12 Dec New Global Ministries Placemat

Hanging on a wall in your church–we hope–is a Global Ministries map showing all of our missionaries and where they serve. We’ve been reprinting the map every year or so, trying to keep up-to-date with our missionaries serving around the world.

Actually, it’s a placemat. It looks good on bulletin boards in church foyers and Sunday school rooms. But the vast majority are used as placemats at church meals. It’s a multi-function piece.

Now we’ve got a new one. It’s not really a map, but does group missionaries according to where they serve (Europe, Central America, Africa, etc.).

This new placemat includes:

• Photos and information about our newest missionaries (for the website, we had to blur some of them for security purposes).
• Updated photos from other missionaries.
• The new Global Ministries logo.

These are free. Just contact Darlene in Global Ministries and tell us how many you want. We’ll ship them right out.

(Yes, the photos in the picture above are blurred. That’s for security purposes. The photos are sharp on the actual placemat.)

11 Dec Flooding in Honduras

We got word of terrible storms and flooding in Honduras. Severe flooding in La Ceiba has left people living in churches and the mission compound. Things are very bad.

This comes from Helen Raudales, a Huntington University student who is the daughter of Francisco and Maira Raudales (Francisco is the conference superintendent in Honduras).

Donna Hollopeter just tried calling to Honduras, but got a message saying all lines are down.

11 Dec Note from Germany

Jeff Bleijerveld sent a quick note. He made it to Germany, for the first part of his trip. He says the snow falling across the Bavarian Alps is gorgeous.

10 Dec On the Way to Africa

Our annual staff Christmas party is next Tuesday, December 16. This would have been the first one for Jeff Bleijerveld, who joined us last spring as Director of Global Ministries. But he decided to skip out on us. Instead, he’s going to Africa.

Jeff left today for  Sierra Leone. Though he has seen much of the world in his career in mission work, he has not yet visited Africa. So this will be a new experience for him (and probably a lot more interesting than our staff Christmas party). 

The Sierra National Conference will meet during his visit. In addition, Billy Simbo, head of the Sierra Leone Conference, has a busy schedule of travel awaiting him. Jeff will be seeing the country in a whirlwind. 

But first, Jeff is heading to Germany, where he’ll spend a couple days with a family who have applied as endorsed UB missionaries.

Jeff will return to the States on December 23, just in time for Christmas with his wife, children, and two grandchildren.

03 Dec Missionary Homecoming Put on Hold

Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries
It has often been said that timing is everything. We found that out as we planned for our first ever Global Ministries Homecoming.

We planned to bring all of our missionaries back to the United States for the US National Conference next June, and then keep them together for several more days. It would have been a wonderful event.

However, when we began our planning, we didn’t imagine the depth of the current economic downturn. In light of this, and the pressures both donors and local churches are facing (and will be facing), we have made the difficult decision to postpone the event until another National Conference year.

We realize this will disappoint the missionaries who planned to attend, the volunteers who were preparing to serve, and the conference delegates who anticipated the presence of our entire missionary force at the 2009 National Conference.
We have not entirely abandoned the concept. We have simply adjusted the timetable.

Missions Night will remain a key component at the upcoming National Conference and will feature a look at the past, a look at the present, and a look at the future of Global Ministries. Our presentation will provide a multimedia perspective of how God is using the Church of the United Brethren around the world to fulfill His global mandate and bring home the message that God is not finished – great days lie ahead!

We appreciate the efforts many have made to arrange schedules and initiate plans and preparations. We will be keeping all of the information that has been gathered which will give us a jump-start on planning in the future.

03 Dec Plans Change Regarding Missionary Homecoming

Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries
I previously mentioned that we postponed the missionary homecoming, which we had planned for next summer. This is disappointing, because we were looking forward to gathering nearly all of our missionaries in one place at one time. 

But in light of the economic situation in the United States, we felt it was necessary. 

We were well along in our planning. Meeting place, accommodations and meals were in place. Volunteers were lined up. About two-thirds of the money we needed was committed (though not received). 

The next step was to reserve airline tickets. That was the point of no return. 

Finances are tight all around right now. We considered where our churches might be in another six months, and where Global Ministries might be. We felt we could raise enough money for the Homecoming. But was this a good time for asking churches to give above and beyond what they normally do, in order to help fund this major event? 

e didn’t know what churches will be facing by mid-2009. Would they end up “robbing Peter to pay Paul”? It didn’t seem appropriate to put this huge challenge before our churches at this time.

So, we made the call to put the Missionary Homecoming on hold. At the US National Conference, Saturday night will still focus on missions, and we’ll make it a very special evening. We just won’t have dozens of returned missionaries in attendance.

26 Nov Fennig Container Woes

Randy and Toni Fennig have been in Sierra Leone for two months now. However, their shipping container has been stuck at the port, awaiting release by the government authorities.

The container includes a tractor. This week, Randy was told that in order to process the contents of the container, they need the tractor’s vehicle identification number. Since the tractor is packed at the back of the container, they’ll need to unload the entire container. That means placing the contents out on the dock, with lots of people milling around, until they can reach the tractor.

So that’s a concern. Pray that the container can get processed quickly, and that the Fennigs will receive everything they packed.

26 Nov Mattru Hospital and the First Lady

Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries
Recently, the First Lady of Sierra Leone invited Billy Simbo to the presidential residence in Freetown. She was interested in having her foundation come alongside Mattru Hospital. She has a particular interest in pediatric health and in lowering infant mortality rates. 

The First Lady expressed her interest in developing a working relationship with the United Brethren church in Sierra Leone. She is a United Methodist member, and her husband is a member of the Wesleyan church. 

Although the meeting went well, Billy didn’t get his hopes up. He didn’t even bother telling me about the meeting. But then he received a letter from the First Lady’s office confirming everything they had talked about.

We don’t know where this will lead, but it certainly can’t hurt having the nation’s First Lady on your side. 

11 Nov Welcome to Brandt Allen Kline

A second child has blessed the home of David and Melissa Kline, UB missionaries in Macau. Brandt Allen arrived on November 5, weighing 7 lbs, 2 oz, and nearly 21 inches long. He joins his big sister, Mia, who was born in September 2006.

10 Nov Update on Billy Simbo

Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries
Billy Simbo has returned to Sierra Leone after an extended stay in the States. He had been attending a month-long training event in South Dakota which focused on multiplying disciples in a missions context. About 32 other leaders from around the world were there, too. The organization conducting the conference covered all of the costs.

I met with Billy and his wife, Mamei, for a few days in Philadelphia. Mamei is dealing with a blood disorder which limits her ability to live in Sierra Leone. She plans to go for a number of months beginning in January. 

Billy has been doing a great job of mentoring young leaders and preparing for real solid transition two years from now. He set up five regions for Sierra Leone Conference and is developing a new leadership structure as well.