Official Publication of Word & Deed
An International Reformed Relief and Development Agency
Free for sponsors and friends
FALL 2022
Editor
Rick Postma
Assistant Editor
Scott Koopman
Graphic Design
Knor Graphic Design Solutions
Shelly Crites, Hanna Korvemaker, Kara Luiting, Bethany Post, Susan Trentacosti Word & Deed North America is an evangelical and Reformed humanitarian relief and development organization. Our aim is to help meet the physical and spiritual needs of people in the developing world in accordance with biblical principles for the glory of God. With cooperating offices in St. Thomas, Ontario, and Hudsonville, Michigan, Word & Deed partners with Christian agencies in Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Myanmar, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Malawi, and South Africa.
John Otten
Director of Public Relations
Rick Postma
Director Heidi Pronk
Support Staff
Scott Dekorte, Scott Koopman, John Kottelenberg, Kara Luiting, Dave Vander Meer
Canadian Board of Directors
Chairman – Corney Les Vice-Chairman –John Vangameren
Secretary – Harold Leyenhorst
Treasurer – Henry de Waal Wilf Bout, Dr Arjan de Visser, John Jagersma, Bert Mulder, James Neven, Paul Wagenaar, Dave Wielinga
USA Board of Directors
President – Paul Beezhold Vice President - Jay Van Voorst Secretary – Harry Kooistra Treasurer – Karen Vander Sloot Eric Brandt, Pastor Adrian Dieleman, Eric Greendyk, Paul Laman, Pete Vander Stel,
Mr. Jim Beeke –
International Educational Consultant
Dr. Gerald M. Bilkes – Professor of Old & New Testament, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary
Pastor Richard Bout –
URCNA Missions Coordinator
Pastor Danny Hyde – Pastor, Oceanside United Reformed Church
Pastor Mark Vander Hart –Associate Professor of Old Testament Studies, Mid-America Reformed Seminary
Pastor Frank Van Dalen –
Former Executive Director of the Foreign Missions
Board of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church Canada Office PO Box 20100
St. Thomas, ON N5P 4H4
Toll free 877.375.9673
office@wordanddeed.org
United States Office PO Box 157, Hudsonville, MI 49426
Toll free 866.391.5728
usoffice@wordanddeed.org
Registered Charity Number (Canada) 89 120 0941 RR0001
EIN Non-profit Number (USA) 37-1429283
Bible quotations are from the NKJV unless otherwise noted.
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)
Eating and drinking—some of life’s simple pleasures! But we must remember the con text: Paul has been writing to the Corinthian Christians about eating meat that may have come from pagan temples. The possibility existed that a Christian, eating a meal in the home of a pagan, might in fact be eating steak that had come out of the context of pagan worship. Earlier in the context, Paul had made a reference to Psalm 24:1, namely, that “the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness” (1 Cor. 10:26). That truth sets the overarching tone in Paul’s discussion. For the Christian believer, the whole earth belongs to the true God. The entire creation is the setting in which service to God can be conducted. Meat offered to idols is not dedicated to any other gods; in fact, it is offered to demons! If food is put before the Christian, he does not raise the question of its religious origin. Rather, the Christian gives God proper thanks for the gifts of food and drink.
Simple pleasures, like eating and drink ing, are to be done to the glory of God. How? Paul does not elaborate on the idea. Here is one verse that gives rise to the first question and answer of the Westminster Shorter Catechism: “What is the chief end of man? Man’s chief end is to glo rify God, and to enjoy Him forever.”
Glorifying God is not restricted to “church” activities. “Whatever you do,” says Paul. Obviously, if the simple acts of eating
and drinking can be done to the glory of God, then surely a great array of legitimate callings and vocations open up as places where God can be served and glorified.
We know that all good gifts come from God. They are to be sanctified by prayer, prayers of gratitude, by His Word, and by an appropriate use of earth’s resources that directs the users to the origin of the gifts, the true and living God, who created all things. Indeed, any activ ity that is permitted by the Word of God should have God’s glory in mind, done out of true faith, with the activity regulated by God’s law, not by human tradition or our imaginations.
Not everyone in this world, however, enjoys the simple pleasures of eating and drinking. For some people today in this world, getting suf ficient nourishment, and finding clean drinking water—this is a great struggle carried out each day. An organization like Word & Deed is dedi cated to those efforts of enabling more needy people to experience the simple pleasures of good food and safe drink so that they, too, might taste and see that the Lord of the whole earth is good! W&D
Pastor Mark Vander Hart is Associate Professor of Old Testament Studies, Ministerial Apprenticeship Program Director, and Dean of Students at Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, IN. He serves on Word & Deed’s Advisory Committee.
The situation in many Latin American countries continues to be difficult. Some still have COVID-19 restrictions in place, and all seem to have economic difficulties due to the lingering effects of COVID-19 and inflation. This has caused great unrest and violence in some countries. While Costa Rica’s general mood is pessimistic, there isn’t an overarching fear of violence breaking out like in so many places around the world.
Education Plus (EP) has been operating normally for some time now. They continue to move forward by working with children and their families in three shantytowns near the capital of San José.
The staff continues to make trips into the homes of the children of this program, developing relationships and get ting to know their families. One of EP’s biggest assets is the relationships they have in the shantytowns. They are well known, respected, and trusted. While on these home
visits, they are bringing a Gospel message and encourage ment to the families. The team understands the needs of the families and helps where they can.
On my recent trip, I was able to visit one of these homes along with Juan Carlos and another EP staff member. A sin gle mother lives there with her son. The first thing that hit me when I walked into the shanty was the smell. I wasn’t sure where it is coming from, but it was unavoidable. The quarters were very cramped; it was almost claustropho bic. There was a little sliver of light coming from one par tially covered window and an open door. A lone light bulb hung from the ceiling—the sole source of artificial light in the whole house that they could only use for a little while each day, as it was hooked up to the neighbor’s electric ity. I listened as the hardships and struggles of this family were recounted. The mother makes money by breaking cloth down into fiber. She gets paid $2 USD for a little
more than two pounds of fiber which will take her five hours to prepare, using an old saw blade to break it down. The way she stripped the cloth reminded me of watching my mom crochet, the move ment so familiar that she didn’t even have to look at what she was doing. It was remarkable to experience first-hand the interaction, care, and concern that the EP staff has for this family and for all of the families that they work with. May God continue to bless the valuable work of this ministry for His glory. W&D
Dave Vander Meer works for Word & Deed in the Public Relations and Projects depart ments. He lives in Hudsonville, Michigan, with his family.
This project works in marginal urban areas in San José, Costa Rica with children and young people at high social risk to prevent them from dropping out of school. The director of this project, Juan Ramirez, is an elder in Pastor Bill Green’s (URC missionary) church. 450 children and their families are helped by God’s grace to build a different story than the typical life of dropping out of school, crime, and drugs, all too common in these communities. Education Plus provides school supplies, weekly Bible classes, family visits, and summer camps. Budget for 2022: $61,000 CAD / $46,000 USD.
EDUCATION PLUS - COSTA RICA
Education Plus staff with visitors.
We give thanks to God for His generosity and care. He uses organizations such as Word & Deed as instruments. We were able to open the Centro Medico Cristiano La Esperanza in Quinindé, Ecuador, in April 2019. We did not count on a pandemic occurring, and at the beginning of the pandemic we had to close for the first two weeks. But after this, we decided, together with Eliana the nurse, that this was the opportunity that God had given us to show so much love to people who were frightened, faced with an unknown disease. As medical doctors, we also did not have the experience of treating this new disease and there was an element of uncertainty and fear—but God put His love and peace in our hearts, and we had to share that with our patients.
Since then, we have had the privilege of hiring another doctor at our clinic. Dr. Romero has been a great blessing. Today, thanks to her presence, I can spend a bit more time once again in community health and developing the pro grams. But the most beautiful thing that has happened is that Dr. Romero today has a lot of interest in Christianity. She and her family come from a very strong Catholic back ground, but she is discovering Jesus at the clinic, and we continue to pray that God works
His complete saving work in her and her family’s lives.
The laboratory department has also been a great asset to the clinic and we have a very good relationship with the lab technician. We have our own hematology machine from which we receive 100% of the income. The rest of the lab work is done by the laboratory technician using his own equipment. Of these tests, we receive 25–50% of the income. This setup relieves us from the responsibility of maintaining the lab staff and servicing the equipment. This is good for us at this time, because we do not have trained personnel to run this area.
Our greatest joy is to be able to share the Gospel with our patients. When Dr. Romero encounters patients who are experiencing difficulties that are not only physical, she often will set up an appointment so that they can come to see me to receive further counsel. When I am in the clinic, I also attend to the mothers of the children in the after-school programs and have this space to encourage them, since their lives are very difficult. We counsel these women to find in the Lord Jesus the power and strength to continue on.
We are also very happy because the pavilion that Word & Deed is helping to construct beside our clinic is almost completed. We are working on developing the pro grams that we will offer in this new facility, including education and health promotion. We firmly believe that what the population of Quinindé needs is not only medical care but a knowledge of God and of the bodies He created us with.
Dr. Yeny with a patient.Recently, the government did an inspection and they informed us that we now have permission to be a medical center that provides specialties. This new status allows us to have the ability to provide a day hospitalization program so we can do outpatient surgeries. At this time, we have chosen to not operate at this status, as it would create a huge shift in administration and labor costs and many institutions lose the personal care aspect when they transition into this level if it is not done carefully and with the proper financial abilities in place.
Thank you for all your love, prayers, and support. We ask you to help us in prayer for these new challenges we face, but also that God will continue to sustain us and to send patients as He has done during all these years. W&D
Dr. Yeny Agila is the Director of San Lucas Society in Quinindé, Ecuador.
Word & Deed partners with San Lucas Society as they minister in Quinindé, Ecuador operating the Healing with Hope medical clinic and three After-School Programs supported through child sponsorship.
Pray for Quinindé as drug cartels have recently moved into town and brought with them much violence.
A taxi that one of the teachers was riding in was recently hit by a bullet.
Pray that peace through the Gospel would prevail.
CENTRO MEDICO CRISITANO LA ESPERANZA New Pavilion Under Construction. Dr. Romero with patients.
After three years of not being able to go to Guatemala due to COVID-19 restrictions, it was a blessing to be able to travel there again in May. Joining me on the trip were Brian and Mary Dennett (Brian was the President of AMG Guatemala until 2020), Bob and Robin Hastings (Bob was President of AMG Guatemala prior to Brian), and Billy Weeks. Billy is a lecturer of photojournalism and takes pictures for The New York Times. Some of his pictures are shared in this article.
From Monday afternoon until Thursday afternoon, we visit six projects in quick succession. Joining us from AMG Guatemala are Wenry (Alex) Orellana (President), Ruth Rodriguez (Director of Education), and Carlos Arreaga (Teams Coordinator).
Pastoral Training Program (Monday afternoon)
I meet with Pastor Lucas to review the Pastoral Training Program. Many pastors in Guatemala have little to no education. Given AMG Guatemala’s numerous projects, many relationships have been developed with local pastors. With input from Word & Deed, Pastor Lucas and his team
have developed a series of courses on video that groups of pastors watch and discuss in various parts of the country. There are currently 61 pastors enrolled. Instructors come from Latin America as well as other parts of the world. Pastor Lucas shows me a bookshelf full of books ordered from Pastor Bill Green in Costa Rica. These books will be “checked out” by pastors for various readings as they take their courses. The project has just passed its first anniversary and is doing very well.
La Palabra Christian School (Tuesday morning)
After fighting several hours of traffic Tuesday morning, we arrive at La Palabra Christian School in Monjas. Of the 560 students, half are sponsored by W&D supporters and half are supported through parental school fees. While COVID-19 restrictions have created quite some challenges, dedicated teachers and administrative staff have been able to keep the students moving ahead. While 50% are up to where they should be, 50% are behind to varying degrees. The most affected are in Grades K–2, some of whom have not been able to learn how to read. After visiting some homes to pray with local families, we depart for Cubulco around 3 p.m. (a 5-hour drive or so).
Cubulco Hospital
On Wednesday morning, we meet with leaders of the Cubulco Hospital team. Patient numbers decreased during COVID-19, likely due to the fear of infection. The number of surgeries performed by international teams decreased quite significantly, but the result was that more local
Rick with Sponsor Child (on left). La Palabra StudentsGuatemalan surgical teams were found to take their place—a good development. We review the newly installed solar panel project during our visit. Since our trip, a threeday electrical outage had the hospital as the only building in town with power during the full outage. Word & Deed funds ~20% of the operating cost, with patient fees funding the rest (a number of Guatemalan and American surgeons also donate their services).
The after-school programs in the Cubulco area are growing and doing well. An old airport hanger in town was renovated by a Word & Deed team and is now being used to minister to 100 children. Some distance away, up in the mountains, there are two other programs affiliated with churches planted by Free Reformed Missionaries and local obreros (church planters) in the 1990s and 2000s. We are given a rousing welcome by the children as they put on a little performance for us. A few of us have a chance to take pictures with lots of children giving us a group hug. The Mayan Achi male does not show much physical affection we are told. A little while later, as I am the last one to walk out of the church building, a little girl comes running in for one more hug and then runs out again.
Camp Canaan (Thursday afternoon)
After a beautiful, bumpy drive through the mountains of Guatemala, we arrive at Camp Canaan. The children are clearly immensely enjoying themselves with many in the newly restored pool. Normally, Camp Canaan has ~60 children attending for four days per week, 40 weeks of the year. COVID-19 has reduced this quite significantly with the camp closed for some time and, for the past year or so, open with two groups of 25 students coming for two days each. Most of the children who come are from the many schools and after-school programs run by AMG Guatemala. Many alumni point back to their time at Camp Canaan as when they came to know the Lord as their gracious Savior.
AMG Guatemala’s goal is to “meet people at their point of need, whether it be hunger, sickness, or hopelessness, and to show them Jesus as the only answer to the problems of this life and the only hope for eter nal life.” May God continue to bless the work in Guatemala! Combined 2022 budget for projects with AMG Guatemala: $670,000 CAD / $502,000 USD.
And in the end, that is what it is all about. These projects all help participants practically in some important way but our greatest concern, and that of our partner AMG Guatemala, is that they help spiritually. We thank the Lord for His work through the programs in the lives of many and for His miraculous grace in bringing many into an eternal relationship with Him. W&D
Rick Postma is the Director of Public Relations for Word & Deed Ministries.
Pastor Santos (obrero) Cubulco Hospital Pastor Lucas (left) with Israel Camp CanaanWord & Deed is a God-centered ministry that we personally trust and wholeheartedly believe in. They take a biblical approach to helping others in need through local Christians who also bring a Gospel message to their communities. We appreciated that we could continue to positively impact the ministry by giving in a way that was for our tax benefit.
PAUL & LAURINA FROM MICHIGAN
The following are several ways in which you can make a world of difference in the life of a student through one of our partners:
Individual Child Sponsorship
($35 USD or $38 CAD/month)
This is your traditional sponsorship model. You are set up with a specific child to correspond with.
You will receive a photo of your sponsor child, an update or greeting from your sponsor child at least twice per year, and the opportunity to send emails, notes, or small gifts to them.
The countries involved in this program are Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, and India.
($6 USD or $8 CAD/month)
Your monthly contribution will cover the support of an orphan in one of our partner’s Orphan Care Programs in Malawi. You will receive an update on the program once every year.
Your monthly donation will supplement the tuition costs of a student who is pursuing a post-secondary education. This program is application-based and is available to students who show a commitment to their studies, to the
Lord, and to continued involvement in their communities. You will receive an update on the student that you are supporting once per year.
The countries involved in this program are Colombia and Haiti.
($35 USD or $38 CAD/month)
Each child in the class that you help to support receives all the benefits of individual child sponsorship, without the direct connection to a sponsor. You will receive updates on the class that you are supporting four times per year.
The countries involved in this program are Colombia and Indonesia.
More information on our sponsorship program can be found by watching the video available on our website at wordanddeed.org/child-sponsorship.
You can also connect with Kara by emailing sponsorship@wordanddeed.org or via phone at 1-877-375-9673.
1. Why do you think it would be such an important asset for Education Plus to have good relationships and trust with families living in the shantytowns? What benefits would this have?
2. What struck you the most about the living conditions of the family in the shantytown?
1. The number of surgeries performed by international teams at Cubulco Hospital has decreased, but what is the hidden blessing in this?
2. What is AMG Guatemala’s greatest hope for the impact of their projects?
1. What does Dr. Yeny say is the greatest joy of the staff at the clinic?
2. What is the reason given as to why the clinic does not want to become a hospital at this time? Do you agree with their concern?
