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19 Feb

February 19, 2010 |

Sharon Hendricks, 63, mother of UB missionary Troy Hendricks, passed away Tuesday, Feb. 16. She was spending the winter in Florida.

Troy has now lost both parents in a span of eight months: his father died June 10. Sharon was diagnosed with cancer about a week after her husband’s death.

The Hendricks family (right) left Spain today (Friday, Feb. 19) to return to the States. The arrangements:

Viewing: Saturday, Feb. 20, 4-8 pm at the Thompson Funeral Home in Pioneer, Ohio.
Funeral: 2 pm Sunday, Feb. 21, at the Pioneer United Methodist Church in Pioneer, Ohio.

You can contact Troy Hendricks at: [email protected]

19 Feb

February 19, 2010 |

Yesterday, Feb. 18, US Congressman Mark Souder, a member of Emmanuel Community UB Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.) gathered together representatives of churches, mission agencies, hospitals, and community groups. Groups represented included Mission of Hope, YMCA, Missionary Church, the Catholic Diocese, Notre Dame University, Hands That Heal, Mission of Hope, Lutheran Hospital Group, Brotherhood Insurance, Silveus Insurance, Allen County Health Department, OMS Men in Mission, and a variety of individual churches. I attended to represent Global Ministries.

Each group was asked to introduce themselves and provide a brief summary of their interest and/or activities in Haiti.

Here is some information I gleaned from the meeting.

  • Aid seems to be coming into the country without as many problems as it usually would, as organized crime rings have become somewhat “disorganized” by the earthquake. Where the military is present, things are moving smoothly. The main airport in Port au Prince is the worst location.
  • American Airlines will be introducing regular flights to and from Haiti next week.
  • Silveus Insurance (Warsaw, Ind.) is operating private flights from Fort Lauderdale at cost for groups of less than nine passengers.
  • Relief seems to be getting in duty free.
  • The United Nations presence is not always a guarantee of security or absence of corruption. UNICEF has been making it difficult for groups working with orphans and at-risk children, as they seem unwilling to share resources or accept offers of help for smaller agencies working with 10,000 children or less.
  • USAID is making supplies of food available to groups.
  • The Health Department will offer a training and orientation on March 13 in Fort Wayne for those planning to travel to Haiti to offer humanitarian help. They are also offering free vaccinations to volunteers, including all required immunizations and prescriptions for antimalarial and antidiarrheal drugs (an $890 value).
  • Hands That Heal is organizing specialty operations: neurosurgery, spinal, correcting botched amputations, and other difficult procedures. They are also working on getting medical visas for those who cannot be treated in Haiti.
  • Grave concern was expressed regarding the lack of specialists, and the impending surge in birth and brain defects that will present themselves in the coming months as a result of head injuries, and malnutrition among pregnant mothers and children.
  • Congressman Souder indicated that we may be faced with the need to receive Haitian refugees in the US.

19 Feb

February 19, 2010 |
The crowd outside City Hall in Delmas, next to our Delmas church.

The crowd outside City Hall in Delmas, next to our Delmas church. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

I received this note from Joan Sider, the Canadian point person for our work in Haiti.

“This past weekend, three days–Friday, Saturday, and Sunday–were days of national fasting and prayer throughout the country. This picture shows the crowd gathered on the property of the Delmas city hall, which is right beside our church. During those three days, about 100 people came to know the Lord. Pastor Oliam Richard is going to hold new converts classes now.”

Global Ministries is working with our Canadian Conference and our Haitian UB churches to determine how to provide assistance in the Port a Prince area as we move from relief mode to rehabilitation. Churches can serve as centers for assistance and development. However, our two churches in Cite Soliel, the most poverty stricken area of the city, were both destroyed.

18 Feb

February 18, 2010 |

The Huntington University Board of Trustees approved the following cost increases for 2010-2011.

  • Tuition and fees: $22,330 (up 4.9%, or $1,040)
  • Room and board: $7,430 (up 3.5%, or $250)

Those costs apply to fulltime traditional undergraduate students. By comparison, tuition and fees at four-year public colleges rose by an average of 6.5 percent last year, according to The College Board.

“In light of the current economy, Huntington has worked diligently to moderate any increases in tuition and fees. We want to keep college affordable for students and their families,” said Tom Ayers (right), vice president for business and finance.

“This year, we strategically increased scholarships and grants for students to help offset declining state aid. Our goal is to give students and their families more value for their higher education dollar.”

For the current academic year, Huntington University’s price of $21,290 for tuition and fees is $4,983 less than the national average for private colleges and universities.

Huntington University enrolled a record 1,297 students last fall, a 7 percent increase over the previous year.

18 Feb

February 18, 2010 |

Marie Simbo, mother of Billy Simbo, had her leg amputated just below the knee as the result of an infection. The operation occurred in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Billy Simbo (right), Bishop of Sierra Leone Conference, writes, “She is in good spirits. In fact, they have asked us to leave the room because she is too busy talking to each person who comes in instead of going to sleep. She went into surgery singing praises and came out rejoicing in the Lord for making it possible for her to have the surgery done.

“Our mother has always been a woman of great faith and an encourager to us and many others. The only shock is that this happened over a period of one week.”

On January 3, Bishop Simbo’s brother, Ansu, passed away in Spain, where he has been living and working for several years. His body is being returned to Sierra Leone for the funeral on Monday, Feb. 22.

18 Feb

February 18, 2010 |

Marvin Schwartz (right), pastor of New Horizons UB (Rockford, Ohio), had surgery yesterday (February 17) at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Indianapolis, Ind. He had a serious infection around his artificial hip. The hardware had to be removed until the infection is eliminated. That’s what yesterday’s surgery was about.

Marvin will remain at St. Vincent’s for 7-10 days. The doctor gave him a 90-95 percent “heal rate.”

18 Feb

February 18, 2010 |

We prepared a flyer which you can distribute to your congregation on Sunday. This 8.5-by-11 document includes information about:

  • 3 upcoming UB mission trips–to Honduras, Spain, and Germany. Perhaps people in your congregation will be interested in participating on one of these trips.
  • The September UB Women’s Conference.
  • Isaac Stevenson, a six-year-old UB boy who raised over $450 for Haiti. It’s an inspiring story.

Just download the flyer (it’s a PDF document) and print as many copies as you need for your congregation. You can also use the information in other church publications (bulletins, newsletters, etc.).

18 Feb

February 18, 2010 |

Over 200 kids of all ages attended a Super Bowl Party at Hillsdale UB Church (Hillsdale, Mich.). In addition to watching the game on one of the big-screen TVs scattered around the church, the kids could:

  • Burn off energy in an inflatable bounce house.
  • Play 3-on-3 basketball.
  • Challenge each other in Rock Band.
  • Play ping pong and pool.

At halftime, everyone gathered in the gymnasium for an interactive game.

The youth and adult supervisors were from the Hillsdale Youth Network, which consists of the local Young Life group plus five area churches–the Hillsdale and Lakeview United Brethren churches, the Hillsdale Free Methodist and Assembly of God churches, and El Bethel Church.

The Super Bowl Party is one of two events the Hillsdale Youth Network organizes each year. The events are funded by donations from the churches and community.

Michelle Vigil, Hillsdale’s youth pastor, says, “It’s a real group effort to make it happen.”

16 Feb

February 16, 2010 |

Sandy Whipple, wife of Bishop Phil Whipple, fell on ice this afternoon and broke both bones in her wrist. She will have surgery around 5 p.m. tonight (Tuesday, Feb. 16). Please keep her in your prayers. She and Phil were scheduled on Friday for a two-week trip to Israel.

16 Feb

February 16, 2010 |

George Rhodifer, pastor of Olivet UB Church (New Lebanon, Ohio) is in Veterans Administration hospital in Dayton, Ohio. He was having some gall bladder difficulties, but is doing well and is expected to be released today. This report comes from Roland Albert, pastor of the nearby Park Layne UB church. Please keep George in your prayers.