13 Mar Missionary MaryAnn Hancock has 12-Hour Cancer Surgery

MaryAnn Hancock underwent a 12-hour surgery on Tuesday, March 11. A routine physical in January led to a diagnosis of parotid glandular cancer, located behind the left ear. The physical was in preparation for returning to Jamaica, where she and her husband, Harold (right), are Global Ministries staff working at Regent College of the Caribbean.

The doctor told the family that all of the cancer was removed. He did not have to remove and transplant the facial nerve, which they originally thought would be necessary. Also, the mastoid bone did not have to be removed, just shaved so MaryAnn’s hearing was not impaired.

Next come six weeks of radiation treatments, five days a week. That will start once MaryAnn has had time to heal and recuperate. She will be in the hospital at Ann Arbor until next Tuesday.

Cards can be sent:

MaryAnn Hancock, Room # 4123
University of Michigan Medical Center
1500 E Medical Center Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5066

11 Mar Masaya Conference Center Nearing Completion

Jeff Dice (right), a member of the Global Ministries staff who spends part of each year in Nicaragua, stopped at the national office in Huntington and talked about progress on the new conference center in Masaya.

“We have progressed quite a bit. When we first floated the idea, it was mainly because after having been there numerous times and seeing how much money we invested in using other people’s buildings, I thought it would be good to invest in our own building. Along with that, we want the conference to become self-supporting. If someday the US becomes less involved than it is today, the church in Nicaragua could still flourish.”

Masaya is a city of over 140,000. Other groups in the city would no doubt be interested in renting the building for meetings and other events. The conference could then use the income for church planting and conference ministries.

“It’s a two-story building,” Jeff explains. “When completed, it will have two dormitory style rooms which can sleep 12 in each one, 24 total. Then there are three hotel-style rooms with their own bathrooms. Two of them are basically doubles, and the third is a larger room which a family could stay in. Downstairs is a dining room and meeting room.”

How will the conference use the center? The conference, of course, will use the center for training purposes (like seminars for ministers and laypersons). But it will also provide a safe place for foreigners to stay, when they come for ministry opportunities. Jeff mentions three types of groups.

1. Mission groups. Two major logical needs confront every group that comes to Nicaragua to minister—where to stay, and what to eat. The center answers both questions.

2. Retired people. “Nicaragua is a wonderful place to spend the winter months,” Jeff says. “If people want to combine the desire to be warm and the desire for ministry, we have a ready-made place for them to stay.”

3. College students. The center would be ideal for college students who want to spend a semester or summer in a cross-cultural experience.

The three hotel-style rooms are completed. Additional work remains to finish the dormitories. All the rough plumbing and electrical work is done, but work remains with tiling, toilets, and sinks. They also want to build a couple of balconies—not necessities, but nice to have.

A youth group from Brown Corners will work on the center this summer, and will stay in the hotel-style rooms.

“Latin America is a great place to visit,” Jeff says. “If you’re a friendly person, they are a friendly people. My experience in Nicaragua is vast acceptance of the aid foreign people are trying to give.”

If you or your church are interested in serving in Nicaragua, you may contact Jeff Dice at:

Office phone: (989) 386-2702
Email: thedices@hotmail.com

27 Feb 2014 Easter Mission Offering

Missions Moments – Easter 2014 from Global Ministries on Vimeo.

Jeff Bleijerveld (right), Director of Global Ministries

It may not seem like Easter is just around the corner, but it is. In the coming weeks, United Brethren churches will receive bulletin inserts and other materials for our annual Easter Missions Offering.

This year, we will raise support for the following projects, all of which involve the UB international fields:

• Mexico: leadership development,
• Nicaragua: completion of the new conference center in Masaya.
• Sierra Leone: continued renovations at Mattru Hospital.
• India: HIV/AIDS ministries.

Along with the inserts and other materials your church may have requested, we will send a DVD promotional video. You’re welcome to preview the video above.

27 Feb Eight Person from Blue Rock in Honduras

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.

25 Feb Openings on Jamaica Work Team – July 5-12

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.