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Thu Jan 12 22:50:37 2012

See a recent family photo, their Christmas card to WCCC and their December newsletter.

Mon Jan 9 17:35:54 2012

See a thank you note.

Wed Jun 29 19:02:03 2011

See their latest newsletter.

Mon Feb 28 21:01:24 2011

See their recent letter.

Mon Jan 17 00:03:04 2011

See a thank you card.

Sat Sep 4 23:22:19 2010

See their August Newsletter.

Sun Mar 21 22:14:08 2010

See their March Newsletter.

Tue Jan 5 02:14:49 2010

See a thank you note from the Dycks.

Thu Dec 3 15:31:57 2009

Update from Vern & Holly Dyck

Dear Friends at WCCC, 2009-12-01

"We got here too late", my son sobbed and then shoved his face into the pillow and wrapped it up around his ears as if to block out the ugly face of reality. I couldn't blame him too much. Most kids his age don't ever experience what he has.
We hadn't planned for the boys to see what they saw. We had left them up in our house, but when the wailing reached its height they came running down just in time to see five young men with their faces painted black walk briskly from the jungle, plunk down a woven mat of small sticks in front of the doorway of the little hut, and start hollering and beating the house with their machetes. They then hauled Angela's body out of the hut still wrapped in her hammock and unceremoniously dumped her on the mat, the black-faces taking charge to untangle her arms and legs so that she would lie straight enough to be able to close the mat around her. They then hauled the rolled-up mat across the river and hung it just inside the jungle where the elements would do their job cleaning her bones in preparation for when they would be burned.
I can't seem to shake the thoughts that keep occurring to me as I think about Angela's death. I'm sure that much of the impact that her death has had on us as a family has to do with the relationship that we had developed with her and her family. If we wouldn't have known her, no doubt it wouldn't have hit us as hard. But that only explains the reason why we feel so affected and not why she died without a clear understanding of the gospel. Being deeply affected stirs deep emotions that cause deep questions to surface; questions regarding the responsibility we have in the face millions of Angelas around the world. My son is right; we are getting there too late. (Excerpt from a co-labourers missionary update)

Although we are far removed from Angela, her family and this situation, the impact of it pushes us onward in our ministry commitments: in missionary training, in church, in community and around the world. Here at the Missionary Training Center , our fall semester is coming to a close in just 2 short weeks. The students then have a 3 week break at which time we normally recoup and regroup. This year we will have to take some of that recoup time to focus on the course development. This continues to be a mountainous task that looms before us and we are hoping to take about a week during our Christmas break to reduce this mountain to perhaps the size of a hill. We are committed to seeing the revised program start in August, 2010.

March seems to be the month that will work best for me to return to Venezuela . As I write this note to you the book of Matthew is being checked. The Word continues to be put into the hands of these dear Pume saints. We continue to believe the Lord to have the translation done by 2012.
Back in the middle of August, we heard news via the grapevine about a lightning strike at one of the Pume villages, but we had no details and didn’t know what had really happened. Well, it was just a few days ago that we found out. One of the Pume pastors shared with us that on a very stormy afternoon, the whole village was in their homes due to the heavy rains, just waiting out the tempest in their hammocks or seated on the ground. Suddenly there was a massive thunderous roar and a lightning strike. A young man, two male teenagers, and a baby girl were killed! Others were effected by the strike but have recuperated from the burns and shock. This happened in a Christian village where most everyone is a new creation in Christ. The oldest fellow to die, Pepe, was a good friend. We will miss him. The others we didn’t know because they were still very young when we had to leave the area. Thanks for praying for these dear people.

Your prayers mean a lot to us. The harvest is truly plenteous, the task is daunting, and so let’s spur one another on so that we don’t forget about the million’s of “Angelas” that still need the Gospel message. It truly is a privilege to participate together with our heavenly Father as we seek to proclaim the message of our Great God and Saviour to the world. We once again thank you for your significant part in our lives and ministry. We rely heavily on God for His provision through His people and through His church and we thank you for your willingness to sacrifice on our behalf.

Partners together,

Vern & Holly Dyck

Mon Jul 27 21:10:07 2009

See their July Newsletter.

Sat May 9 16:57:00 2009

See the slightly edited (you know why) April Newsletter.

Sat Feb 28 17:58:16 2009

Dear Friends at WCCC,
Feb 25, 2009

I wanted to send you a quick update to simply ask if you could be praying for my upcoming visit to you know where. On the 2nd of March I will be leaving and then, after almost 3 weeks together with our brothers and sisters, I will be returning home the 21st of March. My time will be spent with a number of the church pastors. Please pray that our fellowship together will encourage these men and their wives and that they would return to their mission field with a renewed vision of what the Lord has for them. Pray too for safety in my travels. There is much violence and I will be traveling some by using public ground transport in the country as there are no flights to the city that I am headed to. Pray too for wisdom and that God would direct us in the message he has for us to share with our brothers and sisters.

Thanks for the privilege to share these few words with you and thanks so much for your prayers for us in this ministry.

In Christ,

Vern Dyck
~
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Thu Feb 12 17:39:44 2009

See their February Newsletter.

Sat Jan 3 14:17:02 2009

Dear Friends & Co-workers at WCCC,

Merry Christmas! What a privilege to partner with you for the sake of the Gospel. This season is always a tremendous reminder and motivation to preach the Gospel. Thanks so much for your part in our lives and for the recent Christmas gift.

Laborers together,
Vern & Holly dyck

Thu Sep 4 21:13:25 2008

See page 1 and page 2 of their August newsletter.

Tue Apr 29 18:53:48 2008

Special Prayer Requests

For Ruth as she continues to recover from her bout with mono. The process seems to be moving rather slow.

God’s direction for both Seth and Zachary.

Work for Zachary this summer.

Continued growth of the Pume church.

For our ministry here at the Training Center.

Thanks for the many ways that you keep in touch with us. We count it a privilege that the Lord has allowed us to be your friends and to partner together with you in seeing the Lords church built around the world. Thanks for journeying together with us.

On June 11, 1983, a cute chick from Chicago and a handsome Canadian said they did. We still do!

Vern & Holly Dyck

Sun Jan 27 21:23:18 2008

See their latest newsletter .

Thu Jan 24 14:20:53 2008

Thinking of YOU!

Our thoughts and prayers have been with so many of you over this past year and we thank God for each one. Thanks for the many ways that you keep in touch with us. We count it a privilege that the Lord has allowed us to be your friends and to partner together with you in seeing the Lord’s church built around the world. Thanks for journeying together with us,

Building His church together,
Vern & Holly Dyck

Sun Dec 2 17:47:02 2007

Dear Friends at WCCC,

Thanks so much for your recent Christmas gift, card and letter. It was good to hear from you and to be updated on things that are happening in Chicago. It was so good to see you in October and we look forward to the next time. Thanks for all your help in our ministry.

For His Glory,
Vern, Holly & family

Fri Sep 28 20:11:25 2007

See the August 2007 update.

Wed Jul 25 13:08:59 2007

Dear Friends at WCCC,
It is that time of year when we try to play “catch up”. All of our students have either graduated from the 2nd year of training or have just finished up Jungle Camp and have left for a brief summer break. So, with no students around, it means that we as trainers can take some time to catch up on all those things that seem to get postponed, time to catch our breath and take a bit of a break and catch up on some of our correspondence. This of course brings me to this very important letter I find myself now writing because we want to take the time to catch you up on some of the happenings in our lives.

June 2nd we saw another 24 students graduate from our Missionary Training Center. After 2 years of hard work and study, each one was eager to move out around the world to be involved in spreading the Gospel. It is pretty exciting to anticipate how God will continue to use each one for His glory. Immediately following the graduation, our 1st year students began to build their Jungle Camp homes. Two weeks are allowed for building and once move up day arrives, they need to have a structure that is enclosed, an oven built, and accommodations that are suitable for one month of living. During this one month, Holly and I are living in close proximity to our student’s homes, experiencing all the joys and frustrations of living without the simple luxuries that we’re all accustomed to. Perhaps you wonder what the reason is for Jungle Camp. Our purpose is to provide for our students a context and environment for some very different, never experienced before, living conditions. Not only does this lay the ground work to learn many physical and technical skills, more importantly it gives opportunity to trust God and walk with Him in a new and different situation. As one of two staff couples living with our students, we are available and ready to help in whatever way is necessary, providing encouragement, counselling, or sometimes just a listening ear and a cup of coffee.

Thanks once again for your place in our lives and ministry. Your continued support and prayers are such a blessing. We find ourselves in awe many times as we reflect on all you who contribute and minister together with us for the advancement of the Gospel. Thanks so much!

Co-workers for His glory,

Vern and Holly Dyck

Thu Jun 7 17:56:20 2007

Hello Tom,

I have been checking my financial records to be able to give you and WCCC an update on our financial situation. As we reviewed our income over the past year we determined that we are at 100% of what our Canadian home office recommends for those on home staff. I wish to clarify though that this recommendation is more for someone who is only on home staff. This recommendation also does not make provision for children over 18 years of age. We are finding that although 3 of our children have left the house and 2 are in college, our home is still a place of residence for them while they are not in college and we continue to try to help in anyway possible. Housing is also not included in this support analysis as much of the housing for home staff is subsidized as many home staff missionaries simply can’t afford to pay a lot for rent.

I trust this is helpful, and we appreciate your interest in us and in our work. Thanks again for all you do.

Co-labourers together,

Vern and Holly Dyck

Tue Apr 24 20:46:22 2007

Dear Friends at WCCC, April

Back here in the training program we continue to be involved in a teaching and discipleship ministry. God has given us 19 great students and we enjoy the many times we are able to connect with them. In our church planting classes we have recently looked at the birth of the early church as seen in the book of Acts and studied those things which can and should be applied to the new church we hope to establish one day in some foreign land. It is always exciting to project these truths into the future and see how and what the Lord is going to do.
The beginning of May I will be heading to Mexico for an international trainer’s forum. Trainers from around the world will be gathering to discuss and compare training ideas with the hopes of seeing our training programs become more unified in our approach to tribal church planting. Not an easy task to coordinate the many different training centers from around the world. I’m glad to be a part of this endeavor and I look forward to meeting and getting to know other trainers.
As always, our hearts are thankful for your integral part of the work that we are involved in. We are planning on trying to see you all in the October and so we look forward to that. Know that our prayers are with you as you continue to be a light there in Chicago and around the world.
Love in Christ,
Vern and Holly Dyck

Tue Feb 13 11:35:44 2007

Dear Family & Friends,

On the home front things are going well. We have had a lot of very cold weather as well as a lot of snow. At times it has been tiring to deal with all the snow without Vern being around. But otherwise, we are doing fine.
Thanks so much for remembering him.

In Christ,
Holly

Sat Jan 27 13:27:58 2007

Dear Friends,

It is the start of another new year and with it comes many opportunities to see the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ spread throughout the world. It is exciting to partner with you in this great effort of reaching the lost for Christ. As I write this letter our students are returning for another semester of missionary training and it is great to hear testimonies of God’s great faithfulness to them and to see their desire to be a part of this work. We continue to thank the Lord for giving us the privilege of investing our labor in the lives of our students here. What a joy to see them move out to the ends of the earth with the express purpose of sharing the Good News with those who have never heard.

It was so good to spend some time with our children during Christmas. As our children are starting to move out we greatly value the times we do have together as a family. Our oldest son Caleb and his wife Kristina are presently both working in Chicago and are involved in their church there. Seth and Zachary are both attending the Bible school in Wisconsin. Ruth and Titus are still with us. Ruth will soon be celebrating birthday number 16 and is a sophomore in High School. Titus will soon turn 12 and is in 6th grade. It is good to have them around still and we’re thankful we don’t have to face the empty next just yet.

Here in our little one stop light town of Durham we focus our attention on the 19 students who entered the training this past August. Our teaching curriculum will focus on the actual church plant. We will walk our students through the evangelism process in a tribal cross cultural context; discuss aspects of the developing church and examine what it takes to see a church continue on to maturity. These are very in-depth and challenging topics, very pertinent to our work. Please pray that we would have wisdom in each and every opportunity that we have to interact with our students.

It truly is a privilege to partner with you. Thanks so much for your prayers, for your gifts, for your interest in us and in this work that we are involved in. Each one of you is dearly appreciated.

Partners together for His glory,
Vern & Holly Dyck

Mon Dec 25 13:38:24 2006

It is almost Christmas and by now most of us have put up our decorations, our Christmas trees and decorated our homes. We have made our shopping lists and hit the Malls, prepared a mountain of food and planned for the parties.

Christmas is always a time to reflect on those things which are truly important. It is with all sincerity that we think of you, your friendship, your partnership, your involvement in our lives. Thanks so much for being co-laborers together with us for the sake of the Gospel. It was so good to see you in November and have just that small window of time together. Thanks again for the continued support and the Christmas gift you gave us. We truly wish you a wonderful Christmas and look forward to an exciting year of what God might have in store for us.
Partners together,
Vern & Holly Dyck

Mon Dec 11 13:02:18 2006

Dear Friends at WCCC,

What a joy it was to spend a Sunday together with you. The morning worship, the great meal and the evening fellowship all made for a great day. It was so good to re-connect.

Thanks so much for the many ways you participate in our lives and ministry. Thanks for the recent Christmas gift that was given to us during our time together. It will be a big help as we anticipate the Christmas season.

We appreciate you involvement in our lives and count it a privilege to serve together with you.

Thanks you for your loving graciousness. It meant so much!

God bless you, Thanks again!

Love, Vern, Holly Dyck & Family

Wed Sep 13 12:43:48 2006

Dear Friends at WCCC, September
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to each one of our church family. We truly do give thanks for our partnership in reaching those tribal people who have never heard. We continue to be challenged and to also challenge others with the goal of expanding the reach of the Good News. Your continued prayers and financial support help make our ministry possible. Thanks!
“Move-up Day” was the notation scribbled onto the calendar day of June 17th, 2006. All 26 students who were going to be participating in the “Jungle Camp” adventure sensed many different emotions as they back-packed all their supplies up into the bush. They wondered just what was in store for them. Some were truly excited, others were somewhat apprehensive and still others, well, fear could be thrown in to the list of emotions as well. Yes, there were challenges that would face them: living without modern conveniences, unpredictable weather, strenuous hiking conditions for both men and ladies, butchering chickens and pigs, cooking with wood, little communication with the outside world, and the list could go on. But Jungle Camp is not about surviving all these conditions, it is not about constructing a plastic house and a mud stove. It is about the joy and privilege of walking with our Savior and learning to depend on Him more and more. Jungle Camp ended a month after “Move-up Day” and what a joy it was to hear each one give testimony of His sufficiency and grace.
Our summer continued to be sliced and diced into many small segments of activity. Jungle Camp was hardly over before we packed our bags and made a quick trip to Chicago and on to Wisconsin for our children to attend Camp Awana. Then it was back home at which time I made two trips to Florida, to our Missions headquarters. The opportunities for fellowship and instruction were welcomed and it was so good to be challenged once again with the huge task before us of reaching our world with the Gospel of Christ. Another trip to Wisconsin had been penned into the calendar. Yes, we are gluttons for punishment! This time we were on our way to take our third son, Zachary, to New Tribes Bible Institute. Yes, another one has left the nest and although it is hard to see him go, we are excited about what the Lord has in store. We praise the Lord that He has provided Zachary with a job to help pay for school and that he seems to be adjusting well.
So, the summer is over and we are now back in the classroom with 19 new students who sense the Lord leading them into full time missionary service. We thank God for the opportunity to invest our lives in them and to see them move out into the dark corners of this world. We appreciate your continued prayers as we seek to be a Godly example and influence on these dear folks. What a privilege we have to invest in those things which are eternal.
In closing, we again express our gratitude to you, an integral part of the body of Christ, thanking you for your encouragement, your prayers, your gifts, your friendship. We look forward to seeing you all in November.

Living for Eternity,

Vern & Holly Dyck

Thu Jun 15 23:17:14 2006

Dear Friends at WCCC,
June 3rd marked an exciting day as we saw another 12 students complete the missionary training program here in Durham. For two years we have invested our lives in these individuals and it is a wonderful thing to see them move out to bring the Gospel to those who have never heard. Recently a pastor friend Hernan, shared with a group of believers about the subject of witnessing and teaching. The following is an excerpt from his message:

Those who hear the word and don’t respond to it, those who are challenged to go and don’t go, well then there is going to be a problem because those who would hear won’t be able to come to hear. They won’t be able to find a way to hear the message. On their own without a teacher, there is no hearing, and so I tell you again, it is very valuable to take the word and go and teach those who have never heard. That is what the sent one, Paul, was talking about. He said, “I wasn’t stingy with you. I gave you the good words. I gave you all of it; I gave it to you with no stinginess, with no holding back. And so, it was like I owed a debt to you, to give you love, to give you this message, to give you the truth, to give you the good news that you might believe, to the Jews and the non-Jews alike. It was like I was indebted to everybody. And I gave this word to you all. And the person that is on the ball and aggressive like the apostle Paul, yes, he will also go and teach where the word has never been taught before. But if he doesn’t go and if he doesn’t teach, they will not come to truth, come to life.

So I tell you, there must not be any stinginess here among us believers. None of us should be holding back and keeping to ourselves what we should be teaching to others. What about Jesus, was He a stingy one who didn’t give? Did He say, “oh no, I’m only going to pay for a few with my blood. I’m only going to pay for a few with my death. I’m not going to pay for everybody.” Was that what Jesus said? NO! He gave his blood for everybody with no stinginess and without holding back. –What a challenge!

Our students are presently building their jungle camp houses in preparation for move up day which happens the 17th of June. This is a demanding time both physically and emotionally as they have just two weeks to build their house. After a particularly rough day one builder vented some of his frustrations. Yet, in the end he proclaimed that the long days, the hard work, the challenge of it all made sense in the light of reaching the lost with the Gospel. As our perspective focuses on those outside of ourselves toward the lost and to God’s eternal agenda, our circumstances become somewhat insignificant. We come face to face with the realization that our lives are not our own, that we are not to be “stingy” or “hold back” but to give and live our lives as living sacrifices. We praise God for each opportunity He gives us to invest in the lives of these missionary candidates.

Thanks for making it possible for us to be involved in this work. Your faithful support and prayers for us enable us to carry on. We consider it a privilege to partner with you for the cause of the Gospel.

Laboring together,

Vern & Holly Dyck

The missionary life that awaits each one will not be easy. There will be many challenges and encounters faced that will stretch these folks in many ways. Yet the task remains the same and the ultimate joy of seeing the Gospel go to these remote areas gives a joy like no other.

As spring arrives and the snow begins to disappear, our minds begin to move toward the next phase of our training. The six weeks of “Jungle Camp” always provides many great opportunities for deepening our friendships with the students, also providing a change in the teaching environment. House plans and mud stove construction are just a few of the things that begin to occupy our students’ minds during these days.
We once again extend our appreciation to you all for your involvement in our ministry and in our lives. We are constantly blessed with reminders of your prayers and financial participation. Thanks for being a part of the team.
Pressing on to reach tribal people,
Vernon, Holly & Family

Fri Mar 3 14:43:23 2006

Dear WCCC,

Hello and greetings from a very cold and wintery Durham. We had freezing rain last night and were without power for four hours. Right now it is a sheet of ice outside and the temperature is going to plunge over night. On, for some of that tropical heat!

The New Year has been full of activity for us. I am sending some pictures of some of the things we have been doing. The second week of January we did “scratch week cooking” again. The students once again enjoyed cooking things from scratch. We had classes again to teach the students how to bake bread and cook some things that they might not have tried before. This year we had six single guys and they were quite good at getting right in there and trying new recipes. The students will be well prepared for cooking in jungle camp as well as on the mission field.

Vern has been busy teaching the church planting class. He just finished teaching on the pre-evangelism stage when a missionary first gets into the tribe and is in the process of learning the culture and language. Building relationships, earning the right to speak, and creating a curiosity for God’s Word are just a few of the topics that he covers. He tries to pull the students in as much as possible for discussion times to make the class as interactive as possible.

We are going to be teaching a parenting class this spring. Vern will do most of the teaching and I will be sitting in to help and add to the discussion. Anyway, we would appreciate your prayers for us as we have never done this before. We are just praying that God will help us to be a blessing to the families who are looking for help and guidance in their parenting. The mission field can be very stressful and if a family is struggling it makes things even more stressful. We have seen how some missionaries have had to leave their work due to their children being out of control.

We would like to thank-you for standing behind us in our ministry of training missionaries as tribal missionaries. The financial and prayer support is such a HUGE help and blessing to us. Thanks for being a part of what God is doing over here.

The kids are doing fine. Ruth turned 15 a few weeks ago. School is going well and she is hoping to be able to get a job this summer.

Titus has adjusted well to his retainers. Those first weeks it was very hard to understand anything he said, but now he is talking a lot clearer. It is a little uncomfortable each week when the retainers get tightened but Titus is handling things well.

Zachary just found out that he was accepted to the New Tribes Bible School in Waukesha, Wisconsin. It is the same school that Seth is presently attending. He is trying to save up for the tuition and he would like to get a lap top.

Seth seems to be doing well in Bible school. He was able to get a job within a couple of weeks. And classes are going well for him.

I went to the heart specialist. It sure was a crazy day as we were in the middle of a huge snow storm. One of the main roads was closed and we never made it home that night as more and more roads were closed. The doctor changed my medication. If this medicine doesn’t work then I will have some more tests run and go to the next level with dealing with my heart condition.

Well, time to close this off. Thanks again for all you do for us. It is greatly appreciated. May the Lord richly bless you as you make a difference for Christ!

In Christ,
Vern, Holly & family

Mon Jan 23 22:26:39 2006

Dear Friends at WCCC, January 23, 2006

Here in Durham at our Missionary Training Center we have jumped into another semester. Presently I am teaching a module entitled “Pre-Evangelism”. It covers the time period of when a missionary first enters the tribal location to when he begins to teach the Bible. We consider such things like how to handle first impressions. What do you do when you come face to face with tribal people who eat, live, dress, talk, and do just about everything different? How do we handle the urge to look down on some of their habits and strange beliefs? How do we continue to love when their treatment of children, women and the elderly can be so contrary to our own culture? So often we think our ministry starts with Bible teaching and translation and yet these first years in the tribal context are so very important to establishing good relationships so that when the time does come to preach, the missionary will have a receptive audience.

Lately, Holly has been busy with cooking classes! Yes, missionary training has to involve innovative cooking techniques because on the mission field it is a whole different story. Cooking from scratch is a new concept to many and so the training staff ladies share their expertise in the kitchen. Then a week is given to the students when all modern conveniences and fast food are prohibited. There was only one kitchen disaster to speak of and that was when one lady left a plastic dish tub in the oven while she was toasting her bread in the broiler underneath.

It seems like it has been some time now since we have seen you folks. We are hoping that this summer will give us opportunity to connect with you all again. Your friendship and partnership for the sake of the Gospel is always clearly demonstrated and we thank you for your continual support that is shown to us and our family. We look forward to the next time we can fellowship together.

Co-laborers for the Gospel,

Vern & Holly Dyck

Sat Jan 21 18:28:58 2006

We have just made arrangements with Vern and Holly Dyck to be at WCCC on Novmeber 12, 2006.

Tue Dec 27 17:52:43 2005

WCCC Missions Committee,

Thanks so much for your generous Christmas gift. That was so thoughtful of you. Thanks so much for blessing us like that.

The students here at the training center just left for their Christmas break. We are taking this week for strategy and planning meetings for next semester. So we will still have things to do but it won't be as hectic as it has been.

Thanks again for the extra gift. You are such a blessing to us. We greatly value your prayers and support.

May the Lord richly bless you and have a very merry Christmas.

In Christ, Vern, Holly & family

Mon Oct 24 18:41:54 2005

We arrived back from our trip out to Western Canada (to visit supporters and a couple of churches) and got right back into things here. We have 26 students this year which is very full for us. After unpacking out bags we worked on having all the students with their children into our home for a meal. Besides two married couples all of our students are 25 or younger. It is neat to have a group that is so full of energy. They will be such a blessing when they get out to the mission field.

We will once again be having a time of discipleship with the students. This year we will be working with eight students. We are praying that the Lord would use us to be a blessing in their lives. We want them to be as prepared as possible for life on the mission field. Are they willing to have to walk away from all their worldly possessions if need by? It is a crazy world out there and who knows what is in store.

We as a family are doing pretty well. Seth and Zachary are both working full time. We are very thankful that both boys are working as they want to save up money for Bible school. Seth is working for a brick layer. It has been very difficult for him some days as his boss is swearing at him all the time. Zachary is still working at the grocery store in town, although he is looking for another part time job as well. We would appreciate your prayers for them as they look to the Lord for what He has for them. Seth is thinking of Bible school to start in January.

Ruth started high school and has a lot more home work than in 8th grade, although, she is a good student. She just started up her flute lessons again. Titus is in 5th grade. He will have to do more book reports and things like that. Any sort of writing or reports are very hard for him, so it will be a difficult year for him. He started piano lessons and we are hoping it is a good thing for him. Oftentimes children with learning disabilities excel in sports, music, or art. So we are hoping that he will do well in the piano and thus it will help him with his self esteem. He feels like he isn’t good at anything. It is just another thing we are trying to work through with him.

Caleb and Kris are doing well with their move to Chicago. Caleb was able to get a full time job. Kris is working full time at a coffee shop. They plan on being in Chicago for a couple of years and getting involved in a church there. Caleb is also hoping to be able to take some classes at Moody Bible Institute.

Life is always VERY busy for Vern and me. We are very busy with out students and investing as much time and energy into their lives. We are also both involved in different ministries in our church. And when we have our children that we are wanting to encourage and see grow in the Lord. Please pray for us as we balance out the challenges of each day. It is so easy to see so many needs around us but we can only stretch ourselves so thin. We feel it a real privilege to be here and to have a part in preparing people for the mission field.

Well, it looks like this letter has gotten quite long so I better close this off. Take care and keep shining for Him and making a difference in a very needy world!

In Christ, Vern, Holly and family

Thu Oct 13 12:20:53 2005

Dear Friends,

Since our last letter to you we had 12 students graduate from our training institute, saw our son and daughter-in-law graduate from Bible School and saw two sons graduate from High School. After six weeks of Jungle Camp training with our students we embarked on a trip across Canada, visiting in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and finally arriving in B.C. In total we have traveled over 15,000 kilometers. We thank God for the safety on the road and all the wonderful times spent together with the friends and family that we saw along the way.

One of the couples who joined us for this discipleship time had recently lost their one boy during the time when so many children died. He shared the following with us as we met together under the mango trees: “The true God is good. He does no evil. We live in the sphere of his watching over us. So I tell you, He was good in taking my son. My son belonged to him and he took him. It is all right. My son is now in the good place with no sickness and ongoing pain. No, it was not evil spirits that took my son. God is the one who took him. Yes, our hearts remember and keep on thinking about him.” So good to hear how God has been working in Zapata’s life. He asks for prayer that he might have another son. He had just the one son that died.

How sad it was to hear from Hernan, one of the most gifted leaders, and main pastor. He shared with us about his partial yielding to temptation. He shared how one evening he was suddenly overtaken by the evil within him and went after a young lady. He went to her and took hold of her arm…but as he did, “my heart exploded, jarring my thinking violently” he said. “I quickly went back to my hammock with overwhelming sadness. I thought with great pain. I had just done something to make my True Father exceedingly sad. My spirit felt like it had a severe sickness and was close to death. It was like I truly needed valuable medicine, the medicine of God’s word for my inner being. And so I remembered God’s words…and it alleviated my thinking. It was like salve on my spirit. Yes, all my sins are forgiven because Christ finished paying, leaving no debt staying behind. And therefore I am in the place of no anger. Now I’m doing much better. My wife and I are both alleviated in our thinking. I have fixed things with her. And I have become even more alert to the areas of sin and going off the trail of truth. But my strength is only from the true Spirit and nothing form myself.” Pray for Herman’s full spiritual recovery as he steps down from teaching for a while. Praise the Lord that he seems to be doing amazingly well at this point.

Our classes started at our training institute the last Monday in August and our focus had to quickly shift in that direction. We have a nice big class of 26 students and we certainly notice a whole lot more activity around here. It is shaping up to be a very busy semester and we trust God for the strength to keep up with all the demands of this ministry.

It was exciting to be a part of Caleb and Kris’ Bible School graduation. The hard work has certainly paid off and they are gearing up for their next phase in their lives. In August they moved to the big city of Chicago where they plan to live for a few years. We praise the Lord that just after a few days Caleb was able to find full time employment.

Seth and Zachary enjoyed their special graduation day from high school. We congratulate them both on all their hard work to see them come to this point. Please continue to pray for them as they face the challenges of the future. Thanks!

Mon Jul 11 13:04:39 2005


Vern used the extra gift we sent to order stronger glasses. On June 11th (their 22nd wedding anniversary) they moved to jungle camp with their students in Durham.

Fri Jul 8 12:16:03 2005

We have been somewhat isolated in Jungle Camp, a six week survival program designed to help our students to adjust to something they haven't quite experienced before in their life.

Now, for the summer, we are traveling across Canada visiting friends and churches in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. It is about a 7 week whirlwind tour. We would really appreciate your prayers for us as we travel and interact with many people.

Back at the missionary training center, we are expecting one of our biggest classes to date and it will be a very busy year. We need prayer that we can adequately handle the increased enrollment and be faithful to disciple and train these new folks. It is exciting yet we know that it will be demanding at the same time.

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