18 Feb 2013 Haiti Medical Team

The Cayes medical team (Team #11).

The UB Church in Canada sent two teams, back to back, to Haiti in early 2013. The first team worked mostly on construction issues (read their story here). The second team held medical clinics, and you can read their story here. Joan Sider (right), from New Hope Community Church in Toronto, led both teams and filed daily reports. Some of the daily reports were written by other team members.

Tuesday, February 4, 2013

Merrilee Trussler was the first writer for Haiti Team #11. This is her first visit to Jamaica.

The travel from Toronto to Montreal to Port au Prince went smoothly. We all got called into customs at Haiti and most of the bins were opened and inspected. Several bins were set aside, and there was concern that they would be kept. But God works in mysterious was! A customs official let us and all of our bins with supplies go for a soccer ball, a pump, and a stuffed animal for his son. A very small price to pay.

We arrived at the guest house and quickly settled in. We unloaded all 14 bins and started sorting. It was great to be joined by Dr. Germain, his friend, and his son. Halfway through we got a welcome relief of dinner. It included a very nice green salad, rice, bean sauce and roasted turkey. Joan shared that she missed the main event but was able to see the turkey alive and well in the morning and on the plate at night.

After dinner the team finished the bin sorting. It is amazing how quickly everyone is working together. We then had a brief devotional time outside (there was a nice breeze).

Today has been a great start and I pray that we will be able to bless the Haitian people through our stay.

The for locations where clinics were held in Cayes.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

(more…)

18 Feb Progress on Dormitory at Regent College of the Caribbean

The work team from Union Chapel UB church (Fort Wayne, Ind.). Dwight and Patti Kuntz are standing in the middle.

The work team from Salem UB church (Chambersburg, Pa.).

Dwight Kuntz

Dwight and Patti Kuntz (right) are Global Ministries JumpStart staff serving in Jamaica. They filed this report on behalf of Regent College of the Caribbean. The school was formerly called Jamaica Bible College, but underwent a name change to appeal to a broader base of students throughout the Caribbean region.

Construction began in June 2012 on the new dining hall complex with the site preparation and the laying of the foundation in solid rock. We returned in January 2013 with a team of seven from the Union Chapel UB church in Fort Wayne, Ind. We began by laying block, starting at the ground floor level, and did backfill around the building foundation and in some rooms to bring them to floor level.

It was a great sight to watch the walls going up all around the building and getting a feel for just how big the building would be (126-by-80 feet). After two weeks, the building was really taking shape.

The Fort Wayne team was followed by a team of eight from Salem UB church in Chambersburg, Pa. They spent six days continuing the work by building and filling columns around the building and extending the height of a few short walls. Between the two teams and three Jamaican masons, over 3000 blocks, a ton of steel, tons of gravel, sand, marl, and cement were used, plus hundreds of gallons of water.

We are happy with what has been accomplished to this point, but sad to say that we have run out of funds for now. We do not know from where or from whom more funds will be coming, but our God does. So we ask for your prayers that hearts will be open to his voice and leading. We are in need of more teams to come in with working funds to help with the construction, or churches/individuals who can contribute any amount to the project.

If you would like more information about the project, please email me, Dwight Kuntz. Or you can send contributions through Global Ministries, 302 Lake St. Huntington, IN 46750, marked for RCC Dining Complex. We will be back in the States after March 20 for 2-3 months and I will be happy to speak to any group or church about the work at Regent College of the Caribbean, and how you can be a part of God’s work here in Jamaica.

13 Feb Meetings Begin Regarding Mattru Hospital’s Future

Dr. Dennis Marke, a United Brethren member and former Mattru surgeon , chairs a team developing a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) of the hospital finances.

Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries

The strategic planning meeting at Mattru UBC Hospital began today with the presence of hospital, conference, and regional leaders, including the Paramount Chief for the Bonthe district.

Bishop John Pessima opened our meetings, we heard a summary of an assessment done in November, and I led the strategic planning portion of the meeting.

Continue to remember our meetings in prayer.

Dr. Dennis Marke, former Mattru surgeon and UBC member, chairs a team developing a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) of the hospital finances.

12 Feb Death of Maritta Fiedler’s Father

Maritta Fiedler, a Global Ministries staffperson serving in Germany, is mourning the death of her father. Hansjakob Wiederhold, 83, passed away at 1:50 pm on Tuesday, February 12. He had struggled with cancer for several years.

Galen Fiedler wrote of his father-in-law, “During the morning he was aware of us but struggling with his breathing; he left quietly with a smile on his face and with us around him.” That would include his wife, Ruth Wiederhold.

Galen says his father-in-law was one of the early pioneer missionaries in both East Africa and Papua New Guinea. “In a time when he wasn’t even recognized as a ‘real’ missionary (because he worked in agriculture), he was serving the Lord whole-heartedly. There is much rejoicing in heaven today because of this humble man who made such an impact on those around him.”

Condolences can be sent to Maritta Fiedler at Galen’s email address: [email protected].

12 Feb A Visit to the Danville Church in Sierra Leone

Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries

Jeff Bleijerveld is currently in Sierra Leone with Bishop Phil Whipple and associate director Donna Hollopeter.

We came through the Rutile mines and visited three churches. All three have a little more than 300 in attendance, operate schools, and support their own pastors. However, visiting Danville Church was probably the highlight of our day.

The Danville Church was the first United Brethren mission station, established in 1861. The original block house is still there and a church is located beside it. Quite a few gathered with us at the missionary cemetery a short walk through the bush. The first grave I saw was that of Betty Harvey. She arrived in 1861 and died in 1866. They told us the majority of missionaries died of malaria within a very short time. We also saw the grave of Dr. Dewitt Baker’s son who drowned when a barge overturned in the Mattru Jong River, which was their only route inland at that time.

Later we met Charlie Harvey. It was no coincidence that he bears the same name as Betty Harvey, whom I mentioned earlier. Her family took one of his ancestors into their family and gave him their name. Charlie, a layperson, was responsible for planting the Kissy Road Church in Freetown. He served there for 12 years until Bishop John Pessima became pastor.

Before we left, the members of the Danville congregation who joined us at the cemetery sang “Guide Me Oh Thou Great Jehovah” in the Mende language and with a local flair. It was a beautiful yet troubling time as we considered the incredible cost some paid to serve God, and the relative ease we face today. Can we ever take it so for granted?

Anyhow, it was a good day. Tomorrow (Wednesday) we meet to discuss and plan for the future of the Mattru Hospital. The paramount chief, local health officials, conference leaders and hospital board members will be present. Pray for me as I seek to lead them through this process, and that what we conclude and commit to will indeed take place. Half measures will not be enough. We need doctors, surgeons, administrators, and community health workers who will demonstrate the same passion to follow God wherever he leads and at whatever the cost.

11 Feb Progress on UB Dormitory in Nicaragua

The new dormitory under construction in Masaya, Nicaragua.

Here are a couple of photos of the dormitory project in Masaya, Nicaragua. While there are no teams there at this time, the conference continues construction on it own. More work teams will travel later this year.

The dormitory will eventually serve as housing for short-term teams visiting the country and as a training center for the conference’s more than 35 pastors and churches planters. The dormitory will house multiple classrooms and space to house 45 guests quite comfortably.

11 Feb Recap of the Jan25 – Feb 3 Haiti Work Trip

A team consisting of UBs from Canada and from King Street UB church in Chambersburg, Pa., worked in Haiti January 25-February 3. Joan Sider, a member of the team from the UB church in Toronto, Ontario, sent back daily reports. Those reports were compiled in one lengthy feature which you can read here on UBCentral.org.

A medical team went to Haiti February 5-12, so they are finishing up their work. Joan has also sent reports on their work, which will also be compiled soon.

10 Feb Four Hoosiers Arrive in Sierra Leone

Bishop Phil Whipple brings greetings to the Sierra Leone National Conference during the concluding service of their annual meeting in Freetown on Sunday morning, February 10, 2013.

Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries

Just a few hours after our three-day journey to Sierra Leone, we had the opportunity to bring greetings to the national conference of Sierra Leone at their closing service being held at the Kissy UB church in Sierra Leone.

We look forward to meeting with the Mattru Hospital board, conference leaders, and regional health officials to continue work on a strategic plan to carry the hospital forward with the assistance of outside medical, administrative, and community health workers.

However we’ll also visit a number of UB churches and the region where the Vai People–124,000 Sunnis Muslims–live on the border between Sierra Leone and Liberia.

But first we might get a little sleep.

NOTE: This message was sent about 7am Central Time, which would be noon in Freetown. There are four travelers: Bishop Phil Whipple, Global Ministries director Jeff Bleijerveld, associate director Donna Hollopeter, and a physician from Auburn, Ind. Read more about the purpose of their trip.

08 Feb Sierra Leone Travelers Delayed by Weather

L-r: Bishop Phil Whipple, Global Ministries director Jeff Bleijerveld, associate director Donna Hollopeter, and a physician from Auburn, Ind.

As mentioned yesterday, four Indiana travelers–Bishop Phil Whipple, Jeff Bleijerveld, Donna Hollopeter, and a physician from Indiana–were to leave for Sierra Leone on Thursday, February 7. Unfortunately, because of snow in Chicago, they weren’t able to leave Fort Wayne, Ind., and had to change all of their travel plans.

Originally, they were to fly from Chicago to Brussels, Belgium, and then on to Freetown. Now, they will leave Fort Wayne around 4:30 pm today (Friday, Feb. 8), fly from Chicago to London, and then on to Freetown.

They are scheduled to arrive in Freetown at 5:20 am on Sunday. Ferries from the airport to the city don’t start running until 8 am. The meeting of Sierra Leone Conference ends at noon, in Freetown, so they probably won’t make it for much (if any) of the conference.

This is Bishop Whipple’s first visit to Sierra Leone, though he previously traveled to Africa when he was a local church pastor.

07 Feb Bishop Whipple and Others Headed to Sierra Leone

On Thursday, February 7, four persons from Indiana left for Sierra Leone:

• Bishop Phil Whipple, who has not yet visited Sierra Leone.
• Jeff Bleijerveld, director of Global Ministries.
• Donna Hollopeter, associate director of Global Ministries.
• A former doctor at Mattru Hospital in Sierra Leone.

They will attend the annual meeting of Sierra Leone Conference and tour United Brethren churches and ministries in the country. They will also devote considerable time to the work at Mattru Hospital.

A few months ago, the doctor traveled to Sierra Leone, at his own expense, and initiated an extensive assessment with hospital staff and some national church leaders. This laid a foundation for the meetings that will be held during this February 2013 trip.

They will meet with various groups involved with Mattru Hospital—administrators, the medical board, Sierra Leone Conference leaders, representatives from the Wesleyan Church (which has a good hospital), and officials from the country’s health services.

“We hope to come up with a strategic plan, with action steps, that will take us into the next ten years,” says Bleijerveld.

“The hospital probably won’t be able to function properly in the next 10 years without outside staffing,” he says.

When we pulled out our missionaries in the 1990s during the civil war, it happened so quickly that there was no time to mentor Sierra Leoneans. After the war, the hospital was severely crippled. The buildings were looted and damaged, the hospital staff scattered.

“It’s been difficult to create a sustainable model,” said Bleijerveld. “So what we’re trying to do in bringing in these groups together is to determine, What is a reasonable model for Mattru Hospital? What do we need to do in the next decade?”

They will also visit the Vai people, a largely unreached group of 124,000 Sunni Muslims who live on the border with Liberia. Sierra Leone Conference has been sending teams to do evangelism and other work among the Vai. One Global Ministries project involves providing funds to cover travel costs for these teams.

They will also visit the Bible college outside of Freetown, some of the high schools and primary schools sponsored by Sierra Leone Conference, and individual United Brethren churches.

“Over 10,000 students attend United Brethren schools in Sierra Leone,” says Bleijerveld. “We have 78 churches, and I think we have just under 50 schools, all of them funded by tuition and government subsidies.”

Update: They were delayed, and now won’t leave until around 4:30 pm on Friday, February 8. Their travel arrangements will take them from Chicago to London, and then to Freetown by 5:20 am Sunday. Ferries from the airport to the city don’t start running until 8 am. Sierra Leone Conference ends at noon, in Freetown, so they probably won’t make it for much (if any) of the conference. This is Bishop Whipple’s first visit to Sierra Leone, though he previously traveled to Africa when he was a local church pastor.