W&D Magazine - Spring 2023

INSIDE

SPRING 2023

Dominican Republic An Update on Sociedad Lucas Hospital

Kenya

Basic Necessities of Life

South Africa

Blessing and Growth for MCA

Sponsorship

Child Sponsorship in Haiti

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF WORD & DEED, AN INTERATIONAL REFORMED RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT MINISTRY

>FOREWORD

BY DAVE VANDERMEER

Whose Philosophy?

On my first day of Introduction to Philosophy class, we were asked what a presupposition was, but nobody answered.

It was a critical question. Simply put, presuppositions are things you hold true, usually without thinking about them; a synonym of “assumptions”. An example of a presupposition would be that we believe the sun will rise in the East tomorrow morning. You don’t spend a lot of time thinking about this, you just take it for granted. A whole system of apologetics for evangelism is based on a presuppositional approach.

away, something will always replace it. The Devil is banking on this with the demise of Western culture and attacks on Christian thought. He wants the way we think as Christians to be unacceptable in our culture.

We often neglect to recognize the power of what is taught to children. That is why we need to be reminded of Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” What you are teaching your children matters. Education is also an important facet in the If we look at much of the discussion in North America right work of Word & Deed, resulting in much of our energy being now, we see the fruit of the secular public school system directed toward Christian schools and afterschool programs in and liberal Christianity. A few years ago, people would not the developing world. In recent years, we have also emphahave entertained the question “What is a woman?” But we sized the distribution of Christian literature; we are providing didn’t get here in a vacuum; there was an pastors with good Reformed theology books attack on Christian philosophy. It’s like a drip and equipping partners who are training pastors Beware lest of water that continually beats down on a rock, and church leaders from a biblical, Reformed anyone cheat you won’t see any change from 10 or 20 drips, perspective. Several examples of our focus you through but it’s the 100 million drips that you weren’t on education can be found in this magazine philosophy and watching that slowly break down the rock. in the articles about educating church leaders empty deceit, in Kenya and young children at Musawenkosi What did we think would fill the void as according to the Christian Academy in South Africa. Please pray Christianity was taken out of public schools? tradition of men, that these efforts would be fruitful in the educaIf we compare the curriculum of 50 years according to the tion of many generations. W&D ago to today, what kind of changes would we

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notice? Those changes did not happen in one fell swoop but slowly, over time. As humans, we are the most impressionable during our childhood years as our brains develop patterns in how we think. For those children attending schools, more waking hours are spent at school than at home throughout the year, resulting in schools having a very large influence in the lives of children. With the ongoing demise of secular schools in the west, we see the results of this slow change seeping into our culture.

If the church itself doesn’t stand on God’s Word as inerrant and the only way to salvation, why would we be surprised when people look elsewhere for a way to save themselves? When one philosophy and its set of presuppositions are taken

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basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

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COLOSSIANS 2:8

Dave Vander Meer works for Word & Deed in the Public Relations and Projects departments.

WORD&DEED

MEDiTaTiON

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

BY PASTOR JUSTIN NOBEL

SPRING 2023 Editor Rick Postma Assistant Editor Scott Koopman Graphic Design Knor Graphic Design Solutions Copy Editors 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, Egypt, Guatemala, Kenya, Myanmar, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Malawi, South Africa, and South Sudan.

Director of Projects 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 Advisory Committee 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.

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THE Reverberations OF

Christian Generosity

For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanskgivings to God. By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! (2 Cor. 9:12–15, ESV) What happens when Christians give? The most obvious effect of our giving is that it relieves the needs of those in material distress. However, in 2 Cor. 9:12–15, we learn that Christian generosity has unexpected effects that reverberate long after the gift is given. Relief of poverty or distress are worthy endeavors, but more remarkable than the gift or the help that it offers is the cycle of worship and blessing instigated by a single act of Christian generosity.

When we bless others out of the abundance given to us, this elicits thankful worship from the beneficiaries of our gifts. Thanksgiving is lifted to the heavenly Father, for our fellow saints recognize him as the ultimate source of every good and perfect gift (Jas. 1:17). Paul says that our generosity also produces adoring worship for the power of Christ,

evidenced in the generosity of the giver. Needy believers are moved to glorify God for His transforming grace in the lives of fellow believers.

The reverberations of Christian generosity don’t end here. Perhaps the greatest surprise is the way that Christian generosity solicits prayer for us from those blessed by us. Blessing leads to worship, worship leads to blessing, and the cycle begins again.

Let us not forget the great Giver who initiates this cycle of blessing and worship. True generosity—marked by love for others, willingness to give sacrificially, and a cheerful attitude—arises from the heart of the one who knows the generosity of the triune God so powerfully revealed upon the cross. Christian generosity is a fruit that grows upon the tree of Calvary. It is modeled on the generosity of the one who taught that “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). God has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus (Eph. 1:3), thereby incorporating us into this great cycle of blessing and worship. In Christ, we have received the gift that keeps on giving.

We have been blessed to be a blessing. When we give, we become part of this cycle of blessing and worship that reverberates unto eternity. Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift!

W&D Pastor Justin Nobel is the pastor at the Pompton Plains Reformed Bible Church (URCNA) in Pompton Plains, New Jersey, where he lives with his wife and six children.

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>DoMiNiCaN RepuBLiC

BY DR. SILVIA MARTINEZ

AN Update ON Sociedad Lucas Hospital

Since the pandemic, many things have changed in the world, and the Dominican Republic is no different. In a country where the inflation caused by the pandemic has increased the costs of food, housing, education, and medical services, Sociedad Lucas (Luke Society) continues to work hard to help the families that are most affected by these price increases with the emotional, spiritual, and physical needs they may have.

Over the past few years Sociedad Lucas has had the opportunity to help hundreds of individuals and families who come to our hospital in need of medical attention and medications. Our hospital has served as a vaccination center for many diseases including influenza, which is impacting many in our country, as well as the cholera that is currently affecting some areas of the island. Recently, a lady in very poor condition came to the hospital seeking emergency medical attention. This lady turned out to be the first case of cholera in Hato Nuevo, the community

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where the hospital is located. Thanks to God and the doctors who work in the hospital, she was able to receive the medical attention she needed, and she was saved.

Francis is one of the students at Sociedad Lucas School who, due to his very limited resources, had never been able to receive dental care and was suffering from dental infections that were preventing him from even eating.

Our team was able to help him with these infections and provided him with the needed care.

We also had our first hospital birth this year. The expectant mother arrived at the hospital as an emergency, and thanks to the fact that the hospital was close to her house, she was able to arrive and be assisted by our doctors during her delivery. The baby was born well and healthy.

We continue doing medical brigades and community health programs in different communities to see the needs that exist and to be able to be part of the solution by

giving them the medical help they need by teaching them about the love of Jesus and reading the Bible with the patients every day. Because of that, patients and families have come to Christ through the work that’s being done in the hospital.

As we continue to work on our vision of serving people in the name of Jesus, we are faced with different situations that show us the needs that exist in the most vulnerable communities in the Dominican Republic. For this reason, we also ask you for prayers that God would continue to

guide and help us fulfill our mission, and that the diseases that are affecting more and more people in our country can be controlled.

We thank God for Word & Deed who helps us serve the people who need it most here in the Dominican Republic.

W&D Dr. Silvia Martinez is the Director of the Sociedad Lucas (Luke Society) Hospital in Hato Nuevo, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

SOCIEDAD LUCAS HOSPITAL This hospital has two floors including a pharmacy, lab center, emergency services, and semi-private rooms. It also includes rooms for ultrasounds, examinations, dentistry, and surgery. The purpose of the hospital is to provide holistic care that focuses on the spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of the patient. It serves an area of over 100,000 people in five communities. Budget for 2023: $67,000 CAD / $50,000 USD

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>KeNYa

BY DAVE VANDER MEER

Basic Necessities OF Life

Have you ever crossed a border to another country by walking over it? I hadn’t either, but that is what Corney Les and I did recently on a trip to Kenya. We had stopped in Uganda for a couple of days to check on some construction projects.

We were on our way to meet our newest partner, the Reformed Theological Seminary, Bumala (RTS, unrelated to the RTS in NA), and the principal, Rev. Eric Ngala. Unbeknownst to us, we were supposed to be met by Eric’s daughter who works at customs at that border crossing. Somehow, she missed the only white guys crossing the border that day and we wandered around until we could reach Eric by phone.

We finally made it to our host’s home. One of the first things I noticed in Kenya was how dry the land looked. Kenya has been under drought conditions for 5 years now. We saw people hoeing their land with an oldfashioned hoe, a 4-foot stick with an 8x10 inch slightly curved blade tied to the stick. They would sink the blade into the ground in a rhythmic fashion and occasionally hit a clump of dirt with the backside of the hoe to break it up. We would see this scene repeatedly throughout our time in Kenya, maybe a thousand times.

One of the first things we did in Bumala was to visit a Focus Group, which is a group of church leaders, pastors, and teachers, that come together for theological training. The Focus program was developed

by Mukhanyo Theological College in South Africa, a Word & Deed partner. It did not take Corney and me very long to understand that the student’s knowledge of the Bible was minimal. RTS currently oversees five Focus study centers; most are in towns, but a few are in rural areas—one so rural that the road didn’t even seem to be a road and I wondered how we were going to get through. Plans are being made to add a few more Focus Groups soon and, Lord Willing, reach up to 250 people with the program.

The next day we met with the RTS board members. It was a joy to see their commitment to the work of the school.

One thing we learned while we were there is that it is

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The next day we met with the RTS board members.

It was a joy to see their commitment to the work of the school.

important for people to introduce themselves thoroughly.

Introductions from the RTS board took over half an hour.

We saw the value that was placed in this custom of trying to get to know each other. The next day we met with diploma students at the seminary. These are mostly pastors and a couple of elders on a track to receive a diploma from Mukhanyo. These pastors are much more advanced than what we saw with the Focus program. What most impressed us was the realization that these pastors clearly understood that they had to handle the Word with care and preach the truth of the Word to their churches.

We also visited some sites where Word & Deed has helped with food relief. We have done this in two ways over the last year. The first way was by having direct food relief brought to churches through RTS and the local pastors would pick the most vulnerable people to receive the food. Another way that Word & Deed provided aid was to provide seeds and fertilizer to families to farm their lots. We were told of the impact that this had made on the communities. We visited a church that was born directly from the food relief program. As they received the food, they were told the Gospel, and follow-up was done with these families; about 90 people are attending this church now.

The most challenging thing I witnessed on this trip was the lack of clean water. Everywhere we went, we saw people walking and carrying a yellow 20-liter water jug or using donkeys or motorcycles to transport it. People sometimes have to travel three or more kilometers a day just to get their water. You see people standing in a creek filling their bottles while others are doing laundry next to them, but the saddest scene was visiting a pond that serviced more than

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20,000 people and 50,000 animals. People were filling their water jugs at one end of the pond as cattle were going into the pond to drink at the other end.

The things the Kenyan people need the most are the basic necessities of life; they need food and clean water for physical life, but more importantly, they need the Gospel and a proper understanding of God’s Word that gives spiritual life through the work of the Holy Spirit. W&D Dave Vander Meer works for Word & Deed in the Public Relations and Projects departments.

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>SoUTH AFRiCa

BY CINDERELLA SIBIYA

Blessing AND Growth FOR MCA

Some Background from Heidi Pronk, Word & Deed Project Manager: In 2021, the Musawenkosi Christian Academy (MCA) in South Africa celebrated its tenth anniversary as a Christian educational institution serving grades K–7. For the first seven years, two businessmen from North Carolina, Ed Rettig and Keith Brown (working under the name Friends of Mukhanyo), raised the support to keep the school running.

As the school grew, so did the operating costs and in 2018, Word & Deed was asked to step in with a commitment to fill the gap while new sources of funding were secured. The purchase of the new five-acre property with five existing classrooms is a first step in that direction as it will allow the school to enroll tuition-paying students from the new neighborhood—a move that will help it become more locally sustainable over time, while still ensuring the most vulnerable children are served.

Over 90% of the original students enrolled at MCA have lost at least one parent, and about 60% of them have lost both parents. Some of the children have special needs; nearly all of them come from low-income homes and have difficult family situations. The mission of the school is to bring hope to these children by speaking and living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But academic excellence is not neglected in this endeavor, as the school was recognized in 2019 for

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having the highest standardized test scores in the district.

Elizabeth, the new school principal, and Cinderella, the Bible teacher and administrator, are passionate about ensuring that the children receive a distinctly biblical education and that their minds, bodies, and souls are lovingly cared for.

Construction has been ongoing at the site of the new Musawenkosi Christian Academy (MCA) for almost a year now. After many months of delay, challenges, and anticipation, we were finally able to get an occupancy permit from the municipality on January 5 and we are excited to announce that we officially opened the school on February 1. The opening ceremonies were conducted in the rain as, by God’s grace, we were blessed with much rain on that day. Many guests, board members, students, supporters, and families came for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

It took us a week to move from our old premises. We hired big trucks to assist us and parents, teachers, and board members also helped. The only challenge is that due to the rain that week, some of our furniture got damaged, but we believe that God will continue making His way for the school.

There are 70 new students who began the school year at

the new location, bringing the total number of students in Grades K–7 to 181. The largest class is Grade 1 with 28 students. The new students are integrating well and are very happy to be able to come to school.

The new location is in a neighborhood with many young families where the children have few options for schooling.

We are thankful to be able to offer a Christian education to children in this community.

We are still waiting for the water to be hooked up to the plumbing, but the electricity is connected, and school is in session! Some of the finishing details will be worked on over the coming weeks, but we are thankful that we can be in the new building while this happens.

We want to thank all the sponsors and everyone who is attached to the school for all the wonders that they are doing for our school. We are thankful to God who has given us this new facility and pray that He blesses all the children who come here and helps them to know His saving power.

Please pray for our new school and that we would integrate well in this new community while showing the love of God to our neighbors. W&D Cinderella Sibiya is the administrator at Musawenkosi Christian Academy in South Africa.

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Dominican Republic 1. What is the vision of the Luke Society Hospital?

Kenya 1. What is a Focus Group?

2. What was the most challenging thing that Dave witnessed on his trip to Kenya?

Where are the people of Kenya finding their drinking water?

South Africa 1. What is the benefit of the school’s new location?

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PRAYER REQUESTS 1. Pray for the generational fruitfulness of the education of the thousands of students who are supported through Word & Deed’s partners.

2. Pray that God would continue to guide and help the Luke Society Hospital in the Dominican Republic to fulfill their mission to serve people in the name of Jesus and that the diseases that are affecting more and more people in the D.R. can be controlled. Praise God for the light that this hospital sheds in their community!

3. Pray that the people of Kenya would receive rain so that the drought conditions in Kenya would lessen and the people would be able to grow their own food and drink clean water. Pray for the spiritual needs of these people.

4. Pray that the MCA school in South Africa will integrate well into their new community while showing the love of God to their neighbors.

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SPONSORSHIP ADORATION CHRISTIAN SCHOOL IN HAITI

As many of you are aware, the situation in Haiti remains concerning. The good news is that Adoration Christian School was able to open their doors again in January. As a result of this, we have some new students who recently entered Adoration and are in need of sponsors. Contact Kara at office@wordanddeed.org for more information.

ANNA-BELLE Age: 6 Years Old

KETURA Age: 6 Years Old

CHOUBE HECTOR Age: 9 Years Old

JASHUA HENRICH Age: 7 Years Old

office@wordanddeed.org

ESTHER Age: 7 Years Old

NAIKA Age: 7 Years Old

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NON-PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID GRAND RAPIDS, MI PERMIT #1

P. O. Box 157, Hudsonville, MI 49426 USA

Publications Agreement # 40595030

SAVE

4TH ANNUAL

COAST-TO-COAST

THE

DATE JUNE 3, 2023 BIKE-A-THON

With the Lord’s blessing, the first three Coast-to-Coast Bike-a-thons in 2020, 2021, and 2022 were great fun and a wonderful success in raising funds for the Nakekela HIV/AIDS Clinic and MCA school in South Africa.

Let’s do it again! Plan to enjoy a bike ride on June 3 with a few friends or family in your local area. Watch

wordanddeed.org

for more details and for a great new fundraising website!