testing the waters

student seeks Gods will

latin america region
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october 2007
tested in one rural village were infected with at least one type of intestinal
parasite, and studies have found similar results in 20 other communities.
Parasite levels could run this high throughout rural Ecuador, Rydbeck said.
However, Greif says the people of Pichn and Chiriboga recognize the
need for clean water and came to HCJB Global for help. For Chiriboga, the
next step involves building simple bucket ush toilets with cesspools for
each home and rehabilitating the existing water storage tank to protect
the quality of water. Pichn, a community much larger than Chiriboga, will
need more manual labor as residents build nine water storage tanks to
provide the correct pressure at each home in the community.
Regarding the teams recent work, Greif said the projects helped local
residents understand the methodology, materials and logistics to deliver
safe, potable water to each home. Reecting on his experience, Greif said,
Missions is a lot more important to me now. I believe every Christian has
a responsibility to participate. Theres always a need for more people to go
on missions trips or at least to support missions.
Greif has realized the importance of his own eld of engineering within
the big picture of missions at HCJB Global. Its easier for me to see now
how anybodys skills can be used in the mission eld. Just basic skills can
go a long way for Gods kingdom, he concluded. If youre truly loving
Jesus and trying to love your neighbor and serve them, theres so much
that needs to be done.
by Heather Smith
Testing the waters of a long-term missions
commitment meant a summer in Ecuador for Ryan Greif,
and his efforts helped improve water quality in rural
communities.
The idea of long-term missions has always been a
possibility for him. But until this summer, such aspirations
were only a dream. A senior civil engineering student from
the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, hes been searching
for Gods direction in the next step of life.
Greif rst heard of HCJB Global at Urbana 06, InterVarsity
Christian Fellowships triennial missions conference held in
St. Louis, Mo., last December. There he met Bruce Rydbeck,
director of HCJB Global Hands clean water projects in Ecuador
and learned about the missions different facets of ministry.
He was especially impressed with the ministrys level of
involvement in needy communities. I chose HCJB Global
because I like the way they focus on community development
rather than short-term projects, Greif explained. Its about
follow-up and meeting the communities where they are.
Whats really neat is that people in the community do a
lot of work themselves. Everybody pitches in, he continued.
All we are doing is providing a hand of guidance.
The personal involvement of local residents becomes
obvious not only through the required work, but also through
the formation of a community water board. The board is
comprised of community members charged with overseeing
the water system construction.
During his time as an HCJB Global summer missionary,
Greif traveled to the communities of Pichn and Chiriboga
to do topographic survey work as part of the design
process to provide clean water. After surveying the
communities, he worked with another summer missionary,
Virginia Tech engineering student Jonathan Hartsuiker, to
compile the data, develop the water system plans and
design reports for water systems that will provide clean
spring water for the two communities.
Most rural Ecuadorians have only limited distribution
of poor-quality water and astoundingly high rates of
intestinal parasites. Eighty-three percent of people

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training opportunity transformed
engaging Cuban pastors
To say Amrico Saavedra was disappointed was an understatement.
The director of Apoyo, a joint pastoral training ministry of HCJB Global and Leadership
Resources International, Saavedra and his team in Quito, Ecuador, were excited about
returning to Cuba in 1997 to hold pastoral training workshops.
Two years earlier theyd held a highly successful similar event in the nation that was nally
starting to open its doors to foreigners. The team put basic librariessets of books such
as Bible dictionaries, commentaries, concordances and Bible atlasesinto the hands of
committed Cuban pastors, then taught them how to use these resources in their ministries.
But just two days before the team was set to leave in 1997 word arrivedall visas denied!
Undaunted, an idea formed in Saavedras mind. If we cant go to Cuba, the Cubans can
come to us! he reasoned. The idea came to fruition, and in the summer of 1997, 10 Baptist
church leaders came to Quito for an entire month of intensive training with the Apoyo team.
*Paul, an HCJB Global missionary with Apoyo who helped with the training, called this a life-
changing event for many of the participants, and they became the core group of Apoyo-Cuba.
It particularly changed the life of one of the Cuban church leaders named *Maria, Paul continued. We met and got married!
Paul and Maria lived in Ecuador for ve years before moving to Cuba in 2002 to work full-time with the Apoyo-Cuba team. Apoyo is a Spanish
word that means support, and as a support ministry to leaders, we asked the Apoyo-Cuba team what their vision was, Paul explained. They
talked about the need for family and counseling ministries as well as more effective Bible teaching and leadership development.
As a result, Apoyo-Cuba identied key focus areasfamily, counseling, leadership and Christian educationand the team began planning
events to train other trainers (known as facilitators) from various regions and denominations across Cuba.
Opportunities have expanded, and recently we named coordinators and are developing a leadership team for each of these four areas,
Paul said. We also are involved in mentoring denominational leaders and teaching in the Eastern Baptist Seminary.
Its been exciting to see how what started 10 years ago in Ecuador continues to impact the church in Cuba today. The Apoyo team never
could have had so much inuence through isolated events. But as we invested in people like Miguel and Alberto, they invested in others like
Victor and Jos, and they in turn are investing in many others.
A Cuban radio program producer said, Most of the brothers who came to a recent radio training seminar expected to be trained in
journalism, but they also became interested in radio. They are very eager to work, and we are investigating the possibility of going to their
provinces to hold some workshops and to encourage them to work in their own regions. In other words, our territory is expanding!
The stories continue, Paul concluded. Praise God that the 2 Timothy 2:2
model has become a reality in the church in Cuba!
*Names changed and photo altered for
security reasons.
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living hope
the service of one lifting hearts of hundreds
training opportunity transformed
engaging Cuban pastors
Pile also furnishes a different sort of
hospitalityproviding tea at every support
group meeting. As a country with a long British
history and a Commonwealth nation, tea is an
essential part of South African culture. This simple
mixture of water and leaves becomes a tangible
expression of Gods love.
She shares in her newsletter of one such meeting.
While the tea was boiling, the Holy Spirit was working in
Bongiwes heart. She asked Andiswa (a translator) how to
become a Christian and have a victorious life like hers. She
wants to accept Jesus, Andiswa said. Can you lead her to
the Lord? My answer was, Of course! But it didnt stop there.
Shortly after that, Jean, another member of the support group who
overheard our conversation, told Andiswa that she wanted to be a
Christian too! So I led her to the Lord as well.
Id only been asked to bring tea supplies to the meeting, Susie
shared. I was in the right place at the right time to reach these two
ladies. If you are where God wants you to be, He can use you. Just do
what God wants you to do every day.
Piles commitment in South Africa lasts until next July, but she is
working on curricula to leave behind with her co-workers. By the time
Ive nished, Ill have lesson plans for all eight of the required health issue
topics, she said. Through these lesson plans, Pile wants to leave a legacy
of her hope. While she is preparing for her return to the U.S., she always
remains open to wherever God leads.
Though the impact of her work is changing livestoday and into the
futurePile is modest in her role furthering Gods kingdom. Its nothing
special; just being useful for the Lord. Its amazing what He puts in our
hands when we ask Him.
In post-apartheid South Africa, where is hope for the woman
dying of AIDS?
For the young child suffering from tuberculosis (TB)?
For the man dealing with
diabetes and incredible amounts
of stress?
Where do these people turn?
For hundreds in South Africa,
hope is embodied in veteran HCJB
Global missionary Susie Pile.
She serves at one of the ve
Living Hope Community Centers
in the southern part of the
country, spanning from Cape
of Good Hope to Muizenberg. Once known as hospices, these
ministries are now called medical centers by the locals and the
government, thanks in large part to the preventive care ministry
that Pile helps with on a daily basis.
Were trying to educate these people, to show them that
they can live with their illnesses with the proper treatments,
she explained. If we can help them to understand what their
diseases are, and teach them to not give their medications to
their friends and family, we can save lives.
The Living Hope Community program stems from its parent
organization, King of Kings Baptist Church, covering everything
from the smaller practices that many U.S. residents take for
granted, such as eye and foot care, to the larger issues of TB
and HIV/AIDS. The church also launched partner station Radio
CCFm with HCJB Global Voices help in 1993.
Chronic disease support groups are
held three times a week at each
of the centers where Pile
travels to frequently,
showing the leaders how
to teach more effectively
and identifying group
members that might need
further help. The ministry
is now completely
government sanctioned,
so the Living Hope
Community group leaders
are given much-needed
jobs. About 40 percent
of South Africans are
unemployed.
Fran
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Telephone: 719.590.9800
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Mississauga, ON L5N 6J4
Telephone: 905.814.0176
HCJB GLOBAL HCJB GLOBAL-CANADA
Emergency Medical Relief
special report
Peru earthquake
connecting
with You
EVENTS CALENDAR
V I S I T U S AT H C J B G L O B A L . O R G
Tr u t h i n Mo t i o n a n d P r a y e r Wo r l d a r e a v a i l a b l e o n l i n e
testimonies of
Tra n s forma tion
Touch and see
missions in
action
Vision
Jour n e ys
EXPERIENCE MINISTRY
Consider the following journeys:
Greece-TurkeyNov. 5-17, 2007
(The Early Church and Pauls Footsteps)
EcuadorFeb. 23-March 8, 2008
July 19-28, 2008
Northern Europe Cruiselate summer 2008
South Africavery late 2008
For details call 1-800-468-1626
or e-mail tours@hcjb.org.
Responding to a devastating magnitude-8.0 earthquake near Lima, Peru, Aug.
15, an eight-member disaster response team from HCJB Global Hands brought
physical and spiritual care to more than 1,300 victims during their visit Aug. 18-25.
Team members were initially awestruck by the quakes devastation. Arriving
in Pisco, what left us entirely impressed was the citys great destruction, said
Ecuadorian physician Dr. Juan Carlos Santamara. It looked as if it had been
bombed. Hardly a house remained standing. The people were trying to clean up the
rubble. In many areas they couldnt uncover the dead.
For the rst time since the mission began sending teams to disaster areas in
2005, the team included a professional counselor, German HCJB Global missionary
Klaudia Wolff, whose husband, Eckehart, a surgeon, treated dozens who had not
received any medical care. The team, including Ecuadorian physicians, helped with
relief efforts on the invitation of Samaritans Purse, a relief organization headed by
Franklin Graham.
It was absolutely fantastic to have Klaudia along, said International
Healthcare Coordinator Sheila Leech, a nurse who led the team in Peru. She had
a real gift of being able to relate to people. . . . Whenever there was a person who
was obviously emotionally affected, they would be referred to Klaudia.
Leech added that she was absolutely thrilled to see how peoples hearts were
open and that at least 25 made commitments to Christ during the outreach.
Friday, Aug. 24, was the busiest day as team members traveled to four different
communities. On Monday, Aug. 20, Eckehart Wolff saw 64 patients, more than 30
who arrived with fractures that hadnt been treated since the earthquake struck.
At press time, the death toll from the
quake had reached 540 with
more than 1,600 injured and
at least 54,000 families
left homeless.
The team
marveled at the
resilience of the people
who had endured
such tragedy. They
understand the
important things in
lifeits not stuff,
Leech said.
Jim & Trish Allen
Oct. 11-14 Missions Conference, Hollis Center Baptist
ChurchHollis, ME
Oct. 25-26 Mini-Bible Conference, HCJB Global Technology
CenterElkhart, IN
Oct. 27-28 Missions Conference, Bethel Community Church
Chicago, IL
Nov. 4 Calvary Community ChurchSouth Holland, IL
Nov. 5-17 HCJB Global Vision JourneyGreece and Turkey
For information on Vision Journeys call 1.800.468.1626
Ron & Barb Cline
Oct. 5-7 Friendly Hills Presbyterian ChurchJamestown, NC
Oct. 13-14 College Park ChurchIndianapolis, IN
Oct. 20-21 Rothbury Community ChurchRothbury, MI
Nov. 1-Jan. 20 Filling the pulpit at Fish Hoek Baptist Center
Cape Town, South Africa
John Rush
Oct. 7, 14, 28; Nov. 4, 11, 18, 25 Centennial Community
Baptist ChurchMarkham, Ontario
Oct. 21 Forward Baptist ChurchToronto, Ontario
Russ Lee Concerts
Oct. 5-7 LifeWay Festival of MarriageGlorietta, NM
Oct. 19-21 LifeWay Festival of MarriageRidgecrest, NC