W&D Magazine Winter 2016/17

INSIDE

WINTER 2016/17

Dominican Republic The Luke Society Hospital One Year Later

Guatemala

Medical Services as a Means of Bringing the Gospel

Nicaragua Meeting Eternal Needs

Sponsorship C HILD S E E PAG

E 9 FOR

D E TA I L S

Plus

Christmas Catalogue Page 5

>foreword

By Rick Postma

Sickness

and the

Great Physician

A few months ago, I returned from a good trip to Guatemala. There is nothing novel in that as I have been on trips to Guatemala something like 12 times over the past 16 years. This time, however, I came back carrying a virus—the Chikungunya virus. I’m thankful to report that I rarely get sick on trips. There was one memorable trip in 2006, I believe, when I picked up a parasite during a visit to a small aldea in the mountains near Cubulco, Guatemala. A few days later, I was very sick indeed. A memorable flight from Quetzaltenango, the second-largest city in Guatemala, to Guatemala City in a Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) airplane was a harrowing experience given how sick I was. But once on the ground, the Lord used John Otten, now our Projects Director but then still running the Cubulco hospital, to consult various doctors, diagnose the problem, and then bring me the medicine prescribed. Once I took the medicine, I went from being unable to stand upright due to nausea, to being ready to play soccer in about two hours’ time. From my perspective, the Lord used John to bring about a seemingly miraculous healing.

As I write this, the main symptoms of the mosquito-borne Chikungunya virus—joint swelling, body rash, fevers—have alleviated. The main symptom remaining is fatigue. Along the way, God has had a lesson in all this for me: The work of the Lord does not depend on Rick Postma. Far from it. I have had to slow down, take regular breaks, and not accomplish as much as I had hoped. But the Lord’s work goes on in accordance with the counsel of His will. In this, I am both humbled and encouraged.

I think we can draw a lesson from the sudden healing I experienced some years ago as well.

We are all by nature sicker than we can imagine, unable to stand before a holy God. We are all by But God, the Great Physician, has prepared nature a remedy in the atoning blood of His Son, than we Jesus Christ. What a message we have to share far and wide—yes, you are sick, , but there is a remedy! In this issue of the unable to stand magazine, we take you to the Dominican before a Republic, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and .

Myanmar where we, through our partners, are sharing that remedy in dependence on the miracle of God’s transforming grace. May countless precious souls be healed so they can stand before a holy God and not cry for the mountains to hide them from His anger, but instead call out to Him, “Abba, Father.” W&D

sicker

can imagine holy God

Rick Postma is the Director of Public Relations for Word & Deed Ministries.

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

WINTER 2016/17 Editor Rick Postma

Assistant Editor Hanna Korvemaker

Graphic Design Knor Graphic Design Solutions Copy Editors Shelly Crites Susan Trentacosti

meditation

Sinners Enriched by the Poverty of Christ

<

By Pastor Lawrence J. Bilkes

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, and South Africa.

Canada Office PO Box 20100 St. Thomas, ON N5P 4H4 Toll free 877.375.9673 office@wordanddeed.org Director of Projects John Otten Director of Promotion Rick Postma Office Administrator Scott Koopman Support Staff Hanna Korvemaker John Kottelenberg Kara Luiting Nancy Sinke Board of Directors President - Corney Les Vice President - Jake Sinke Secretary - Dave Wielinga Treasurer - Henry de Waal Dr. Arjan de Visser Rev. C. Heiberg Harold Leyenhorst Bert Mulder Dick Naves John Vangameren Lyle Ypma Advisory Committee Mr. Jim Beeke –

International Educational Consultant

Dr. Gerald M. Bilkes – Professor of

Old & New Testament, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary Rev. Richard Bout URCNA Missions Coordinator Rev. Danny Hyde – Pastor, Oceanside United Reformed Church

Rev. Mark Vander Hart –

Associate Professor of Old Testament Studies, Mid-America Reformed Seminary Rev. Frank Van Dalen – Former Executive Director of the Foreign Missions Board of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church

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

Office Administrator Heidi Pronk Board of Directors President - Pete Vander Stel Vice President - Paul Laman Secretary - Harry Kooistra Treasurer - Karen Vander Sloot Eric Brandt Dave Byker Anita Sikkema Peter Van Kempen Registered Charity Number (Canada) 89 120 0941 RR0001 EIN Non-profit Number (USA) 37-1429283 Bible quotations are from the NKJV unless otherwise noted.

“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” (2 Cor. 8:9) Sometimes we hear remarkable examples of giving. Paul gives two such examples. The first example is the Macedonian church which gave generously and sacrificially (2 Cor. 8:1–5). Sacrificial giving is when you give more than you can afford to give because you love the cause so much. The Macedonians gave to the point where giving actually hurt. This is convicting, as we can sometimes spend more money on coffee at Tim Hortons in a week than for the cause of the Lord.

The Height of His Riches But Paul moves to his second example in this advent text, and he says, to paraphrase, “Let me tell you about giving: the self-impoverishing giving of Christ.” Now Christ was rich in possessions (Hag. 2:8, Ps. 24:1), in communion (Jn. 1:18), in glory (Jn. 17:5), and in joy (Prov. 8:30).

Sometimes we can be taken up with the rich and famous of this world—with what they have, wear, and look like. But their lives and their riches are only for a time (Matt. 6:19). How much better it is to be taken up with Christ who is altogether lovely and glorious (Song of Sol. 5:16, Jn. 1:14)!

The Depths of His Poverty But in the incarnation He became poor. Here Paul takes us to a stable where He was laid in Bethlehem (Lk. 2:7). That is not how we would have planned it; not for our children anyway. But the Lord Jesus became poor, would have no home to dwell in, no pillow to sleep on (Matt. 8:20).

Soon after His birth He became a refugee, fled to Egypt, depended on the charity of others, and was finally taken to Golgotha, where He was nailed to the cross, even forsaken of His Father, and buried at last in a borrowed tomb. He became poor. Why did He do it?

The Breadth of His Grace Paul answers that question by saying: “...that ye through his poverty might be rich.” In the beginning, God gave us a privileged place and position. Adam knew communion with God in his beautiful home in paradise. But in the fall we lost it all, and are outside of His favor and communion, deserving hell where the once-rich-man did not even receive a drop of water to cool his tongue (Lk. 16:24-26).

We need Him to open our eyes to our poverty (Rev. 3:17). With empty hands we may return and receive the riches of His grace (Eph. 2:7) including peace and forgiveness, adoption, and comfort (Lk. 15:22). That moves us to give in return out of love. Isaac Watts is right: “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.” W&D Pastor Lawrence J. Bilkes serves the congregation of the Ebenezer Free Reformed Church of Dundas, ON, Canada.

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>DOMiNiCaN REPUBLiC

By Dr. Silvia Martinez

The

Luke Society Hospital

One Year Later

fees). There are a few more requirements to meet until the application is complete.

Another way of covering the costs of operations is by charging the patients reasonable fees for services and medicines. There is always a cultural mindset to overcome— people think it is an American hospital so they should not have to pay much. The Luke Society is working hard to help people see that it is their hospital, not American, and it costs money to run and maintain.

The hospital has been operating for over a year and as it becomes more known, the number of patients also increases. Present services include gynecology, family doctor, cardiology, pediatric, general medicine, emergency, pharmacy, and laboratory. A doctor in the U.S. has been instrumental in getting an X-ray machine and ultrasound for the hospital. These will hopefully be installed and running soon, and will provide a much-needed service.

As there is so much to develop, the staff tries to focus on something each month. In March they established the pregnancy program where the mothers are monitored and receive vitamins and some baby clothes. In April and May the focus was to promote the hospital services to the local community and to other small clinics in the area that do not offer these services. They visited local churches and community leaders in order to work together against the illnesses that are affecting their communities. Also, the local church has invited the staff to speak about health issues in one of their community activities.

Hospitals are expensive to operate, so the staff at the Luke Society hospital is also pursuing several avenues which will allow it to be more self-sufficient. For example, they are applying to become a hospital approved to provide medical services to individuals and companies whose healthcare is covered by the government (the government pays their

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Even with these challenges, people are being helped and God’s Word is going forth. The local church is involved by bringing people to the clinic. They also come and share the Word of God with patients who come to the clinic. The hospital is very thankful that we can work together with the churches for the Kingdom of God. Since the Luke Society hospital is a Christian organization, the Word of God is at the center of all of its activities. Every morning is begun with a reading of several verses from the Bible and a devotional, first with the staff and then with the patients all together. Presently two home Bible studies are being led by one of the doctors. W&D Dr. Silvia Martinez is the Executive Director of Sociedad Lucas in the Dominican Republic.

JAn Pierre’s

Testimony

A Haitian patient, 62-year-old Jan Pierre , was brought to the hospital by his pastor. He was very sick, but neither of them had the money needed to treat what was affecting Mr. Pierre. Both his legs were very swollen and one had an open injury caused by a block that fell on his foot while working on a construction site. Through lab work they realized he was diabetic and he had high blood pressure. He was not having any medication for the problems because he could not afford it. After a few days with treatment, the swelling of his legs disappeared and with medication we could control his diabetes and his blood pressure.

However, it took us almost one month to get his wounded leg cured. After he was healed, he came to us with a big smile on his face and he told us that he praised our Lord and thanked us very much because he was very concerned about his leg. He thought that he might lose one of his legs.

GIVING HOPE

CHRISTMAS CATALOGUE 2016

Are you considering meaningful Christmas giving ideas?

Consider purchasing a gift from our catalogue this year as a means of blessing those in need.

2 cad $ 1.50 usd

BOOK TRANSLATION (INDIA) The per book cost to translate and print 1,000 copies of two Reformed books on doctrine in Hindi.

5 cad $ 3.50 usd

REFORMED TRAINING MATERIALS (MALAWI) Cost to print a Logos Ministries module (material for one course for one student) into local languages.

$

$

6 cad $ 5 usd

$

10 cad $ 7.50 usd $

BIBLES Purchase a Bible to be distributed at projects in various countries.

AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM (INDIA) Provide food, Bible teaching, and significant help with school subjects for one student for one month in rural India.

BUNDLES OF LOVE Christmas gift (a toy and a practical item) for a student at Christian schools in Colombia or Guatemala.

20 cad $ 15 usd

SCHOOL SUPPLIES (HAITI) School supplies for one student for one year at Adoration Christian School.

$

35 cad $ 25 usd $

MEDICAL CARE (MYANMAR) Medical care for one month for 70 poor children at the Child Development Centre in Myanmar.

450 cad $ 335 usd

RADIO PROGRAM (GUATEMALA) Cost to run the Cubulco hospital radio program for one month.

500 cad $ 375 usd

MAGAZINE PRINTING (INDONESIA) Cost to print a Reformed magazine for Christians for one month.

2000 cad $ 1500 usd

LEADERSHIP TRAINING (ECUADOR) Cost to run one training course for pastors and church leaders in Ecuador.

$

$

18 cad $ 14 usd

$

260 cad $ 200 usd $

$

4000 cad $ 3000 usd

$

KITCHEN APPLIANCES & START-UP COSTS (ECUADOR) Cost to provide kitchen appliances and equipment needed for the newest Sponsorship Program in Dos de Mayo.

DONATION OPTIONS

SOCKS & SHOES (INDONESIA) Socks and shoes for a student at Children of Light.

ONLINE: Visit the Giving Hope web page to view the full catalogue, to place your order, and to make your donation via credit card.

www.wordanddeed.org/givinghope2016

70 cad $ 55 usd

HOME-BASED CARE (SOUTH AFRICA) Home-based care for one patient for one year through the Nakekela HIV/AIDS Clinic.

110 cad $ 85 usd

SEWING MACHINES (INDIA) Provide a sewing machine and fabric for an “untouchable” woman graduate of our one-year sewing course in India.

150 cad $ 115 usd

MEALS (HAITI) Feed one student one meal a day for the school year at Adoration Christian School.

$

$

$

PHONE: Call 1.877.375.9673 (Canada) or 1.866.391.5728 (USA) to place your order. Payment can be made via credit card or mailed cheque.

Acknowledgement Cards are available for those who wish to purchase a gift from our catalogue on someone’s behalf. Please note that cards will be mailed within seven days of receiving your donation.

order online 5at and2016/17 View the full catalogueWINTER I Word&Deed

>GUaTEMaLa

By Rick Postma

Medical Services as a Means of Bringing the Gospel

An anesthesia machine donated by a U.S. supporter.

The town of Cubulco, Guatemala, is appealingly located in a valley surrounded by mountains, but also has the distinction of belonging to one of the poorest provinces of that beleaguered country. The growing local population has faced the difficult challenge of moving from a very primitive way of life maintained for many centuries––think stick huts, dirt floors, illiteracy, short life spans, a few pigs, chickens, and small patch of corn––to the 21st century in a matter of a few decades.

John Otten, our Projects Director, spent 17 years administering a small hospital in Cubulco in conjunction with the work of the Free Reformed churches to plant churches among the Mayan villages in the mountains, translate God’s Word into Cubulco Achi (a branch of the Mayan people group), and develop education programs.

Word & Deed Holland funded the hospital for many years, with Word & Deed North America funding John’s work and our partner, AMG Guatemala, overseeing it. For the last eight years or so, Word & Deed North America has taken over the funding of an operating budget that is now, very admirably, 80% self-sufficient. Currently, the main operations of the hospital––emergency, surgery, lab, radiology, doctor-patient rooms––are all crammed into the main building. The space challenge, building deterioration, and a need for increased

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Progress on the interior of the hospital (October 2016). services such as gynecology, full-time surgery, and obstetrics all led to the decision to expand and update the hospital several years ago. After much planning, including input from a team of civil engineers, architects, and surveyors from Engineering Missions International, the expansion and renovation of the hospital began this past spring.

During the last week of August, I had the privilege of visiting Cubulco together with Word & Deed board director Harold Leyenhorst. We were delighted to see the progress made on the new building by the Guatemalan builder, a company that has successfully built other medical facilities in Guatemala.

The agreement with the builder, facilitated by our partner AMG Guatemala, has the payments divided into six stages and requires various milestones to be reached and verified before funds are provided. The week before we arrived, we arranged for an independent civil engineer to carry out an assessment of the project, including taking samples of the materials used, to ensure that all the work was being done properly. His report attested to the high standards of the new building, providing new space for six doctor-patient rooms, two dental rooms, a pharmacy with street access, a lab, and much more. The contract specified a completion date of October 31, with penalties to be paid for each day it is late.

You may be thinking that providing medical services is important, but why is Word & Deed involved in this kind of work? This is a good question. One part of the answer is that the nearest public hospital is one hour away by vehicle and suffers, sadly, with many inadequately trained doctors and nurses with a poor attitude. But the other part is that medical services meet a very important need while serving as a means of sharing the Gospel with thousands of patients who visit each year. Christ’s ministry models for us the need to

A Cubulco hospital staff meeting. show compassion for both the physical (feeding and healing) and the spiritual needs of those we have the opportunity to minister to. With that in mind, the Cubulco hospital employs a full-time chaplain who prays and shares God’s Word with the patients and their families while also carrying out Bible studies with the staff. We met with the chaplain and several members of the medical staff on our recent visit and were struck by their passion for sharing the Gospel with their patients; their love for their people shone from their faces. The chaplain does a 30-minute medical show on the local radio each week, during which many preventative concepts such as hygiene and early recognition of diseases are discussed with medical staff. He also methodically goes through The History of Salvation series, a Sunday School commentary translated (from English) and updated by the Jonkmans in Ecuador, in four 30-minute radio programs each week all year round.

We met with the head of the nutrition department and she spoke about training families to filter their water, a practice that would greatly reduce sicknesses, only to return some weeks later to find that they have again returned to their old, much-less hygienic practices. The head of the agricultural department shared with us how much has been done to help local families develop better approaches to growing crops. He

told us that one of their biggest challenges was when wellintentioned international agricultural organizations come into the areas they are working for only a few months and give away seed, tools, and fertilizers, thus attracting many villagers; they then move out again—having done great damage to the careful training that his team had spent years providing including the critical area of avoiding dependency.

Pray that the Lord would grant wisdom and blessing to the

The chaplain teaching The History of Salvation series on the local radio station.

L to R: Harold Leyenhorst, Rick Postma, and hospital Director Julio Cardenas standing in front of the Cubulco hospital construction project.

Cubulco hospital staff as they strive to bring hope, both for this world into the next, into the lives of the people of Cubulco, Guatemala. W&D Rick Postma is the Director of Public Relations for Word & Deed Ministries.

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>NiCaRaGUa

By Carlos Coffin

Meeting Eternal Needs One of the greatest privileges for the staff of Word & Deed Nicaragua is to be able to improve agricultural production and the material welfare of several families of our Miskito communities in Nicaragua, combined with biblical care for their spiritual lives. From the beginning, we wanted the recipients of the program to see that our desire is not only for their physical well-being but also for their spiritual well-being; that besides working for the temporal needs of this life, every person and family must meet the eternal needs of the soul.

We serve communities where all families are members of a local church; however, there is lack of biblical knowledge. Because of this, Christianity has become only a system of church traditions and cultural customs. This is also due to the fact that most pastors and leaders have no formal Bible training so there is much weakness in teaching the Gospel and biblical doctrines. Many local churches preach salvation by works.

We share the Gospel with the community at every opportunity. At each meeting with them

Agricultural

Commercialization Project

This project trains locals in eight communities in sustainable agricultural production. Over the span of ten years, the project will move from education in basic farming techniques (developing and maintaining seed banks, exploring different types of crops, etc.) to commercialization of the produce and the development of Christian leaders. Needed in 2017: $140,000 CAD / $105,000 USD

Students of the Bible training program. we begin with prayer and a biblical reflection. We share with them the Gospel of Christ. We encourage believers to love God and neighbor, serving in their local churches and community. The promoters and various farmers we work with are also leaders in their churches, so they often discuss biblical topics. They share how God helps them in difficult times. One of these men lost his son-in-law recently; the man fell and because his machete was not in the sheath, it cut him and he died. Village belief is that one dies only by witchcraft, never naturally, so people challenged the father-in-law about witches and this farmer called the church to help. They helped him see that God was sovereign even in this. The community receives with great joy and respect the Word of God. They also show gratitude, recognizing the need for God in daily life.

To improve the spiritual care for the community, we decided to equip pastors and church leaders in the area to teach the Scriptures more effectively to their congregations. Between late 2013 and early 2015, we organized some Bible training meetings with a small group in the communities we work in.

This effort was very well-accepted so we wanted to expand the program.

Today, we are currently serving two groups of pastors and Christian leaders in two different places with a basic level of formal Bible training, where more than 40 people from different communities are involved. The program consists of 40 courses in Reformed theology. Students meet every month for three days and are taught by two facilitators who are undergraduate and master students with Miami International Seminary (MINTS). All pastors and leaders who participate in these courses also share the teachings in their local churches to further strengthen the faith of Christians.

The impact of this program is very positive. An elderly pastor said, “We have received many workshops but none compare to this, we are sure that these courses contain a solid teaching of the Scriptures as any other known so far.” We are happy that God has given us His Word and that the study of it is producing fruits for His glory. W&D Carlos Coffin is the Director of Projects in Nicaragua and a member of the Word & Deed Nicaragua board.

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Sponsors wordanddeed.org/ways-to-give/child-sponsor

Needed!

Please consider sponsoring one of 244 waiting children in Colombia, Guatemala, Haiti, and Indonesia.

For $38 CAD / $35 USD per month you will make a

life-changing impact

on your sponsor child!

Email Kara at office@ wordanddeed.org to get started, or visit our website to view more waiting children. wordanddeed.org/ways-to-give/child-sponsor

Reisa

Born: February 11, 2010 Country: Indonesia

Metryan

Born: Oct. 30, 2007 Country: Indonesia

Kenyerly Sheryl Born: Feb. 20, 2013 Country: Colombia

Born: Nov. 26, 2012 Country: Colombia

Derian Elizabeth Emily

Elias

Jerry

Refan Sandra Matias

Born: NoV. 6, 2012 Born: Feb. 14, 2011 Born: Sept. 30, 2008 Born: Mar. 19, 2011 Born: July 17, 2010 Born: July 25, 2011 Born: Sept. 6, 2010 Born: Nov. 21, 2013 Country: Colombia Country: Guatemala Country: Guatemala Country: Guatemala Country: Guatemala Country: Indonesia Country: Indonesia Country: Colombia

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>VoLunteeR profile

By Hanna Korvemaker

A

Spoke in the Wheel

Nanette Greendyk attends the Chilliwack Heritage Reformed Church with her husband, Pastor James Greendyk, and their children still living at home. Recently, we connected via Skype to discuss her long-time involvement as a Word & Deed volunteer.

Word & Deed: When and how did you first get involved with Word & Deed? Who, if anybody, impacted your decision to begin volunteering?

Nanette Greendyk: Judy DenHertog had been talking to Rick [Postma] about getting a fundraising dinner started in Chilliwack. Judy realized she’d need some help, so she called Fran Westeringh and me. That was way back in 2006. Basically, my part is to look after the hall, the decorating, and the seating chart. I try to make sure the evening flows well.

W&D: How have you grown in the past ten years of volunteering for Word & Deed?

NG: I think probably the one thing that comes to mind is appreciation—I’ve learned more thankfulness for what we have, and definitely a greater appreciation for what many of the world’s mission organizations are trying to do.

W&D: Are there any specific ways you feel you were uniquely prepared to help with the annual Chilliwack Dinner?

NG: We never truly know everything that we’re being prepared for. There are so many spokes in the wheel... I say, jump in both with both feet and you’ll find out what you’re good at!

W&D: Do you find it difficult to balance your daily tasks with volunteering for Word & Deed?

NG: We all look at our lives and say “I don’t have time,” but one big job split into ten pieces becomes just a small job. We have a pretty streamlined organizing team after [putting the dinner on] for ten years.

W&D: What do you like to do when you aren’t volunteering for Word & Deed?

NG: I’m a wife and mom of seven kids.

I homeschool [the ones in school] full-time, work as a seamstress for weddings, and sing for weddings. I’m on a homeschool board and I work in property management.

W&D: What was your first impression of Word & Deed?

NG: The one thing that impressed me from the start was the transparency of I love to read and I do enjoy the organization. Information about gardening and flowers. Sewing for the projects is very organized. Word & my kids is relaxing. I firmly feel that Deed gives specific information about if you’re passionate about what you how much money is going to which do—if you really love your work—it’s projects. I really appreciate that. You no longer work. I love what I do. feel more a part of a mission when Nanette Greendyk W&D you know you are giving to a particular cause, and then later receive an update on the project. I like Hanna Korvemaker works part-time in Public Relations hearing that our efforts are impacting someone. for Word & Deed Ministries.

credit card donations

It is now easier to donate to Word & Deed via your credit card! We are able to receive credit card donations through our website so you no longer have to visit a third-party website. We also are able to accept credit card donations over the phone in both the U.S. and Canada. wordanddeed.org/donate-canada | wordanddeed.org/donate-usa

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FROM THE BOARD

Upcoming Business Group

Meetings

Message from the U.S. Chair Pete VanderStel, U.S. Board Chair

Please visit

Word & Deed focuses on developing indigenous leadership so that their capacity to monitor and administer their own projects increases. W&D also strives for selfsufficiency under Christ. This means teaching the needy to provide for themselves rather than providing for them, which fosters a culture of dependence. As a board, we are tasked to prayerfully and actively oversee and guide this work in a biblical way so that Word & Deedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission can be accomplished.

To this end, the board is often involved in project-related discussions (existing projects and potential projects). The refugee crisis in the Middle East, for example, is being reviewed on a regular basis. Two years ago, $50,000 was provided for tents via the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP) to several mission churches in Turkey as they ministered to the needs of thousands of refugees.

Recent board meetings have confirmed that, while we do not have a mandate to bring refugees to North America, we do have a mandate to help support and stabilize living conditions for refugees in the Middle East. With that in mind, we continue to partner with the ARP mission in Turkey in support of refugees (Muslims, Yazidis, and Christians) by sending them $10,000 per month (for six months so far) to help provide food packages to up to 400 refugee families per month. Along the way, over 60 Muslims have joined the churches involved and many more are attending services. It is a blessing to participate in these discussions and to be a part of this ministry.

We, the board, truly appreciate your prayers and contributions. Please continue to intercede for the needy that we seek to assist and also for wisdom for the board to make God-honoring decisions for the benefit of others.

www.wordanddeed.org

for confirmed dates and locations Winter 2016/17

Canada: Abbotsford/Langley, BC Ancaster, ON Chilliwack, BC Dufferin, ON Guelph, ON Hamilton, ON Norwich, ON Owen Sound, ON Thunder Bay, ON Wyoming/Strathroy, ON U.S.A.: Grand Rapids, MI Illiana (IL/IN) Pompton Plains, NJ

Thank you,

Heather!

After ten years of dedication, Heather VanMeppelen-Scheppink has relinquished her post as a Word & Deed employee to leave more time for her calling as a wife to Ben and as a mother to their four children: Katie (6), Emma (4), Alex (2), and Eleanor (<1). Heather began working for Word & Deed in 2006 as the Administrative Assistant. In 2009, she became our part-time Bookkeeper. Heather has been a reliable, cheerful, and meticulous employee who was never satisfied with the status quo and was always looking for ways to improve Word & Deed. Heather, we warmly thank you for your dedication to this ministry, and wish you Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blessing as you continue to serve Him!

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hurricane

matthew

response

On October 4, Hurricane Matthew made landfall in Haiti and caused further devastation to a country still struggling to recover from the earthquake of 2010. One former student of Adoration Christian School was killed, and many students have lost members of their extended families.

As this magazine goes to print, Word & Deed is working with the Adoration team to provide food and hygiene packages (including rice, beans, corn meal, sugar, salt, etc.) for 120 families.

Please see our Facebook page and website for more current information.

Please pray for the people of Haiti!

To Donate: Visit www.wordanddeed.org (Ways to Give)

A Living Legacy As generation gives way to generation in North America, billions of dollars change hands. Who will benefit? Consider adding a child named “Charity” to your will and leave a legacy that lives on through the work of the Lord on this earth.

Please contact the Word & Deed office or visit our website for more information on Planned Giving.

I hereby give to: Word & Deed Ministries Canada Inc. 39993 Talbot Line, Talbotville, Ontario, charitable registration number 891200941RR0001 OR Word and Deed USA, Hudsonville, Michigan, EIN non-profit number 37-1429283, [a specific percent] of the residue OR [a specific amount] of my estate, to be used in fulfillment of its proper purpose.

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prayer Dominican Republic: The Luke Society Hospital One Year Later • Praise God that the hospital has been successfully operating and ministering for over a year.

• Pray for the hospital staff as they develop and establish various programs to minister to the surrounding community and to promote the hospital services.

• Pray that the Lord will open doors for the hospital staff who are working to bring the hospital to greater self-sufficiency.

Guatemala: Medical Services as a Means of Bringing the Gospel • Praise God for the progress made on the expansion and renovation of the hospital so far, and for the generosity of many donors who contributed to this fund.

• Praise God for the dedication and passion of the medical staff and the hospital chaplain.

• Pray that through the hospital (and their weekly radio program) many people will hear the Gospel and come to saving faith.

Nicaragua: Meeting Eternal Needs • Praise God for the positive reception and impact of the spiritual component of the Agricultural Commercialization project.

• Pray that God will use this project to minister to both the temporal, physical needs and the eternal, spiritual needs of many in the Miskito communities of Nicaragua.

Word & Deed North America • Praise God for the generosity of so many individuals, business, and churches who partner with Word & Deed through financial and prayerful support.

• Pray that genuine relationships characterized

by Christ-like love and humility will continue to develop between Word & Deed Project Managers and our partners around the world for mutual edification.

r requests

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our prayer must not be

self-centered. It must arise not only because we feel our own need as a burden we must lay upon God, but also because we are so bound up in

love for our fellow men

that we feel their need as acutely as our own. To make intercession for men is the most powerful and practical way in which we can express

our love for them.â&#x20AC;?

J ohn C a l v in

WINTER 2016/17 I Word&Deed

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programmatic areas would be of benefit for each case (there may be more than one).

Transforming Lives Now and for Eternity 1. Consider the hardships that Sender has faced growing up in Guatemala. In what ways has enrollment at La Palabra Christian School in Guatemala transformed his life?

2. “Empty stomachs don’t have ears.” Explain this statement in your own words.

New Beginnings at Nakekela 1. Visit the Nakekela website (www.nakekela.co.za) to read about the history of the organization on the main page.

How has Nakekela grown since its inception in 2004?

Mercy and Glory at the Nakekela Step Down Facility 1. Put yourself in the shoes of somebody living in the KwaMhlanga community. How would you feel about the opening of the HIV/AIDS Clinic and why?

2. How has the community perception of the Nakekela Clinic changed since its inception? Why has it changed?

Introducing: Children of Light 1. “Families who did send their children to school were often sacrificing heavily to do so, suffering from a lack of food, and an inability to provide their children with proper clothing and school supplies.” List five Join or Die?Sinners Enriched by the Poverty of Christ reasons that as Christian isthe so Gospel valuable, in Meditation: Guatemala: Medical Services a Meanseducation of Bringing 1.1. How “Corporate worship can is . consider . . the centerpiece ofeven the ifChristian the developing worldin and in paragraph North America. is it that Christians themselves rich, 1. Compare the primitive lifestyle described the first of this article with life.”

Explain howinthis isoftrue usinggoods? scripture. Here is onethe lifestyle2.of 21st-century Aren Bulan is motivated a doctor because they have very little terms materials North America. Whattoarebecome the differences?

Are there passage to get all you started: 10:24-25 the of medical care ona very his home 2. Christ exchanged of his riches forHebrews poverty. “Why did He do any similarities?of Why do lack you think that “moving from primitiveisland way of of life 2. Explain what Pastor Boekestein Rote.centuries Make a of 21st thecentury needsinyou seeofaround you it?” Can you explain in your own words?means when he compares maintained for many . . .list to the a matter a few decades” church membership toofparents making theirways children eatmight be a “difficult (at challenge”? home, at school, among friends or otherwise).

3. Christ is the perfect model righteousness.

In what their What can now to make a difference? might dessert. we imitate His example of exchanging riches for poverty 2. “Christ’s ministry models for you us thedo need to show compassion for both the physical to benefit the lost and the needy? (feeding and healing) and the spiritual needs of those we have the opportunity to CDA: A Transformational Approach to Poverty Serving Through the Written Word minister to.” Find several examples of this ministry model in the Bible.

1.Dominican The mission of CDA carried outHospital throughOne projects in 1. Discuss the following statement: “The written word Republic: The is Luke Society five main “programmatic areas.”

List those areas and is powerful should be handled carefully.”

Year Later Nicaragua: Meeting Eternal and Needs do some research to understand what they entail if 2.

Martha mentions the different talents andthe privileges 1. “The Luke Society is working hard to help people see that 1. List the ways that our partners in Nicaragua are seeking to address eternal, you’re not sure. that each of us are given by God. Compared to students it is their hospital, not American.” Why is it so important for spiritual needs of those in the Miskito communities through the Agricultural 2. the Re-read the to stories of Andrea, Juan David, Commercialization in the developing world, what unique privileges have local people take ownership of theShirley, new hospital in the project.

Genaro and Briceida. List which of the five CDA youtobeen How and canspiritual you use them for God’s glory?

Dominican Republic?

2. Why is it important meet given? both physical needs?

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.

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