W&d fall2014 web

INSIDE

Dominican Republic

A Hospital in the Making - Part 2

Haiti

A Service for the Community

South Africa Expansion Completed!

>foreword

By Norlan de groot

Taking Advantage When watching the news, it doesn’t take long to be overwhelmed with the world’s current natural disasters, political upheavals, and adversities brought on by poverty. The problems are massive and the help we can provide seems so small. We

oF

Every Opportunity

may be tempted to throw up our hands were it not for Paul’s advice in Galatians 6:10, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

Rather than focusing on the problems, Paul exhorts us to look at the opportunities God gives us to do good. In this issue, we highlight some of the opportunities God provided to Word & Deed, and the people he raised up to take advantage of those opportunities.

We share the story of Andy and Gerda Vandenhaak, who responded to Pastor Yonson Dethan’s call for help in Indonesia by forming Children space has intentionally of Light, This a ministry dedicated to educating children in Indonesia. In been Vlaar leftdescribes blank. another article, Brianna how Children of Light is now finding new opportunities to minister God’s grace and mercy in the aftermath of a volcano.

An article about Adoration Christian Centre shows another ministry that responded as God gave them opportunity.

Located in Haiti, Adoration Christian Centre is dedicated to enriching the community through quality Christian education and social assistance programs. When Haiti was rocked by an earthquake in 2010, Adoration Christian Centre took the opportunity to minister with relief supplies and rebuilding projects.

In Canada, Rick and Jackie Elgersma discuss an opportunity they and many others have had to help build a hospital in the Dominican Republic, which in turn will provide many opportunities to serve the community and their health needs.

A new opportunity for Word & Deed was provided through a recent partnership with Mission of Peace Making (MPM) in India. MPM works Thispoor space has intentionally with extremely children in Odisha state, and provides training been left blank. for pastors and church planters through the Reformed Theological Institute.

From South Africa, Dr. Sonja Miskin looks at increased opportunities through the expansion of the Nakekela HIV/AIDS Clinic there.

All of these opportunities have been given to us by God for the purpose of ministering in word and deed. As the meditation by Rev. den Hollander shows, these opportunities have come because Jesus Christ brings healing to the broken-hearted, liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind. May we all take advantage of the opportunities the Lord brings into our lives. W&D Norlan De Groot works with Public Relations and Projects for Word & Deed Ministries and lives in Sioux Center, Iowa.

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WORD&DEED

meditation

Official Publication of Word & Deed An International Reformed Relief and Development Agency Free for sponsors and friends

FALL 2014 Editor Rick Postma Assistant Editor Brianna Vlaar

Graphic Design Knor Graphic Design Solutions Copy Editors Shelly Crites Hanna Korvemaker Susan Trentacosti In response to Jesus’ command to love others, Word & Deed is an international, evangelical relief and development ministry that provides funding to meet spiritual and physical needs among people in developing countries.

With cooperating offices in St. Thomas, Ontario, and Hudsonville, Michigan, Word & Deed partners with Christian agencies in Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Myanmar, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Malawi, South Africa, and Nigeria.

Canada Office PO Box 20100 St. Thomas, ON N5P 4H4 Ph 519.633.2333 Fax 519.633.7181 Toll free 877.375.9673 office@wordanddeed.org

Director of Projects John Otten Director of Promotion Rick Postma Projects Consultant Bernie Pennings Support Staff John Kottelenberg Kara Luiting Heather VanMeppelen-Scheppink Brianna Vlaar Board of Directors President - Jake Sinke Vice President - Corney Les Secretary - Rev. Tim Bergsma Treasurer - Henry de Waal Dr. Arjaan de Visser Dick Naves Dave Wielinga Lyle Ypma Advisory Committee Mr. Jim Beeke –

International Educational Consultant Dr. Gerald M. Bilkes – Professor of Old & New Testament, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary Rev. Christo Heiberg – Pastor, Zion United Reformed Church Rev. Danny Hyde – Pastor, Oceanside United Reformed Church

Dr. Nelson D. Kloosterman –

Executive Director and Ethics Consultant for Worldview Resources International.

Rev. Frank Van Dalen – Executive Director of the Foreign Missions Board of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church

United States Office PO Box 157, Hudsonville, MI 49426 Ph 616.896.3160 Toll free 866.391.5728 Fax 616.896.9219 usoffice@wordanddeed.org

Office Administrator Heidi Pronk Public Relations & Projects Norlan De Groot Ph 712.441.7112 uspromotions@wordanddeed.org Board of Directors President - Pete Vander Stel Vice President - Paul Laman Secretary - Harry Kooistra Treasurer - Karen Vander Sloot Eric Brandt Dave Byker Mary Cogbill Anita Sikkema Peter Van Kempen

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BY Pastor William den Hollander

Isaiah’s Prophecy

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Good News

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,” Luke 4:18-19 [Is. 61:1, 2] The Lord Jesus selected a well-known prophecy when He spoke in the synagogue at Nazareth. In the prophecy of Isaiah 61, Isaiah reflects on his own task as prophet: “the Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,” he says, “because He has anointed Me.” The Spirit of the Lord Himself is prophesying through his mouth! He has a glad tiding for humble people; good news for the poor.

These poor and humble people are the believing remnant of a people who were suppressed and punished by the Lord. Still, they are waiting patiently for the Lord’s mercy and justice. They won’t rebel; they know that their salvation is secure in the Lord! To them Isaiah has good news to proclaim: the Lord has seen them in their misery, and remembered them. He is coming with the riches of His gospel, precisely because they awaited Him so humbly.

The Lord Jesus applies Isaiah’s prophesy to Himself. At His baptism He received the Holy Spirit; His Father presented Him as the Son of His love. When He proceeds in executing His mandate, strikingly, His proclamation is for those who know themselves to be poor and want to be that way in His presence! True humility makes for good listeners!

Jesus’ quoting of Isaiah sends a clear message: those captives are the people in exile who survived the suppression, whose lives were “broken” by captivity. The Lord proclaims that their prisons will be opened, their chains will fall off, and they’re set free! They had been blind, but the Lord gives them hope and a future, so that they see Him and His salvation again!

This gospel isn’t just a glad tiding for people in captivity. Psalm 146 speaks of them too, people whose lives are broken in one way or other. The Lord Jesus also saw them, the blind, the oppressed, and He proclaims the year of the Lord’s favor. In His mouth, however, (and that of His apostles and His servants today), these words will be used for the forgiveness of sins, for the deliverance from the bondage of sin, for the salvation from the stranglehold of Satan and death!

That’s why He had come into this world, that whosoever would believe in Him would no longer succumb to the powers of sin, but would have life! W&D Rev. William den Hollander is the pastoremeritus of the Bethel Canadian Reformed Church of Toronto; he is married to Gertie and they have nine children and 40 grandchildren.

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>DOMiNiCAN REPUBLiC

By Rick and Jackie Elgersma

PArt 2: A

Hospital

IN THE

Making

Exterior of the hospital.

In the Spring 2013 edition of Word & Deed magazine, we shared the story of how, for the past eight years, we have been working alongside Dr. Silvia, Director of the Luke Society and missionary in her own country, to build a hospital in the Dominican Republic. The purpose of this hospital is to provide medical care to those who cannot afford it, and to share the gospel with all those who enter its doors.

The tour gave Dr. Silvia the wonderful opportunity to share the needs of the people in the Dominican Republic, the various ministries they have established in response to those needs, and to update supporters as to the progress of the hospital. She did a wonderful job at all four presentations and the remaining funds to complete the hospital were raised.

In the spring of 2013, the hospital construction was 90 percent complete and the Grassroots Committee in North America set out to raise $150,000 to finish it. By April, $90,000 had been raised, which was enough for Word & Deed to send the funds necessary to begin the first of three phases of construction that needed to take place. A way for the remaining amount of $60,000 to be raised was provided when Rick Postma (W&D Public Relations Director) invited Dr. Silvia to be one of the keynote speakers for the annual Fall Dinner Tour. What a pleasure it was to host our dear friends in our home in Dunnville, Ontario, for a week, as did Peter Wright, a Grassroots Committee member from Alberta, with his wife Darlene.

We, along with Dr. Silvia and her husband Samuel, thank the Lord for moving the hearts of so many of you to give. Because of the financial gifts received, we have seen the construction of the hospital continue to progress; if it were not for your prayerful and financial contributions, this hospital would not be where it is today.

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As of this writing (July 2014), we are in the last phase of construction and very close to opening the hospital doors.

The floors, plumbing, electrical, interior and exterior doors, windows, transformer, counters, and cabinets are installed; the re-painting of the hospital still needs to be finished.

Hospital equipment will need to be collected, shipped to

Entrance into the surgical suite.

the Dominican Republic, and set up‑­‑–planning for this has already begun. Much of the equipment that is needed is already being gathered by Greg Nichols, a Grassroots Committee member and hospital administrator from the States. A special thanks is due to Greg and his team for their substantial contribution in this way.

The hospital is growing in self-sufficiency too. The local board and clinic staff are dedicated, reliable, and actively involved in the project. The medical clinic, which will eventually operate from the hospital, has begun charging a fee for the services of their lab and for medicines provided, although consultations remain free. Discounts are given when they are needed. The prices are very good, compared to medical services offered elsewhere. The patients feel a greater self-worth for being able to contribute something, and these fees will help lower the amount of funds that are currently needed from international aid organizations like Word & Deed. Other plans are being made to provide services to patients that are already covered by the government medical system, and to periodically invite medical specialists to provide their services at the hospital at a favorable fee to patients.

New bathrooms. the hospital, a moment that many in North America and the Dominican Republic have been working toward and praying about for a long time. What a joy that will be, when the doors open and the name of Jesus can be shared with those who enter there! W&D Rick and Jackie Elgersma are members of the Grace Reformed Church in Dunnville, Ontario, and for the last nine years have been involved in the building of a hospital in the Dominican Republic.

Dominican Republic

hospital care In 1995, Rick and Jackie traveled to the Dominican Republic with a work team from their church (the Dunnville URC) to help construct this hospital. Now, years later, they are still involved. As of 2012, Word & Deed is partnering with this Grassroots Committee and the Sociedad Lucas in the completion of the Hospital. It consists of two floors—the first floor will operate as an advanced clinic, and the second floor will eventually provide surgery and hospital beds. Once complete, it will include a pharmacy, lab center, emergency services, semi-private rooms, and rooms for ultrasounds, examinations, dentistry, operations, and labor and delivery. Fully Funded.

The Grassroots Committee, a “task force” established in January 2010, has worked hard to see the hospital through to completion. In spite of the various challenges that come to a committee with members from different cities and countries, along with the hospital being overseas, our efforts have been blessed by the Lord. We continue to covet your prayers and your financial support of Word & Deed as they continue to give their support to this hospital so that it may be a blessing to those in need.

In due time, Dr. Silvia, the board of the Luke Society, and the staff of the hospital hope to have a dedication ceremony for FALL 2014 I Word&Deed

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>HaiTi

By Gracia Evenz & Hanna Korvemaker

A

Adoration Christian Centre was established in 2007 with a mission to serve the poorest of the poor in Haiti by enriching the community through quality Christian education. Adoration focuses on serving five impoverished communities in Haiti—Cité aux Cayes, Cité Jérémie, Maïs Gâté, Delmas 31, and Delmas 33.

Through its education project, Adoration Christian School, and its social assistance programs, Adoration Christian Centre participates actively in improving the conditions of poor families in these areas by providing Christian education to their children.

Each school year, hundreds of applications for academic assistance are made. A team of teachers, led by the Haitian Directors, narrows down these applications to the 50 neediest families and then visits them. In the end, children from 25 of the neediest families are enrolled at Adoration Christian School.

Adoration currently provides education to over 300 students who receive school supplies, two meals a day, and social assistance, if necessary. A dozen other students are in professional schools or universities as part of a transition program.

In addition to providing children with an education, Adoration Christian Centre also provides 54 jobs directly to the communities, and 50 jobs indirectly. Adoration provides medical aid to the community by helping people, who cannot afford to, pay for

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Service

for THE

consultations, medical tests, and medication that is needed. In this way, from 2007 to 2014, thousands of people have benefited from the medical assistance provided.

Adoration has been a light through regular programs and the Adoration Christian School; when the disastrous earthquake of January 2010 struck, they were also able to act as a conduit of aid during these extreme circumstances. In this difficult time, the Centre provided many families with first aid materials, water treatment equipment, tents, metal roof materials, and food assistance each week from January to June 2010. In the context of a housing project, 50 families had their houses repaired or rebuilt with solid materials.

Adoration Christian Centre is a Christian organization that seeks to serve the poorest communities of Haiti. Ultimately, it is our wish that everyone who participates in the works of Adoration will learn that serving or helping others is an action that has great value before God, according to the words of Jesus in Matthew 20: “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” W&D Gracia Evenz is principal of the high school grades at Adoration Christian Centre.

Community

haiti Adoration Christian Centre is a holistic, Christian, social mission seeking to serve and disciple the poorest of the poor Haitians in Port-auPrince through their school, partnerships with the local church, and medical aid for the community. They train teachers and educate students through the glasses of the gospel and they partner with and support the local church, discipling future leaders who will one day stand on their own and take up the same task.

Please pray that God would bless and guide the work of Adoration and that through the presentation of the gospel, lives would be transformed.

Still needed in 2014: $352,000

>INDONESiA

Relief Efforts following

By Brianna Vlaar

Kelud Volcano Eruption Houses filled with ash needed to be cleaned.

Many houses were destroyed by the eruption.

Ash hung in the air in East Java, Indonesia, where Kelud Volcano erupted in February. At the time, many people became refugees, forced to leave their homes due to the poisonous gases in the air, the ash and sand that filled their homes, the cold lava that had formed, the volcanic mudflow that flowed across the land, and the small earthquakes that followed the eruption.

This space has

• Food • Clothing • Transportation and gas • Water • Modes of communication

Teams of local groups have traveled to the affected areas to help clean up and fix various homes, churches, and a Christian senior’s home. Gaining access to areas affected by the volcano has proven challenging due to flooding, which intentionally has destroyed homes, churches, farms, roads, and bridges— been left blank. even killing some people. In order to reach these areas the We praise God that our partner project in Indonesia, Children of Light, has remained relatively unaffected other than the teams sometimes have had to walk for four hours. change in air quality. In turn, together The teams have been able to connect with Word & Deed and the support of with other churches in areas more other organizations, they have been heavily impacted by the volcano. They able to assist with the needs of the were able to visit one such congregation communities closer to the volcano. only five kilometers from the volcano.

The minister, elders, and congregation Although some food is still being were very thankful to receive food and provided, the main focus is now cleanwater. They have also been able to up and rebuilding. Word & Deed has use this opportunity to minister to the provided $10,000 CDN for this purpose. surrounding Muslim people. Yonson This funding has been used for: writes, “Praise the Lord, we also have • Carpentry The Children of Light (COL) project was the time to talk with them and pray founded in 1998 by community and church • Blocks for them (Christians, Roman Catholics, leaders in West Timor, Indonesia.

These leaders • Transportation and gas recognized that many poor families could and Muslims).”

• Building supplies not afford to provide their children with Please remember the people of (e.g., wood & cement) basic education of any kind and, in response, founded the Children of Light project which East Java in your prayers, as many • A water pump and water now provides Indonesian children with access are rebuilding their homes and to Christian education (students supported lives. Pray that they may find faith, One of the Children of Light leaders, range from kindergarten to university). Grades Pastor Yonson, reports that the trust, and rest in the Lord. W&D Kindergarten through Grade 12 are offered through COL-established Reformed schools. funding (that we are aware of) Today, there are 1,500 students attending the received from Middle East Reformed Brianna Vlaar is the Project Manager schools. Close to 300 of these students are Fellowship ($3,000 US) and Canadian for Ecuador and Public Relations supported by the Sponsorship Program, but Reformed World Relief Fund ($10,000 Support for Word & Deed Ministries. the rest of the students’ school fees are now paid by their parents.

CDN) has been used to provide:

children of light

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>SOUTH AFRiCA

By Dr. Sonja Miskin

Expansion Completed!

Patients, with Dr. Sonja Miskin in the background, enjoying the new patient lounge.

In order to demonstrate the necessity of the recent expansion of the Nakekela HIV/AIDS Clinic, I will describe the context of our work. The area we serve is inhabited by about 750,000 people, mostly of the Ndebele tribe, who live in a series of villages which lie on either side of a 75km-long stretch of road. The social conditions are very bleak, as the unemployment rate is very high and the society is under severe strain both economically and spiritually. A long history of sustained disadvantage and marginalization combined with poor infrastructure and pitiful services has left these people in a rut of poverty from which very few escape. Poverty, crime, and unemployment are the classic breeding grounds for HIV/ AIDS cases, and so this is where our Lord God has seen fit to plant us as a source of hope and light. We labor in His chosen vineyard for us with the wonderful news of salvation through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. We labor through Word & Deed for this opportunity in providing medical care for this sad community.

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We have been on the ground since 2005, initially starting with a small six-bed facility. Since opening our doors, we have always found that the demand from the community far outstrips our ability to supply. There were times when we felt something close to despair at this state of affairs, but we have come to realize that both the opportunities and the restraints are from our Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wise providence. As the years went by, we were able to extend our capacity in 2007 and again in 2009.

We have to continually pray for wisdom in expansion, as it comes at a cost, not only in monetary terms but it has to be done carefully, with all due consideration to our available human resources. So we came to 2013 with an in-patient capacity of 12 patients, understandably woefully small.

When we admit someone, we have found that there is usually one of two outcomes. The first is that the patient remains with us a short period of time and then

The new rooms at the clinic taking shape.

Construction at the clinic.

passes away, usually within a week or two. The other outcome is that of slow but sure recovery, and then we find the patient remains under our care anywhere from two weeks to, in some cases, six months or more.

So to make our service more efficient and to best use our available space, we approached Word & Deed with a proposal to extend our building. By adding two more rooms we could add eight more beds, thus increasing our capacity to 20 without overextending our staff and current budget. We also planned to enclose our current courtyard to provide the patients with a nice sitting room for use during the day.

Our request was granted, and we used the last few weeks in 2013 to do this much-needed building extension. It was with great joy that with the start of 2014 we moved into two beautiful side wards, each housing four patients, and our new patient lounge. The lounge provides a warm place for conversation and fellowship during the day and is used for the art sessions, as well as Bible studies and small worship services. We are very grateful to Word & Deed and all their supporters for this marvelous opportunity.

Visitors from near and far remark on how attractive and uplifting the building is, and to us that is an assurance from our Lord that we are still very much a vital ministry in the KwaNdebele community. W&D Dr. Sonja Miskin oversees the medical aspects of the Nakekela HIV/AIDS Clinic.

The completed lounge.

south africa

Nakekela clinic The Nakekela Clinic is a step-down clinic for HIV/AIDS patients.

There are 20 beds in the clinic and a staff of nurses and doctors.

The purpose of the clinic is to treat AIDS patients and to alleviate the horrible symptoms that accompany the disease, while bringing the Word of God to the afflicted. In addition, the staff visits and assesses not only potential patients but also follows up with those who have already been discharged. Still needed in 2014: $18,000

Some of the beds in the newly renovated quarters of the clinic.

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>INDiA

introducing a new partner

By heidi pronk

Mission

of

Peace Making

This space has intentionally been left blank.

Gathering for pastoral training.

Word & Deed is pleased to announce a new partnership with Mission of Peace Making (MPM) India. There is a great need for the gospel in India. There are few biblically Reformed churches and there is much societal and familial brokenness. The Hindu caste system means that those in the lower castes, or not in the caste system at all, are treated as less than human. Women are considered lesser citizens and frequently are abused or maltreated. In many areas of India, persecution of Christians is prevalent.

In the midst of this, MPM seeks to address these issues through the faithful proclamation of the gospel, and its attendant ministry of reconciliation, through diaconal and counseling support.

We were led to this project by one of our supporting churches in the Chicago area which had provided some spiritual and financial backing for some of the activities of MPM for a few years. Additionally, Anup Arun Hiwale, one of the leaders of MPM, was pursuing theological studies here in the United States. After a year of investigation and review, including a trip to visit the projects and meet with the board and leadership of MPM India, the boards of Word & Deed in Canada and in the U.S. agreed to take on MPM as a partner.

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Over the course of the review process, we had opportunity to witness the valuable and necessary work that MPM is doing in India. Among the highlights were the committed and effective leadership of those involved in MPM’s efforts, the cooperation between churches, and their attitude of openness and teachability. All of this was especially encouraging, given the challenges of working in areas of significant persecution and poverty.

A couple of years ago Word & Deed committed to focus more of our attention in areas of the world where the persecuted church is attempting to live out a faithful gospel witness. MPM’s work in the Odisha state is in one of the most persecuted areas of India. There, MPM works with extremely poor children and provides training for pastors and church planters through the Reformed Theological Institute, which is under the direction of the Evangelical Reformed Church of India. Word & Deed has committed to provide diaconal help to the poorest children and families of the Institute’s students in this area.

In addition, Word & Deed has agreed to help support the work in Herbertpur by helping individuals in local churches establish a trade so that they may sell their products in

Vocational training opens the door for sharing the Gospel.

Changes to the Word & Deed Staff and Canadian Board Word & Deed Staff Changes

As Word & Deed has grown and been blessed by the Lord, staffing changes were needed to reflect this growth as well.

With this in mind, Bernie Pennings has taken on the role of Projects Consultant and John Otten has taken on the role of Director of Projects.

Welcome, Dr. de Visser, Dick Naves, and Dave Wielinga!

We are thankful for the Lord’s providence in continuing to provide us with wise and faithful leaders for this organization. We look forward to benefiting from the leadership and knowledge of these men.

Dr. Arjaan de Visser is a professor at the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary.

He and his wife, Inge, have three children.

They attend Cornerstone Canadian Reformed Church in Hamilton, ON. Dick Naves is the Vice Principal and a teacher at Rehoboth Christian School. Dick and his wife, Carolyn, have four children. They attend the Hamilton (ON) Free Reformed Church.

the local markets. These trainings provide opportunities for space intentionally theThis churches to buildhas relationships in the area, to encourage been left blank. families to be self-supporting, and to engage in personal evangelism.

The third aspect of MPM’s work that Word & Deed has committed to is a sewing project north of Herbertpur, which is run through a local house church at the foothills of the Himalayas. This project teaches young women sewing, allows for relational evangelism, and provides up to 30 sewing machines per year for the graduates to start businesses.

There are countless challenges facing Christians in India and a great need for God’s provision both spiritually and physically. Please pray that God would bless our efforts to help those who are “of the household of faith” in India. And please pray that God would bless this new partnership with MPM so that His kingdom may be furthered through it. W&D Heidi Pronk is the Administrator at Word & Deed USA. india

Mission of Peace Making The focus of the Mission of Peace Making (MPM) organization in India is to spread the gospel and to provide the impoverished and the persecuted with physical, practical help. Word & Deed is supporting their efforts to carry out three specific projects: (1) Ministering to extremely poor children in Odisha State and supporting pastors and pastoral training through a Reformed seminary

Dave Wielinga was a founding member of the Word & Deed Canada Board, already serving for 19 years. Dave Wielinga is the owner of D.C. Electric. He and his wife, Christine, have seven children.

They attend the Brantford (ON) Free Reformed Church.

Thank you, Rev. Heiberg!

After many years of service, Rev. Christo Heiberg is leaving the Word & Deed Canada Board. We are thankful for his faithful involvement over the years and are glad that he will still be serving on the Advisory Committee. Rev. Heiberg is the pastor at Zion United Reformed Church in Sheffield (ON).

Rev. Heiberg and his wife, Margherita, have four children.

in the same area; (2) Training church families in Herbertpur in various trades, giving them the opportunity to provide for themselves; (3) Teaching sewing to young girls in the area north of Herbertpur, which includes providing sewing machines for the graduating girls to begin their own businesses.

Still needed in 2014: $26,400.

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sponsorship Make a World of Difference by Sponsoring a Child

Don’t underestimate the impact that a picture and a short letter can have on your

sponsor child!

Many sponsor children come from broken and dysfunctional homes, and do not receive the attention or affection that children thrive on.

A short note from you is one more example of healthy, Christian love in their lives.

Please write ‑‑ today!

(Contact Kara at office@wordanddeed.org if you’re not sure how to get started.)

This space has intentionally been left blank.

Maxwell: Maxwell is four years old and is currently attending La Palabra Christian School in Guatemala. He lives with his mother and walks 20 minutes to get to school each day. His father has abandoned their family, so his mother is Maxwell’s sole caregiver. She works hard in a store, but has a small income. They are very thankful for the care he is able to receive through the school.

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Sendia: Three-year-old Sendia is just finishing Junior Kindergarten at Adoration Christian Centre in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She lives with her family in a rented tin house. Neither of her parents have steady jobs, which makes their living situation very difficult. Her father is looking for a job and her mother works as a vendor, selling things along the side of the road.

Glesil: Glesil is six years old and currently in Kindergarten at Adoration Christian Centre in Haiti.

Glesil lives with her mother and walks 30 minutes to get to school each day. Her father works as a moto-driver and her mother as a roadside vendor. They work very hard to provide for their children but do not have sufficient income to meet their daily needs.

>VoLunteeR profile

By Hanna Korvemaker

Andy & gerda vandenhaak:

A Life of Service

On January 13, 1962, Andy and Gerda Vandenhaak got married. In Gerda’s words, “I agreed to marry him because he prayed with me. I knew we would be one for the other and together for Christ.” And they were.

Andy and Gerda’s life was busy. They worked, welcomed, and loved five children, and housed 28 young people who needed a place to stay at different times, some for a week and some for over a year. In short, they served where they saw a need and built memories on a “limited budget.” In their retirement years they wanted to keep serving This and, in 1998, God showed them how.

That year, they met an Indonesian man named Yonson Dethan, who was engaged to their niece, MaryLynn DeBoer. Yonson was studying to become a pastor at the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in Hamilton, Ontario, and he had a vision to provide Reformed education to children from poor, Christian families in West Timor. Andy and Gerda listened to Yonson and Mary-Lynn talk about the work they hoped to do in Indonesia and Andy told them, “Call us if you ever need any help.”

That was the beginning of 15 years of service to Children of Light, which Andy and Gerda established as the North American arm of the project.

Together they founded a board, bought a motorhome that was cheap on gas, and began traveling to promote the project among Reformed schools and churches. They recruited sponsors and eventually helped raise money to build school buildings in Indonesia. In time, they traveled to Indonesia too, to visit the project they had become dedicated to. There, they “stood in awe of our God and in awe of what the brothers and sisters space has intentionally [had] accomplished.” been left blank.

Eventually, Andy and Gerda realized that Children of Light was growing too large to be managed strictly on a volunteer basis, and in God’s wonderful providence it became part of the Word & Deed family of projects in January 2014, the same month that Andy was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Andy passed away on May 18 at 79 years of age, after a lifetime of laboring for God and for God’s people.

He was thankful for the privilege of being used by God, and he and Gerda both learned that “God does not need us, but he might use us.” For them, retirement is just another season of life, filled with opportunities to serve.

W&D

A year later, in December 1999, they received an email that said, “Help.” In response, Andy and Gerda, “prayed, talked, wondered, and answered the Top: Andy & Gerda Vandenhaak. email in the only way [they] could: ‘We Bottom: Andy in some traditional will help you in whatever way you need Indonesian garb. us to help you. With God’s hand, all Hanna and her husband Ian attend things are possible.’” An organization the Adoration United Reformed had been established, Anak Anak Terang (Child Child Church of Vineland. They have one daughter, Light), and 17 children had been selected to attend Damaris. Hanna enjoys reading, writing, doing school. Andy and Gerda were tasked with finding them the bookwork for Ian’s masonry business, and each a sponsor to make it possible. volunteering for Word & Deed.

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Niagara Bikeâ&#x20AC;˘aâ&#x20AC;˘thon

THANK YOU!

The 8th annual Niagara Bike-a-thon has come and gone, and we are so thankful for all involved. God certainly blessed the efforts of our countless volunteers, sponsors, and riders! This year, not only did we have a record number of riders (332!) we also raised over $78,000 net! May the Lord use it all for His glory by bringing physical and spiritual hope to all of those who are touched by the Nakekela HIV/AIDS Clinic in South Africa.

Our fundraising volunteers play an important role in helping us raise the resources we need to support dozens of projects throughout the world. In addition to the Bike-athon, volunteers have organized softball tournaments, dinner/dessert evenings, hunger awareness campaigns, concerts, and so many other events. Contact us if you would like to get involved or organize a Word & Deed fundraising event!

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FALL 2014

Did you know?

One of our top fundraisers this year is 81-year-old Henk Evers! Henk gathered sponsors for each kilometer that he biked and successfully completed the 52km route. In the end he raised over $7,000!

Thank you Henk!

Business Group

Meetings please stay tuned for confirmed dates and locations Niagara, ON · September 30 Pompton Plains, NJ · TBD Norwich, ON · TBD Greenville, SC · TBD West Lincoln, ON · TBD

Prayer Requests

Grand Rapids, MI · December 4 Hamilton, ON · December 10

Part 2: A Hospital in the Making • Praise God for His providence and enabling the final phase of construction on the hospital.

• Please pray for the continuing preparations for the opening of the hospital both on the field and in North America by the Grassroots Committee and Word & Deed.

Adoration Christian Centre: A Service for the Community • Praise God for opening doors so that both spiritual and physical assistance may be brought to some of the poorest of the poor in Haiti.

• Please pray for wisdom for the leaders and local board as they guide and serve at Adoration and in the surrounding community.

Relief Efforts Following Kelud Volcano Eruption • Praise God that our partner project in Indonesia, Children of Light, has remained relatively unaffected and that This space has intentionally been left blank. they have been able to assist with relief efforts.

• Please pray for those who are having to rebuild their homes and lives, that they may find spiritual rest in the Lord.

Expansion Completed!

• Praise God for the completion of the expansion including two side wards and a patient lounge.

• Please pray for the staff at the Nakekela HIV/AIDS Clinic as they adjust to the increase in the number of patients and as they reach out to KwaNdebele community.

Introducing a New Partner: Mission of Peace Making (MPM) India • Praise God for opening doors through this partnership for the gospel to be shared in India. space has intentionally left blank.

• Please pray that This God would bless this new partnership and our been efforts to help those who are “of the household of faith” in India.

Word & Deed North America • Praise God for providing us with new board members ready and willing to share their wisdom and gifts with Word & Deed.

• Please pray for the health of our Projects Consultant, Bernie Pennings, as he continues to undergo testing and recover from an unknown virus.

FALL 2014 I Word&Deed

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Isaiah’s Prophecy of Good News 1. What is a prophecy? Can you give an example from the Bible?

2. Who is Isaiah’s prophecy for?

Part 2: A Hospital in the Making 1. What is the purpose of the hospital in the Dominican Republic?

2. What work has been completed and what work remains to be done on the hospital?

3. How is the hospital growing in self-sufficiency?

Adoration Christian Centre: A Service for the Community 1. How does Adoration Christian Centre support the community?

2. Evenz states that serving or helping others has great value before God. How do we know this? See Matthew 20:20-28.

Relief Efforts Following Kelud Volcano Eruption 1. In what ways has Word & Deed, through Children of Light, been able tohas support those impacted by the This space intentionally eruption of been Kelud Volcano? left blank.

2. Make a list of ways that you can pray for those impacted.

Expansion Completed!

1. What does Dr. Miskin mean when she says, “We labor in His [God’s] chosen vineyard”?

2. How has the Nakekela HIV/AIDS Clinic been expanded?

Introducing a New Partner: Mission of Peace Making (MPM) India 1. Why is there a great need for the gospel in India?

This space has intentionally 2. What is the persecuted church? been left blank.

3. What types of projects will Word & Deed and MPM be partnering in?

Integration: Integrate Bible, history, geography, critical thinking, current events, and reading comprehension (etc.).

Missions: Challenge students to consider short-term mission trips and the use of their time, talents, and money to the glory of God while also having them ponder their relationship with the Lord.

Problem Solving: Develop problem solving skills in response to problems presented in the articles.

Awareness: Dramatically raise students’ awareness of what people in the developing world face on a daily basis. It will shape them for life.

Compassion: Elicit compassion when students come face to face with the very difficult lives of their peers in the developing world.

Thankfulness: Encourage thankfulness for God’s blessings in their lives.