REPORTSFall 2013 • Vol. 15, No. 3

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Find out why this OCI Leadership Retreat was so meaningful | 12

FirmlyPlanted

Latest News From: Colombia, Japan, Portugal, and More...

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Meaningful Massage

After completing their class on health expos, students from VIDA Internacional’s mission school were invited to offer a health expo in Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras. Working in collaboration with the Honduras Union Mission’s literature booth at the national university, the medical missionaries gave massages to university students and church officials who flocked to the health expo.

Fresh FaceliftAt the beginning of the summer, 11

people traveled to Mount Akagi Institute in Japan to give the ministry’s lifestyle center a facelift. They replaced the deck, changed the flooring and carpets, plus painted the interior. Director Marty Brown said hosting the mission group gave him renewed hope and energy. The ministry

is confident that the new look will be more inviting to visitors, and the team plans to be more active in inviting people to visit Mount Akagi.

NEWSFLASHNews From OCI Ministries Around the World

Showers of BlessingDuring powerful storms this spring,

God protected Oklahoma Academy from tornados; however, a destructive hailstorm damaged school property. But the disaster was a blessing in disguise. This summer every building and home on campus received new roofing and other refurbishing. The ministry is thankful that God works in wonderful ways!

Successful StudentsAmid tears, cheers, and student accolades, Advent Home Learning Center in Tennessee held its annual June graduation. Some students shared their testimonies of the growth they had experienced during their time at Advent Home. Three former graduates received scholarship offers at two Adventist universities. There were also two baptisms. The ministry praises God for its graduates’ success.

New BeginningsMadison House in South Africa

has opened its doors as a commercial guesthouse. Previously operating as a lifestyle center, the team hopes to gain enough income through this new enterprise to be able to cater to lifestyle guests again. The ministry is also being featured on a local satellite TV station, which will potentially attract more visitors.

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Lasting ImpressionsMore than 300 people signed up for

Wildwood’s Health Club this past July thanks to the ministry’s effort to reach Chattanooga, Tennessee, in a lasting way. Students and staff joined the local Independence Day celebrations by giving out free, healthy ice cream and hot dogs at the ministry’s Green Thumb Vegetarian Restaurant. The initiative was well received by the community, and as a result, the people who signed up for the club will be invited to cooking schools, seminars, and other monthly health-related events.

Rescue and ReliefThis year DayStar Adventist Academy

students (pictured below) will train a total of 50 hours to become certified First Responders. Students will learn emergency

search and rescue techniques and disaster management; these skills will be tested when they go on the academy’s yearly mission trip. The school is working in partnership with Michael Duehrssen, an ER physician and founder of the International Rescue and Relief program at Union College. In the future, they hope to expand this program into something that can be used on a wider scale to train youth to be of service in sharing the Good News as they minister to people’s physical needs.

Promising Prospects

In 2012 LIGHT held a six-month training course in Nigeria, the first in West Africa. The project’s small bakery helped to cover some of the 11 graduates’ expenses. Harbert Hills Academy, an OCI ministry in Tennessee, also donated an industrial oven that will provide future students with a work-study opportunity. Currently one-month training sessions are being held around the country to prepare people for the next six-month LIGHT school in January 2014.

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Despite suffering from various health issues, including anemia,

kidney problems, and an electrolyte imbalance, Hana has a pleasant spirit. After contracting meningitis at age 3, she never fully developed mentally, and for years medical personnel brushed her aside.

A few months ago, Hana fell down stairs. Soon afterward several wounds opened up on her legs. For six weeks Stan and Jan Hendrickson, directors

of Fondacioni Almise, an OCI associate member in Albania, treated Hana in her home. They prayed with Hana and her brother each day, and they have seen great improvement in her health.

Another person the Hendricksons have been able to help is 8-year-old Dioni. He had been sick for a week

by Stan Hendrickson

and unable to sleep. Stan showed Dioni’s family some simple massage and hydrotherapy home remedies. Dioni recovered and begged to go to school! He now attends Jan’s English class for children, and the family has started to show an interest in spiritual topics.

Helping people with their health is an important witnessing tool for Fondacioni Almise. However, English and guitar classes are the ministry’s main outreach. Albanians are often cynical toward religion. The classes allow the Hendricksons to develop relationships with the community. Two young couples from these classes recently began attending church.

The team shares Jesus with people at every opportunity, but there is a need for more literature in Albanian. Currently they are also seeking more English teachers. Please keep Fondacioni Almise in your prayers as its workers continue to create connections and share Christ with the community!

CaringConnections

1 & 2: Guitar and English classes provide opportunities for the Hendricksons to build relationships. 3: Jan visits Hana in her home.

Touching Lives

Stan Hendrickson serves as director of Fondacioni Almise in Albania. Visit www.outpostcenters.org for more information.

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Steven Grabiner Executive Editor Janell Hullquist Editor, Layout & DesignHannah Kuntz Content EditorDebbie Hicks Copy EditorPrinted By College Press, LLC

Bible verses NKJV unless noted.

OCI Reports magazine is published quarterly by Outpost Centers International. Send address changes to ocireports@outpostcenters.org, and please include both the old and new addresses. You may also use the OCI contact information below.

Outpost Centers International is a nonprofit organization working in cooperation with the Seventh-day Adventist Church to network and nurture supporting ministries worldwide. OCI operates through the generosity of people like you and issues tax-deductible receipts to U.S. donors. One-hundred percent of all donations go to the designated ministry. Please direct correspondence to: Outpost Centers International 5132 Layton Lane Apison, TN 37302 Tel: 423-236-5600 Fax: 423-236-5650 Email: info@outpostcenters.org For further information, please visit us on the web at www.outpostcenters.org.

About the Cover: New friends share ideas during the 2013 OCI Leadership Retreat.

Photo by: Janell Hullquist

Copyright © 2013 Outpost Centers International

Editorjanell@outpostcenters.org

President’s Perspective

Although the event happened more than 10 years ago, I remember it distinctly. Driving onto the

campus of Riverside Farm Institute in Zambia, I saw her lying on the ground, her sister standing over her. A hasty move by a well-meaning young man had separated the two, which had been deeply united in life.

She and her sister were a pair of trees, so called the “sisters” by the locals. The two trees bore their leaves at a different time than most of the other trees on campus. The student missionary mistook her leafless form as an indication of death, not realizing that during the dry season, she and her sister put out leaves that gave much-needed shade. Thinking he was getting rid of a dead tree, he took a chainsaw and cut her down. Although many of the ministry staff members missed her, they were glad that her sister had been spared.

How often do we make unwarranted judgments about people based on their outward appearance? Unable to read the heart, correctly judge the motives, or understand the struggles of others, we form a wrong opinion of their spiritual condition. In our ignorant zeal, we use our tongues to cut them down, inflicting pain and wounding reputations. How much better it would be if we could learn to see others as Jesus sees them! Rather than accepting our hasty misconceptions, perhaps we could seek to discover the inward working of God’s grace upon the heart.

Death ofa Sister

REPORTSFall 2013 • Vol. 15, No. 3

Steven GrabinerPresident

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What impressed you to continue the work your parents started?

In many ways I was involved with the Lord’s work even before I was a Christian. For 15 years I ran the publishing company my parents started. One day after I was reconverted and rebaptized, my dad approached me about taking his place as president of Uchee Pines. I talked to my wife, Kelly, about the decision. I hoped the Lord would find someone who was better suited than I; however, after much prayer, it seemed like God was calling me to accept, and I became president in 1999.

Calvin Thrash III never planned to take over the ministry his parents, Doctors Calvin and Agatha Thrash, founded in 1970. He pursued various business ventures, including positions in banking and radio, but God led him to be about His business. Calvin is now the president of Uchee Pines Institute in Alabama, which continues to promote healthy living and healing in its community and around the world 43 years after beginning.

What are some of the most effective aspects of Uchee Pines’ outreach?

International outreach has always been important to us. We have tried to create an environment at Uchee Pines that emphasizes willingness to answer the Lord’s call, wherever He leads. I believe that it’s crucial for our institutions, specifically Uchee Pines, to put a focus on work that is being done in as many different venues as possible, and that includes serving abroad.

However, we would like to improve our local outreach. Almost all of the lifestyle guests come from outside our community.

Interview by Hannah Kuntz

AboutHisBusiness

C alv i n Thrash and h i s parents

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There has been an influx of people in our area, and unfortunately we probably knew our neighbors better 30 years ago. We want to have a deliberate plan for door-to-door visitation to help us get to know our neighbors and their needs better.

Additionally, we want to find new ways to encourage people to start ministries. One way is by making our health educational material and other resources more readily available through different media platforms.

How is Uchee Pines making an impact?We’d like to focus on success stories,

but people aren’t always healed. A man with terminal cancer came to our lifestyle center for several sessions. During the first session he had a stroke, and it looked like he might die. However, after that he began improving considerably. During this time he had a reconversion process and was rebaptized. Even though he passed away recently, I believe the Lord brought him here so he could be in a spiritual environment that would be conducive to his spiritual growth. There’s no doubt that God allowed everything to happen in order to bring the man closer to Him.

The lifestyle center and Country Life store have broken down prejudice in many ways in our surrounding area, which has opened the door for a greater

Face to Face

For more information about Uchee Pines Institute in Alabama, visit www.ucheepines.org.

evangelistic impact. People come to Country Life looking for spiritual help when they feel like they can’t get it from anybody else; they realize that our outreach pertains to more than just food.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your work?

It’s personally satisfying to see God work in people’s lives. And, of course, the Lord is working in my own life as well. We each have an idea about what we think we’re supposed to do or want to learn, but as we grow closer to Him, He opens opportunities to serve in ways we can’t imagine. I think He’s getting us all ready for heaven. It is an individual work in a lot of ways, but He’s doing it as a Church and as a group. It’s good that we’re together so that we can learn from each other.

1: Calvin Thrash congratulates a medical missionary graduate. 2: The Bible is always at the core of the work at Uchee Pines. 3: The health ministry opens doors to share spiritual healing.Previous page: The lifestyle center attracts a wide variety of people to Uchee Pines.

Ke l l y & C alv i n

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For 33 years Bev* struggled with depression and anxiety. When she

was 12 years old, she felt unable to cope with the domestic violence in her family and attempted suicide for the first time.

During her teenage years, Bev attended the Seventh-day Adventist Church for a while, but life was a burden. After marrying and leaving home, she was no longer exposed to the horrors of abuse. However, fear for her

mother’s well-being continued to control her.

Becoming increasingly dependent on medication, Bev was hospitalized several times for severe depression, often after a suicide attempt. Her self-image progressively worsened. She

by Marianne Ferreira

Life MoreAbundant

was smoking heavily and gaining weight. Bev often felt so ugly she would cry.

Then things began to change. A new colleague recognized Bev from the church youth group she once attended and was moved with compassion. A consultation was organized at VitaSalus, and Bev attended a depression recovery program at the new, yet unfinished lifestyle center. The dentist at VitaSalus also fixed her damaged teeth, giving her a new smile she wasn’t afraid to share.

“During that short period, I started learning how to deal with anxiety,” Bev says. “I decreased my medication, stopped smoking, and learned to look to God for help.”

When Bev was reunited with her family, tears of joy and victory flowed freely as they embraced.

Four months later, Bev is still happy. She has further decreased her medication, is eating healthfully, and has lost more weight. She is actively involved in church with her 14-year-old daughter. And most importantly, Bev has started living again.

1: Beautiful nature surrounds VitaSalus. 2: The dentist helps many people regain confidence. 3: Lifestyle guests enjoy a morning hike.

Marianne Ferreira is a physician at VitaSalus in Portugal. For more information about this OCI member, visit www.outpostcenters.org.

Touching Lives

*Name changed for privacy.

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During the summer, Heritage Academy’s faculty carried on the Bible studies in the students’ absence. However, as the new school year begins, students will again do visitation. The staff members praise the Lord for allowing them to play a part in impacting the lives and spiritual walks of both those who give and receive the studies!

Touching Lives

Two young ladies climbed the steps and carefully knocked on the door.

As freshmen at Heritage Academy in Tennessee, Sierra Manester and Ashley Christian were learning how to conduct door-to-door visits and Bible studies.

They had been visiting a couple that was new to the area. As the studies progressed, the students presented end-time prophecies, including the mark of the beast. Their team leader, LoAmmi Richardson, helped them with the study. The husband and wife became increasingly excited as Sierra, Ashley, and LoAmmi shared Bible verses and answered their questions. Nearing the conclusion of the visit, the man said, “I have been studying this topic for 15 years and have not been able to make it fit together, but you have helped me make sense of it!” Surprised, the girls praised God for using them to witness for Him.

This past year, Heritage partnered its literature evangelism program with a new Bible study ministry, which has proven to be a dynamic combination. Students like Sierra and Ashley are trained in both areas, and they visit members of the community on a daily basis.

by Debbie Baker

Open DoorsOpen Hearts

1: A student distributes literature in a shopping center parking lot. 2: Students enjoy connecting with neighbors through Bible studies.

Debbie Baker is president of Heritage Academy in Tennessee. To learn more about this OCI ministry, visit www.heritagetn.org.

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Yolanda Rodriguez felt God calling her to start a children’s ministry.

In 1994 she opened Liceo Maranata, a school in Colombia, with eight students.

In the beginning Yolanda taught classes in her father’s home. When the first school year ended, there were 19 students. As enrollment increased, it became apparent that the ministry needed more space. Yolanda prayed with the children that God would provide them with a larger facility, including a spacious courtyard for recreation.

Four years and 90 students later, the ministry was in dire need of a new place to meet. Yolanda found a house for sale with a large lot for $25,000, but she only had $1,500. However, she felt impressed that God would take care of everything and went ahead with the initial sale proceedings. As the time neared to pay the remainder

of the money, she wondered how He would supply the balance. Her father lent her $5,000, bringing the total she had to $6,500, which was still a lot less than what was needed to purchase the property. Yolanda realized that she would have to take out a loan. However, a banking friend advised her against doing so because the school wouldn’t generate enough resources to pay back a large

As an inner-city school in Colombia, Liceo Maranata gives at-risk young people hope for a brighter future.

OpenstheWay

God

by Yolanda Rodriguez

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Mission Snapshot

debt. Instead he offered to personally lend her the money with low interest.

Despite the wait, God had opened a way. Liceo Maranata finally had a school building of its own with enough space to accommodate more students.

Since the building was purchased, the school has grown exponentially. The ministry is located in Soacha, Colombia, on the southern edge of Bogotá, the country’s capital. Before its establishment, there was no Adventist educational presence in that region.

Many of the students struggle with social problems such as drug abuse, juvenile delinquency, and teenage pregnancy. The ministry’s mission is to provide these children with an opportunity for a brighter future. Through education based on Seventh-day Adventist principles, the students develop spiritually, mentally, physically, socially, and emotionally.

The team has developed a comprehensive education plan, which emphasizes studying the Bible. Students learn leadership skills by reading about mission-minded men like William Carey and David Livingstone. In addition, students are taught about healthy lifestyle choices through devotionals, workshops, videos, and food sold at the school’s store. Staff members hope that students will one day be able to effectively serve God in their communities and churches.

With 529 students, this inner-city ministry is again seeking to expand by building more classrooms. The team continues to trust God’s leading. As they come to Him in prayer, they are confident that He will continue to open a way. It is their greatest desire that students and their parents will come to know God’s power and love, which has sustained Liceo Maranata for 19 years.

Yolanda Rodriguez serves as director of Liceo Maranata in Colombia. To learn more, visit www.outpostcenters.org.

This Page: Despite crowded facilities, students thrive at Liceo Maranata.Previous Page: Yolanda and her husband are committed to these children.

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Compiled by Hannah Kuntz

Each year OCI holds a retreat designed to provide ministry

leaders and staff with opportunities for fellowship, learning, and rejuvenation. This summer more than 150 people attended the 2013 OCI Leadership Retreat at Riverside Farm Institute in Zambia. As the OCI family gathered near the banks of the Kafue River, the theme “Firmly Planted” seemed especially fitting. Throughout the retreat, presenters reminded attendees to be “firmly planted” in Jesus Christ. For each person, the retreat was meaningful in a different way.

FirmlyPlanted

He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of

water...And whatever he does shall prosper.

Psalm 1:3

Top: Riverside Farm lies along the Kafue River. 1: Steven Grabiner

presents on Revelation. 2: A small group discusses

practical topics. 3: Anita Kim enjoys a seminar. 4: Participants

came from 20 different countries.

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Spiritual Renewal:My heart was drawn toward God

and my fellow missionaries in renewed strength, hope, encouragement, and devotion during the United Prayer sessions. I have never experienced such long group prayer sessions; however, they were a delight and the highlight of each day for me.

Tamara Schoch Kibidula Farm Institute, Tanzania

Useful Seminars:What a privilege it was to attend the

retreat! I appreciated many aspects of the meetings, especially the seminars, which were of excellent quality and very practical and relevant for supporting ministries. Topics included management, stress/burnout, morality, and biblical leadership. The presentations were followed by small-group discussions that gave us an opportunity to brainstorm and share issues we face and to get ideas from others who may have solutions from the Bible or from their own experiences.

Dosung Kim Instituto Quebrada Leon, Bolivia

Encouragement:I am so thankful that I attended

this year’s retreat. I loved hearing the nightly reports from the ministries. The seminars were great, too, and I learned a lot that I can apply to my life and work. I left feeling renewed and energized, and I gained lots of wonderful new friends!

Pat Humphrey USA

Networking:I appreciated the opportunity to

develop new ideas while talking to other OCI ministry leaders. Next year we plan to do a training program in Prague in cooperation with LIGHT, as well as to organize a mission trip to the Philippines. We also discussed the possibilities of sharing more materials with other ministries such as PowerPoint lectures, handouts, posters, and articles.

Robert Zizka Springs of Health, Czech Republic

Networking was a highlight for me. Here is one example: After teaching a class to a group of Bible workers during the retreat, I was given about 12 sheets of paper filled with requests for spiritual books and Bible commentaries. Shortly after arriving home to Oregon, a retired pastor contacted me wanting to donate 15 boxes of the very materials requested by these Bible workers. Praising God!

James Rafferty Light Bearers Ministry, USA

Larger View of Missions:Attending the 2013 OCI Leadership

Retreat in Zambia changed my heart and gave me a completely different vision for serving God through self-supporting work. I praise God for the opportunity to attend, and I pray that other young people like myself will go to future OCI retreats and gain a greater vision of self-supporting work.

Birendra Ramtel Living Springs Overseas Missions, India

Feature

If you are interested in attending a future OCI Leadership Retreat, please email info@outpostcenters.org or call 423.236.5600.

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David Armstrong is the director of Eden Blossoms Ministry in Nepal. For more information about this associate OCI member, visit www.edenblossoms.org.

by David Armstrong

A few weeks ago while visiting family, I took a morning walk.

We had experienced delays with ministry plans, and I felt emotionally drained. I needed to recharge.

As I walked I prayed that God would teach me a lesson through nature. He’d been waiting for me to ask; within seconds, thoughts flashed into my mind. I noticed a tall and symmetrical tree with a well-set trunk and leafy foliage. It had not reached its attractive stature in a week, a month, or even a year; many seasons of growth and dormancy went into the making of this handiwork of God. Each year’s development probably went unnoticed by local residents, but it made a difference nonetheless. I read, “Be patient with progress.”

Next I thought about human development and how it takes many years of love, care, and instruction for an infant to become a productive adult. Spiritually, mentally, and physically speaking, it all takes time. I read, “Be patient with people.”

Then I thought of Moses, who tried to take God’s promise to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian bondage into his own hands. As a result, the would-be Pharaoh found himself tending smelly sheep for his father-in-law, and the Israelites remained slaves for 40 years longer than what Moses initially found comfortable. Though Moses was eager, he needed time to mature before he was ready for the great work God had for him. I read, “Be patient with God’s Providence.” (Or should I say, “Thank you, Lord, for being patient with us!”)

Adjusting to God’s timetable can be challenging, “but like the stars in the vast circuit of their appointed path, God’s purposes know no haste and no delay” (The Desire of Ages, p. 32). Praise God for His perfect timing! May we be thankful for these delays, which are part of teaching us patience!

Food for Thought

Lessons From MyMorning Walk

15O C I R E P O R T S

Service Opportunities

If you have a desire to serve God, prayerfully consider one of the

following ways to get involved.

Amazon Lifesavers Ministry, BrazilAdministrative Assistant

Black Hills Health & Education Center, South Dakota

Food Service DirectorRegistered Dietician

Cave Springs Home, TennesseeMen’s & Women’s Deans

DayStar Adventist Academy, UtahMaintenance Person

Eden Valley Institute, ColoradoMedical Doctor

Peru Projects, PeruGeneral MechanicMedia Specialist

Uchee Pines Institute, AlabamaCountry Life Store Manager

VIDA Internacional, HondurasAccountantAgriculturalistElementary Teachers Graphic DesignerVegan Cook

Wildwood Lifestyle Center & Hospital, Georgia

Copy EditorGeneral Maintenance PersonNurses/Physicians

Get Involved

Service Openings

View the complete list atwww.outpostcenters.org.

EventsMessiah’s Mansion Exhibits 2013 Oklahoma Academy is well known for its traveling, life-sized replica of the ancient Hebrew Tabernacle, Messiah’s Mansion. Find out when it will be near you. For the exhibit schedule, visit www. messiahsmansion.com Contact: lmundall@oklahomaacademy.org

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Manuela Fankhauser gives children in Honduras a strong spiritual and

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