OCI Ministries

God continues to bless and expand Oak Haven’s outreach, p. 12

Way ofLife

Latest News From: Australia, Congo, Peru, and More . . .

Vol. 12, No. 1Spring 2010

News From Around the World

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An Inspirational MinuteThis January

the 12-student video production team at Heritage Academy in Tennessee began recording the first clips for Project1on1.com. These one-minute inspirational spots are messages from teens to teens about issues that affect them every day. Once several of these “commercials” are complete, they will be shared with various networks as transitional programming between shows. At this point, three are already finished.

Record Attendance in PeruAttendance at Peru Projects’ annual

lay training session this year was more than four times as large as any previous year. The team was pleased

to welcome leaders from 40 Adventist churches in villages along the Ucayali River. These newcomers accepted the invitation to join Peru Projects in January for a three-week training program designed to further equip them (and the Bible workers) to share the gospel in the jungle. The meetings were a blessing, and staff were very thankful to L.I.G.H.T. ministry for its involvement.

Three Weeks to Cancer-FreeEden’s Pathway LifeStyle Center has

moved into its new location, a retreat in Reliance, Tennessee. The Lord has blessed in many ways and is leading the ministry onward. They have been able to conduct health programs with 16 guests since the move. One of these guests arrived with a Stage III malignant tumor on her leg. After three weeks of therapy, tests showed no sign of the cancer. Praise God!

At Work in CongoCongo Frontline Missions is now

training Seventh-day Adventist lay persons to do evangelism in the

NEWSFLASHNews From OCI Ministries Around the World

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capital city of Kinshasa. This huge city of 8 million people has very few Adventists. The ministry team is grateful for the peace that has returned to Democratic Republic of Congo, which allows them more and more opportunities to do God’s work. They are also appreciative of ASI for sending a container of One-Day Churches. It is now on its way up the Congo River to provide churches for new congregations in previously unentered areas.

Donation Tracker ReportThank you to each person who gave

through OCI in 2009. Though we did not quite fill the globe graphic, your gifts helped us to reach 90 percent of our $1.6 million goal and made a big difference to our ministries around the world. Just a reminder, all gifts made to OCI for a specific ministry are sent in full to that ministry. Thank you again for your support of lay missions around the world!

Winning Souls Down Under

Eastward Missionary College in Australia commenced their 2010 Bible worker and health training program on February 22. Students arrived from Korea, Canada, and all over Australia, tripling the enrollment compared to last year. Although these high numbers presented accommodation challenges, this has not dampened the good spirits on campus.

So far, along with studying the L.I.G.H.T. curriculum, students have enjoyed the challenges of their first Health Expo and of developing the ministry’s garden, hothouse, and orchard. The interest in health and Bible work is growing rapidly in Australia, and the army of youth that is actively involved in soul winning grows each year.

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Scissors in hand, Dr. Agatha Thrash approached the fluttering red

ribbon hanging in front of the Uchee Pines Lifestyle Center in Alabama. January 24, 2010, marked almost seven years since the groundbreaking, and staff and visitors were eager to celebrate this center built on faith.

As Calvin Thrash, Uchee Pines president, began to calculate the numbers before the groundbreaking, he had no idea how this building project would be possible. But they had outgrown their old lifestyle center, so he put it in God’s hands. And God started fundraising before Uchee Pines had even planned their efforts. An unsolicited check for $10,000 arrived with a note that it was to go toward the building fund.

The Lord provided the team at Uchee Pines with many more surprises as they moved forward: electrical installation costs dropped from $60,000

by Melissa Thrash

to free; all of the furnishings were purchased well below cost; and a plant nursery that had given a full-price quote decided instead to donate a large portion of the landscaping soon before the center opened.

So it was with great joy that Dr. Agatha snipped the ribbon and led everyone into the brand new lifestyle center. They still need to raise funds for the demo room, treatment pool, and parking lot, but God has provided thus far, and the team is eager to see how He will bless their ministry in the future.

For more information about Uchee Pine’s new lifestyle center, visit www.ucheepines.org.

God Provides

5O C I R E P O R T S

Markus Jaudas Executive Editor Janell Hullquist Editor, Layout &

DesignCheryl Torres Supporting EditorDebbie Hicks Copy EditorPrinted By College Press LLC

OCI Reports magazine is published quarterly by Outpost Centers Inter-national. Please send all changes of address to: OCI Reports, 5340 Layton Lane, Apison, TN 37302. Please include the old address along with the new. Tel: 423-236-5600. Fax: 423-236-5650. E-mail: ocireports@ outpostcenters.org

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. Please send all correspondence to: Outpost Centers International, 5340 Layton Lane, Apison, TN 37302. Tel: 423-236-5600. E-mail: info@outpostcenters.org. For further information, please visit us on the web at www.outpostcenters.org.

About the Cover: Oak Haven shares more than just food during a bread-making class.

Vol. 12, No. 1 Spring 2010

Copyright © 2010 Outpost Centers International

Editorjanell@outpostcenters.org

President’s Perspective

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”1 was John the Baptist’s message to prepare people for

the imminent coming of the Messiah. Masses of people were baptized.

Not long after that, John was thrown into prison. In Mark 1:15, Jesus took up John’s call for repentance. Later He urged His disciples to visit all cities in Galilee and Judea with the very same message.2

In Acts, Luke reports that after Jesus had risen from the dead, He appeared to them over several weeks, speaking about the kingdom of God.3

At the core of each message is the call to prepare for the kingdom of God. The Lord’s desire is for all humanity to enter into His kingdom. In response to this mission, we often seek big numbers and much fruit. But we must not forget that Jesus did not pass by the widow from Nain on her way to the graveyard. “When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her….”4 The same is true for Zacchaeus, the Samaritan woman at the well, the demoniac, and all the others—yes, even thousands.

The Lord has put His kingdom seed in our hearts. We might be tempted to focus only on big numbers and big success, but Jesus was also looking for that one broken woman, alone and without support.

Do we see the individuals or get distracted by the numbers? Jesus says, “You did it to Me.”5

1 Matthew 3:2, NKJV2 Matthew 10:5-73 Act 1:34 Luke 7:13, NKJV5 Matthew 25:40, NKJV

HisKingdom

Yours in His service,

Markus JaudasPresident

“

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now Seventh-day Adventists, and we praise God for that!

We also hold regular courses and seminars on a variety of topics: nutrition, healthful cooking, better vision, NEWSTART®, natural remedies, and many more. We also have health expos, which enable us to meet and help new people.

What is new with your ministry?

Monika: Last year we moved to a large estate. We have enough space now to invite people to our home, hold church services every Sabbath, and have seminars. We also have three apartments that we can rent out for seminar guests and vacationers.

How did you decide to start working in Spain?

Frank: I lost my work in Austria, and we prayed for three months that God would show us what we could do for Him and where. After one day of fasting and prayer, He impressed upon us the idea of starting health work in Spain for the foreigners who live there. God opened the doors for us, encouraging us to go forward, and here we have been for more than 11 years.

Tell me about your ministry.

Frank: We have a little bakery and a health food store, which gives us opportunities to make friends and develop relationships with many people. Some of our customers are

God has been working through Frank and Monika Röhlig ever since they founded Country Life Reformhaus in Spain more than 11 years ago.

by Cheryl Torres

AlwaysForward

Top: Markus Jaudas visits with the Röhligs. Right: The new property has enabled the ministry to continue growing.

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Insights

Frank and Monika Röhlig run Country Life Reformhaus in Spain. To learn more, visit www.outpostcenters.org.

What has been your greatest challenge?

Monika: It has been tough to keep everything going without getting burned out. We are juggling the store, bakery, mission work, church services, seminars, and home school for our boys. But it helps us to grow as we learn to seek God in every problem and to trust Him more and more.

What has been your greatest joy?

Frank: We are honored to be able to lead our friends to Jesus. We have had 10 baptisms so far, and we are looking forward to two more in May. We love to watch them grow in their faith and to grow with them.

Tell me a story that stands out to you from your work.

Frank: We have known one of our customers, a German lady, for about six years. She and her Spanish husband were involved with a sect for more than 10 years. They had worked their way up to being the Spanish representatives for their guru leader.

Every so often, when Gislinde came to the shop, I would have a chance to share a small part of my testimony with her. Then last year, she came and told me that she had become a Christian. Monika and I praised the Lord!

A few weeks later, she returned to the shop and told me that she and her husband, José, were keeping the Sabbath at home as a day of rest and fasting. On Sundays, they attended

a charismatic church. Neither of them were very happy there, though, because the people lived an unhealthy lifestyle—eating a lot of meat, drinking alcohol, and smoking. They are both vegetarians.

We took the opportunity to give them the five DVDs from Hal Halbrook about the Sabbath, and we invited them to a seminar about the financial crisis in the light of the Bible (this was last August). After that they came to us to study the Bible and began to join us for worship every Sabbath.

In November they went to the USA for two months to visit their son. While there, they attended a Spanish Adventist church every week. In December they were baptized, and they returned to Spain a month later as our brother and sister.

Now José, a naturopathic doctor, is giving NEWSTART® seminars in the nearby Spanish Adventist church. Before, they would meditate for more than four hours each day; now they take two hours every morning to spend with their Savior, Jesus Christ. And they are sharing their new joy and bringing friends from their former sect to our Bible study group!

NEWSTART® is a registered trademark of Weimar Institute.

Cooking schools reach a variety of people.

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On January 12, 2010, at 4:53 p.m. EST, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake

shook the Caribbean Island of Haiti. I did not feel the earthquake, but it still rocked my world. And it changed the course of my life forever.

Not only were my emotions captured, but also physically and spiritually I felt like a different man. As I watched the awful imagery of the earthquake on television, I could not sit still nor was I at peace in my soul. Immediately I went into action. I assembled a team from my ministry, Think on These Things Ministries International, to go to Haiti and assist these victims with emergency food and medical supplies.

When we got to Haiti’s capital, where the quake had struck hardest, I

was moved by the scene. The air was rank with the smell of death. Bodies of men, women, and children lay in the streets. I thought I was in a war zone.

Shawn Wray is the executive director of Think on These Things Ministries International (3TM) in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information, visitwww.3tm.org.

by Shawn Wray

God’s protection was with us as we moved among the locals, carrying our provisions. Our team visited several hospitals, giving needed medical supplies and food to many earthquake victims.

While in Port-au-Prince, we visited a local Seventh-day Adventist Church. The pastor and 10 of his members were there singing, praying, and giving glory to God in darkness (the earthquake knocked out the power). These acts of faith in God after a disaster of this magnitude strengthened my own faith and caused me to evaluate my relationship with Christ.

After the service, our team delivered food to the local community and the church. We promised them we would return, and I am making plans to do so in May.

In the Field

Shaken IntoAction

The team from 3TM distributed food and water following the earthquake.

Shawn Wray (right) and a colleague survey the distruction in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

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For almost 10 years, OCI has helped sponsor Raúl Gomez as an evangelist in Colombia. His passion is sharing Christ with others,

and he does so in a new place almost every week. Working with local churches that lay the groundwork and follow up with new members, he had the joy of seeing God use him to bring more than 508 people into

the church last year alone.

In the Field

Snapshots of anEvangelist

Resilience (right)This little girl lives in a jungle village. Her parents abandoned her at a very young age, and here she is playing—building a little leaf and twig house.

The Harvest Is Ripe (right)After a week of preaching in Cartagena, Colombia, Raúl had the privilege of baptizing 60 people.

River of Life (above)Raúl traveled several hours upriver to a remote village, but insurgents in that area would not let him stay for more than a day. God can work quickly, and at the end of that day’s messages, 15 people were baptized.

After 15 Years (left)Every other member of his family was baptized, but Alberto remained uncertain. For 15 years his wife prayed for him. Finally this winter, after listening to Raúl’s messages, Alberto gave his life to Christ.

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family-related books. We also strive to create a spirit of active involvement among lay church members. From our small beginnings to where we are today, God has continued to bless our ministry and reach out to others through our work.

We started off with a small office room and printing shop and now, thanks to ASI, OCI, and others, we are completing a new office and publishing house, which enables us to increase our production. Each year we sell approximately 45,000 books in cooperation with many nationwide book wholesalers. Since we began

by Jessica Kaczorowska & Marcin Kubów

Right after communism fell in Poland in 1991, God inspired a

group of young Adventists from all over Poland and from various walks of life to unite for a common goal—a desire to serve Him and to reach other Poles with the gospel of Christ. These young people soon set up the Springs of Life Foundation. From the start, their focus was to share God’s message of salvation through the printed word and the health message.

Almost 20 years later, our two main areas of activity continue to be organizing lifestyle education programs and publishing Bible, health, and

Lord

Springs of Life Foundation finds doors opening to all areas of their work in Poland.

LeadingThe

is

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Spotlight on Mission

Jessica Kaczorowska and Marcin Kubów work at Springs of Life Foundation. For more information, visit www.outpostcenters.org.

printing, about 225,000 copies of Steps to Christ have gone from our press into Polish homes.

Besides our press, Springs of Life works closely with Three Angels Mission, a group of youth missionaries doing door-to-door Bible work in tandem with local church members. As a result of their efforts last year, more than 1,000 people were interested in meeting to discuss Bible issues, and 700 now regularly participate.

These young missionaries share Bible studies with Poles from both Catholic and Orthodox backgrounds. With help from these youth, we have also been visiting our neighborhood with the goal of setting up a health club and a new church nearby in Mszczonów. The results have been spectacular, renewing in us an intense desire to join heaven in its missionary spirit. Praise the Lord for the remarkable ways in which He works to keep our love strong and to bring others to a knowledge of Him!

Within the Springs of Life ministry, about half of our staff members (mostly in the production area) are non-Adventists. A few of our friends here are opening up to the gospel and have been attending our Bible study meetings. By God’s grace, He is making our lives a witness to others, extending within and beyond our church in Poland.

Within the church, we are organizing

family camp meetings. The idea sprang up last summer during our first home-schooling workshops. We saw the strength of the unique, family-like atmosphere. As we discussed ways to better teach and bring up our little ones in a Christian spirit, we developed the idea of a regular family camp meeting where we could integrate Adventist families.

Another key area of our activity has been organizing NEWSTART®

programs. The seven- and 10-day lifestyle sessions have become so popular that we must turn down many requests for participation. In response to this interest, and to better share the health message, we

are working to set up a lifestyle center where we can hold sessions throughout the year. The Lord is leading us, opening up new possibilities to let the healing waters of life flow out in rich currents to Poles.

It is a great privilege to work along with God, who knows what is needed for each one of us. May His peace, grace, and joy be part of our daily experience as we walk side-by-side with Him through our pilgrimage here on earth.

Lifestyle sessions have been a popular addition to the ministry of Springs of Life.

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Recently while remodeling an old building at Oak Haven, a staff

member discovered a brittle, yellowed greeting card tucked behind the old drywall. Dated 1963 and addressed to a student at the time, it read: “You are in a good place. Make the most of every opportunity.”

Oak Haven is a supporting ministry located in beautiful Southwest Michigan. For many years its road sign displayed the words “A Way of Life.” Since the ministry’s humble beginnings in 1961, making the most of every opportunity to witness for Christ in practical ways has truly been a way of life at Oak Haven.

The culture of the 1960s opened up many opportunities in health food ministry. In response, Oak Haven opened a vegetarian restaurant called Lifeline Health Foods in Grand Rapids. One of their menu items, Almond Delight Granola, grew to be so popular that the team began baking it at Oak

Over the years, God has poured out blessings on Oak Haven as the ministry continues to expand.

Way

by Rebecca LaVanture

Lifeof

Haven in donated pizza ovens. Soon their customers began asking

for other products, such as oats, almonds, and raisins. Steven Grabiner, now vice-president of OCI, was one of the early workers, and he remembers approaching health food stores in Chicago with the catalog of barely 100 products.

As their wholesale foods department grew, another Oak Haven employee, Ralph Martin, was working hard to compile the information in Volume 7A of the SDA Bible Commentary Reference Series. With permission from the E.G. White Estate, Oak Haven published the volume at its Way of Life Press.

In other ways as well, the institution’s mission of spreading the gospel has continued to expand through ever-widening doors. Today it is the home of Country Life Natural Foods, a wholesale and retail distributor that reaches thousands of people through its store, community programs, training,

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Spotlight on Mission

Rebecca LaVanture is the office receptionist at Oak Haven. To learn more about this OCI member ministry, visit www.clnf.org.

and dedicated staff. In partnership with the Michigan Conference, Oak Haven has also recently become home to Emmanuel Institute of Evangelism, a resource and training center for the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Logan Shultz, a graduate of Emmanuel Institute, works with the

local Pullman-Oak Haven Church as a Bible worker. One day as he was going door-to-door, he felt

impressed to stop at a certain door. Pam answered his knock. She had just moved back into town and wanted to get things right with God. As soon as she learned that Logan was from Oak Haven, she told him that she had attended a Vacation Bible School there years ago. She was so excited because she knew that God had sent him in answer to her prayers! She now attends

church every Sabbath and has decided to become a member.

Oak Haven’s maintenance supervisor, Gary Rollins, is glad to have the training school on campus at Oak Haven. He attended Emmanuel’s three-week course, and now he is studying with several people, one of whom has already been baptized!

Oak Haven staff also provide a different type of training: cooking schools. The Illinois Conference invited the Oak Haven cooking instructors to join them in the Hope Can be Yours project—30 simultaneous evangelistic meetings with Elder Mark Finley. Staff from Oak Haven will be conducting cooking schools in the Chicago area as a part of this endeavor.

At Oak Haven, it seems that the blessings just keep coming—there is simply not enough space to share all that the Lord is doing! Come visit us and learn more about this “good place” where God is making the most of every opportunity. We guarantee that you’ll only be a stranger here once!

Above: The Oak Haven team is dedicated to serving in God’s work.Left: Oak Haven’s wholesale food ministry reaches thousands of people.

The Country Life Store offers friendly service.

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Food for Thought - From Our Board

The Well of Motivationby Jabel Busl

As I leave home for work each day, my 2-year-old son, Hudson, gives

me a hug and says: “I miss you. I love you Daddy.” As a young father, this has a huge effect on me. I start my day with this driving desire to be a good father, husband, and person. I want to make the right decisions, form good habits, and overcome sin in my life for him, because of the love and trust he places in me.

My relationship with Hudson is not the only relationship that motivates me in this way. The love that my wife, parents, and friends have for me also drives me to do what is right. I hate to let them down, and I feel that by living a Christian life I can somehow be a blessing to them and repay the trust they put in me.

Motivation is a strange emotion. It can feel so strong at times and then disappear when you need it

most. Motivation to do right can be especially elusive. Although as

Christians we loathe admitting it, we derive motivation from many sources and especially from relationships. But we are only drinking from the shallow well. We drink and get thirsty; we are motivated and then devastated by our failures.

The love my son has for me is like my love: it is shallow, and it is only human. It is not sufficient to curb the failures and sins in my life. We should be very careful about where we find motivation in our Christian walk. Jesus says He has loved us with an

“everlasting love.” This well is deep, and if you drink from it, you will never lack motivation.

Jabel Busl is president of Frontline Builders and an OCI board member. To find out more about his ministry, visit www.frontlinebuilders.org.

We drink and get thirsty; we are motivated and then devastated by our failures.

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Ministry of Need

Black Hills Health & Education Center, USA

Marketing/Public Relations

Centro Misionero de Salud, Mexico*Bilingual TeachersBusiness ManagerRestaurant ManagerOffice Secretary

*fluent Spanish needed

Heritage Academy, USAGardener/MechanicAdministrative Assistant (part-time)Maintenance/Construction Worker

Kibidula Farm Institute, TanzaniaCommunication Specialist

Wildwood Lifestyle Center & Hospital, USA

Hospital Maintenance Manager

Heritage Academy needs $3,000 to renovate their guest rooms, where speakers and prospective students often stay.

The Hope of Survivors needs $5,000 to help educate church leaders with an exhibit at the General Conference Session.

Peru Projects needs $3,000 to replace the two Icom radios on their medical launch, which were struck by lightning.

Springs of Life needs $2,990 to translate and produce Health Expo materials for the first Health Expos in Poland.

Congo Frontline Missions needs $2,800 to purchase a new generator and motorcycle for evangelism.

Eden’s Pathway Lifestyle Center needs funds to update and renovate the retreat where they are now running their ministry.

Opportunities With OCIGod provides for His work, and He gives you the opportunity to help.

Please pray for the ongoing work at OCI ministries.

Service Openings

COMPLETE LIST @www.outpostcenters.org

General Conference Session When: June 24-July 3, 2010 Where: Atlanta, Georgia, USA Contact: Visit OCI and 24 of our

ministries at the OCI Village, block 315 in the exhibit hall

Events

Funds Needed

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