Featured Missionary - Entries written by Global Outreach

Serving in Panama — Meet Ryan and Kelly Skinner

The Skinners (Anna, Jake, Ryan, Kelly, and Nora) are one of thirteen families serving as our ambassadors in Central and South America. Partnering with Operation Mobilization and WBC, Ryan and Kelly serve the growing evangelical church in Panama by mobilizing, equipping, and sending out Latin Americans as missionaries to the unreached world.

The Skinners’ current role includes recruiting Latino missionary candidates, training, preaching, and helping coordinate OM Panama’s “International Intensive School of Missions.”  This three-month training program equips Latin Americans who are interested in serving as missionaries.

A couple of months ago, our missionary  Ryan Skinner and eight students in OM Panama’s School of Missions attended a conference in Panama City designed to equip Latin American Christians to effectively reach out to their Muslim neighbors in that part of the world.  Their afternoons consisted of going out into the many ethnic neighborhoods of this bustling city to intentionally approach Muslims in conversation about spiritual things – a first- time experience for all of our OM students.  

Here is Ryan’s account of one afternoon…

The afternoon heat beat down on us as we walked through the humid streets of Panama City in search of people who would be willing to have a conversation with us about their spiritual beliefs.  Accompanied by Juan, a young Colombian from OM Panama’s School of Missions, we had intentionally gone into a business district which is home to many stores run by Asians and the Middle Easterners.

At one of the first businesses we visited, we encountered an elderly blind man with a long white beard seated under the front awning.  We learned quickly that he was a Muslim and asked if we could ask him a few questions about his religion. Speaking with a thick Spanish accent, he communicated he was from India.  While we were rebuffed on every attempt to learn more about his faith, he suggested:  “If you want to find out about Islam you need to go to the mosque down the on the corner and ask there.”   We thanked him and trudged back out into the blinding mid-afternoon sunlight in search of someone of similar background who might be receptive to talking with us. 

Soon we encountered a middle-aged man from India who owned a used car lot.  He was too busy to talk but at the car lot further down the street, we found the opportunity we were looking for.   In a small air-conditioned office was a thin young man with a scraggly beard and prayer cap.  Upon learning that we were looking to have a conversation with someone about their Muslim faith, he casually motioned for us to come into the office.  

“You’ve come to talk about Islam?” he asked.  If he was at all surprised to have two foreigners walk into his business on a weekday afternoon and ask about his religion, he didn’t show it.  “Come on in,” he said in perfect Spanish. “Please have a seat.”

Mohammed’s family is from the province of Gujarat, India, but he himself had actually been born in Panama 26 years earlier.   Seated in the office with him were two other Panamanians who worked at this same car lot. We explained that we were followers of Isa (Jesus), but that we were interested in conversing with Muslims in order to learn more about the distinctives between our faiths. No sooner had we begun than the older of the two Panamanians loudly interrupted.  “Look, there are only two things that separate their religion and ours. They don’t believe that Jesus died on the cross, and there’s also that disagreement over Isaac and Ishmael.  Other than that, the two religions are basically the same.”

Our purpose for seeking out these conversations was to begin to build relational bridges with local Muslims, so we didn’t jump to correct this Panamanian’s limited understanding of the two faiths. 

Instead, it was Carlos, the younger of the two Panamanians who offhandedly commented:  “I used to be a Catholic, but I was never really a believer.  I married a Muslim girl and I then converted to become a Muslim.  My name used to be Carlos, but now it’s Abdullah (servant of Allah). It’s a beautiful religion” he added casually.

As our conversation with these three men at the used car lot continued about some of the commonalities and differences between Islam and Christianity, I couldn’t help but be amazed at how God had brought about this unique encounter in Panama:   a Christian missionary from the US, a missionary in training from Colombia, a middle-aged Panamanian who was nominally Catholic, a Muslim of Indian descent, and a young Panamanian convert to Islam.

Praise God for opportunities like these to interact with others about the gospel right here in Panama!  And thank you for your prayers, support, and encouragement to us as we seek to mobilize, equip, and send out Latin Americans as missionaries to the world yet to be reached with the good news of Jesus!

An Update from Ryan & Kelly….

While Ryan will continue to serve with OM Panama as their Missions Trainer & Mobilizer, he will also begin a new part-time position in August as Missions Pastor for Crossroads Bible Church in Panama City.  In this capacity he will work to strengthen the Panamanian church’s overall missions focus and capacity to send out and support more global missionaries.  In mid-May the Skinners will come to the U.S. (and Wheaton Bible Church) to spend two months reconnecting with family, friends, and supporters before returning to Panama to in August.

Panama City — but not the one in Florida! Situated at the mouth of the Pacific terminus of the Panama Canal, PC is a booming cosmopolitan melting pot.

Will you pray?

• Pray for Juan and the other 7 students in OM Panama School of Missions, that the Lord would use the experiences they’re gaining in Latin America to stir up a long-term desire to minister among Muslims around the world.
• Pray for Mohammed, Abdullah, and Adan, three Muslims in Panama we’ve met during our time in Panama City.  Please specifically pray for Adan, who was willing to accept a New Testament (in Spanish and Arabic) and that the Lord would stir his desire to read it.
• Pray for God to increasingly mobilize His church throughout Panama and Latin America to reach out to the growing Muslim communities within this part of the world.
• Ask the Lord to orchestrate all the details for the Skinner’s time in the U.S. from May to July and that they would use that time wisely.
• Pray for wisdom for the Skinners as they transition to new roles with OM Panama this summer.

Returning to Ethiopia...

Pray for Carolyn…

• Pray for a speedy renewal of her medical license, business visa, and work permit for Ethiopia
• Pray for opportunities to share with potential supporters before she returns to Ethiopia this fall and that God would provide her financial needs.
• Pray as she prepares and takes the national certification examination.
• Pray for opportunities to use her medical expertise in expected and unexpected life-saving ways when she returns to Africa. 

Learn more...

• To contact the Carolyn directly, email her at . 
• Go to www.soddo.org to learn more about Soddo Christian Hospital.   SCH attended to 17,900 patients last year, of which 3,900 were surgical patients. 
• Soddo Christian Hospital is also one of five surgical training centers in Africa, supervised and accredited by the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS).   For more information, go to www.paacs.net. 
• In addition, check out www.sim.org. 

Julianna, Katelyn, Dan, Sheryl, Jonathan, Andrew and Micah

Dan and Sheryl Shedd knew they were called to be missionaries even before they were married. Four years later, in 1988, God led them to Quito, Ecuador to work with HCJB Global.HCJB is a worldwide broadcasting ministry, and even though the initials HCJB might sound strange as the name of their ministry, they are actually the call letters of a Christian radio station in Quito.

The Shedds have been in Ecuador 20 years, starting when they were as a young married couple. Now they are a family of 10!

Dan Shedd is Vice President and Executive Director of the Latin American Region of HCJB. In addition, he serves as the Board Treasurer for HCJB Global. Since most of Latin America is considered to be “reached” with the gospel, one of HCJB’s primary goals in the region Dan oversees is to help train Latin Americans through their “Corrientes” program to go out as missionaries to other parts of the world.

Sheryl keeps busy homeschooling their four youngest children—Katelyn, 15; Jonathan,13; Andrew,11; and a little boy they adopted from Ecuador named Micah, who is now 7 years old. Their four oldest—Rachel, Steven, Christina, and Julianna—live in the United States.

Excerpts from a recent update from Sheryl Shedd…

“We arrived back in Ecuador in September, 2011.  It’s been a whirlwind nine months.  Dan’s multiple roles as Vice President of Finance, CFO, Board Treasurer and Executive Director for Latin America have been too much—even affecting his blood pressure.  But we are working with the mission to turn over some things to someone else.  In addition, moving back and setting up a house here again has been stressful (Where are you Craig’s List!!!?). You might be surprised to know that your missionaries struggle with the same things you do—finances, crazy schedules, health issues, and things like that, no matter where they live in the world!

Another joy of returning to Ecuador has been being part of the church we started in 1999, La Iglesia de la Gracia.  All but one of the elders and deacons are Ecuadorian nationals.  People are being effectively discipled.  They have many of the same problems as people in the U.S.  but it’s wonderful to see the support they have for one another and their growth.

Dan has been encouraged to see his Assistant Controller grow in his knowledge of the Lord. Since coming to work at HCJB three years ago, Jaime has made a profession of faith.  Now he, his wife and three grown sons attend church with us. Dan is spending time with Jaime in a weekly Bible study; he’s delighted to see God's Spirit working in Jaime’s life.

Another joy!  Our church was able to pay off their mortgage for the house where they meet (which was renovated into a church).  Now they are building more educational space!  Plus the church was able to hire a pastor in August 2011 after six years of elders sharing the preaching responsibility.

One of the ways our family is involved in our church is by offering weekly English classes to neighborhood and church kids as an outreach.  Our daughter Julianna prepares the lessons and organizes the helpers, and we (Dan and Sheryl) end each class with a Bible Story (in English, of course).  We are also delighted to host the church youth group twice a month, where we are studying the Truth Project by Focus on the Family.

Pray for the Shedd Family:

• For Julianna (18), as she transitions to the U.S. and starts college in the fall at John Brown University in Arkansas.
• Dan’s dad, Hudson, who has an incurable blood disease.
• For the Ecuadorian people and the Church in Ecuador because laws are being revised that affect how Christian groups can do ministry.
• For HCJB to effectively use broadcasting to bring people to Jesus and help them grow.
• For a possible opportunity to use HCJB’s education branch to assist Ecuadorian seminaries to regain legal recognition.
• For more financial and prayer partners to join them in ministry.

Learn More...

To read encouraging stories of what is happening through the ministry of HCJB that Dan Shedd helps oversee in Latin America, visit www.hcjb.org.

To contact them directly, email them at .

The Aspegrens are missionaries in Costa Rica who direct the work of Casa Viva, an organization that engages local churches and local families to care for children who don’t have a safe place to sleep. Christian families open their homes to these children, and offer love and safety. Casa Viva’s staff supports the families and churches, works to restore the children to their biological families, and interacts with the government.

Casa Viva Costa Rica is about to place their 100^th child in care which is a significant milestone for them. They’re also hosting a Ten Tasks conference in March for several ministries from Guatemala. Their desire is to make an impact across the region for care based in local families and churches.

A Story Worthy of Celebration -Welcome Home Mariana!
A Casa Viva Story
Written by Philip Aspegren

It started like any other day for Mariana . . .
She woke up, dressed for school, and headed out the door. But by 9:30am, social workers from Costa Rica’s child welfare department had arrived at Mariana’s school to remove her from her home. The neglect and abuse had been noticed; it could go on no more. The government intervened. They took Mariana from her classroom, and drove off in a van on a ride into the unknown.

It’s 10:30am now, and 10 year old Mariana, timid and shy, sits trembling in the child welfare office. She hadn’t known she was leaving. She didn’t say goodbye to her family or friends. Her home, her clothes, everything she had known, was all gone. “Where am I going?” she asked.

What happens to girls like Mariana around the world -children who for some reason or another become separated from their family? What happens to them? Where do they go? For most children, the story ends long term in an orphanage. But God had something different in store for Mariana.

The call had come in the night before, but the preparations had been going on for weeks. All three family members had attended the Casa Viva family training. They’d expanded a bedroom and painted the house to make sure that the girl God would send would feel welcome. They had a desire to open their hearts and their home for the child. They had been praying for weeks for the unknown girl.

When the child welfare department called Casa Viva to inquire about a space for Mariana, Casa Viva responded, “Yes! We have a home.” The answer surprised the government worker. “Thank God for you all,” she said. “The girl is quiet and docile and shouldn’t be in an orphanage.”

And now it is 11:50am. The van pulls up to the door. Mariana gets out and looks at this new family. How can she know they are there waiting to love her?

The family had prepared a special meal of rice and beans and spaghetti – a classic Costa Rican meal. They prayed before the meal began: “Lord, thank you for the life of Mariana, and bless this food.”

That prayer was enough to start Mariana talking. “I had a Bible, but it got left in my house.” The connection had begun. It would be all right. For now, Mariana was safe and loved in a new home.

The family’s church, a Casa Viva church in Alajuela, mobilized to provide some needed items – a bed, sheets and blankets, clothes, and shoes. A doctor from the church offered a general check-up. Some of the volunteer coordinators from the church stopped by to introduce themselves to Mariana. Casa Viva was able to provide other needed items.

Johana, Casa Viva’s Holistic Care staff member, wanted to give Mariana a special gift. “She needs a stuffed animal.” Searching, all she could find was a Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer. “It will do.” When the Casa Viva mother saw it, she said, “Do you know Rudolf’s story? He was rejected by everyone but became a leader for others.”

May Mariana’s story end that way.

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” –Mark 10:14

To read more about the Aspegren family and Casa Viva, go to www.casaviva.org. Check out their blogs–Casa Viva Costa Rica and the Casa Viva Greenhouse and their new Casa Viva Monthly E-Newsletter.

Scott and Barb Harbert work with Africa Inland Mission (AIM) in Nakuru, Kenya. Scott serves as Prayer Coordinator and Trainer for the Africa Inland Church (AIC) of Kenya. Barb coordinates the HIV/AIDS partnership between our church and the AIC Nakuru Region, our Heart for AIDS Initiative. The Harberts are currently in the U.S. on Home Assignment through the end of February.

In August they became empty nesters as they took their youngest son, Matthew, to Florida Southern College in Lakeland. Jeff, their middle son, is finishing his last year at Valparaiso University in Indiana, working on a degree in Sports Management and News Media. Josh, their oldest, and his wife, Sarah, who live in the Chicago land area, are expecting their first child in February. Scott and Barb are very excited to be able to meet their first grandchild before returning back to their mission field in Kenya!

God is at work in Kenya – On October 31, the Harberts shared these updates on what’s been happening:

Heart For AIDS Initiative

Recently Kenya went to war with the Al Shabab terrorist group in Somalia. That has made Kenya more insecure, especially since terrorists do not fight fairly. In spite of this insecurity, the Gospel is going forward as our Kenyan partners catch a missionary vision from our Wheaton Bible Church GO Teams. Last week Josephine, a partner who oversees Hope For Life in Nakuru, made a difficult and dangerous trip into Turkana with three others. Fueled with compassion for the unreached people of Turkana, their mission was to assess how transformational development* might have an impact in Northern Kenya. Her team met many who were barely surviving the drought—their only source of sustenance was sorghum, a leading cereal grain produced in Africa.      

Josephine wrote, “In this desert region, people walk holding a gun just like it is a shepherding stick. The place is very dry, people are naked, and many grieve the loss of family members. They do not care about life and they thirst for comfort and someone to tell them that God cares. All they know is that they are God’s rejects and that is why they live in such a place and life is meaningless to them. However, they told us that even if this God is uncaring, at least the enemies have not swept them.”

The team taught and preached, and led over 100 people into a relationship with a loving God. While there, they visited many homes, discussed ideas for income generation, and advocated for schooling girls, who typically are married off at a very young age. Their visit made a big impact. “We have had visitors, but you people have shown us the promised love of that God who protects us. Your love is God’s love and it has touched us as a community. We thought we are God’s rejects but now your love has shown us that we are God’s best.”

On December 16, Josephine and a small team of church leaders will be returning to Turkana for a follow-up visit.

“In Your solemn presence, O God, I remember all my friends and neighbors, my fellow townsfolk, and especially the poor within our gates, asking that You would give me grace, so far as in me lies, to serve them in Your name.” —John Baillee, Scottish theologian

Prayer Renewal Area

The Lord is also using the Prayer Renewal Area teams. In one meeting of 40 pastors from an area where there has been a lot of division over the last couple of years, they were challenged to stop quarreling and come back to the Lord and each other through prayer. During the time of prayer, many with tears of repentance confessed their sins and asked for forgiveness from the Lord and from each other.

Other area teams are also beginning to meet and carry out their plans—with a commitment to starting at home. One participant, Caren, shared that her family’s devotions have been enriched by new ways of praying. Interestingly, she said she loves to kneel when she prays and had encouraged her children to do the same. She finally realized that in their culture, when children are disciplined, they are forced to kneel. Once she freed her children to worship in the style that suited them, they began to love these times of family worship. 

Will you pray for the Harberts?

1. Pray for the work in Nakuru, Kenya. Pray that God would continue to raise up and develop Kenyan leaders who are passionate about transforming their communities. That families affected by HIV would be healed and restored and come to know Christ.
2. Pray for discernment on next steps in helping the Turkana people realize their potential as God’s image bearers.
3. Pray for the Prayer Renewal Area teams as they implement their two year plans to mobilize and train the church regarding prayer.
4. Pray for God’s protection over Kenya, and also for Barb’s brother, Scott Gration, who is US Ambassador to Kenya.
5. Pray for daughter-in-law Sarah to have a safe delivery and for a healthy baby Harbert.

What is Transformational Development?

Barb Harbert comments below…

"God created man in His image. He made us to be creative, to love, to have dignity, and to have choices. He also created man to be in four key relationships: with Himself, with others, with self, and with creation. With the fall into sin, however, these relationships became distorted. Our mission is helping restore these distorted relationships.

 We want people to understand that God has gifted them with creativity, relationships, natural resources, health, time, and many other resources. In addition, as God's image bearers they have a God-given mandate to be stewards – using their God-given resources to begin to solve their problems, rather than waiting for the next hand out – and in Christ becoming agents of reconciliation.

For this to happen there needs to be a paradigm shift in worldview (or understanding who we are): created by God and redeemed through the blood of Christ. Transformational development is holistic, transforming communities through restored relationships.”

After several years serving in Bosnia and Croatia, the Conway family will be moving to Budapest, Hungary when they return to Europe next summer. Kevin and Rahela are joining Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ). Kevin will be the new Director for their Institute for Biblical and Theological Studies (IBTS), the training arm for Cru's 1,100 full-time staff (both nationals and ex-pats) in 18 countries throughout Eastern Europe and Russia. He will also provide biblical input into policies implemented by Cru’s other ministries. They will only be two hours away from their former home in Osijek, Croatia, so they expect to return often to continue their work there with churches and with Evangelical Theological Seminary (ETF). Kevin and Rahela have three children, Abi, Joseph, and Kara, and they are living in Wheaton on Home Ministry Assignment (HMA) until July 2012.

Kevin and Rahela sent us this glimpse of their ministry back in March.

Greetings from the Balkans!

I (Kevin) had a short break planned in February but was then given the opportunity to teach pastors-in-training down in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina that same week. We had a great time going through Acts and Paul’s letters together.

I could not believe how long it had been since Rahela and I had spent any meaningful time in Sarajevo. I recall during the war that it was listed as the most dangerous place in the world to live. We lived in a town nearby and would often make trips to Sarajevo to help with whatever was needed at the time. It was so encouraging to catch up with some former students and fellow-workers. Bosnia is a very difficult place to minister. One of our friends told us how she felt a “teski duh” (heavy spirit) every time she entered Bosnia and she is from there! I was very encouraged by the faithfulness of these committed men and women of God in reaching out with the light of Christ in a very dark place.

As soon as I arrived back via the train to our city of Osijek, Rahela headed off to the town of Crikvenica for a Vjeronauk (“Teaching of the Faith”) conference. The closest thing we have to this in the States would be “Sunday School.” However, in Croatia Vjeronauk is part of the public school curriculum and every child must be enrolled. Protestant kids are allowed to take the “classes” at their local churches on Sundays. Rahela and about 60 youth workers arrived in Crikvenica for a long weekend of meetings and talks. It was a great opportunity for Rahela to meet up with a lot of old friends (again many of them attended the school where we work) to learn more creative ways for training our children and youth about Christ. Rahela says that it was great to be reminded how important it is to invest only our best efforts in the training of the upcoming generation.

Though Bosnia and Croatia are part of the former country called Yugoslavia, it is amazing how different they are. One thing they have in common, though, is a desperate need for the Good News that only Jesus Christ can offer. Thank you for investing a part of yourselves in us so that we can go and make disciples. Likewise, we have been blessed to see our investment in others also reaping fruit for the Kingdom! Isn’t God great?!

Would you pray with the Conways?

1. That people would answer God's call to become pastors in order to start and lead new churches in Croatia.
2. For Evangelical Theological Seminary, that it would be faithful to God in training these leaders.
3. That the family ministry begun in churches would grow.
4. For the Youth Movement in Croatian churches—that it would flourish and that youth would continue to bring their peers to Christ.
5. For Croatian church leaders—that they would exercise humility with each other. There is a lot of disunity right now.

Eric and Kathy Gundy serve with International Teams (IT) in Ersieke, Albania. Eric is the program director and principal for Torchbearers – Albania, which includes camp, conference, and Bible school ministries. Kathy is the finance manager for the foundation. The Gundys are also involved in local church leadership, preaching, teaching, and discipleship ministries. Eric and Kathy are in the U.S. right now to help their daughter, Abigail, get started in college this fall. They have one child, Josiah, still at home.

We received this email from them on May 14.

Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.  To our amazement God continues to use us and he continues to challenge and teach us. It seems that along with much of the western church our heavenly Father is teaching us about our responsibilities toward the poor and oppressed in the world around us.

Along with you, we are struggling with what it means to be "wealthy" in a very poor world. I really do not like the feelings of guilt, defensiveness and helplessness that accompany this discussion and like many of you we do not feel comfortable with the tag of "wealthy".

I don't feel rich. Most of the friends I went to school with and even my own family might like to put a few labels on me, but never "wealthy".

However, when I honestly compare myself with the rest of the world, the shoe definitely does fit (and in my case it is "shoes" and even multiple pairs of shoes). Here in Erseka we have a close to 70% unemployment rate.

The needs are so many and so varied that it is difficult to not feel overwhelmed and helpless to make a difference. What can we do that doesn't create dependency? How can we help in a way that is really helpful? How can we do more to help meet people’s physical needs and make sure that we are continuing to meet the spiritual needs? (I thought God had called us to Erseka to meet the spiritual needs - teach, preach, evangelize, disciple, etc.). So I guess we are late in discovering that these should not be so easily separated in how we reach out in Jesus’ name and love those around us. 

We are learning. So please pray for us as we wrestle with and think about how God would like us to respond to the needs of some of our friends and neighbors who are going through hard times.

Poverty
When I visited Tirana* and Jehona* along with their Dad two weeks ago, I could stand in their hallway and look up through their ceiling, through their roof and see the great big blue sky (it was a good thing it wasn't raining, or I would have been wet). These two sisters are a part of our church’s high school group and are a real gift to our whole church family. How do we help them in a way that helps protect their dignity and also addresses their long term needs? Pray for wisdom and real, effective and God-honoring and solutions.

Homelessness
Jules came with his wife and young son asking for a place to stay. They live in the village and through some unfortunate circumstances and some poor choices they fell out with his family and cannot live there anymore. This is a very difficult situation that needs much prayer and wisdom. Homelessness is not a frequent problem, but there are a number of situations in our community that make us ask ourselves how we can be salt and light.

Children at risk
This summer over 400 World Vision sponsored children will participate in our camps. Many of these children come from very poor families and few if any of them come from Christian backgrounds. For at least one week this summer they will be a part of a community of God's people. Pray that they will experience and know the love of God and the reality of his presence through his people at the camps. Pray for long-term fruit in their lives.

We are so grateful for your prayers and support. Thank you for growing together with us and for being our partners in touching this precious corner of the world.

Much Love in Christ, Eric, Kathy, Abigail and Josi

*Names changed to protect privacy.