03 Jul Zanesville, Ind., Group Returns from Nicaragua

Americans and Nicaraguans posing together. The Americans are (from left to right): Logan Penrod, Kirby Sink, Tom Datema, Anita Penrod, Aaron, Adam Datema, Cody Heckber, Cathy Johnson, Darrin Johnson, Tyler. Aaron and Tyler are college students staying with Jeff Dice. The rest are from Zanesville UB. The pastor of the church is the guy holding the orange cup. (Click image for a larger view)

A missions team from Zanesville UB (Zanesville, Ind.) returned from a trip to Nicaragua last Friday, June 27. Tom Datema, the senior pastor, sent this report.

“An eye-opening experience” was the term I heard most from the three other adults and four teenage boys we took to Nicaragua to work at the Emmanuel church just outside Masaya. We went to construct a wall around the church which will also partially serve as a couple of walls for a parsonage or classrooms in the future. Due to a missed flight in Fort Lauderdale, it was a short trip, but well worth it.

It was hard work and left us with a lot of aching muscles. Apparently they don’t believe in using normal-sized blocks down there, so we built the wall with large blocks that weighed in at nearly 100 pounds each. There was a lot of concrete and mortar to mix, too, but working together with our Nicaraguan friends we saw the wall go up with amazing speed.

The Nicaraguan people were warm and welcoming. Everywhere we turned we ran into beautiful smiles and friendly handshakes. They patiently endured our feeble attempts at Spanish and helped us out with whatever we needed. There is nothing like having someone offer you a bowl of the sweetest pineapple you’ve ever tasted right in the middle of a hard day’s work.

Jeff Dice and his family were fantastic hosts. I’ve been on several mission trips now and I have to say that this was the most stress-free experience I’ve ever had. Jeff took care of all the details, which allowed us to truly enjoy our experience and focus on the Nicaraguans we were working with. The accommodations he arranged were excellent and we felt right at home even though we arrived in the middle of the night.

Jeff also arranged for us to go on a canopy tour. When we went to pay, the staff said they would give us a 35% discount because Jeff has been such a good customer for them. Apparently a lot of people in Nicaragua like Jeff.

Jeff’s planning also made it possible to make the most of our time as everything was ready to go when we got there. It seemed like we were laying block just 15 minutes after we arrived on site. Kudos to the Brown Corners Church for making it possible for the Dices to be in Nicaragua this summer.

This was our second trip to Nicaragua in the last two years, and we will probably go again in another year or two. It is great to be able to minister to the people there, but the biggest impact is on our own lives. God worked in the hearts of both the teens and adults, and it changed our perspective of this great big world. We know we are blessed and with that blessing comes great responsibility.

27 Jun Walk the Streets of the Philippines

Have you seen the new Global Ministries video on the Philippines? Jeff Bleijerveld, the director, put this together using footage from his May trip to the Philippines. It’s quite good, and suitable for viewing as part of a church service or Sunday school class.

26 Jun Coming and Going

There is a lot of activity regarding mission trips this summer.

• A group from College Park UB church (Huntington, Ind.) returned from a week in Honduras early this morning. Everything went well, and associate pastor Roger Vezeau promises some photos and stories.
• Banner Church (Byron Center, Mich.) is sending a group of eight high school students and four adults to Nicragua June 26-July 6 (which means they left today). They’ll help complete construction on two church buildings and provide a couple outreach events in hopes of connecting villages to their churches.
• Michele Vigil, Youth & Disciple Pastor at Hillsdale UB (Hillsdale, Mich.) reports that they’re taking 12 teens and adults to Honduras July 14-21. They’ll stay in La Ceiba, visit a few orphanages and churches in the area, and do some work projects at the Bethel school.

24 Jun Crossroads Cities

Macau is becoming what we called a “crossroads” city. While the population consists primarily of Chinese and Macanese (people of Portuguese descent), you increasingly find people from many other countries. New York, Paris, Berlin, Toronto–those are well-known crossroads cities, where you see the nations gathered. Now Macau is joining their ranks. 

On the high-speed ferry from Hong Kong, I met a Canadian coming to Macau on a six-month contract to work with Cirque du Soleil. You find Filipinos and East Indians everywhere, many coming on short-term contracts or seeking service-industry jobs. Unfortunately, Macau’s growth and international attraction is built on misfortune–gambling.

We have a missionary team in this crossroads city. What do we do about that? What might God be intending? Can we reach people who then go back to their homelands and have an impact beyond Macau? 

Living Stone UB church in Macau has already begun embracing this opportunity. Three Filipinos currently attend the church, and they are increasingly open to saying, “We’re going to reach internationals.” 

24 Jun Medical Team in Hoduras

A medical team left for Honduras last Friday. Donna Hollopeter, associate director of Global Ministries, is a member of that team. She sent this brief email back to the Global Ministries office on Monday, June 24: “Just a note to let everyone know that we are just fine. It is quite nice here temperature wise. We have been incredibly busy. Two clinics and so far we have seen 709 people. Lots of need, definitely.”

18 Jun Video from the Philippines

On May 12, Global Ministries Director Jeff Bleijerveld (right) participated in the 25th anniversary of the Looking Unto Jesus churches in the Philippines. These churches, in 2005, affiliated with the United Brethren denomination to become a national conference. While we refer to them as the Philippine National Conference, they are known locally as Looking Unto Jesus.

Joining Jeff was Mike Brown, pastor of Franklin UB church in New Albany, Ohio. Mike’s connections with Superintendent Prudencio Lim and the Looking Unto Jesus churches led to them becoming part of our fellowship.

Jeff Bleijerveld put together a short video from the trip. You can watch the YouTube version above.

18 Jun Build a Bunk in Honduras

A team of 15 persons from College Park UB (Huntington, Ind.) left today to do a week of work in La Ceiba, Honduras. They’ll tackle a variety of projects, the main one being building bunks at the new conference camp outside of La Ceiba.

To fund the project, College Park promoted “Build a Bunk” for about six week. A sample of the bunk they would build was placed in the church. For $150, people could sponsor a bunk. That amount covered materials for the bunk itself, but also for other projects.

17 Jun Three Teams Head Out This Week

Three work groups are headed overseas this week: 

• Wednesday: a construction group from College Park Church (Huntington, Ind.) travels to Honduras. 
• Thursday: 26 teens and adults will do an English Camp in Poland. 
• Friday: a 15-person medical team travels to the Copan region of Honduras. 

16 Jun Summer Work Groups

Several groups are preparing to head overseas.

June 18. A group from College Park Church (Huntington, Ind.) travels to Honduras, where they will build bunk beds at the camp outside of La Ceiba. Roger Vezeau, associate pastor at College Park, is leading this all-adult group.

June 19-July 2. A group of 26 teens and adults will conduct an English camp in Kutno, Poland. This is the fourth year a group has ministered in Poland. This year’s team includes people from:

• King Street Church (Chambersburg, Pa.).
• Criders UB(Chambersburg, Pa.)
• Cochranton Community Church (Cochranton, Pa.)
• Lancaster UB (Lanaster, Ohio)
• First UB (Holly Hill, Fla.).

Jody Sarno, who comes out of King Street Church (Chambersburg, Pa.), is the team leader. The team will partner with a group from Scotland, as they did last year.

June 20-28. A 15-person medical team travels to the Copan region of Honduras, under the leadership of Robert and Fonda Cassidy, from Mount Olivet UB in Mt. Solon, Va. The team includes people from UB churches in Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. The group includes registered nurses, an EMT, a chiropractor, and various support staff who will help with medical records and other duties. (Fonda Cassidy is a trauma care nurse and does high-risk deliveries.)

The group will start in Santa Rosa, the largest city in the Copan region. Each day, they will conduct a mobile clinic in association with a different United Brethren church. They will hold at least five clinics. Donna Hollopeter, associate director of Global Ministries, is a member of this team.

July 12. Four persons from Heritage UB (Dansville, Mich.), under the leadership of senior pastor Cal Hodgson, will do construction in the Copan region of Honduras.

July 18-August 3. For the second year, a team representing Huntington University and Global Ministries will conduct an English camp for English teachers in Zuhai, a major city in southern China.

15 Jun An Americanized Canadian?

Last Sunday I spoke in Guelph, Ontario, at Parkwood Gardens UB church. Brian Magnus, the pastor, introduced me.

I told the congregation it was great to be back among Canadians, who don’t ask me where I’m from. In the United States, people hear my accent and ask me if I’m from Canada. “It’s nice to fit back in,” I said.

Brian then commented, “You don’t sound like a Canadian anymore.”

I asked the congregation, “Do I sound like an American?”

Their heads went, “Yeah.”

I was crushed.