did this workshop.
The local believers were encouraged by their enthusiasm and hard work as they realized that Poland was not forgotten. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with pastors who faithfully reach out to those forgotten towns in Poland. The soil is hard, and we need to keep praying that God will soften the hearts of those we have shared the gospel with.
“A girl named Marta gave her life to Jesus during the Global Challenge campaign. When her mom, a Jehovah’s Witness, learned that she came to our meeting, she got really mad and beat her up. She also took away Marta’s cell phone. Now we have no access to Marta and are afraid that she will have more trouble if we try to contact her. Before all these happened, she wrote to us once and joyfully shared with us her excitement of discovering how much our Father God loves and cares for her.
“Our focus for the next few months will be in these areas:
“By God’s grace we will have a full team by the beginning of October! Anu-Riikka returned to Finland after three busy months with us. Caroline (British) and Sylwia (Polish) have settled in very well. At the end of the month we welcome a retired missionary couple from Holland, Theo and Tinneke, who will join our team for two months. We definitely need someone to help us to teach English in the next semester when Caroline returns to UK.”
Luanne Brooks sent this update on September 15. She is a UB missionary serving with OMS International in Haiti.
“A few weeks ago I attended the Haitian National Convention for United Brethren in Christ. It was held in Port Au Prince, and was a great experience. I was able to address the conference in Creole and was very happy with the response I received. I sang with a Haitian choir, because I just happened to be wearing what they were wearing. They approached me and asked if I would sing with them, and of coarse I was happy to add my voice in praise to our Savior.
“Coming home to Cap Haitian, I was very ill, but I received a note from a prayer supporter in Michigan, who in the middle of that night answered Gods request to pray for me. Because of that prayer, I was able to sit through the OMS annual field council meetings and participate. I was elected to the position of Social Coordinator and placed on several committees. I will also be the editor of the field newsletter that I will start this month.
“At the council meeting, I learned that I would soon be sharing my house with a young lady from Indiana who would be teaching at the Cowman school. Later that week, Erica Thompson arrived and we have been settling in. She is new to Haiti and is having her anxieties, just as I did. Having a housemate is a new experience for me. I have been Queen of the hive since I was 17. Now for the first time I am sharing that top dog position. Please pray for me that I will remember that I am Erica’s housemate and not her mother! She is a sweet young lady who is looking for God’s will in her life.
“I have my reservations to come home for Christmas, December 18-29.”
Here is a September 12 update from Dave and Cathie Datema, endorsed missionaries serving in Pasadena with the US Center for World Mission.
