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Five persons from Blue Rock UB church (Waynesboro, Pa.) went to Honduras on Sunday morning, February 23. Three more persons leave on Friday morning, February 28. This work team will help Juanita Chavez, superintendent of Honduras Conference, enlarge a building at the national compound in La Ceiba. They will return to the States on Saturday, March 3.
Union Chapel UB church Fort Wayne, Ind.) is planning a work team for July 5-12. They will work on the dining complex in Jamaica at Regent College of the Caribbean.
There is room for several more on the team. Cost is $800 plus airfare. You must have a valid passport to go.
If interested, contact Dwight Kuntz at d.e.k.63@live.com for more details. As of today, total cost to leave from Fort Wayne, airfare and expenses is $1300 – $1400. The quicker we can buy tickets, the cheaper.
The Global Ministries staff (l-r): Donna Hollopeter, Jeff Bleijerveld, Frank Y, and Jana Gass.
February 14 marked the last day of the Chinese New Year celebration. The festivities always last two weeks, and end with a big bang on the final day.
On January 31, the first day of the celebrations, the Global Ministries staff sent the above photo to our Chinese church leaders in Hong Kong, and to the Global Ministries staff in Macau and China. A number of our United Brethren colleagues in the Far East responded with appreciation.
Frank was born in China and lived there until age 7.
Marilyn Reeck reports that her husband, Roger, saw an orthopedic surgeon on Monday morning, February 17. At 8 am on Wednesday, February 19, Roger will undergo an ankle bone fusion. They would appreciate your prayers. Roger has suffered from this ankle problem for a long time now.
Roger and Marilyn Reeck are Global Ministries endorsed missionaries serving with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Honduras. They both frequently travel to other countries, including nations in Africa and South America, to do training and consulting.
Typhoon Haiyan devastated parts of the Philippines in early November. We have about 20 United Brethren churches in the Philippines.
As always happens in the aftermath of major disasters, United Brethren people wanted to help. Our practice, through Global Ministries, is to partner with organizations which specialize in disaster relief. We partnered with Samaritan’s Purse following the 2011 earthquake in Haiti, and after the 2012 tsunami in Japan. UB churches and people were invited to channel money through Global Ministries, all of which was sent on to Samaritan’s Purse (Global Ministries doesn’t take a cut). That amounted to roughly $70,000 for Haiti and $11,000 for Japan.
The same process was used with the Philippines, as we once again partnered with Samaritan’s Purse. As of the end of December 2013, Global Ministries had received $7,473 for Typhoon Haiyan relief.
Franklin Graham, President and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse, described Haiyan as “one of the strongest storms in history. Over 6,000 people died and another 4 million people were displaced. He wrote, “The destruction was the worst from a storm I have ever seen. Entire towns have been reduced to piles of sticks. It’s hard to imagine how anyone survived.”
Even before the typhoon moved away from the Philippines, Samaritan’s Purse dispatched a team to the country. The next week, they airlifted 100 tons of emergency supplies, including a field hospital, aboard a 747. Another chartered 747 soon followed, this one carrying 8 million square feet of heavy-duty plastic–enough to build emergency housing for up to 10,000 families. And much more help followed. A special airlift of over 60,000 Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, many of them packed by survivors of Hurricane Sandy, was sent to the Philippines.
Dr. Ron Baker (right)
A short-term team spent January 22 – February 9 in Sierra Leone, doing medical and construction work. Upon returning, Dr. Ron Baker sent this report.
I am convinced that what made this such an excellent trip is that we had so much prayer coverage. This morning in church, I mentioned to several there that this was not just a very successful trip, but even more importantly it was significant and hopefully will help future teams.
Our team was blessed to have Kadie Allie, a friend who lives in Naperville, Ind., help co-lead with me. In addition, we had Dr. Abu Minnah on our team, a surgeon practicing in South Africa who was on leave in Sierra Leone. He willingly gave of his time to be with us and did all the surgery. So, this was actually an international team, which was a real blessing.
It was great to have on the team Dr. Jerry Sell, family physician from Rockford, Ohio; Mike Smith, anesthetist and pastor from Van Wert, Ohio; and Michelle Berg, nurse from Traverse City, Mich. (who had been a missionary nurse with us back in the late 1980s). Each one added areas of expertise and giftedness that the Lord used.
I felt so honored and grateful to be a part of this team that I believe the Lord brought together. I also want to mention how thankful the whole team was for the invaluable behind-the-scenes help and planning given by Donna Hollopeter of Global Ministries!
Almost 30 surgeries were done. In addition, we a lot of patients. We also had the opportunity to make some excellent contacts which I pray will help the hospital in the future, did a radio interview, and were able to have quite a few people over in the evenings to share several meals of rice together and enjoy their fellowship.
The first Sunday, our team was able to hold a service in the Moyamba prison. That afternoon on the way to Mattru, we were able to visit my brother Norman’s grave site where I once again shared with the many villagers who accompanied us the story of how God used his tragic death to shape my life.
The following weekend we were on our way back in to Freetown, where I was interviewed by a local Freetown newspaper. Last Sunday, our team was able to worship at the Lumley UB church before we headed out to the Lungi Airport and on home.
With the Rosa de Sharon congregation in Jesus Maria, Mexico. Bishop Phil Whipple is in the back (with someone’s hand partly over his face), and Jeff Bleijerveld is on the left side of the photo.
Bishop Phil Whipple and Global Ministries Director Jeff Bleijerveld are in central Mexico, visiting church with Bishop Denis Casco of the Mexico Conference. The are currently in the state of Queretero, about three hours north of Mexico City. They’ll be meeting with various churches and groups of pastors.
Last night (Thursday, February 6), Bishop Whipple preached at the Rosa de Saron (Rose of Sharon) UB church in the town of Jesus Maria. Jeff Bleijerveld translated for the bishop, who spoke about the experiences of four people who were at the foot of the cross.
Jeff writes: “Pastor Guadalupe Velazquez leads this church and another new plant nearby. It’s a church of about 100 of all ages and the only evangelical church in the community.”
Adapted from an article in the African newspaper Awoko, by Keifa M. Jaward (Feb. 5, 2014)
The United Brethren Church (UBC) Hospital in Mattru Jong is said to be in dire need of qualified and committed medical team that can assist in the provision of better healthcare services in the community.
This and other related problems were discovered by a medical team from Michigan who came to render free surgical services and donate updated surgical equipment and medicines to the hospital.
The United Brethren Church Hospital at Mattru Jong was founded as a dispensary by the missionary Baker Family in the 1950s. It has been a major health center for the community, and has also expanded to establish a nursing school that has, over the years, produced nurses who have been contributing to Sierra Leone’s healthcare delivery.
In an interview with Awoko in Freetown, Dr. Ronald Baker (right) explained that the medical team, which includes a surgeon specialist, family practitioner, anesthetic, nurses and other humanitarians, conducted over 30 operations in a week’s period.
Analyzing the needs of the hospital, Dr. Baker stated that the UBC Hospital can be very efficient if it has two medical doctors and committed nurses that will be handling emergency cases including obstructed labor. The government is fighting to reduce maternal morbidity in the country.
He maintained that the medical needs are overwhelming, as the hospital is challenged with facilities and medical supplies, including basic x-ray machines.
Baker recommended that the hospital should have a good and uninterrupted water supply, maintenance of facilities, supply of up-to-date medical equipment, and drugs. He added that much needd to be done in preventive measures and good road network in the community in general.
Baker commended the contributions of two Sierra Leoneans, Dr. Abu Minnah and Madam Kadiatu Allie, who equally sacrificed their expertise, time and resources, and also encouraged other Sierra Leoneans, especially medical practitioners abroad, to reconsider working back home.
Madam Kadiatu Allie, who provided hospitality for the team, expressed her happiness for assisting the team in that direction. “I would have done even more than that, if I had the opportunity, especially when they were in the country to contribute to the healthcare system.”
A work team from Canada arrived in Haiti on Friday, January 31. This is the 12th team the United Brethren of Canada have sent to Haiti since our work there began in 2000.
Around 11:30, they boarded a bus in Port-au-Prince and left for Cayes, where they will be working. About halfway there, the bus broke down. However, another bus eventually came to pick them up, and they arrived in Cayes around 6:30.
Joan Sider, from the UB church in Toronto, is once again leading the trip. Unfortunately, her luggage ended up going in a different direction–to Phoenix. Joan wrote, “I’m at the mercy of the other women, who have generously shared some of the necessities. Since we have about 700 t-shirts, I shouldn’t have a problem with tops. One skirt–I can manage.”
Here are some other places the Canadian teams have served in Haiti in recent years:
The Living Stone church in Macau.
Frank Y (right), Associate Director of Global Ministries
There are two UB churches in Macau: Living Water and Living Stone. Living Water is a well-established church which goes back to the 1980s, when we began ministering in Macau. Living Stone, located on Taipa Island, traces back to 2001.
The ministry on Taipa began in 2001, when the missionary staff moved their offices to Taipa and launched a new English Language Program. The Living Stone church was founded in 2006. The Living Stone congregation consists of English and Chinese speakers, and they minister to a bilingual audience.
The Taipa ministry has used the same location since it began in 2001. Last year, the church was notified by its current landlord that the rent will be going up many times the current amount.
After exploring a few options, Living Stone decided to move. They have until June 2014 to find a new home.
A committee is evaluating a number of options. Given the size of Macau, it is not easy to find a place that is right in price, location, potential for ministry, and other factors. Please pray for the church – that the Lord will lead them to the right location, that the committee will be wise in discernment, and that this move will bring the church together amidst all the transitions and work.
In the coming years, Hong Kong Conference and Global Ministries will work in collaboration with the local churches and leaders to discern possible new ministry opportunities. The social, political, and economic landscape is changing in Macau, and we need to adapt with it. This process will require much more onsite research and meetings before setting a concrete vision. Pray for guidance, vision, and oneness of heart.
