Worldwide Ministry News
REPORTS Fall/Winter 2014 Vol. 16, No. 3/4
Raise the
Banner High Breaking down barriers around the world through quality health materials | 10
Latest News From: Portugal, Ukraine, Zambia, and More...
NEWSFLASH
News From OCI Ministries Around the World
Bringing Hope to Portugal
Portugal has the second-highest depression rate in the world. In response, the Portuguese Union of Seventh-day Adventists has teamed up with VitaSalus (Portuguese Association of Preventive Medicine) to offer depression recovery programs. VitaSalus has completed its third program with full attendance. Guests are provided with a family atmosphere and activities such as gardening and exercise to help them find peace of mind in Jesus.
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Awaiting the Harvest
Riverside Farm Institute in Zambia is blessed with a flourishing agriculture program. More importantly, the Riverside staff sows God’s love in the hearts of their neighbors. This fall they held an evangelistic crusade in Shikoswe with Jeremy Grabiner, the OCI president’s son, as the main speaker. More than 900 people attended the meetings.
Goodbye, Old Faithful
On the return trip from this year’s International Pathfinder Camporee in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Oklahoma Academy’s bus “Old Faithful” simply gave up. As a busload of Pathfinders and Oklahoma Academy staff waited, stranded on the side of the road, God providentially sent an empty bus, now nicknamed “New Faithful,” for the rest of journey.
Reaching the City Centers
This fall Springs of Health in Prague, Czech Republic, opened a center of influence situated in the main square of a local Moravian town with 60,000 inhabitants. They run a small health food restaurant, sell skin-care products, and offer lectures and seminars. They hope that many customers will experience God’s presence in their lives through the work of the city mission.
LIGHT in Ecuador
Lay Institute for Global Health Training (LIGHT) and Ecuador Adventist College are partnering together. The college will incorporate LIGHT’s one-month training into the continuing education program for its Health Promotions major. This comes after 81 students learned about natural remedies and how to do effective evangelism during a course LIGHT held at the college this summer.
Awakening the Inner Chef
Bulgaria’s Center for Health and Prevention completed a cooking school in early November. The program included classes on the relationship between food and morality, remedies from the kitchen, food arranging, nutrition, and diets to combat diseases. Each day, participants learned from and worked with experienced cooks in the ministry kitchen. Guests finished the cooking school with new skills to foster a healthier lifestyle.
In the Garden
This summer Living Springs Retreat in Alabama has been blessed by the progress of their garden project. Not only do the lifestyle guests benefit from the fresh vegetables, but the produce is also sold to those in the community, as well as to a raw food restaurant.
Progress Against All Odds
The staff at Our Home Lifestyle Center & School in Ukraine is working diligently to switch their health center’s heating system from gas to wood. In spite of all the economical and social challenges within the country, they continue to receive lifestyle guests and train students in medical missionary work.
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Touching Lives
Feels Like Home by Jana Roderte Above: Guests benefit from exercise during their visit. Right: Daisy found a home at For Your Heart.
when Dshe moved in with an older man, aisy* was only 14 years old
desperate to escape the control of her alcoholic parents. As she grew older, Daisy recognized that her decisions had not led to a happy life. She yearned to broaden her horizons; however, her partner was unwilling to invest in her education. She resolved to leave him in search of real fullness of life. Soon Daisy left her country of Latvia and found herself in England with a new man in her life. It appeared as though he would be able to meet her heart’s longing for real happiness. They were married and, soon, their daughter was born.Things were finally looking up! However, it was not long before Daisy’s hopes were crushed. She and her husband opened their own business, but he began gambling and the business failed within a short time. Feeling utterly defeated, Daisy was unable to sleep at night. As her unhappiness increased, so did her blood pressure. Hoping to find help, she decided to visit For Your Heart, a family-run lifestyle retreat and OCI
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associate ministry located in Latvia. There she could withdraw from the world and find rest for her heart and mind. As she enjoyed the healthy meals, exercise classes, fresh air, and sunshine, Daisy began to share about her past and find encouragement for the future. As she connected with the team at For Your Heart, she learned that God could change her life. Daisy’s mind was making room for God. She had come looking for health improvement. Instead she found what she had been looking for all her life. With tears running down her face, Daisy says, “This was the first time in my life I could speak about issues from my heart and about God.” She had come to the end of her time at For Your Heart, but a piece of her heart would remain there. “I feel like I am leaving home,” Daisy says. “This is the first time in my life I have felt at home.” *Name changed for privacy Jana Roderte and her husband, Ansis, run For Your Heart in Latvia. Visit www.outpostcenters.org for more information.
President’s Perspective
Decisions, Decisions on the journey toward Mlaunching a ministry.Whether in Africa, South
About the Cover: Pictured are various health expos featuring materials produced by Health Education Resources.
any decisions are made
America, or the United States, it is an exciting adventure. However, the accompanying excitement and eagerness can lead to unfortunate decisions. Certainly negative emotions can produce negative consequences.Yet, at times, even positive emotions such as enthusiasm, anticipation, and joy can subtly lead to decisions that eventually prove to be flawed. How can we ever hope to make positive choices in our service to God? It is impossible to entirely remove the impact that emotions have on the decision-making process. Any such notion would be deceptive. But Scripture does present some practical advice on the subject: “Without counsel, plans go awry, But in the multitude of counselors they are established” (Proverbs 15:22). Listening to a wide circle of experienced counselors benefits those who launch into ministry. Learning from the mistakes and experiences of others can help us avoid similar missteps. Searching for information that provides “the other side” of an issue encourages a more educated and well-thought decision. Those pioneering a ministry sense the joy of responding to God’s call, the anticipation of seeing Him open doors in an unmistakable way, and the periodic anxiety that comes from wondering about long-term success. As a family of supporting ministries, OCI is motivated to provide that multitude of counselors as we witness the growth and development of sustainable mission work globally. Together—as trailblazers of today and days past—we hope many will enter wholeheartedly into full-time service for God.
REPORTS Fall/Winter 2014 Vol. 16, No. 3/4
Steven Grabiner Executive Editor Janell Hullquist Editor, Layout & Design Naomi Jackson Content Editor Debbie Hicks Copy Editor Printed By College Press, LLC Bible verses NKJV unless noted.
OCI Reports magazine is published quarterly by Outpost Centers International. Send address changes to ocireports@outpostcenters.org, and please include both the old and new addresses. You may also use the OCI contact information below. Outpost Centers International is a nonprofit organization working in cooperation with the Seventhday Adventist Church to network and nurture supporting ministries worldwide. OCI operates through the generosity of people like you and issues tax-deductible receipts to U.S. donors. Please direct correspondence to: Outpost Centers International 5132 Layton Lane Apison, TN 37302 Tel: 423-236-5600 Fax: 423-236-5650 Email: info@outpostcenters.org For further information, please visit us on the web at www.outpostcenters.org.
Editor
janell@outpostcenters.org
Steven Grabiner President
Copyright © 2014 Outpost Centers International
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Opening
Hearts Through Health Interview by Naomi Jackson
For Freddy Castro, it all began with his Aunt Alicia. Years ago while she was in the hospital for a treatment, Seventh-day Adventists visited her and gave her Bible studies. As a result, she gave her life to Jesus. When Alicia shared about her newfound faith, Freddy and his whole family were convinced God was guiding them to the real message of salvation. Today Freddy and his wife, Connie, run a health ministry called Loma Linda Campestre in Colombia.
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How were you led to establish Loma Linda Campestre?
How have you seen lives changed through your work?
Before Connie and I married, we served God with our different skills. Connie gained practical work experience at Eden Valley Institute while I trained at Hartland College. God united us in marriage in May 2007, and, not long after, we decided to launch a health ministry in our home country of Colombia. As missionaries we began making wholesome food products, providing home therapies, and conducting health lectures in several places. Three years ago we named our ministry Loma Linda Campestre.
Young people have determined to substitute their eating habits for a healthier diet. Those on a quest to find more nutritious options testify of the good results they find with our natural foods. After a practical orientation to NEWSTART速 principles, participants have also expressed a desire to follow the laws of health. People often respond with deep gratitude after their therapy sessions. Clients mention that they have never experienced such care or witnessed such immediate positive results.
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Face to Face home school program, conduct a health evangelism series, broaden our industry, and offer an agricultural program. We have plenty of goals!
What encourages you in your work? It has been rewarding to witness the development of trust gained while ministering to others. I am in awe when I consider how God goes to great lengths to bring about the redemption of His children. As those in need open their doors and hearts to us, we have a tremendous and glorious opportunity to help, guide, counsel, and supply what they need.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned over the years?
What are some future goals for Loma Linda Campestre? Our clients would like to receive day treatments, health programs, or simply enjoy a vegetarian meal. Though it would be ideal for us to meet all of these needs, this has become our greatest challenge. Currently we must provide these services from various hotels and are required to comply with the hotel’s protocols. This limits our time and restricts our effectiveness in our mission work, so we are earnestly praying for our own facility. We would also like to provide job opportunities, train missionaries, run a
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Working at Loma Linda Campestre creates a sense of deep responsibility in me for my family and for those we serve. As Christians we have learned that there must be a network in order to reach out to others. I can do some work, but we can do much more to impress a dying world as we stay united by 2 the presence of the Holy Spirit. I must always remain focused on our calling and purpose in life. To learn more about Loma Linda Campestre in Colombia, visit www.outpostcenters.org. Previous page: Freddy’s bread is popular in the community. 1: The Castro children get hands-on training. 2: Freddy and Connie enjoy sharing their products. 3: The whole family is engaged in service.
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Touching Lives
Friendships for Jesus by Melissa Brower
Wshopping, I thought it while would hen I ran into Carole
be an excellent opportunity to share about an event I hoped she would find intriguing. The words were on the tip of my tongue when she asked, “When does that series on Revelation begin?” I quickly handed her a “Keys of Revelation” flyer with all of the appropriate information. After years of participating in cooking schools and lifestyle-related programs at Oak Haven, an OCI member in Michigan, this was the first time Carole and her husband, John, had shown interest in attending this type of seminar. Carole had participated in programs
Carole participates in an Oak Haven event.
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offered at Oak Haven for many years before I first met her at the 2011 Wellspring Diabetes Program. After completing the program, her doctor was impressed with her improved medical condition. She continued to attend the diabetes programs as an alumna in an effort to encourage others with her health testimony. If Oak Haven had not offered the Wellspring Diabetes Program and other such events that Carole attended over the years, perhaps she would not have had an interest in the Revelation seminar. But Carole had formed friendships with the Oak Haven staff. As God reached out to her through various programs, He desired to use us to make friends for Him. “Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, ‘Follow Me’” (The Ministry of Healing, p. 143). As a Christian, I am grateful Carole and John are open to attending future programs that are more religious in nature. As a friend, I look forward to their hearts slowly opening up to my Friend Jesus. Melissa Brower works at Oak Haven in Michigan. To learn more about this OCI member, visit www.clnf.org.
Touching Lives
A Bumpy Road and a Baby by Christopher Borcherding
Tfinally begun. My wife Amy andhad he peaceful Sabbath hours
I were having worship in our home in Pucallpa, Peru, with several guests. We talked and sang late into the night, enjoying the additional voices in our homemade choir. As the evening drew to a close, Amy stood up to let one of the visiting missionaries pass by and then slipped out while the conversations continued. We had just wished our last guest a good night when Amy said something I had waited nine months to hear: “My water broke.” After a failed attempt to get some sleep prior to the 35-minute drive to town, we loaded up our 1989 Suzuki Sidekick and ventured out onto the bumpy Peruvian road. Although the contractions were irregular and far apart, just a short time into our journey they started coming every four minutes. With that kind of motivation, I stepped on the gas! I suspect I hold the record for the fastest drive to the hospital, considering I made the trip in 20 minutes. Within an hour of arriving at the hospital, our precious Joshua Michael was born. Not even two years later,
Christopher, Amy, and young Joshua with their faithful MAP vehicle.
God has used him in many ways to build our characters. Due to our unique cultural situation, Joshua also provides us with new opportunities to share God’s grace. People want to touch the little white “charapa,” meaning turtle, which is Peruvian slang for someone from the jungle. Our SUV not only allowed us to whisk Amy off to a safe place for her to give birth, but it has provided transportation to the hospital for many patients from our medical evacuation flights. We purchased our vehicle thanks to the Missionary Assistance Plan (MAP). MAP is funded by Adventistlaymen’s Services and Industries (ASI) and administered by OCI to support missionaries serving at member ministries around the world. However, the benefits of being MAP recipients spread far beyond our family. Similar to our darling “charapa,” MAP has allowed us to share the blessing of being God’s children with our neighbors. Christopher Borcherding is the director of Peru Projects. Find out more at www.peruprojects.com.
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the
Raise Banner High
by Charles Cleveland
Health Education Resources produces tools that cross cultural and spiritual barriers around the world.
Mtrip to Bucharest, Romania,forina ark Finley was preparing
1999 to conduct a large evangelistic series. Certain that the health message would open doors into people’s hearts, he invited Charles Cleveland to join him. With his years of experience, Charles would be just the person to organize a health expo for the event. Since 1975, Charles has used his background as a public health professional and pastor to serve in various ministries: Uchee Pines Institute, Mountain Missionary Institute, Wildwood Lifestyle Center & Hospital, Riverside Farm Institute, and more. Unbeknownst to him, this one trip to Romania would impact his entire future in ministry.
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As Charles immersed himself in printing banners for the Romania expo, he felt a tug on his heartstring. “When I saw the effort and expense it took to make custom banners for those meetings, the Lord laid a burden on my heart to find a way to produce good quality health expo banners at a price any church could afford,” Charles says. When he left Wildwood to serve as OCI vice president in 2003, the banner ministry accompanied Charles to his new office, and the nonprofit Health Education Resources, Inc. (HER) was born. Two years later, Charles and Phoebe answered God’s call to enter into fulltime health ministry. They purchased a used
Mission Snapshot
motorhome and spent the next three years traveling around the United States and Canada training church members to reach out to their communities through health expos. Though Charles and his wife Phoebe “settled down” into a country home in Tennessee, USA, in 2007, the work of HER continues. Banners Without Borders
Charles and Phoebe always enjoy hearing stories of how more than 1000 sets of adult and children’s health expo banners are used around the globe. Serghei Costash, the EuroAfrica field director for LIGHT*, shares a health expo testimony from Sri Lanka: Ministering in Sri Lanka was very complicated. Three years ago the chief Buddhist monk had taken it upon himself to persecute Protestant churches, including our Seventhday Adventist church. It seemed unfortunate that we would have to request a permit from the monks at the temple to hold a health expo. However, we were taken aback when our petition was not only granted, but the monks offered to be responsible for advertising the event. We were delighted to welcome 50 children and 10 Buddhist teachers to our expo. The program was such a success that the participants encouraged us to approach the official health department with a proposal for a health expo specifically for teachers. Although the teachers were unavailable, the government offered to cover our expenses to host an expo
a week later for the municipality employees. We never imagined providing health education to 100 government workers as well as the mayor and the chief Buddhist monk. During the presentation, the Buddhist monk entered into a conversation with a member of our 1 group. Who were these Adventists? What did they believe? Since when were Christians advocating a vegetarian 2 diet? He had Previous page: Health expos are helpful and fun. 1: Serghei and his never met minister in Sri Lanka. 2: Buddhist Christians like team teachers appreciated the health expo. that before. However, after seeing the results of the health expo, he was convicted he should encourage our work around the country. From Bucharest to Buddhist temples, the ministry of Health Education Resources raises the banner high, paving the way for the gospel of Christ to spread without borders. *Lay Institute for Global Health Training Charles Cleveland is founder and director of Health Education Resources, based in Tennessee. Visit www.HealthExpoBanners.com for more information.
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Looking Unto
Jesus by Naomi Jackson
Two OCI leaders on opposite sides of the world share what motivates them to get through discouragement.
Kristina
Dstranger. Everyone has suffered iscouragement knows no
with it, though it is never a welcome guest. And those who carry the responsibility of a ministry on their shoulders experience an added level of discouragement. Kristina McFeeters runs Kristina’s Kitchen, a vegetarian bakery and café in Kentucky. She shares the story of a trying time at the beginning of her restaurant ministry in Appalachia. “When we first began searching for a rental space to open our restaurant, everything was so disheartening. We couldn’t find a building that met our needs and the health department’s requirements. However, one café in town appealed to me—the Courthouse Corner Café. If only we could find something similar.
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Jonathan “Finally we found a building that had previously served as a restaurant and that met our criteria. We needed only one more state inspection to move forward with the lease. The weeks passed, and I faced discouragement. If the plans with this building fell through, we had no more options.” During His time on earth, Jesus also suffered from troubling situations. Ever since the fall of man, He had anticipated the battle He would one day have to fight against Satan to free His children from bondage. In a moment of weakness, it would have been so simple to slip into despondency. His chosen people did not even recognize Him for who He was. In addition, Judas would betray Him, and Peter would deny Him. But He loved them. And that love was
Feature strong enough to pierce through the trials “for the joy that was set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2). Although Jesus walked the Earth 2000 years ago, Jonathan Dietrich, director of Desert Tree Ministry in Chad, believes His example is timeless. “My primary motivation for service comes from studying Jesus’ life and His love for the lost,” Jonathan says. “There I find the greatest satisfaction in life. Even the most wretched drunken beggar is of infinite value to Jesus, and He gave His life for that person.” Love compelled God to send His only Son to reconcile humanity to Himself, providing us with a reason to serve. Consequently the apostle Paul encourages us to “run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2). Likewise, Kristina was reminded to keep her gaze heavenward as she planned for Kristina’s Kitchen. “After saying a prayer about our restaurant, I logged into Facebook. A post caught my eye: ‘The Courthouse Corner Café is closing its doors on Friday.’ Immediately peace flowed over me, and I knew everything was in God’s hands. “The next morning the inspector gave us the news: ‘There is no hope for the building you are trying to lease.’ “I was speechless! The landlord looked at me and asked kindly, ‘Did you hear that the Courthouse Corner Café is closing tomorrow?’
“‘Yes!’ I answered. God knew where He wanted us. Through providence, the very next day Kristina’s Kitchen moved into the best location in town.”
The town celebrates with Kristina (center-left) on her restaurant’s opening day.
Amidst the obstacles of life, God is working all things “together for good to those who love God” (Romans 8:28). Jonathan reflects: “God is a God of both the valleys and the peaks. When I think about Jesus and remember that He faced struggles and challenges greater than I will ever face, my trials and difficulties seem to shrink into insignificance.” Whether in a valley or on a peak, God’s servants have this assurance: “The strength of those who love and serve God will be renewed day by day. …There is to be no despondency in connection with God’s service. The faith of the consecrated worker is to stand every test brought to bear upon it. …He will more than fulfill the highest expectations of those who put their trust in Him” (The Acts of the Apostles, p. 242). For more information about these OCI ministries, visit www.outpostcenters.org.
Every ministry leader faces discouragement at some point. Consider adding one of them to your prayer list!
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Photo by teslacoils at freeimages.com
Food for Thought
To Bless Others by Dosung Kim
Imoments when my view of God, my t was one of those profound
place in this world, and the purpose of my life changed completely. I was meditating on the life of Christ, as I had done for many years in my Christian experience. However, this particular morning I finally recognized that God is love. Somehow, after all those years, I had failed to understand the profound truth that God and love are one. Perhaps this is because love and I are not one. My love does not always manifest itself with the kindness, mercy, and grace that Jesus demonstrated to the world. Luke 2:40, referring to the child Jesus, states that “the grace of God was upon Him.” We usually define grace as “unmerited favor,” but Jesus did not need unmerited favor from His Father, because He did not lack anything. Another definition of grace is “that which affords joy, pleasure, delight,
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sweetness, charm, loveliness.” So when God saw the child Jesus, it gave Him pleasure and joy. We get a better glimpse of this from The Desire of Ages: “From His earliest years He was possessed of one purpose; He lived to bless others” (p. 70). This was clearly because the grace of God was upon Him. He existed to bless others. He did not live for self, but lived for others. What percentage of my life have I spent being a blessing to others? It usually takes effort to be loving, gracious, patient, and kind, but God is intrinsically like this. It is His nature. In fact, love is so much a part of His nature that it is impossible for Him to be otherwise. Thankfully God can change my nature, transforming the way I am to become more like the great “I AM.” Dosung Kim is the founder and director of Instituto Quebrada Leon in Bolivia. Visit www.InstitutoQLeon.com to learn more about this OCI ministry.
Get Involved
If you have a desire to serve God, prayerfully consider one of the following ways to get involved.
Service Openings Amazon Lifesavers Ministry, Brazil Logistics Coordinator
Centro Misionero de Salud, Mexico Landscaper
Country Life Institute, Dominican Republic Doctor
Cross to Crown International, Nicaragua Maintenance Person
Laurelbrook School & Sanitarium Inc., Tennessee, USA Certified Nursing Assistant
Liceo Maranata, Colombia Medical Missionary
Loma Linda Campestre, Colombia Massage Therapist
Los Aromos Wellness Center, Colombia Media Missionary Vegetarian Cook
Mision Yasha, Mexico Agriculturalist
Mount Akagi Institute, Japan
Service
Opportunities Peru Projects, Peru Media Specialist
School by the Sea, Poland English Teachers
The Hope of Survivors, Iowa, USA Volunteer: Translators
VIDA Internacional, Honduras Teachers & Assistants
Wildwood Lifestyle Center & Hospital, Georgia, USA Administrative Assistant
Give the Gift of Missions As your living room fills up with presents and twinkling lights this Christmas season, consider giving a gift to support the mission of OCI worldwide. Just indicate “Missions Christmas� and on whose behalf you would like to contribute, either on your check, money order, or online. The names will be listed in the upcoming issue of OCI Reports. No fancy wrapping paper required. www.outpostcenters.org/donate
Baker
Oak Haven, Michigan, USA Warehouse Worker
View the complete list at www.outpostcenters.org. OC I
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Set Your Sights on Service God led Ilse Wandersleben to start Los Aromos Wellness Center in her home country of Chile.
What is YOUR calling?
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