Volume 11 Number 2 - Adventist Volunteer Service

Transcription

Fr o m E ve r y w h e r e t o E ve r y w h e r e
A New Focus
volume 11
•
number 2
departments
4 Postcard
5 Reflections
6 Editorial
30 New Volunteers
32 Volunteer Opportunities
features
8 God’s Strength in My Weakness
God was teaching me much more through my
students than I could ever teach them.
12 Hard on His Heels
contents
My experience has taught me that a Christian’s
journey begins and ends with following hard
on His heels, just as I am now following hard
on the heels of my guide.
17 Don’t Give Up!
When I went to the embassy to apply for a
visa, they denied my application—just like that!
20 A Surprise Delivery
Liz and I occasionally glanced at each other,
shaking our heads in disbelief at what we had
just encountered.
23 The Beggar
All of his fingers were a third of their original
length or less.
26 The Best Salary
The satisfaction of knowing that you are in the
place where God wants you to be is the best
salary, and one that only God can give.
28 A Volunteer Interview
God has a great plan for all of our lives, so
don’t get discouraged by any setbacks. Submit
your life into His hands; He will lift you up at
the right time.
Cover: Matheus da Silva plays in the snow at
Norwegian Junior College in Norway. Story
on page 17.
Ooops!
We realize that there were several errors in the last issue of Mission Post (Volume 11, Number 1). On page 19, a picture
is repeated (pictures 3 and 4 are the same photo). On page 26, the location of Majuro on the globe in the top left
corner of the page is incorrect. Finally, on the back cover of the magazine, we’ve misspelled the word “Brazil” and
all of our arrows on the world map are pointing to the wrong locations. We apologize for these errors and we thank
those of you who took the time to point them out to us!
m i s s i o n p o s t
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adventist volunteer service
missionpost
GENERAL CONFERENCE VOLUNTEER STAFF
Homer Trecartin | DIRECTOR/EDITOR
Donna Rodill | SR EDITORIAL ASSISTANT/LAYOUT & DESIGN
Candace Renk | AVS VOLUNTEER APPOINTEES COORDINATOR
Joanne Stango | AVS ASSOCIATE COORDINATOR
Jill Walker Gonzalez | AVS ASSOCIATE COORDINATOR/
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Ana Faigao | AVS ASSISTANT COORDINATOR
Page 23
DIVISION VOLUNTEER COORDINATORS
Hudson E Kibuuka | EAST-CENTRAL AFRICA DIVISION
Gabriel E Maurer | EURO-AFRICA DIVISION
Michael Kaminsky | EURO-ASIA DIVISION
Faye Reid | INTER-AMERICAN DIVISION
Jose Rojas | NORTH AMERICAN DIVISION
Akeri Suzuki | NORTHERN ASIA-PACIFIC DIVISION
Marly Timm | SOUTH AMERICAN DIVISION
Robert Bolst | SOUTH PACIFIC DIVISION
Page 12
Julian Hibbert | SOUTHERN AFRICA-INDIAN OCEAN DIVISION
Rose Christo | SOUTHERN ASIA DIVISION
Gary Rustad | SOUTHERN ASIA-PACIFIC DIVISION
Paul Tompkins | TRANS-EUROPEAN DIVISION
John Enang | WEST-CENTRAL AFRICA DIVISION
Pag
e 28
We welcome unsolicited manuscripts, letters to
the editor, volunteer tips, postcards and stories.
Send all editorial correspondence to:
Adventist Volunteer Service Publications
12501 Old Columbia Pike
Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600 USA
E-mail: [email protected]
Fax: 301-680-6635
Website: www.adventistvolunteers.org
Pag e 8
Mission Post (ISSN 1528-235X) is published four
times a year by the Adventist Volunteer Service of
the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
Printed by the Review and Herald Publishing
Association, 55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown,
MD 21741-1119. Copyright © 2001, General
Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. For a free
subscription, send your name and address to
Adventist Volunteer Service Publications, 12501 Old
Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600 or
send an email to: [email protected]
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P o s t c a r d
Dear Volunteers,
I
t is momentous! That’s how I can
best describe my stay in Japan so
far! It has been two months now
since I first set foot on Japanese soil,
and with each passing day comes a
special blessing. I am currently serving
in Okinawa, a beautiful island south
of Japan with sparkling white sand
beaches. I am enjoying my experience
here as an assistant language teacher
in both a junior academy and an
elementary school. One noteworthy
blessing I have received is that my duties
here are very reasonable. I have not been
overloaded, so, even with my work, I
still have time for personal devotions.
My fellow teachers and my students are
very warm and friendly. They have made
my stay wonderful. I find it thrilling to
learn about the Japanese culture and
language. I even enjoy using chopsticks
now! Due to the language barrier, I am
learning to put more trust in prayer
and simple gestures—like smiles—as
ways to reveal Christ to others. Some
of my students are willing to decide for
Jesus through baptism, but what keeps
them from acting on their belief is the
lack of parental approval and support.
Nevertheless, two of my students have
decided to get baptized!* It is alarming
to me that in a country that enjoys
freedom of worship, only 1% of the
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p o s t c a r d
population
is Christian—
and the majority of
that 1% are elderly!
There is still a great
work to be done
here—especially for
the young people!
As you think of world
missions, think of and
pray for Japan.
In His Service,
Obed Soire
Top and Bottom: Obed Soire
Middle: Obed with two of
his students.
From Kenya – To Japan
*The two students mentioned were baptized on
October 25, 2008.
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“God, who
prepares
His work
through ages,
accomplishes
it by the
weakest
instruments
when His
time is
come.”
Photo courtesy of Russell Gibbs
R e f l e c t i o n s
By D’Aubigne, Signs of the Times, November 5, 1885.
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editorial
Homer Trecartin | Editor, Mission Post | Associate Secretary, General Conference of Seventhday Adventists | Director, Adventist Volunteer Service
A New Focus
By Mark Pierson
(With Introduction by Homer Trecartin)
Tragedy! The unexpected. The unthinkable. As I read the story that follows,
it was like a knife of memory cutting into my own heart and soul. Someday
maybe I will tell you about my own experience with tragedy. How do we
relate and react when all our dreams and plans come screeching to an end?
Can God really bring something good out of the ashes or mangled wrecks of
our lives?
With his story, Mark Pierson has given us just a glimpse into a personal
tragedy that changed his life – forever. But now, three years after the
accident, life has a new purpose and drive. People are being changed –
people in his own family and people halfway around the world.
I
Another semi went slowly by us in the
left lane. As that truck was slowing down,
two other vehicles spun out of control
through the highway median. I told Luke
to call Cathy and tell her to pull onto the
shoulder, because it wasn’t safe where
they were.
Luke picked up the phone while looking
in the mirror.
“Dad,” he said, “we’re going to get hit.”
In his mirror, he had seen a truck coming
up behind us way too fast. Within seconds,
our fully loaded U-haul, which was the
biggest one available, was moving forward
even though my foot was still on the brake,
and we hit the semi in front of us.
“This is going to be bad,” I thought.
I opened my driver’s side door, not
wanting to look back at Luke’s car; I was
afraid of what I would see.
n March of 2006, my wife, Cathy, and
I decided to help my son Luke and his
wife Kandice move from Bakersfield,
California, to Marysville, Michigan. At the
time, Kandice was seven months’ pregnant
with the family’s first grandchild.
We started the long drive on a Sunday
with one U-haul truck and one car. By
Tuesday night we were in Albuquerque,
New Mexico. Then on Wednesday, it
happened. Luke was in the U-haul with
me. Kandice and Cathy, who was driving,
followed us in Luke’s car.
We were on Interstate Highway 40
heading east. Soon after we began, it started
snowing lightly. The semi-truck that I was
following slowed down, so we slowed down
too. After a couple of minutes, the semi
stopped in the right lane. We stopped behind
it, and Luke’s car stopped behind us.
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6
But I forced myself to look. It was bad.
The car was now in the left lane, facing
the wrong direction. The roof, having
been torn off from the driver’s side, was
sticking straight up in the air. The car’s
rear bumper was in front of the rear tires.
I ran up to the car and tried to open
Cathy’s door, but it would not budge. I
saw my wife, motionless, in the driver’s
seat. The trunk lid was touching the
headrests of the two front seats. Kandice
had been lying down in the backseat
asleep. The only part of her I could see
was the top of her head. I called Cathy’s
and Kandice’s names several times, but
they gave no response.
I had been a volunteer firefighter in the
past and the ABCs of resuscitation came
back to my mind. I thought to myself,
“How can I remember this at such a
horrible time? Why am I not freaking out?”
I lifted Cathy’s head from her shoulder
so I could check to see if her airway
was clear. Her head had been resting
completely over on her shoulder, where it
normally couldn’t. “She must have broken
her neck,” I thought. So I laid her head
back down.
“She is dead,” I thought.
When I first looked at her, her eyes
were already dilated, an indicator of death.
I now know her death occurred within
seconds of the blunt force trauma.
Soon Luke and I went to a waiting
ambulance and sat in shock. No one spoke.
An autopsy was performed on Kandice;
her baby was a girl. Luke and Kandice had
discussed what to name their child, but
had not known its gender; they’d wanted
to be surprised at birth. Luke named his
first daughter Katrina, as he and his wife
had previously discussed.
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That day our family lost three of its
firstborn girls.
After losing three very loved family
members, you start to think about life
differently. You start asking yourself, “Am
I really following God? Do I really love
others? Do I live only for myself?”
I thought about these things for a long
time, and by August of that year, I had a
desire to do volunteer service in another
country. After talking with Cathy’s sister,
Monica Barlow, her husband and, later, with
my two sons, I was surprised to realize that
we all had the same desire to do volunteer
service! We felt it was a sign that the Holy
Spirit was calling us to serve overseas.
Because we were still grieving, we
wanted to wait about two years before
starting an adventure like this. We knew
we wanted to do construction and
maintenance work but weren’t sure where
to go. One day we happened to get in
touch with someone who worked for
Adventist Health International (AHI) at
Loma Linda University. We were surprised
to find that AHI had some construction
projects—one in Ethiopia—that would
start in about two years. The plans of AHI
and our desires had the same time frame
and purpose! It was plain to me that God
was guiding us.
It was late 2008 when our group of
fourteen flew from California to Ethiopia
to volunteer at Gimbie Adventist Hospital.
We are here as a result of the accident.
Our loss has changed our lives for the
better. It has changed our focus. I pray we
keep this change of focus.
To read more about Mark Pierson’s volunteer
service at Gimbie Adventist Hospital, see his article
on page 23.
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Kazakhstan
God’s Strength
in
My Weakness
By Carly Fletcher
everywhere, and there are many beautiful
parks to visit. I found the people to be
very friendly and excited to share their
culture with me, as well as to learn about
my culture. Who could ask for more?
Along with three other volunteers—
Mirian from Brazil, Randy from America
and Malcolm, a fellow Australian—I spent
my days teaching English during the week,
running vespers programs on Friday nights
and helping out in the English church on
Sabbaths. Overall, it was a wonderful
opportunity to meet people of all ages
and to share Jesus with them through
friendship and through invitations to
attend religious programs.
English has become such a world-wide
language that there is a great demand
for English language schools like the one
I served in. Teaching English is also a
great way to share Jesus with people who
have never heard about Him before. It is
certainly a great way to share the Gospel
in Kazakhstan where there is a mixture of
two main cultures and two main faiths:
the Kazakhs, who are primarily Muslim by
religion; and the Russians, who are Russian
Orthodox by religion.
Why Did God Send Me?
“God, why have you sent me here to
Kazakhstan? What am I doing here?”
It was 2006, I was teaching English in a
small classroom in the English Language
Center in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and I found
myself asking God those hard questions. I
felt inexperienced and out of my comfort
zone; the students seemed to know
more about English grammar than I did!
Moreover, I was a long way from my home
in Sydney, Australia.
I had decided to take one year off and
dedicate it to serving God as a volunteer.
However, when I arrived in Kazakhstan,
things were a bit different than I expected.
At first, everything was new and exciting!
I was young (21 years old) immature and
wanted to experience new things and new
places. I thought that I could change the
world, but God had some plans to change
me instead!
An Almaty Overview
My Kazakh volunteer experience was
full of many good things. Kazakhstan
is a beautiful country, and the city of
Almaty is no exception. It is overlooked by
snow-capped mountains, there are trees
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k a z a k h s t a n
8
understand more of what the other was
going through.
After our discussion this student and
some of the other students in my class
invited me to spend the day with them
at Medeo, a huge ice-skating rink in the
mountains. We had a wonderful day
ice-skating (or trying to), climbing up
hundreds of steps to an overlook to see
the city below, eating ice cream, getting to
know each other and learning about one
another’s cultures. As we became better
and better acquainted, I found that the
class was easier to teach; my students and
I had a lot more fun together. Later on
in the year, it was that particular student
who comforted me when I found out that
my grandmother had passed away back
in Australia.
Because of this experience, I gradually
began to see that God was teaching me
A Challenge in the Classroom
Often it is the most challenging
experiences that bring you the most joy
in the end. During my very first term
teaching, I had one particular student who
challenged me greatly. She was difficult to
work with and liked to cause disruptions
in class, as well as challenge my authority
as a teacher. After class, I often ended up
going home and crying, feeling that I was
a useless teacher. I prayed about this and
asked God to give me strength and love
for this student.
One day there was a particular
disruption in class, and this student,
along with some others, vented her
frustrations about the class and made
some suggestions. Although this was a
painful experience for me, it was also
quite constructive, as we were able to
work through certain issues together and
Carly (far right) ice skating with students.
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k a z a k h s t a n
9
Kazakhstan
time talking with her, learning about her
and about her family. I found out that she
was an accountant and that she lived with
her brother and mother in Almaty.
After we became friends, she invited
Mirian and me to spend the day with her
and a group of others in the mountains.
We had a lovely time out in nature, eating
wild strawberries and sitting around a
campfire. We became good friends, and
this student often came to visit me at
the English Language Center. In turn, I
invited her to the Friday night and Sabbath
programs. Sometimes she came.
One day I asked her if she believed in
God. She told me she was an atheist.
She did not show a lot of interest in
religious things and sometimes even
laughed at the things I said. However,
I kept praying that God’s love would
shine into her life and that she would
find the truth. I still pray for her today
and keep in contact with her on a
regular basis via email. Please pray
that she and the other students at the
English Language Center in Almaty
much more through my students than I
could ever teach them. However, teaching
was still very challenging for me, and the
more I taught, the more I understood that
it is in my weakness that God is strong. I
could hear God saying to me, “My grace
is sufficient for you, for my power is
made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians
12:9, NIV).
Prayers for Another Student
I met another student in one of our
video classes. She was very quiet and
reserved. I felt that God was leading me to
befriend her in some way, so I spent some
Above: Carly (in white sweater)
pictured with one of her classes.
Right: The four volunteers.
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10
will come to know Jesus as their Savior.
Though this student was not baptized, we
teachers did have the privilege of seeing one
of our students get baptized. I pray that there
will be many more baptisms in the future.
Why God Sent Me
Although my experience was sometimes
hard and challenging, I have no regrets about
volunteering in Almaty for a year. It taught
me that it is only through God’s strength that
we can do anything. Besides that, I met so
many beautiful people and experienced so
many wonderful things. For me, volunteer
service was a time of challenges, fun,
laughter, sharing, tears, snow fights, making
new friends and, most importantly, growing
spiritually. I learned so much about God
and about myself that I wouldn’t trade my
volunteer experience for anything. I guess that
is God’s answer to the question of why He
sent me to Kazakhstan!
Below: Student playing the dumbra.
Bottom: Some the church members.
Carly Fletcher, originally from Australia, is currently
working as an ADRA intern in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia,
where she will live for two years.
She offers the following advice
to those thinking about volunteer
service: “Dedicating a year of your
life to serving God is an adventure!
I really encourage anyone who is
thinking of volunteering to give it a
go. God is calling people who have
willing hearts and are ready to serve
Him and spread the Gospel of Jesus
Christ and His soon return. If you feel
that God is calling you to volunteer,
take that step of faith now!! And always
remember that God has promised to be
with you wherever you go.
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Hard on His Heels
By Marsha Trampe
Tanzania
Darkness surrounds us as our small group is hiking up the
stony slopes of the mountain. The cold envelops me; my breath
is hanging in the air like a veil. I can only see as far as the little
headlight on my helmet shines. The world around us rests in
still obscurity, except for our steady breathing.
M
truthfully and trust his advice every step
of the way. He is the expert, for he hikes
this mountain twice a week. He probably
knows every single stone on our path.
And he knows this terrain by heart. He has
been here on days of all sorts of weather:
fair, rainy, stormy and even snowy.
Therefore, the final decision of whether
ascent is possible for a group rests with
this man. He is responsible for the lives
of his clients, and his word needs to be
obeyed at all times.
Like many holiday hikers before us, we
needed to learn a vital lesson on the very
first day of the hike. On the first day, our
guide advised us to go polepole which,
in Swahili, means to go slowly. But our
excitement got the better of us.
After having followed the slow but
steady pace of our guide for an hour, my
friend said, “I cannot possibly walk this
slowly! I need to take bigger strides. This
slow pace tires me out!”
So, we passed the guide and hurried up
the slightly ascending way. As the hours
wore on, our initial energy began to drain.
We reached the first hut, exhausted and
weary, but the guide had no mercy on
y two friends and I have a
common goal: at sunrise we
want to reach the summit of
Mount Meru in northern Tanzania. I’m
new to this mountain climbing business,
but very determined. No matter what,
I want to make it. And there is only
one way for a newbie like me to get
there. Since my friends are experienced
mountaineers, they let me walk right
behind our guide so I can fix my eyes on
his heels, match my steps to his pace and
put my feet on the very spots his feet have
just left. All my sleepiness wears off as I
concentrate so as not to miss a step that
the guide takes.
Although we cannot see what lies in
the darkness ahead, I feel safe and secure.
Since we began our tour two days ago,
our guide has proven himself to be kind
and trustworthy. He knows our strengths
and weaknesses. He keeps checking on
our condition.
“How do you feel?” he asks. “Do you
need a break to drink water? Can we
go on?”
These questions are important because
he wants us to succeed. So I answer him
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of trust is called faith. And it only works
one step at a time. My experience as a
volunteer here in Tanzania has taught me
that a Christian’s journey begins and ends
following hard on His heels, just as I am
now following hard on the heels of my
guide. My Jesus, “who has gone through
the heavens,” has also been in dark
hours of loneliness, doubt, depression,
exhaustion and temptation (Hebrews
4:14, NIV).
The Bible continues, “For we do not
have a high priest who is unable to
sympathize with our weaknesses, but we
have one who has been tempted in every
way, just as we are—yet was without sin”
(Hebrews 4:15, NIV). Just as I can count on
the leading of my mountain guide and just
as he sympathizes with and cares about
my less than perfect condition as a hiker,
so I can count on Jesus’ leading, for He
sympathizes with my weaknesses. This
is good news for me, because I am very
often impatient with myself. Although I
have patience and love for others, my own
his foolish clients. He poked fun at us for
having wasted our strength on our very
first day on the mountain.
“And we are not even close to the
hardest part of the trip!” he said, shaking
his head at our thoughtless behavior.
Now at the last and hardest bit of our
hike, his words have taken root in my
heart. I try not to miss a single step and I
am alert to what the guide says.
“Be careful, this is a slippery wall. Use
your hands to support you as you balance
to the other side.” Or, “Follow the green
marks and stay close behind me.”
As I follow his advice, I wonder about
how dangerous this part of our hike is, but
I cannot see anything beyond the scope of
my headlight. I listen for the guide’s words
and follow his steps. That is all I can do
right now to keep safe in the middle of the
unknown terrain that surrounds me.
This blind acceptance of someone
guiding us, someone who knows the path
because he has already been there, is very
familiar to me as a Christian. This kind
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Tanzania
faults and failures bother me a lot. Often, I
get angry at my own weaknesses.
On the mountain, we are finally getting
to the last and steepest part of our hike.
We continue through gravel fields and
deep volcanic ash. But my exhaustion
grows and the loose ground we are
treading makes matters worse. I simply
cannot find a foothold and it is getting
harder to keep our steady pace. Instead of
ascending, every step seems to take me
downhill a little more.
At one point, anger rushes through
me and I try to go faster, but instead of
going up, I go down, back over ground
I’ve already covered. I end up sitting on
my backside, gasping and red faced. My
friends pick me up and calm me down.
They remind me to just follow the guide.
Fatigued, but not willing to surrender, I get
back into the routine of walking behind
the guide. Slowly, but surely, even I, who
has never climbed a mountain before,
manage to reach the summit of Mount
Meru at 14,978 feet (4562.13 meters)
above sea level.
As I marvel at the beautiful sunrise
from the summit, I thank Jesus for giving
me strength and for teaching me an
important life lesson on this mountain:
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author
and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2,
NIV). Let us follow hard on His heels,
trusting that He will lead us safely and
faithfully to the summit.
Marsha Trampe, originally from Germany, writes
from Tanzania, where she volunteers as a Grant
Proposal Writer for ADRA Tanzania. She has been
serving in Tanzania since November 29, 2008, and
intends to stay for at least a year.
The Mount Meru hike took place on February
13-15, 2009, with guide Sabbath Mutoba. Marsha
was accompanied on the hike by her friends, Evelyn
and Thomas Simader, a German couple who are
currently volunteers serving as the directors of the
Havilah Village Orphanage which is located on the
University of Arusha campus.
Previous Page: Three friends over the clouds
(left to right: Marsha Trampe, Thomas Simader
and Evelyn Simader)
Left: Marsha (right) with hiking buddy Evelyn
Simader and their guide, Sabbath Mutoba, at
Rhino Point.
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Norway
Don’t Give Up!
By Matheus da Silva
W
This time, yes, this time everything will be
fine, I thought.
Guess what! My visa was denied for the
second time. I didn’t know what to do. After
that, I didn’t want to go anywhere. I was
21 years old at that time, and I thought I’d
rather stay in Brazil and finish my degree at
Sao Paulo Adventist University (UNASP) than
try to go anywhere else.
I thought perhaps God had never wanted
me to be a volunteer. Maybe I had just
misunderstood Him. I was so excited about
the thought of volunteering that maybe I
had listened to my own will and mistaken it
for God’s. But a single idea kept burning in
my heart, even in the midst of these doubts.
I still heard a voice whispering, “No matter
how hard it seems, never give up. Always
believe. Hold on.” From that moment on, I
put my will in God’s hands.
A few weeks later, I sent my application
to another place, and, again, I was accepted,
but this time I was scared.
“Okay,” I prayed, “it is starting again; the
process is 50% accomplished, but now I
have to face a new embassy. God, you are
the Captain.”
This time it was the Norwegian Embassy
that I visited, and, when I left, I was praising
hat a wonderful day the 25th
of August 2008 was for me
when finally one of my dreams
came true—the dream to be an Adventist
volunteer overseas. I was 100% sure that it
was God’s will for me to be a volunteer
not just in my neighborhood, but beyond
as well!
I first filled out my application to be a
volunteer in November 2006. A few months
later, in January 2007, I received an email
saying that I had been accepted for a
volunteer position.
When my application was accepted, I
thought, “Now I can serve God to the ends
of the earth!” However, as you know, God
likes to surprise us. When I went to the
embassy to apply for a visa, they denied my
application—just like that! At that moment
my world collapsed. I did not understand, so
I started discussing it with God.
“Why? Why? Don’t you want this for me?”
I asked.
A divine silence was what I got for an
answer. I was discouraged. However, one
single thought came to my mind: “Don’t give
up!” So, I didn’t. I tried again.
After a couple of days, I asked my
volunteer coordinator to send my application
to another place. Again, I was called.
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n o r w a y
Inset: Matheus and fellow volunteer, Marsha.
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Norway
says, “Our confession of His faithfulness is
Heaven’s chosen agency for revealing Christ
to the world. We are to acknowledge His
grace as made known through the holy men
of old; but that which will be most effectual
is the testimony of our own experience.
We are witnesses for God as we reveal in
ourselves the working of a power that is
divine. Every individual has a life distinct
from all others, an experience differing
essentially from theirs. God desires that our
praise shall ascend to Him, marked with our
own individuality” (page 100).
Through prayers and through my
testimony, I can help young Adventists
and non-Adventists to know a little more
about God’s will for their lives. I have tried
my hardest to help them, and I have been
very blessed because I feel the hand of
God leading me closer to Him who is the
source of all wisdom. I thank Jesus every
day for having given me this wonderful
opportunity to share the Gospel overseas as
an Adventist volunteer!
the Lord because everything had worked out
so easily. My visa application was accepted!
Now, I am doing my volunteer service as
a dean in the boys’ dorm in Royse, Norway,
at Tyrifjord Videregaende Skole (Norwegian
Junior College). I have been here for three
months now—long enough to realize the
great things that God has done in my life.
Things here are really different from Sao
Paulo, Brazil, where I’m from. The food,
the clothing, the culture, and, of course,
the language. My first challenge here was
to get to know more about the wonderful
Norwegian culture. The only thing I knew
about Norway before I came here was that it
is the land of the Vikings.
Before leaving Brazil, I was happy because
I knew that God had a purpose for me in
this place. When I arrived, though, I was
unsure as to how to be a faithful witness
to the young people. I prayed to God so
that He would show me what I could do,
how I could help. I found an answer in The
Ministry of Healing by Ellen G. White. She
Norwegian Junior College
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18
Matheus writes from Royse, Norway, where he was recently asked to spend another year volunteering. He
plans to stay for the second year. “What a great surprise it was for me!” Matheus says. “Once more, God has
shown me that He loves to surprise His children!”
To everyone who has ever thought of becoming a volunteer, Matheus says, “If you are thinking about
volunteering to shine for Christ in this dark world, I have one piece of advice for you: GO FORWARD, and
prepare yourself because He will surprise you with a mountain of blessings!”
Playing
in the snow
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n o r w a y
19
Guyana
A Surprise
By Melissa Sissons
Delivery
A
t 5:00 a.m. a phone call awoke
me from my early morning
slumber. Cell reception in
Guyana’s jungle can be tricky; we have
to hang our phone in one precise spot
on our kitchen window to get any signal
at all. Praise God the signal was working
this morning! When I answered, I heard
the anxious voice of the village health
worker on the other end of the line. Her
concerned words pierced through into
my sleepy brain.
“Come! Patsy* is in labor!”
I ran to my front porch and called for
Liz, using the characteristic intonation
that carries sound nicely across our
jungle campus.
“Leeizzz!” I called.
She answered with a simple, “Wooo,”
a high pitched call that means, “What’s
up?” or “Yes?”
Liz Shires is a nurse who has joined
our Bethany Medical Missionary College
team for a year as a teacher. I told her to
put on her scrubs, that we were headed
to deliver a baby. She was thrilled.
Both of us have worked as Emergency
Room nurses in the past and we have
not forgotten the excitement of a good
medical drama. Little did we know what
was awaiting us!
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g u y a n a
We jumped into our Mule, a 4x4
vehicle, and sped down the sandy, treelined trail. As the thick forest whizzed
by, I tried to fill Liz in on the details of
Patsy’s complicated situation. Patsy is a
teenage mother. Her first child was born
when she was 15½ years old. Now, at
17 years old, she found herself pregnant
again, but this time she did not mention
it to her family or friends. In fact, she
even denied it to most who questioned
her. Therefore, her family attributed her
growing figure to Pasty eating well and
to genes inherited from her overweight
grandmother.
We were told later that it was only
upon the morning of her delivery, the
pains first being blamed on Naro (wind
or gas), that Patsy’s parents realized
the truth about the situation. When
Patsy became doubled over in labor and
unable to walk or move, her mother ran
to the clinic to call the health worker
who called me.
In the meantime, as she lay on the
hard floor of her home, her father asked
her, “Are you getting baby?”
When Patsy nodded yes in response,
her father simply picked up her other
child and walked out the front door
to pace in the yard. Patsy then had to
20
crawl into the bedroom and prepare to
deliver her own child.
Unaware of the stage of her labor,
we arrived at a very quiet home. It was
about 5:30 a.m. We went up the steps,
removed our shoes and announced our
arrival with a call of “Inside,” which
means, “Can I come in?”
We heard a quiet answer, so we
entered the quaint home. The threeroom house seemed very empty, and I
called again to Patsy through a crack in
the bedroom door.
A village lady now answered me and
told us simply, “Come.”
Upon opening the door, all I could
say was, “Shucks**, Patsy!!”
Patsy lay on the bare, wooden
floor with her skirt up to her waist. A
half delivered placenta lay between
her legs and a bloody infant close
beside her feet. The still infant was
half wrapped in an old towel, still
attached to the umbilical cord. Both
Patsy and the woman seemed oblivious
to the potential life-threatening nature
of the situation.
All I remember is the woman
pointing to the baby and saying, “So,
that is it then.”
Liz and I sprang into action, fumbling
with our gloves, looking for our bulb
syringe to suction the baby, all the
while dodging the growing pools of
blood that seeped across the floor and
dripped through the wide cracks to the
sandy ground below. I wished I had not
obeyed the local custom this time by
removing my shoes before entering the
house. But this was no moment to think
about shoes!
Liz assessed the little baby girl while
I gently pulled on the placenta to
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g u y a n a
encourage its final delivery. The health
worker arrived by the time we were
cutting the cord, and all of our eyes
lit up with relief as the baby began to
cry and fuss. After making sure Patsy
was not hemorrhaging, I scooped
the placenta into a bowl and carried
it outside. I found a flat board in the
yard, chased away a ravenous dog and
laid out the placenta for inspection.
I did not want any parts of it to be
left inside Patsy due to the chance of
infection or severe bleeding. When I
was satisfied that it was whole, Patsy’s
father got a shovel and buried the
placenta in the bushes.
By the time I returned inside, the baby
was being bathed. I cleaned up the
mother and mopped away the blood
with some old clothes. We assisted the
new pair into the family hammock and
put the baby to her mother’s breast. The
21
Guyana
baby’s eyes opened and she latched on
immediately, nursing perfectly for over
thirty minutes.
Before leaving, we all joined hands
and gave a prayer of thanksgiving
to God for His protection. Then, we
bid the family farewell. The Mule ride
home was quiet, Liz and I occasionally
glancing at each other, shaking our
heads in disbelief at what we had just
encountered. We both knew how
differently it all could have ended, and
we were thankful that God had allowed
us to play a small part as mission nurses
in His work.
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Melissa Sissons writes from Guyana in South
America, where she and her husband are the
directors of Bethany Medical Missionary College.
The Sissons have two children and have lived in
Guyana for eight years now.
*Name of patient has been changed for the purpose
of privacy.
** A local term of disbelief.
Page 20: Melissa Sissons with Patsy’s baby.
Page 21: Liz (left) with her sister Alexis who is also a
volunteer at Bethany Medical Missionary Collage.
Below: Melissa with her husband and children.
22
Ethiopia
The
Beggar
By Mark Pierson
I
to Customs at the airport to retrieve the
camera. A man named Girma drove me
where I needed to go.
With Girma’s help, I had my camera by
3:30 on Thursday afternoon. I was now
done with what I needed to do here in
Addis Ababa, but I would not be leaving
for six more days. There was a lot of time
left to fill.
I had brought the book Redeeming
Love* by Francine Rivers with me to
Ethiopia, and had been reading it in the
evenings at Gimbie. I brought the book
along with me to Addis as well; I felt that
God wanted to spend some quiet time
with me here. Thus, I spent much of the
next six days reading.
About 3½ years ago my wife, Cathy,
had read Redeeming Love to me. When
we finished the book, I remember
thinking, “I’m most like the character
Michael Hosea, the good guy in the story.”
At that time, I really thought I had placed
the desires and needs of others above my
own. But as I read the book again, I see
that I am actually Angel, the prostitute in
the story. I’ve been very good at deceiving
myself about myself. Jesus has been my
beloved for most of my life, but at times I
t’s Sabbath afternoon, October 4,
2008. I’m in Addis Ababa, staying
in one of the guest rooms at the
office building for the Ethiopian Union of
Seventh-day Adventists. I came here from
Gimbie Adventist Hospital (where I am
volunteering as a construction worker)
last Wednesday so I could retrieve my
video camera, which was confiscated by
the Customs office when I entered the
country. The hospital vehicle was going to
Addis and if I wanted to get my camera,
this was my chance.
The guest room I’m staying in for 5
nights costs 120 birr per night for a total
of 600 birr, or $60. It was very hard for
me to pay 600 birr for my room, because
I know that the unskilled employees at
Gimbie Adventist Hospital earn only 270
to 320 birr per month. You should see the
simple, poor conditions those employees
live in. I felt my stomach turn when I paid
that money for my room, when there are
so many here that don’t have basic needs,
such as food or shelter.
The day after I got here, I went to
the Ministry of Information offices in
downtown Addis Ababa. There, I had
to get a letter giving me permission to
bring the camera into the country and,
when I received the letter, I had to take it
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e t h i o p i a
* Redeeming Love is a story based on the book of Hosea.
23
Ethiopia
barefoot. All but 2 or 3 of his toes were
totally gone. He was holding out one hand
for money. All of his fingers were a third
of their original length or less. The lower
half of his face had thick white scales
flaking from it. I turned my head away and
rushed by him, repulsed just from looking
at him. I remember actually feeling a little
nauseated. When I had walked a few steps
past him, though, my heart thought of
Jesus touching and healing the lepers.
“This must be leprosy,” I thought.
I stopped, turned around and started
walking back towards him. As I walked,
I took 10 birr out of my pocket, the
equivalent of $1 USD. I rolled it up to
give to him. Then, on second thought, I
unrolled it to make it longer so that when
I gave it to him there would be less chance
that I would touch him.
Guiltily, I thought, “Jesus touched the
lepers.” But I couldn’t touch this person.
He reached up with both hands to take
the money because his fingers were too
short to grasp it with one hand. My hand
touched his and I pulled away quickly.
The expression he gave me was one of
appreciation. I turned away and walked the
couple of blocks back to my room. The first
thing I did when I got back was wash my
hands thoroughly with soap.
I know I am not perfect, but I also know
Jesus is working in me and drawing me to
be like Him, because my heart ached with
pain and sorrow at seeing a human being
that looked SO unlovable. However, my
reading of Redeeming Love, along with my
experiences here, have reminded me that
I am just like the man I saw on the street
today. I’m a repulsive, nauseating beggar
who is loved by a passionate, forgiving,
unchanging, everlasting and self-sacrificing
bridegroom whose name is Jesus. How
have sold my heart to the enemy. I claim
to care about needy people. I don’t. I
claim to love the people Jesus loves. I
don’t. I claim to be generous. I’m not. I
claim to love others. I don’t. Not really. I
can see that now.
But this book has changed me in the last
few days. I am beginning to see how it is
possible to love without desiring anything
as a reward.
My room here is in the middle of the
downtown part of a city of four million
people. Not a nice city. I have been taking
a walk here each day. The sidewalks are
full of children begging, people who limp
or who can’t walk at all. Many have no
function in their legs, so they literally drag
themselves along the sidewalk as they beg.
On the few blocks I walk I usually see two
or three people dragging themselves along
with their legs out behind them. I’ve seen
several with elephantitis, a disease in which
the lymph nodes in a person’s legs and
feet swell. These people drag themselves
along the ground as well. I see many, many
young women on my walks, most of them
with at least one child. They are dressed
like they come from the northern part of
the country, from a rural tribe. Many of
them are beggars.
I see these things every day on my
walks here in Addis Ababa. This afternoon,
however, my walk was especially difficult.
I came across someone literally sitting in
the gutter. The person was about 20 feet
ahead of me. I could not tell if it was a
man or a woman. I will say it was a man.
The man was trying to cover his face with
his hand and a filthy rag. His teeth were
sticking out at weird angles. The skin hung
away from below his eyes. The clothes
he had on were little more than filthy
rags, just like our righteousness. He was
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24
did Jesus feel when He walked the streets
full of beggars, cripples, prostitutes and
pharisees? I’m beginning to see a little
what He felt like, so very little, because
He is God and I am the beggar, with the
leprosy of sin.
I cannot find any words that begin to
express the love I feel towards my Jesus,
and the love that I now experience from
Him. Indeed, as I have been alone with
Jesus in this city of four million, I have
been changed.
1
Mark Pierson has
recently returned to his
home in Coulterville,
California, USA. He
plans to go back to
Ethiopia again next
year to continue his
service at Gimbie
Adventist Hospital.
2
3
4
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e t h i o p i a
25
1 This woman has epilepsy and while she was having
a seizure she rolled into her cooking fire. She had no
money for medical care so she got none. Her wounds got
infected, so she finally came to Gimbie and received care
of antibiotics by IV. This photo was taken two weeks
after the accident happened.
2 A man waiting at Gimbie Adventist Hospital for a spear
to be removed from his arm. The spear, which was in his
arm for 14 hours, missed the bone and arteries. The man
had been in a fight.
3 A man with elephantitis begging on the streets of
Addis Ababa.
4 The group of 14 that went to serve at Gimbie Adventist
Hospital as a result of the deaths of Mark Pierson’s wife,
daughter-in-law and unborn granddaughter. (Mark
Pierson is in the center in the white, button-up shirt).
Austria
The
Best Salary
By Sonja Zwahlen
I
to discuss problems. Very often they just
come to chat or spend time with each
other. I have my phone with me all day, so
the girls can call me at any time. Often I
have to coordinate things. With sixty girls
that all have different needs and desires,
this is not always so easy. For example,
one girl may need a key for the kitchen,
while another one may have a broken light
in her room. Or, there may be a girl who
is sick, while another one needs comfort. I
never know what the day will bring!
All Bogenhofen students have to
work five hours a week in the garden or
cleaning the buildings. The coordination
and supervision of this work is also a task
of the deans. It is the same with the daily
dish-washing. Young people do not like to
do the physical work very much, but still it
has to be done properly.
With everything that is going on, days
go by very fast. In the evening, when
every girl is in her room and hopefully
also in her bed, I feel very tired, but very
satisfied. I am thankful to be serving at
Bogenhofen. I know that this is the place
where I am supposed to be right now,
and I feel God’s help and power every
day. I am very happy when I can discuss
important subject with the girls or when I
have the opportunity to encourage them
have always had the desire to discover
and experience all the wonders
of God’s creation. Thus, I have
participated as a volunteer in different
short term projects in Bangladesh,
Zimbabwe, Senegal, Canada and other
places. While I was involved in these
projects I learned more and more about
Jesus and it became my great desire not
only to work short term for God but to
give Him all my time. So, when I finished
my education in Occupational Therapy
this summer, I asked the Lord to help me
know His way for me. I am very happy that
He guided me to Bogenhofen Seminary
in Austria. When I found that they were
looking for a dean in the girls’ dorm, I
agreed to volunteer there for one year.
Bogenhofen is an Adventist high school,
a theological seminary and also a German
language school. There are about 150
students, most of them in high school.
Bogenhofen itself is like a little paradise.
The scenery is beautiful, there is a nice
castle, a river, and the surroundings are
very peaceful.
My office is right at the entrance of the
girls’ dorm. It is there that I try to be ready
to meet the girls’ needs. Most of time,
my door is open and the girls come in to
ask for things, to find out information or
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a u s t r i a
26
to go their way with and for God. There
are also difficult situations, though, for
which I need God’s assurance about what
is right or wrong and with which I need
courage to deal. Still, when I am dealing
with the girls, I never want to forget to
be as gracious and loving with them as
God is to us when we make mistakes.
In my free time I have the opportunity
to practice music and to spend time with
friends. Altogether, there are about ten
volunteers on the campus. We laugh,
pray and encourage each other. Even
though we work in different jobs, we are
connected in friendship and in our desire
to serve the Lord.
Every day here at Bogenhofen is a great
challenge in many ways. There is sickness,
too much work and too little sleep.
Despite all this, I want to praise the Lord.
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a u s t r i a
Often we only realize His helping hand
when we are in difficulty. This is the best
way to grow personally and to keep close
to God.
I want to encourage you to ask the
Lord what you can do for Him. Don’t
think about salary or any other needs.
The satisfaction of knowing that you are
in the place where God wants you to be
is the best salary, and one that only God
can give.
Sonja Zwahlen, originally from Switzerland, writes
from Bogenhofen Adventist Seminary in Austria,
where she will be serving until the end of July 2009.
She is an intradivision volunteer.
27
Chuuk
A Volunteer Interview
Stanly John, a 26-year old pastor from Kerala, India, believes
whole-heartedly that it was God who made his dream of being
an Adventist volunteer come true. It was God who called him
and God who enabled him to do what he has been doing since
August of 2008: serving as a volunteer Bible teacher and school
chaplain at Chuuk Seventh-day Adventist School. While serving,
Stanly was interviewed about his experience on Chuuk.
serve on Chuuk, I started to do research
on the location. I found that Chuuk is an
island in the Pacific Ocean, very far from
my home country. I also found that the
cost of airfare was very high and that I
had to get a US transit visa to travel to
Chuuk. My travel agent informed me that
I had only a 1% chance of getting that
visa. But God made everything possible for
me to serve on Chuuk. I got the US transit
visa and various people helped me by
giving me sufficient funds for my travels.
I praise God for Mr. T. V. Varghese, Mr.
Matthew Daniel and Pr. Jose Prakesh, who
encouraged and supported me!
One day before I departed to Chuuk,
my mother asked me what I was going
to do, as I was going to a place where I
would know no one and have no support
and help. I reminded her that God says in
Isaiah, “I will lead them in paths that they
have not known: I will make darkness light
before them, and crooked things straight.
Jill Walker Gonzalez (JWG): Why did
you decide to volunteer? Why on Chuuk?
Stanly John (SJ): When I was
studying at Spicer Memorial College,
I came across a copy of Mission Post
magazine. After reading the experiences
of different volunteers whose stories
were featured in the magazine, I decided
that one day I would be a volunteer too.
After my studies, I applied for volunteer
service. It took me three years to find an
assignment. However, I thank God for this
because, for those three years, I was able
to work as a pastor in my home country
of India, and that experience prepared me
for volunteer service.
My division volunteer coordinator
suggested Chuuk to me as a possible
location for an assignment, along with
two other places. Without even knowing
where Chuuk was, I told her that I was
willing to serve there, if accepted. When
I found out that I had been accepted to
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c h u u k
28
JWG: How has this experience changed
your life?
SJ: Being a volunteer is a totally new
experience for me! I believe that God sent
me here. Unlike my pastoral experience
in India, volunteer service on Chuuk has
helped me be more patient with people
and has given me a new outlook on the
world that is outside of my home country.
These things will I do unto them, and not
forsake them” (Isaiah 42:16, KJV). I told
her that God would be with me ‘in ways
that I knew not.’ Thus, I could travel with
confidence to Chuuk.
JWG: What kind of volunteer work do
you do? Describe your typical day.
SJ: Here on Chuuk, I teach Bible,
history and computer classes. I am also
the Chaplain of the school. I enjoy my
duties. My day begins with a prayer for the
students I am going to teach.
JWG: What would you say to
encourage other volunteers?
SJ: I know there are many people who
want to become volunteers, but for some
reason their applications are rejected. As
I mentioned before, I waited three years
to become a volunteer. My application
was rejected for many positions, but God
finally gave me a place to serve. God has a
great plan for all of our lives, so don’t get
discouraged by any setbacks. Submit your
life into His hands; He will lift you up at
the right time.
JWG: How do you feel God has blessed
your service?
SJ: I am blessed in God’s ministry
because He has given me the privilege
to work in a foreign land which I knew
nothing about before I came.
JWG: What do you love most about
what you are doing as a volunteer
on Chuuk?
SJ: I love the people of Chuuk. I love
teaching and correcting my students. I
make sure that all of them know the love
of Christ. My ultimate goal is to educate
them for eternity.
One thing that has impressed me
is the unity among the teachers and
administration here. We are a family. The
spiritual life on our campus is great and we
are experiencing many of God’s miracles in
our daily lives.
JWG: Anything else you’d like to share?
SJ: “For my thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,
saith the Lord. For as the heavens are
higher than the earth, so are my ways
higher than your ways, and my thoughts
than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8, 9, KJV).
As humans, we may have only short term
goals and aims, but God has a greater
plan for each of our lives. He will do great
things for you!
JWG: What is the biggest challenge you
have faced while volunteering?
SJ: In order to teach my students
effectively, I have to find new methods
to get and keep their attention. I must
patiently win their attention to direct them
in God’s path.
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c h u u k
Stanley John
29
Espinoza, Aldo Jhonathan—6th Grade Teacher, from USA to Palau
Estil, Eugene Gonzales—Asst for CLAP Program, from Philippines to South Korea
Etter, Danielle Marie—English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
Fernandez, Mercedes de la Calle—Librarian, from Spain to UK
Franklin, Tomiko M—Academic Tutor/Student Activities Coord, from USA to Kenya
Freeman, Kayla Janae—Admin Asst, from USA to ADRA/Tanzania
Gallewski, Melanie—Public Health/Nursing, from Germany to Peru
Garapasi, Tinoda—Support Analyst, from Zimbabwe to UK
Gatti, Giannina Priscila—Dtrs with Miss Med Intern, from Argentina to Botswana
Georges, Jennifer—English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
Giaccarini, Elian Roberto Sr—Asst Boys’ Dean, from Argentina to UK
Gil, Samira Angelica—Pre-Kindergarten Teacher, from Mexico to Delap
Gladden, Whitaker T—English/Math/Science Teacher, from USA to Cambodia
Guthrie, Stephania Lakita—Reassign as Human Resources, from USA to Korea
Guzman, Paul Alonso—Computer Teacher, from Mexico to Egypt
Hahn, Amy Michelle—English-Math-Science Teacher, from USA to Cambodia
Hamer, Rory Patrick—English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
Hamer, Sonnett Ree—English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
Harms, Matthew Steven—Maintenance Asst, from USA to AWR-Guam
Harper, Jeffrey Alan—School Chaplain, from USA to Australia
Hartman, Matthew Lee—Community Ambassador-Travel Team, from USA to Peru
Haughton, Jillian Denine—English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
Hawkins, Christopher Neil—ESL Teacher, from USA to Taiwan
Hawkins, Eric Jon—ESL Teacher, from USA to Taiwan
Henry, Hyacinth Lorraine—Reassign as Language Inst Asst, from USA to Brazil
Heuberger, Neven—English Teacher, from Germany to Mexico
Holder, Lynn Nicole—Reassign as English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
House, Kevin Andrew—Ecological Worker, from USA to Peru
Hunt, Kirk E—Dentist, from USA to Rwanda
Hunt, Krista Kay—Math Teacher, from USA to Egypt
Hylton, Matthew Ronald Steven—English Teacher, from Jamaica to Chile
Infante, Henry—Asst Boys’ Dean, from USA to Norway
Jackson, Alec Kenneth—Science Teacher, from USA to Egypt
Johnson, Alise Raeanne—4th Grade Teacher, from USA to Delap
Johnson, Cedric Norio—4th Grade Teacher, from USA to Palau
Jun, Kyungsoo—Evangelist, from USA to Kenya
Kalousek, Wesley Brandon—Maintenance Asst, from USA to Pohnpei
Kandoll, KaraLeigh Elizabeth—Secondary Teacher, from USA to Honduras
Kennedy, Harvey Andrew—English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
Kim, Henry Kiyoung—English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
Kim, Soon—Nurse Asst, from USA to Kenya
King, Carson—Emergency Med Tech/Registered Nurse, from USA to Chad
Kiragu, Eunice Wanjiru—Bible Worker, from Kenya to Australia
Knauss, Karen Sue Quackenbush—English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
Knauss, Kerry Alan—English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
Kornienko, Victor—Kitchen Asst, from Ukraine to Norway
Labuguen, Maybel Jacinto—Bible Instr/Tchr’s Aide, from Philippines to Macao
Latour, Donn Alan—Dermatologist, from USA to Guam
Lee, Hee Ok—ADRA Asst, from South Korea to ADRA/Bangladesh
Lee, John Minwoo—Bicycle Miss to the World Asst, from USA to Kenya
Logan, William Alexander Tramblie—Teacher, from USA to India
Lucas, Patricia Marlene—Asst Dean of Women, from USA to Denmark
Luce, Holly Elizabeth—Preschool Teacher, from USA to Saipan
Kurlinski, Emily Suzanne—ESL Teacher-Youth Ministries, from USA to Ukraine
Labris, Frelyn Joy—Nursing Educ & Leadership, from Philippines to Afghanistan
Lyew, Sylvia Celina—English Teacher, from USA to Chile
Mann, Corbin Jeffrey—Elementary & HS Computer Teacher, from USA to Pohnpei
New
Volunteers
Ethiopia
Africa, Chivonne Lorraine—Missionary-Bible Tchr, from So Africa to So Korea
Alcaide, Charity Grace—3rd Grade Teacher, from Canada to Delap
Allen, Randy Roy—English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
Apollon, Ingrid—English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
Arnold, Damien Joel—Maintenance Asst for K-12 School, from Australia to Delap
Arrieta, Eliacim Thomas—History Teacher, from Mexico to Egypt
Baatjes, Patricia—English-Religion Teacher, from South Africa to Korea
Barbosa, Mateus Ruela—High School Science Teacher, from Australia to Pohnpei
Behrens, Liesl Jan—Camp Instructor-Lifeguard, from Australia to USA
Block, Christopher Mark—Asst Boys’ Dean, from USA to Kenya
Boucaud, Genevieve—Reassign as Eng Instr, from Trinidad and Tobago to Japan
Brannaka, Michael Kevin—High School Science Teacher, from USA to Delap
Beenken, Brenda Elaine—Elementary Physical Education Tchr, from USA to Palau
Brito, Sarai—Asst Home Dean, from Venezuela to Malaysia
Brooks, Lindsay Emiko—Asst Dean of Women, from USA to Denmark
Bulich, Sebastian Andres—Carpenter, from Argentina to Kyrgyzstan
Burzo, Jamie Heather—English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
Cabuena, April Lou Jaranilla—English Language Tchr, from Philippines to Ukraine
Cardoso, Gisllene Rodrigues—General Duties, from Brazil to Italy
Chan, Esther Ivette—High School History Teacher, from Mexico to Palau
Christensen, Robert Erlin—English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
Chung, Kwang Soon—Relief Dentist, from USA to Trinidad and Tobago
Chytil, Ana—Physical Education-Health Teacher, from Croatia to Delap
Claney, Ona Marie—ESL Teacher, from USA to Palau
Clarke, Kellyann A—English Language Teacher, from UK to Japan
Collie, Alareece Marie—ESL Teacher, from Bahamas to Costa Rica
Connell, Dana Lynn—Personal Ministries Asst, from USA to UK
Craig, Bryan Kingsley—Lecturer and Seminar Presenter, from Australia to Norway
Craig, Bryan Kingsley—Health Ministries Lecturer, from Australia to Switzerland
Cremades, Rebeca Maria—Medical Intern, from Spain to Kenya
D’Agostino, Boris Adriel—Accountant, from Argentina to Russia
da Silva, Matheus Elias—Reassign as Pastor’s Asst, from Brazil to Norway
Dahlberg, Lauren Elizabeth—Reassign as Kindergarten Tchr, from USA to Delap
Dantzie, Abigail—English-Religion Teacher, from UK to Korea
Davis, Jacob Nathanael—High School Science Teacher, from USA to Palau
de Souza, Renan Daniel—Asst Boys’ Dean, from Brazil to Spain
Denis, Diana—English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
Díaz, Alexis Emilio—Doctors with Miss Med Intern, from Argentina to Botswana
Dos Santos Rossi, Fernando—Dtrs with Miss Med Intern, from Brazil to Malawi
Dull, Tanner Alan—General Floater, from USA to Palau
Dungan, Charles Anthony—7th & 8th Grades Teacher, from USA to Woja
Edgerton, Eric Brent—6th Grade Teacher, from USA to Pohnpei
Ellis, Timothy James—English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
Erich, Robert—High School Social Studies Teacher, from USA to Delap
Erich, Stephen Richard—ESL Teacher, from USA to Thailand
missionpost | new volunteers
30
Japan
missionpost | new volunteers
Seltmann, Larry Max—Building Project Supervisor, from USA to Pohnpei
Seltmann, Sara Cherie—Kindergarten Teacher, from USA to Pohnpei
Shafer, Jolene Renee LaVon—4th Grade Teacher, from USA to Palau
Shaw, Deirdre Elaine—English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
Shin, Kimberly Ann—Bible Worker, from USA to Australia
Sianturi, Fabiola—Family Nurse Practitioner, from USA to Guam
Sisodia, Misha Gaban—English-Music Teacher, from from USA to Malaysia
Sokawukile, Bonga—English-Religion Teacher, from South Africa to Korea
Solis, Adrian—English Language School Teacher, from USA to Japan
Spencer, Bennett Elwood—Pilot, Adv Aviation Services, from USA to PNG
Stengile, Luyolo—English-Religion Teacher, from South Africa to Korea
Sunio, Joseph John—English Language School Teacher, from Canada to Japan
Swope, Timothy Alan—High School Math Teacher, from USA to Pohnpei
Tait, Courtney Michelle—2nd Grade Teacher, from USA to Palau
Timothy, Jordan Alexandra—7th Grade Teacher, from USA to Palau
Tito Mamani, Susana Judith—Dentist, from Bolivia to Kenya
Tokle, Charlotte Daisy Rae—2nd Grade Teacher, from USA to Pohnpei
Torres, Xochitl Alicia—Asst Home Dean, from Mexico to Malaysia
Yoo, Jaihoo—Financial Secy for Bicycle Miss to the World, from USA to Kenya
Valenzuela, Shiela Oligario—English Instructor, from Philippines to Japan
Venter, Nicolaas David—Bible Worker, from South Africa to Australia
Walter, Jonathan—1st-3rd Grades Teacher, from Austria to Majuro
Waul, Latasha Shanita—English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
Weaver, Jessica Jean—ESL Teacher, from USA to Egypt
Webb, Christopher Martin—English Teacher, from USA to Taiwan
Webb, Lisa Marie Sannes—Guidance Counselor-Rel Tchr, from USA to Taiwan
Webster, Donna Maureen—English-Religion Teacher, from Canada to Korea
White, Anthony Joel—English Teacher, from USA to Ecuador
Whitley, Diane Bernice—ESL Teacher, from USA to Czech Republic
Wilkens, Lisa Marie—3rd & 4th Grades Teacher, from USA to Saipan
Will, Nicholas Daniel—Hosp Worker, from USA to Ethiopia
Witzel, Jodi Candace—1st-2nd Grades Teacher, from USA to Kosrae
Zama, Robert—English Teacher, from Canada to Spain
Zima, Alyssa Kiera—ESL Teacher, from USA to Thailand
Zywietz, Valentin—Teacher, from Germany to India
Norway
Margart, Kendel Mills—HS PE Teacher, from USA to Palau
Marinos, Jeremy Benjamin—Hosp Worker, from USA to Ethiopia
Mark, Donovan Paul—English-Religion Teacher, from South Africa to Korea
Marquina, Carlos Francesco—General Duties, from Peru to Italy
Martin, Edward Hylton II—Reassign as Hosp Admin Support, from USA to Zambia
Mathews, Kaitlynn Anne—1st Grade Teacher, from USA to Palau
McClendon, Shari Denise—2nd Grade Teacher, from USA to Delap
Meulemans, Paul Robert—7th-8th Grades Teacher, from USA to Majuro
Michel, Casey Anne—Admin Asst, from USA to ADRA/Tanzania
Michel, Robert Louis Gerard—English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
Mihara, Meiko—Asst Girls’ Dean, from Brazil to Spain
Miller, Katherine Justean—High School Science Teacher, from USA to Yap
Moonsamy, Colette—English-Religion Teacher, from South Africa to Korea
Moore, Ryan Matthew—Youth Coord, from USA to Australia
Morales, Amber Yvette—Asst Girls’ Dean, from USA to Spain
Müller, Marlene—English Teacher, from Argentina to Kyrgyzstan
Munsey, Michael Frank—3rd Grade Teacher, from USA to Taiwan
Musante, Daniela—General Duties, from Argentina to Italy
Myaing, Robert—English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
Neep, Alfred D—Director of Campus Security, from USA to Thailand
Neep, Tonya Lee—Director of ESL Ministry Development, from USA to Thailand
Nicholson, Melissa Abigail—Preschool English Teacher, from UK to Honduras
Nikolaus, Fabian Ivan—General Duties, from Spain to Italy
Olakowski, Sara R—ESL Teacher, from USA to Egypt
Omonte Mamani, Valentin—Dentist, from Bolivia to Kenya
Owens, Stacy—ESL Teacher-Youth Ministries, from USA to Ukraine
Page, Alvin John—3rd-5th Grades Teacher, from South Africa to Laura
Page, Marrelie Estelle—K-2nd Grades Teacher, from South Africa to Laura
Paulsen, Alexandra Kim—1st & 2nd Grades Teacher, from USA to Saipan
Park, Insang—English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
Patchin, James—English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
Pedrosa Armenteros, Sonia—Asst Girls’ Dean, from Spain to USA
Pflugrad, Mitchell LeRoy—Maintenance Asst for K-12 School, from USA to Delap
Phillips, Lisa Marie—English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
Ploompuu, Andres—English Language School Teacher, from Estonia to Japan
Prindle, Casey Lee—5th & 6th Grades Teacher, from USA to Guam
Pyle, Naomi Louise Ruth—Bible Worker, from UK to Australia
Reichard, Aiko Mae—Asst Girls’ Dean, from USA to Japan
Reimer, Robert—4th-6th Grades Teacher, from Austria Majuro
Reitsma, Audrey Christine—Youth Asst, from USA to UK
Reynolds, Vanessa—Asst Girls’ Dean, from Australia to Kenya
Rich, Jeremiah Isaiah—English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
Richards, Nathalia Lucia—1st Grade Teacher, from USA to Pohnpei
Riesenberger, Diana Sue—Translation Ctr Development Dir, from USA to Thailand
Rodrigues Viana, Marcelo—Chaplain, from Brazil to Lebanon
Rojas, Eli—ESL Teacher-Youth Ministries, from USA to Ukraine
Rooplal, Chandanee Devi—English-Religion Teacher, from South Africa to Korea
Rudder, Shevon—English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
Ruiz, Ivan Alfredo—High School Bible Teacher, from USA to Palau
Rusiani, Giorgi—Reassign as General Duties, from Georgia to Italy
Ruthven, Annie May—Teacher, from Australia to Thailand
Ryabchun, Anna—Kitchen Asst, from Ukraine to Norway
Saguan, Dannette Aguirre—Family Medicine Physician, from USA to Guam
Salagubang, Jammie—English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
Salcedo, Rebeca Doris—Reassign as English Teacher, from USA to Argentina
Sanchez, Josue Ismael—Comp Support/Website Developer, from Mexico to Italy
Sands, Lindsey Kathleen—Teen-Youth Pastor, from USA to Australia
Saw, Dora—Registered Nurse, from USA to Guam
Saw, Eng Chuan—General Surgeon, from USA to Guam
Schmidt, Vanessa Sonia—English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
Schroeder, Sharla Richelle—7th and 8th Grades Teacher, from USA to Saipan
Scott, Marci Kay—English-Religion Teacher, from USA to Korea
Sedgman, John—Xray Technician Specialist, from Australia to Tanzania
31
volunteer opportunities
Australia
Kazakhstan
Cameroon
Nepal
Chuuk
Peru
Guyana
South Korea
India
Tanzania
Italy
Thailand
Japan
United States
Pastor/YouthMin/Evan
Gateway Adventist.Centre
Maintenance
Koza Adventist Hospital
Kindergarten Teacher
Chuuk Seventh-day Adventist School
Health Instructor
Bethany Medical Missionary College
Music Teacher
Haryana Region
General Duties
Italian Adventist College
Pastor
Okinawa International Church
English Language Teacher
Almaty English Language Center
Construction, Maintenance
Scheer Memorial Hospital
Global Mission Program Coordinator
North Peru Union Mission
English-Religion Teacher
Korea SDA Language School
ADRA Story Teller
ADRA/Tanzania
ESL Teacher
Thailand SDA Language School
Teacher Assistant/Bible Worker
Orcas Christian School
Listed are samples of volunteer opportunities available at the time this issue went to press. There are currently hundreds of
volunteer opportunities available throughout the world, and more become available each day! For the most current information
on these and other volunteer positions, visit us online at: www.adventistvolunteers.org. If you are interested in becoming a
volunteer, contact your division volunteer coordinator for more information. Your home division will process your application.
To find your Division Contact from the website, click on “divisions.”

Volume 11 Number 2 - Adventist Volunteer Service

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