International Christian Hospice

2011-10-18T12:28:00.000-07:00

International Christian Hospice News Letter

August to September 2011

Continuing in Guatemala

Pastor Francisco Ilias from Honduras ( ICH Central American Director) joined us for 3 days of work in Guatemala City. God has blessed him with many connections and we presented hospice training to 112 people from 3 different churches. It is always so amazing to see the Body of Christ at work in surprising places and ways. At one of our trainings we met Dr. Luiz Granajo who runs a medical clinic with 5 other MDs in the outskirts of the city. They serve the poor in Jesus’ name and he told of over 200 salvations through the ministry of his clinic over the past year. He shared that he has cared for many people with terminal illnesses and hospice care is a huge piece of what his staff does. We thank God for the opens doors for ICH work and look forward to working with the medical staff in hospice support training in the future. Thank you, Pastor Francisco, for your ongoing work in Central America, for ICH.

It is always fun to have “reunions” away from home! Richard and Barbara Banis flew into Guatemala to be a part of ICH internationally. Rich and Barbara serve on the ICH Board of Directors and Rich is our Financial Director. They now live in Asheville,

N.C. but have served for 28 years as overseas missionaries. We appreciate their friendship and hard work for ICH as well as the wisdom and experience they share with us. The photos above are of Rich and Barbara and our friends Paul and Ruth Philipi who have served as missionaries in Guatemala for 55 years. In our visit with the Philipi's we descovered that Barbara's brother had graduated with Paul from Moody Bible College. It truly is a small world! God teaches us again just how we are all connected through the body of Christ.

Vine International ( Medical Equipment & Supplies for Guatemala )

Dennis & Cindy McCutcheon

What great fellowship for the 6 of us as we got together with mutual old friends, Dennis and Cindy McCutcheon, who serve with Vine International in Guatemala City. Dennis and Cindy serve over 120 missions and other medical ministries in Guatemala by receiving containers (which originate at Vine base in Knoxville, Tenn.) of medical supplies and equipment. They negotiate with the port authorities, transport and unload containers in the Vine warehouse, then disperse whatever the Lord sends to them to those in need.

Do you enjoy sharing hugs, giving encouraging smiles or blowing soap bubbles? So do the residents of My Sweet Refuge Home for the Elderly. These 36 “grandparents”, affectionately so called by the 12 staff members, were a delight and blessing to us! One dear blind lady told us,
“ They are so good to me! They help me dress, feed me and take care of me!” Another elderly resident patiently did hand exercises with a fellow resident suffering with contractures caused by a stroke. We were able to pray with Everardo, a new resident who just arrived. Like many of the Grandparents upon arrival at My Sweet Refuge he was malnourished, failing in health and depressed. The staff told us that most of the folks arrive in similar condition from either poor homes, abandonment or off the street.

We were so impressed with the compassionate Christ-like staff. They shared with us during our ICH training session with them that over the past 6 months 11 residents have died and 8 of those came to know the Savior in their final weeks of life. Praise God that goal of Christian Hospice is alive and well in these servants who have a heart for those who are often the forgotten ones!

In the final days of August we welcomed 2 more members of our third team to Guatemala. Linda Craig, Hospice RN from Taylorsville, N.C. and Arleen Jennings, MDiv in counseling (also Ron’s sister) joined us as we returned to Chocola for ministry work with Dr. Sergio. Here are some events of the week.

· Prayer and ministry with patients in the mission hospital
· 3 clinic days in San Antonio
· Eye clinic screening and over 90 patients served
· Meeting with Quiche (key-chay) Pastor Eligio to present 40 Bibles which were donated by Deanie and Devon Shelton (Deanie was on our first team in July and saw the need).
· Visiting the village of Xojola to learn about the community development program started by Pastor Eligio. One of the team members described him as a “visionary”. He is initiating a program for the people in his own Mayan region to improve education, health care and microenterprise all Christ centered.

A young woman named Veira came to have her eyes checked the first day of our eye clinic. We were pleased to give her the reading glasses she needed and eye drops for irritation. But God knew she needed much more. As we do with everyone who passes through the eye clinic we directed her to our final station to receive her drops and prayer offered by a team member. Arleen was giving this special attention to each patient that day. As she began talking to Veira Arleen learned that she had not heard the Gospel story nor made a decision to follow Jesus. She eagerly read with Arleen through Billy Graham’s booklet in Spanish “Steps to Peace with God.” At the end Veira humbly prayed to receive Christ as her Savior. Arleen promised that she would have a Bible for her if she returned the next day. Veira came to the clinic at the appointed time the next day and received her new Bible which Arleen prepared with highlighted scriptures to help her in her new faith. Veira told Arleen that her job was the only support for herself, her husband and 2 children. Mario has been ill and out of work for several months and they could not pay for any more medical care. She said that last night she told him about her decision to follow Christ and he was very interested in her new faith. She made an appointment for Mario to see Dr. Sergio at the clinic the next day and she was so excited that our team would be there for a third day so we could meet him. God also knew she needed a local Pastor and church family to welcome her in. At that moment Pastor Mac, who had an eye exam the day before, came back by the clinic. He graciously talked with Veira, prayed with her and they shared phone numbers. The following day Mario came to the clinic alone because Veira was working. As he was waiting for his appointment with Dr. Sergio the time seemed perfect. Ron and Arleen introduced themselves to Mario and took him aside to pray with him and share the best news he had ever heard: “God loves you and wants to give you His presence and peace.” Mario was ready and without hesitation prayed to ask Christ to be his Savior and Lord. Wouldn’t you know it, Pastor Mac was in the neighborhood again and we introduced him to Mario. None of this was by accident. God loves us and as in the parable of the one lost sheep, our good Shepherd leaves the ninety nine in the fold and goes out in search of the one lost lamb. Pray for Veira and Mario with us. Pray that their whole family will come to Christ and also for Mario’s health.

Yesenia Valesqez has worked with us in the ICH Ministry for four years. A former student and now graduate of SETECA in Guatemala City Yesenia is now working for the Law & Justice Mission also in the City. This Mission works with widows, orphans the under privilaged to provide legal counsel and Christian support for the individual and their families.

The staff begin their work week with devotions on Monday morning and we enjoyed joining in. This is a great ministry and a tremendous need in Guatemala and other developing countires.

A special thank you from our ICH team to Union Church of Guatemala City. We were given the opportunity to share with a group of 60 in Sunday school about hospice and end-of-life issues. Union Church has a unique opportunity being an English speaking church in the capitol of a Spanish speaking country. It ministers to missionaries, foreign diplomats and business people who need fellowship in their own heart language.

Honduras in September

Rich and Barbara continued the journey with us to Honduras. We had a special time of fellowship and encouragement with ICH co-workers, Pastors Francisco and Wilmer, and their families in the San Pedro Sula area. Due to a strike of medical personnel in the government hospitals we had to postpone the hospice training which we were scheduled for in the Tela Government Hospital. Public education and medical care are very unstable in Central America. Government funds to pay nurses and teachers typically runs out or "mysteriously disappears” after the first 6 months of each yeat. So the workers go unpaid but as you can imagine most workers cannot continue for nothing. Therefore in the 7th and 8th months of the year “strikes” are the result and public schools and hospitals shutdown. Literally the doors are closed. The buildings are vacant. Last year the students in public schools only attended 100 days all year due to this problem. A young woman we know who has a brain tumor is still waiting to be seen in the hospital for evaluation for surgery. Peaceful demonstrations occur in the streets as workers march and burn tires which blocks traffic causing most commerce to halt in an attempt to impress the government. Those who suffer are the children, the sick and the people who really want to do their jobs. Private hospitals and private schools are few and expensive for the average person. This is an example of the cycle that keeps education and healthcare poor in most developing countries. Thus the need is great for medical teams and mission hospitals!

Our final point of ministry in September was with a family we met in April. Dennis was injured in a construction job and had both arms and one leg amputated. Maria is unable to work outside the home with 6 children and her husband to care for. The first time we met them they expressed their deep faith in God as the One who knows their situation and will provide for their needs. Mario and Maria both expressed desires to serve in their church. We were so impressed with them that we could not get them off our minds. God gave us some ideas and, praise Him, we were able to revisit them with gifts. Susan’s mother and sister were always great seamstresses. With their donations we were able to purchase and carry a portable sewing machine to Maria. Ron spent many long hours in his garage workshop developing and adapting a type of mechanical device for Dennis’ arm stubs. These will enable him to feed himself, brush his own teeth and grip objects. Ron and Dennis worked with the prototype and some fitting and adjustments will be necessary but they were excited and much encouraged about the potential. We also delivered children’s supplies for the neighborhood Bible club Maria teaches on Saturdays. We were very happy to hear Dennis’s news that the construction company has given him a job as a supervisor. What a sweet time of fellowship we had in their humble, dirt floor home! Their lives shout of God’s faithfulness and goodness even in the face of disaster and impossibility.

Thank you to all of you who pray and support us as we take hope and comfort in Jesus’ name to a world that is dying without Him. We could not be working in the calling from our Father without you all praying and giving as He has called you to do.

Serving Him with you,
Ron and Susan
803-781-0656 intlchristianhospice@yahoo.com

Tax receipts given for donations received at:
ICH
303 Madison Heights Dr.
Marshall, N.C. 28753
828-242-3090

2011-09-15T07:12:00.000-07:00

International Christian Hospice News Letter June-August 2011

June
Thanks to everyone for your encouragement as we prepared for our upcoming ministry time in Guatemala. Many of you helped us to collect reading glasses, medical supplies and children’s supplies for VBS in Central America. We were blessed by willing volunteers who are preparing to be a part of three teams that will join us in Guatemala and Honduras over the next two months. Special thanks to Dr. Steven Satterfield for glasses, cases and eye drop donations. Also we are looking forward to using the new “culturally specific” Bible story book created by Brian and Ann Keay with Truth Action Ministry.

This month God answered a prayer we have been praying for several years. State Street Baptist Church of Cayce, S.C. sent a team to Trujillo Peru in June. This was not just any mission team but a very special one. Mary Ann Dowd, an operating room nurse, contacted us this spring requesting Hospice training for herself and her mission team. Before we met Mary Ann God had given her the desire to help a mission hospital in Trujillo establish hospice under the leadership of retired missionaries Rodolph and Mae Dixon It was our delight to help prepare the team for this task by sharing ICH concepts and materials with them. Once again God opened a new door as these new friends joined ICH in pioneering work. It has been a dream of ours to offer ICH as another tool for mission teams to take as they follow God anywhere in the world. Upon returning Mary Ann excitedly shared with us that ICH was embraced with open arms by the national Peruvian believers. They are organizing this work to go out into their surrounding villages with practical knowledge that will bring comfort in Jesus Christ to people who are dying and their families. We continue to pray along with State Street Baptist Church for God’s ongoing work in Trujillo, Peru.

July
The coffee lands of Guatemala welcomed us with our first team. Deanie Shelton from Lexington, S.C. and Kara Meeuwsen, who is a student at Seteca in Guatemala City, traveled to Chocola with us. Here we spent a week at a mission Hospital Santa Fe run by Dr. Sergio Castillo. It is a place that serves the poor people of this region, particularly the indigenous Mayans. Here is a sketch of ministry opportunities in which God allowed us participate.
· Vision screening clinic for reading glasses and consult with 40 people
· VBS for 100 children in the local village
· Bible/Gospel presentations in grades 4,5 and 6 in the highland indigenous school of 85 children
· Hospice training seminar for Presbyterian Quiche (key-chay) Pastor Association

Private counseling sessions with a grieving father and a 20 year old girl anticipating surgery for a brain tumor
· Hospice home visits in village homes
On Sunday evening we were invited to worship with Quiche believers in a highland village. We couldn’t refuse their request to participate in the service by the ladies singing and Ron sharing a message from the Word. Near the end of the service the Pastor was summoned away because a dear 95 year old sister in the church had died in her home. It is their custom that the body is kept at home for 24 hours then taken to the church in a wooden box and buried after the funeral service. During the 24 hour wake friends and family keep vigil over the body at the bedside with the family. It was a privilege that we were invited to go to Anna’s home along with most of the church members after the service. We all trekked through the village and over the footpath to offer our support to Anna’s family. The small dirt floor home was crowded with sympathetic folks. It

was hot and humid due to the regular afternoon jungle rain and the cooking fire. We were ushered in to a place of honor to sit on a low, rough, wood bench and the Pastor offered a prayer. On the other side of the room the family parted and we saw a small form lying under a brightly colored blanket on a narrow bed. As is the custom everyone prayed aloud with the Pastor, the women in a high wailing tone. By that time we, along with everyone in the room, had noticed that Anna’s blanket was moving and a small, boney hand was emerging. Susan joined her daughters at her bedside to hold her trembling, cool hand. Her daughter explained that she did not respond to them today and they thought she had died. They were expecting this since Anna had been sleeping almost constantly and only taking sips of liquid from the corner of a small cloth for 7 days. She opened her eyes only briefly as her daughter offered the cloth dipped in water to gently moistened Anna’s mouth. She slowly relaxed and drifted into a peaceful sleep again. With the help of a translator Susan was able to make suggestions and explain what the family could expect as Anna moved closer to death. It was obvious that they were giving her constant, tender care. Everyone could feel the comfort of God’s Spirit surrounding us as we put our arms around the tearful family and said a short prayer before we left.
Addendum: Anna went to be with the Lord three days following our visit. We ask that you pray for those who will always miss her.

Some parts of our ICH ministry is so sacred we scarcely believe the privilege we are given. We will never forget another experience we had this week. We heard that 86 year old Pastor Calel was homebound and declining with kidney failure. Pastor Eligio told us the amazing story of Pastor Calel in his early days. He was the first Quiche believer to come to this region with the Gospel 40 years earlier. The people were devout to their Mayan superstitions and beliefs. They attempted to run him off by throwing rocks at him. They did everything to make him go back to where he came from. But slowly, after many months, one and then two people began to listen to his Gospel message. Calel’s family settled in the village and a small home church meeting began. One by one people began to open their hearts to his message of God’s love and place their faith in His Son, Jesus. Pastor Eligio, as well as many of the younger Pastors, came to faith in Christ through Calel’s ministry and today they lead 16 churches in the Quiche regional association. We were honored to visit with this great pioneer of the Gospel. His wife and four adult children greeted us and Pastor Calel was resting on a plastic outdoor chaise in his living room. He was suffering with swelling from his toes to his waistline and the diuretics he had received from the clinic were no longer effective. Pastor Calel seemed to be tiring so we asked him one final question: would he like to share a message with us from the Bible? The transformation was remarkable! He rose to sit on the side of his chair and his face lit up in animation. Kara, our translator, knelt by his side to be sure that she, nor we, would miss anything he would say. He began weaving the beautiful story of God’s love and plan of redemption starting in the Garden of Eden. He told of God’s new beginning for mankind after the flood then of God’s message through the prophets that a redeemer would come to the world. His eyes glistened while he preached on about Jesus our Savior and then the early church and apostles who laid the foundation of our faith today. The hushed crowd in the room grew as others from the community and church joined us to hear Pastor Calel’s powerful message that encompassed the entire Bible. He finally turned to Kara, still kneeling at his side. He gently placed both of his rough, brown hands on her head. As she bowed her head he leaned over and kissed the top of her head as a sign of blessing and gratitude. We were awed that God allowed us to hear what was probably Pastor Calel’s final sermon. As we were leaving he held Deanie’s hand and together they sang “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart”. It was a beautiful duet of praise and testimony in Quiche and English!
Addendum: On Sunday, August 21, 2011, Pastor Calel went to be with the Lord. His friends told us that he talked to the family earlier that day instructing them not to be sad when he died because he was going to be with His Savior that day!

August…..
We owe a huge thank you to our next team, Don and Sue Smith, Linda Lovern and Linda Gill from Lexington, S.C. Eva Aguilar, a seminary student at Seteca served as our translator this week. It was a beautiful trip from Guatemala City up to Quetzaltenango (Xela or shala to the Mayans) between the steaming volcanoes at 8,000 ft. Don’t worry, it is a normal and good thing if they are venting and releasing steam. We spent a jam packed week presenting 6 ICH training seminars in 5 days. Here is a list of the opportunities we had.
· Traveling to a Highland Mam (Mayan dialect group) village and teaching a group of 30 CHE or Community Health Educators/Evangelists. They work scattered throughout the highlands for a Christian organization.
· Traveling in another direction to teach Highland Quiche (key-chay) CHE workers. 45 people gathered and welcomed our team into a village home for the day.
· Teaching a morning and evening session to students at Hands that Help and Harvest Bible Seminary in Xela.
· Traveling to a coastal Quiche village to teach more CHE workers and Pastors.
· Eye clinics for reading glasses in all 3 locations.
· Traveling back toward the capital to give training, support and encouragement to staff at a newly established facility for elderly, “My Sweet Refuge”.
We were thrilled with the results of this week that 166 people from 54 different churches have received Christian Hospice training. Many of these people are Pastors, church leaders, medical workers and students. They represent three Mayan dialect groups: Quiche, Mam and Quetchekal.
You can imagine that we spent much time on the road to cover this much territory. We are here to testify that we know that God is answering the prayers of all of you who are lifting us up for safety in travel. It is the rainy season and flooding is common. As we were returning to Xela from the coast we drove through a particularly huge storm. The driving rain soon overwhelmed the shallow, roadside ditches and flowed across the road. For fear of getting stuck behind smaller vehicles that were stalling we eased into a flooded river crossing. We were following a 4x4 truck with enough clearance so felt that if he could make it so could our Ford Escape. We could hear the sound of waves against the sides and undercarriage of the car as Ron excellerated. He didn’t dare stop now, we were committed. A few tense moments later we began to emerge onto higher ground. Everyone breathed a collective sigh and lifted praise to God!
We’d like to share one final story of how God honors ICH ministry with unique opportunities. We are often given the privilege of walking with those who are often forgotten.
“I can’t believe he is really gone! He said he was going to work, just like he always does on Saturday.” The shock and disbelief of Anna’s fresh grief broke our hearts. Her 17 year old son had left home that morning as usual. His friends returned in the evening with news that he had gone to the beach with them that day, instead of work, and drowned and his body could not be found. How do you comfort a mother? How can we understand the life she tried to make for her two sons? When they were young she came to the Capital from a Quiche village. Her plan was to give them an education and a better life. Somehow she found herself, her sister and brother-in-law living together and trying to provide for the two boys. Their home, of 15 years, is a 10x12 house made of tin in the city dump. Her older son returned to their indigenous village and married but the younger son stayed with his mom in the city where he has grown up. “He was a good boy, made good grades in high school and had a job. He trusted in Jesus and we went to church all the time.” Jesus is the Way Baptist Church is only a few blocks away from over 300 families who make up a village inside the dump. Pastor Saul told us that many of these families, including Anna’s, attend his church and receive medical care by his wife who is a doctor. He also provides pure drinking water through a filtration system installed in the church by a mission team. We were honored to see Pastor Saul’s ministry firsthand when we visited Anna at her home in the dump. After listening to her story and praying for her we set up an appointment for the next evening with one of our Lexington Team members. Linda Gill is a nurse and licensed psychological counselor who specializes in life losses. It is just like our heavenly Father to bring Linda to Guatemala to be able to minister to His dear, grieving child Anna. It was not too difficult for Him to bridge the language barrier with translators from English to Spanish as we counseled with her. We also believe He directed our path to intersect with Pastor Saul. We praise God for this example of national believers who are giving their lives in service to their own people. Pastor Saul is offering education and 2 meals a day to children from the dump village for $4.00 a month per child. Everything he is doing involves reaching out in Jesus’ name. We look forward to the future opportunity of ICH training for his church members in the area of hospice and grief care.
Addendum: Two weeks later, in a phone call to follow up with Anna, we learned that the church took Anna and her family to the shore for a memorial service for her son. She is still grieving and will always miss her son but we heard that she is “doing a little better.” Please remember her in your prayers.
As always we thank you for following our news of how God is using ICH to minister to people around the world. We look forward to continuing our August report from Central America in another entry.
God bless you and yours!
Serving in His Grace,

Ron and Susan

2011-04-28T07:31:00.000-07:00

International Christian Hospice News from Central America

March-April 2011
Never are we prepared for the things God will do when we step outside our comfort zone and travel to places He takes us. But we can confidently say “The Lord Himself goes before you (us) and will be with you (us)” Deut. 31:8. What an honor to be the fingertips of The Body that get to touch, through this vehicle of ICH, those who need to know there is hope, peace and life, even in the face of death and loss. Thank you to each of you who give us your encouragement and prayers. We can feel it every day!
Stories from Honduras
“I have trouble sleeping at night. I am afraid. But then I think about God.” These words were spoken to us by 72 year old Mr. Flores whom we visited while we were in Trujillo. We have known his family for 5 years and greatly admire their faith and courage. They have lived and ministered on the north coast of Honduras among the Garifuna people (African descent) for many years as they raised 7 children. Today 3 sons are pastors and we were honored to share ICH training in their son Carlos’ church nearby. The next day we visited the Flores family in their home. Mr. Flores has a history of heart problems and had a stroke last fall. Since then he has slowly declined despite the wonderful care of his wife and children. His words that day expressed one of the most common experiences of people who are facing the end of their lives. We were able to encourage him and his family by explaining that many times people are afraid to go to sleep for fear they will not awaken. Even people of great faith experience fear. It is a normal human emotion. The psalmist wrote “When I am afraid I will trust in you.” Not, if I am afraid, but when which signifies that it will happen. Mrs. Flores thanked us for explaining this and other changes to expect. Their faces relaxed with smiles of relief that someone understood what was happening. Susan was also able to demonstrate some simple care techniques to improve comfort for his immobility. How sweet to join hands for prayer before we left. Please pray for this family who are carrying on the Kingdom work among their own people.
Courageous, determined and steadfast are only a few adjectives that describe Dionisio, or Dennis in English. That evening people had begun to gather in Christ Church New Covenant, in thepoorest community in the city of La Ceiba. We were setting up for our ICH training and expecting people from 3 churches to be attending. Pastor Jeronimo, introduced us to Dennis who attends his new church plant further up the mountain. Dennis was a construction worker and last year he suffered a terrible accident. He was putting rebar into cement blocks and accidently touched a nearby live electric line. He experienced severe burns and damage beyond repair to one leg and both his arms. Today he lives with two stumps just below the elbows and one leg stump above the knee. Yes, he has only one leg and no hands. I forgot the adjective innovative because he adapted his two crutches with small slings for his arm stumps and he goes everywhere this way. He and Maria have 6 children, the youngest baby girl, 4 months, was born 6 months after his accident, and the oldest is a son who is 13. Maria is a professional teacher but has not been able to work because of caring for Dennis and the family. I quote his testimony to us.
“God is faithful! He provides what we need. There were days we had nothing to eat but then a church member or neighbor would arrive at our house with food. I could join the other cripples who beg on the streets, but no, I choose to trust God and work for Him.”
That evening our ICH teaching that God walks with us through our suffering rang true to everyone present. After the service we witnessed a beautiful picture as people shared hugs and encouraging words with Dennis and his family. The next day we were honored by an invitation to their home. From the church, we drove 2 km. uphill on a rugged, rocky road. Then we walked the final 1 km., passing the new home church, and arrived at the steep 50 ft. trail downward to their home. Before the accident Dennis was building their house of cement block on a small ledge of land perched above a river. He had completed the first level which is built into the hillside and is two rooms in which they sleep. The kitchen and laundry area are outside covered by a tin awning. His sons, 13 and 11, are continuing, to work on the upstairs which opens on three sides onto the hillside above and is covered with tin held up by poles. Maria volunteers to teach a free daily kindergarten as a church outreach to this community. In addition, each Saturday Maria and other ladies from the church, hold a Bible class and free lunch, you guessed it, on the open second level of their home for 45 children from the community. They are so willing to work and serve but sadly told us that they have very few children’s teaching supplies. Dennis continued to amaze us as he demonstrated how he draws with a cut off plastic coke bottle fitting snuggly onto the end of his right stump. He attaches a pencil or pen to a piece of old door knob then inserts it into the neck of the bottle. We could not believe the beautiful banner he designed on a square of white sheet for the church. Maria showed us a rusty, old, treddle sewing machine beyond repair. Her dream is an electric machine with various stitches so she can embroider the designs Dennis draws to sell. We felt as though we went back in time to the first century church. Join us in praying for our new friends whom God has raised up to spread His light against all odds in this small corner of the world.
The coastal town of Tela has a new national hospital. Pastor Francisco, our Honduras ICH Director, contacted this hospital and arranged a meeting for us with the Directors. God’s hand has opened a new door for hospice training that we did not expect. The nurse education director, Berna, admitted that the staff see so much suffering and death on a daily basis and do not know what to say or how to help the families. They have a very progressive community health program with staff and volunteers particularly serving a high population of AIDs patients. They provide home care and education in several nearby villages. Everyone was excited as we discussed plans to return later this year to offer hospice training to the hospital and community health staff.
Before we leave Honduras we must tell at least one travel story. It is a two day trip to Trujillo from Seguatepeque where we store our car with missionary friends. But before we could begin our travels Ron had to have the clutch changed, again. You may think this is not a very good advertisement for Ford Escape since this is clutch number 3. Besides a defective clutch, you just have to understand the rough mountain roads and the high elevations that we travel when we are in Central America. Ask Ron if you want to know more about a hot clutch and transmission going up a rugged grade at 6,000 ft.+. Thankfully God provided a very good mechanic and crew to do this 3 man job before we hit the road.
We are always pleased when Lourdes Argueta, our translator and ICH Volunteer Director, can join us for ministry. Thank you, Lourdes, for sharing your semester break from teaching English at the Unitversity. She is such a trouper! It is a two day trip from Segua. to Trujillo. During the final leg of this journey we came upon a bridge which had been washed out last summer during a tropical storm. The solution offered by the Hondurans was a raft propelled by an outboard motor which would hold two cars at a time and cross the river. Ron reluctantly followed instructions and backed our car onto the raft and was joined by another car. Hastily Ron instructed us in escape measures because we all had visions of capsizing while we road inside the car on the raft. This was their method of getting people across too. Thankfully we can report that God delivered us safely to the other side. Thanks for the prayers!
Adventures in Guatemala
We said goodbye to Pastor Francisco and Lourdes Argueta in San Pedro Sula, Honduras and began our two day drive and border crossing to Guatemala City. Thank you Dennis and Cindy McCutcheon, who serve with Vine International, for your warm hospitality. We were delighted to exchange the dark chocolate we delivered to them from the states for a comfortable bed and hot shower when we arrived at their home in Guatemala City!
Thank you to First Baptist Church of Lexington, S.C. for the gift of Celebrate Recovery materials in Spanish. Yesinia Valasquez is following God’s call on her life to be a Christian Counselor. For the past 3 years she has worked with us each time we came to Guatemala as a translator and very important leader on our teams. Yesi gasped when we handed her the Celebrate Recovery materials because she had just learned about this program last week. A professional counselor in Guatemala had recommended this program to her as a Christ-centered solution to help people with addictions. But she had no access to these materials. At that time the books were bumping along in our luggage in Honduras. We love it when we get to see God “connect the dots!”
That day Yesi was also instrumental in helping us to purchase 392 Bibles from the Bible Society of Guatemala. Thank you to the many people who donated $946.00 to purchase Bibles for students in a small highland village! It was the most enjoyable shopping trip we have made in a long time! The director of the Bible Society was so delighted with where the Bibles were going that he took pictures and told us to check their web page for our story. We will also be sending him some of the distribution photos you will see here.
We are in awe of our loving heavenly Father who selects his special children in a remote village, which no one has heard of, to receive in their hands His story of love! We cannot thank Him enough for the honor of placing the Bibles in the eager hands of Quiche’ (Kee-chay) children. Pastor Eligio met us last August as we taught ICH at a small mission hospital on the southern edge of Quiche’ territory. He had recently been appointed by the government as director of 3 national schools in the highland area called Xojola (sho-ho-la). We agreed that God has placed him in this position “for such a time as this”, to quote the book of Esther. Pastor Eligio is Quiche also so he made such a beautiful connection with the teachers and children. He told us that less than 5% of the families represented in the schools had a Bible in their homes, and even less attended any church (Catholic or Evangelical) which required one hour walk down the mountain. As we entered each classroom Pastor Eligio gave a short lesson about the Bible, “the Book of all books.” We have no doubts that the power of God’s word was carried into 392 homes that day. We only wish each of you could have been with us for this huge blessing!
“7,777 ft., the perfect elevation,” to quote Dr. Hugo Gomez. He welcomed us into his office and home in the city of Quetzaltenango, or Xela (shay-la). Dr. Gomez has been partnered with Lexington Baptist Church for many years and thanks to Chuck McCurry, one of our ICH Team Leaders, God orchestrated a very important divine appointment. Dr. Gomez is the CEO of Global CHE Enterprises. Community Health projects such as clean water wells, agriculture, local medical clinics, education and microenterprises encourage empowering of the indigenous people to improve their lives right where they live. In the process, relationships with local mayors or community leaders has proven to build trust and opens doors for the Gospel. Currently CHE has 30 Christian Educators who are directing projects from Mexico to Panama. Dr. Gomez was excited to learn about ICH and we made plans to provide hospice training to leaders in his organization as well as to anyone interested in the community. How wonderful to see this man of God giving hope and a future to so many through CHE. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” These words right out of Jeremiah 29 express the heart of our loving God and sound just like the ministry He has given CHE. Please Pray for CHE, ICH and Lexington Baptist Church as we plan to join hands in August serving the people of Guatemala in the Xela area.
While we were in Xela we reconnected with an indigenous Bible Seminary, Hands that Harvest and Help. We look forward to another ICH training opportunity in August and spending more time with our friends the Muellers and Dieners.
It never ceases to amaze us how many passionate men and women of God we are honored to meet! Sonia Rivera is right up there among those who have a calling that is transforming Guatemala. After two weeks of fasting, prayer and singing on the street in front of the Ministry of Health’s office in the capitol she was granted an interview. Her request was for funding to continue what she has begun on her own: more homes to care for the elderly and homeless. Four years ago we visited the first “My Sweet Refuge” home in the far northwest region of Guatemala known as the Peten. Now Sonia is operating 7 homes in different places throughout Guatemala. A few months ago she was granted enough money from the government to open 6 more homes in new locations, no strings attached. This is unprecedented in this country so again we see the hand of God caring for the forgotten ones. You cannot drive through any town in Central America and not see people who are living in the streets who are elderly, sick with no family or home. Most people just look the other way. But God sees them and He has given Sonia His vision and heart. ICH is honored to be able to offer hospice training for the staff of My Sweet Refuge homes who face death and loss every day. Dates are set and a plan is underway to begin this work in August. How could we expect anything less from someone as determined and convinced of her mission in life as Sonia?
If you have ever tried to work cross-culturally with a language barrier you can appreciate this gift God has given us. Often one of our most difficult logistical challenge is finding good translators to help us and our teams teach and minister. In this photo you will see four Bible students at a seminary (SETECA) in Guatemala City desire to do new ministries and travel, are bilingual and best of all, want to work with ICH! There are actually two others also, making six in all, and we are looking forward to working together in August and the future as God leads. Please give thanks for this blessing along with us!
Coming in 2011
May-June
Team training for State Street Baptist Church of Columbia, S.C. who are opening hospice work in Peru. Team training for work in Guatemala.
July, August, and September
Ministry work in Guatemala. Three team opportunities to accompany us for hospice work, eye clinics, medical clinics, community development and children’s ministry.
October-November
Ministry work in Honduras. Team opportunity to partner with Tela Hospital in initiating hospice services and education. Church and hospice family practical support which would include construction and microenterprise assistance. This will depend on team member’s expertise.

Please know we are so thankful to those who support ICH through prayer, interest and donations.
God bless you!
Ron and Susan Naish Founders and Directors of International Christian Hospice
Tax receipts available for donations sent to: ICH 303 Madison Heights Drive Marshall, N.C. 28753

All donations

2011-03-13T17:53:00.000-07:00

International Christian Hospice Newsletter
January and February 2011.

Honduras Report

The report we last received from Lourdes Argueta, our Volunteer Director in Honduras, about our young friend Ever was encouraging. He continues to battle systemic infections on a day-to-day basis but God has given him a great will to live. Lourdes says he is getting out in his neighborhood in his motorized wheelchair as often as he can. Our hats are off to the young people of his church for coming to his home weekly, holding some of their youth meetings and socials at his home so Ever can participate. He has become a “rock” in his church, sharing what he has learned first hand about God’s faithfulness amidst our suffering. If you ever decide to come with us to Honduras this is one young man you must meet!

Guatemala Report

God has opened a new door of opportunity for ICH ministry in Guatemala. Sonya Rivera is the director of a growing number of Old Folks Homes throughout the country of Guatemala. About a year ago, after weeks of daily fasting, praying and holding vigil on the front steps of the Minister of Health Government offices she was granted an interview by the head of this office. She presented the plight of the growing number of senior adults who are indigent, homeless and dying on the streets. Her solution is to open 14 facilities all over Guatemala where people can be taken in for care in their final days. God answered her prayer and the Ministry of Health is granting Sonya funding with which at least 7 of these facilities can be opened. She is praising God because this is a move that is unprecedented by the Guatemalan government. Please pray with us about how ICH can assist Sonya and her staff. This spring we are planning to meet and discuss her staff education needs and just what ICH can do to help.

Bibles for Quiche students

Many of you have participated in donations for purchasing Bibles for students. We will be buying the Bibles in Honduras and delivering them with Pastor Eligio in Xojola, Guatemala this spring. He is the director of three government schools and has requested help with giving a Bible to each of the 900 students. This unique opportunity will open many unreached homes to the Gospel in an area where there are no churches. Thank you for listening to the Lord and giving!

A special Thanks to Elaine Huggins and the Ladies on Mission of Lexington Baptist Church. In February we were invited to share with this group about ICH and in particular the need for Bibles. Thank you for your vision for what God is doing around the world! Thank you for your generous gift for Bibles!

South Africa Report

In January we said “Good bye” to LaVerne Busbee again as she returned to South Africa on mission. God faithfully provided funding for her needs for the next 9 months of ministry. Currently she is in cultural and language training school but we know she is anxious to return to Huntington. Please pray for her as she prepares for work with the patients in the Home Based Care, children’s Centers and church ministry. Also please pray for God’s direction for LaVerne in future ministry.

Spring Ministry Schedule

March and April Ron and Susan will travel to Honduras and Guatemala for ministry.

Please pray:

· For safe travel and vehicle maintenance which Ron must do this spring.
· ICH Training Seminars scheduled in Honduras and Guatemala
· Believers to be called out to serve the dying and grieving in their communities
· Partnership/plan with Sonya Rivera’s Old Folks Homes in Guatemala
· Bible distribution in Guatemala
· Preparation being made to return for team ministry in August

Praise God for another year of opportunity for ICH. We pray that God will bless you and give you strength as you serve Him and those around you each day!

We are privileged to continue to take the message of hope and comfort in Christ to people who are dying and grieving around the world. Thank you for your part of praying and giving to the Lord!

Ron and Susan Naish
Directors of International Christian Hospice

Tax deductible donations written to ICH
Please mail to:
Richard Banis, International Christian Hospice
303 Madison Heights Dr.
Marshall, N.C. 28753
828-242-9030

2010-11-26T16:39:00.000-08:00

Giving Thanks this Fall
Newsletter : November 2010

Giving thanks for:

The unchanging love of Jesus Christ our Savior
The opportunity to serve others around the world through Hospice care in His name
Our Honduran Volunteer Director Lourdes Argueta (more details later about her time with us here in the U.S. this fall)
Participating in Global Impact Conference with Biltmore Baptist Church
Celebrating Global Missions emphasis with our friends at Lexington Baptist Church
Precious final weeks spent with Susan’s mother and her peaceful home-going
Family and friends who bring joy and add beauty to our lives
A season of year to remember and worship THE ONE who makes all these things possible!

It was a very busy and full two week when Lourdes Argueta, our Honduras Volunteer Coordinator, came to visit and learn more about hospice in September. She enjoyed time with coworkers and team members who served with her in Honduras from Lexington Baptist Church in S.C. She was invited to speak about what God is doing in Honduras through ICH.

Thank you to Abbey Road Hospice of Columbia who opened their door and hearts to Lourdes. She learned much from their staff as she visited patients in their homes and attended hospice meetings. In N.C., at BBC Global Impact, Lourdes especially enjoyed meeting with people from other countries around the world and learning what God is doing. There were also opportunities for her to meet and talk with experienced Chaplains, Social Workers and Volunteer Coordinator at hospice in Asheville. Our goal was to increase her knowledge of hospice care and to translate that into ways she can implement these things she is learning for ICH in Honduras. Her time here was not all work and meetings. What fun we had celebrating Lourdes’ birthday and sharing a Honduran meal (which she prepared) with friends of ICH. Blessings on you, Lourdes, and we look forward to our times of ministry together this coming spring in Honduras!

Fall mission conferences are always a highlight of our year. It is so encouraging to us as we renew of friendships with others who are serving in hundreds of other places and ministries. Thank you to Biltmore Baptist Church, our sending church, for sharing in the vision God has given us. We also thank Lexington Baptist Church for their friendship and partnering with ICH.

Susan wishes to give a special thanks to those who sent their heartfelt prayers and comforting words of sympathy. Her mother, Clara Daves, went to be with the Lord on November 4. We had a beautiful celebration of her life with many family and friends and can’t tell you all how much your words and presence meant. “We do not grieve as those who have no hope” wrote the Apostle Paul. We miss those who die but have Christ’s example and promise for victory over death. One day we will all be reunited in the new heaven and earth enjoying REAL life as God planned it to be.

We pray that each of you will have a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas Season full of His joy and peace!

Celebrating in God’s Grace,

Ron and Susan

2010-09-20T17:14:00.000-07:00

International Christian Hospice
Wilson’s Story
August 2010

The pain from the blow to his eye faded after just a few hours. And so did his sight. It was very scary now when he rubbed his left eye or the glare of the bright sun caught his face because his right eye was blind. This has been Wilson’s experience since last April.

Five year old Wilson Photo of eye damage

We met Wilson and his mother, Elvia, in Salem Baptist Church in Talanga, Honduras. This new church was built 2 years ago as a mission church in a remote area in central Honduras. Lourdes Argueta, our Honduran Volunteer Coordinator for International Christian Hospice, arranged and accompanied us as our translator as we presented our hospice training here and offered eye screening earlier in the day. We set up “shop” and began to see many adults who needed reading glasses and a few older folks with cataracts. Some we could not help but recommended they travel to the capital, Tegucigalpa, to be evaluated. The reality is that few in this poor community will have that option. We were surprised when our final patient, 5 year old Wilson, arrived with his family who are church members. It saddened us to see what appeared as a crack in the lens of his right eye. His mother reported that no one in the local clinic could offer any help nor had they heard of anyone in all Honduras who could restore Wilson’s sight. We showed her how to put comforting saline drops in his eyes and began to pray for God’s intervention.

Salem Baptist church

Within a week we had traveled to the other side of Honduras to the town of El Progreso. A few years ago God connected us with Medical Missions International, an organization based in Dominican Republic, which specializes in Ophthalmology. One branch of MMI is in El Progreso and our friend Melvin Tejada is the director.

Name of eye clinic

Building housing clinic

We were reminded anew of God’s perfect timing as we arranged for Wilson to be evaluated by a Pediatric Ophthalmic surgeon from the U.S. who was scheduled to be doing eye surgeries in El Progreso in just three weeks. Upon viewing the pictures we had taken of Wilson, Melvin was very optimistic that he could be helped.

Through the efforts of Lourdes, Pastor Guzman of Salem Church and our dear friends Pastor and Lesly Moreno of El Progreso God provided for the bus trip across the country as well food and lodging for Wilson and his father Luis. We wish to give special thanks to Dr. Arlo Jennings and his wife Arleen of Asheville, N.C. for donating $200.00 which covered the cost for a successful procedure which has restored Wilson’s sight. We also note that this procedure in the U.S. would cost thousands.

Our latest news was of a very happy little boy and a family and church who are praising God for the gift of sight! We give Him thanks for taking us to this remote little village that day and His special miracle that unfolded for Wilson! We also thank all you who pray for ICH ministry around the world. God is answering those prayers in great and unexpected ways!

2010-09-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

International Christian Hospice
Newsletter August 2010
Honduras
Prior to our arrival in Honduras two representatives for ICH attended the Central American Christian Medical Conference. 200 doctors and medical students from all of the Central America gathered in Tegucigalpa.

ICH Country Director, Pastor Francisco Ilias and ICH Volunteer Director Lourdes Argueta manned a display table offering information about ICH. One key note speaker was an MD practicing in Palliative care which is a specialty of pain and symptom management for end-stage illnesses. This area of medical care goes hand-in-hand with hospice and is a new concept in Central America. This is an answer to a seven year long prayer that end-of-life care would be recognized and addressed by the medical community. Many important contacts were made at the conference and we are praying for God to burden likeminded Christian physicians to work with us.
It is always a pleasure to return to Honduras! We welcomed Chuck McCurry, one of our ICH team leaders from S.C., accompanied by Pastor Ken Freeman as they arrived at Tegucigalpa airport. By the end of our travels we have logged 1,800 miles in our car, both in Guatemala and Honduras. Thank the Lord for His gift of safety for which we know many of you are praying!

Home visits are always a highlight. Many of you have followed our stories about our young friend, who lives in Tegucigalpa, Ever who is now 19. Lourdes, our Volunteer Director in Honduras, has been faithfully visiting him and his family since we met him two and a half years ago. He was a victim at age 16 of a gunshot wound to his back resulting in bone infections and lower extremity amputations. Although his body continues to fight chronic bone infections, worsening pressure sores and weight loss, Ever readily testifies of God’s blessings in his life. His church youth group and trained ICH volunteers come every Wednesday to sing and worship in his home. We brought supplies for his care, Ensure and a new hooded sweatshirt to him. He tells us that he is always cold and cannot eat very much. Our time of prayer with him, his grandmother and two small sisters was very sweet. Please continue to pray for Ever’s comfort and for the ICH volunteers who are serving him. We know that he has given his testimony openly in the community and that God has a special plan for the rest of his life.

We were successful in presenting four out of six ICH training seminars to a total of 140 people. This is the rainy season and Honduras has suffered much damage to roads, bridges, churches and homes. It was unfortunate to have two seminars cancelled but God gave us safe travel throughout the capitol city. Sometimes this required detours through “not so safe” areas. We were also welcomed by Pastors, church leaders and youth in the small towns of Guaimaca and Tolonga in the central region of Honduras. Thank you Chuck and Ken for the flexibility and leadership you showed while faced with challenging situations. One thing we always can testify to is the divine appointments God orchestrates for us. Everywhere we go people are ready and looking for peace and comfort during times of suffering and loss. International Christian Hospice ministry transcends any geographical or cultural differences with the message from God’s Word that there is hope in Christ!

We want to share about one of those divine appointments. We spent a wonderful Sunday morning teaching about hospice care with believers in Salem Baptist Church in Guaimaca. Pastor Luis opened his home and we were served a delicious meal prepared by his wife and ladies in the church.

We are so honored by the warmth and hospitality offered to us everywhere we go. A lady who attended our training that morning invited us to her home after lunch. She is caring for her mother-in-law, Julia, who is dying of liver disease and renal failure. The doctors have said that all they can do now is to keep her comfortable. Julia and her family told us of the legacy she is leaving behind. Two of her sons and her grandson are Pastors in nearby communities. We discussed her physical problems and talked about things to do that would help. We read Psalm 139 together and rejoiced together that God knows and loves us so intimately! As we were leaving her daughter-in-law asked questions about the disease progression and tearfully admitted that she will miss Julia more than her own mother. With much encouragement we told her she was giving Julia the best gift. To be cared for at home, honored and loved by her family will give her the peace and dignity that we all would want. Hospice care in Jesus’ name gives true meaning to the words hope and comfort that the world cannot give!

We were able to travel to Seguatepeque and visit the SEBCAH seminary as well as the Evangelical Hospital. Chuck and Ken were a part of the ongoing discussion with Dr. Aguilar about our common dream of a Hospice/AIDs facility. We toured the hospital property and viewed possible sites which we are praying over for the future. Ron and Mark Fittz, a CAM missionary architect, are continuing to work with Dr. Aguilar on a presentation for the hospital board in October. Please continue to pray with us for God’s guidance and timing in this project.

We continue to look to God for His provision financially to continue the work of ICH around the world. Hospice is a well known and readily available service in the U.S. But what about the rest of the world? What about the people who are dying with no opportunity to know there is a Savior? The pictures we include are only a small representation of the believers in other countries who are eager to learn how to reach their own people. You have the unique opportunity to take God’s message of hope to people through ICH now working in:
South Africa, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize, Nicaragua, Peru, Dominican, Republic, Ukraine and Moldova.
You are invited to join us on mission by becoming an ICH volunteer, prayer partner and donor. We welcome team members who feel God is calling them to go beyond the borders of the U.S. with an extraordinary mission.
Serving Him together,
Ron & Susan Naish
Ron & Susan Naish
Directors, International Christian Hospice

Tax exempt donations received at:
ICH 145 Chillingham Rd. Irmo, S.C. 29063 803-781-0656

2010-09-10T18:57:00.000-07:00

International Christian Hospice News
July 2010
Guatemala

Greetings from Central America! Thank our faithful Lord for His presence and direction as we work among the beautiful people here. We are reminded again of the honor we are given to serve by offering hope in Christ through ICH.

We began our two months of ministry as Ron flew into Honduras ahead of time to prepare for Susan and the two volunteers from Biltmore Baptist Church. He found our car in good condition after 3 months of storage in Honduras. It is always risky to drive in Central America alone but God gave him safety and endurance for the long trip to Guatemala City. Ron picked up Susan, Janice Codington and Sarah Bradford at the airport where we were also joined by Yesinia Valesquez (a seminary student and our translator). We would like to say a special thank you to Dennis and Cindy McCutcheon who opened their home to all of us overnight. Dennis and Cindy are missionaries in Guatemala City who run a warehouse and distribute medical supplies shipped by container. from Tennessee with Vine International Ministries.

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The majestic beauty of the volcanoes, rugged mountains, sugar cane lowlands, jungle with coffee plantations and bananas always amaze us especially when seen through the eyes of first timers who come with us on mission. The road to Hospital Cristiana Sante Fe includes all this and more! Once again we thank God for our tough little 4x4 Ford Escape. What a challenge for car and driver (Ron)!

God had many special things for us to do and people to serve. Below you can see pictures of our work in the hospital with surgical patients. Families wait patiently for two or three days then patients are discharged and travel home together usually by hired trucks or bus.

Many of the people have never heard the Gospel. Yesinia shared stories and pictures with families by translator from Spanish to Quich’e. Praise God that several women and children prayed to follow Jesus!

On Sunday we led a worship service for the patients and families. The pre/post-op ward became a sanctuary for not only physical healing but spiritual healing.

Simultaneously we provided eye screening clinics. What a joy to see the smiles of many who could not see and we gave them free glasses donated by Dr. Steve Satterfield for reading or distance. One mother said, as she looked at her daughter and touched her face, “Now I can see YOU!” Each person received soothing eye drops (donated by Carolina Opthomology) and was prayed with individually.

Ron provided 2 sessions of training in use of a Glasses for Missions kit for eye screening and making glasses. These 3 people will now work alongside Dr. Sergio in this new area of ministry.

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The afternoons were full of laughter and fun in VBS. 100+ children sang songs, heard Bible stories and received lots of TLC. At any moment the children would gather for bubble making, hugs and pictures.

Ron and Susan presented ICH training in the meeting room of the hospital in the evenings. Local Pastors, clinic workers from nearby villages, church members and community leaders attended. One attendee, Pastor Eligio Garcia who leads a local Evangelical church turned out to be a critical contact.(More on this later) God is continuing to open opportunities for Hospice ministry as we prayed with a patient who was dying and visited in the home of a recent death.

A highlight of our week was to travel up into the jungle highlands to the village of Xojola. We assisted Dr. Sergio and another missionary, Diane Thompson, who have a clinic twice a month in this remote area.

Also in Xojola God has strategically placed Pastor Eligio Garcia who attended our ICH training. He is a well respected leader and new director of 3 large government schools. Currently there is no church and few believers in this Quich’e area and Pastor Garcia’s first desire is for Bibles for each of the 943 students. How exciting that the doors of the schools are open and we had the opportunity to teach, distribute Gospel stories and make crafts with the students in the classrooms. Thanks to Truth Action Ministry and to East Cooper Baptist Church in Mount Pleasant, S.C. each child heard of Christ’s love and received an illustrated gospel booklet.

It was an exciting and full week of ministry! One personal story we want to include is about Lucianna. She attended our ICH training this week as the recent widow of Bayron. Through efforts of the BBC team last year this hospice family all came to faith in Christ. Bayron was dying of liver disease and passed away in January 2010. Lucianna continues to work and care for her 3 sons and she freely shared her story with our group. She testified that God sustained her throughout her husband’s illness and death and brought peace through her new relationship with Christ. Through tears she told of her journey of grief and the difficult decision she has made for her family to move into her father’s home in a nearby town. Thank you for praying for this family as they continue to follow Christ.

Thank you to everyone who had a part in the team ministry in Guatemala. We know that you will share in God’s blessings that we have received and were able to give because of our family, church and friends who were behind us. It is an awesome privilege to be the finger tips of the Body of Christ. We are the honored ones who can reach out to touch these dear folks with peace and hope that only Jesus can give.

More news about August ministry in Honduras is coming.

Serving Him together,
Ron & Susan Naish
Directors, International Christian Hospice http://www.intlchristianhospice@yahoo.com/ www.ronnaish@bellsouth.net
As always remember your tax deductible contributions are received at
ICH 145 Chillingham Rd. Irmo, S.C. 29063

2010-07-18T12:52:00.000-07:00

International Christian Hospice News

March to June 2010
Teams prepare for Ministry with ICH
It is always an exciting time of anticipation as people prepare for short-term mission trips. God has brought together some very special people, of various backgrounds and talents, over the past few weeks. We are looking forward to working alongside these folks in the next two months and our work will take us to two different countries and two different cultures. But although there are many differences the need of God’s love is the same. Thank you to Dr. Steven Satterfield, O.D. pf Asheville, N.C. for a special day of training in eye screening. It was great to have 12 people gather at Biltmore Baptist Church to learn about basic vision problems and use of a focometer to screen for glasses. We pray that God will use this valuable tool and the extension of Dr.Steve’s knowledge to help many around the world. Contact info. For Dr. Steve and “In Focus” will be available below.

Thanks also goes to Dale Rozell who directs his organization called “Glasses for Missions Inc” in Fletcher, N.C. He provided training on use of a special kit which he developed to make corrective glasses on site. We are purchasing two kits which will be used in both Guatemala and Honduras, and Ron will give training to nationals for ongoing provision of glasses for the needy. Contact info. For Dale will be available below.
Guatemala in July
In July we will be returning for our third year to Chocola, Guatemala to help Dr. Sergio Castillo at Hospital Santa Fe.
The team from Biltmore Baptist Church will work with us in multi-opportunity ministry. We are planning to work in the general medical clinic, offer eye screening with corrective glasses, have Vacation Bible School in the afternoons for children in the community, provide hospice training to Pastors, church leaders and medical staff in the evenings as well as visit people in their homes who are too sick to come for care. We know God has some very specific divine appointments planned for each us and the folks we will meet. Much prayer and planning, by us and those who are supporting us, has gone into our preparation for this week.

Special thanks to Brian and Ann Keay who have Truth Action Ministries of Asheville, N.C. They produce culturally correct, illustrated, Spanish (and other languages) children’s gospel stories and teaching materials. These were paid for and donated by East Cooper Baptist Church, Mt. Pleasant, S.C. Pastor Steve Tuck leads their children’s ministry who got directly involved with missions. The kids at East Cooper compiled and prepared 200 small gospel books which our team will place into the hands of children in Guatemala who may have never heard of Jesus. What a beautiful picture of the parts of the Body, Christ’s church, working together for the Kingdom.

Honduras in August
Lexington Baptist Church in S.C. continues to support ICH and the work we are doing in Honduras. We are looking forward to Team leader Chuck McCurry and Chaplain Ken Freeman joining us for a week of hospice ministry in and around the capital city, Tegucigalpa. Our ICH Volunteer coordinator, Lourdes Argueta, is planning our agenda to include hospice training in Guiamaca at the Baptist Hospital, local churches in Tolonga, follow-up work with folks who are currently doing hospice ministry and the staff of a Christian school. Please be in prayer for this team and for those we will be teaching and working with. We anticipate some opportunities also for home visits, especially with our dear, young friend Ever, who continues to hold on in his declining condition. Many of you have been praying for him for 2 years and we will be giving a report in our September news.
We also ask your prayers for our time in Honduras as we seek to follow God’s plan and timing regarding opening an ICH center for patient care and training. This is in the very early stages of discussion and planning and so we pray that we will learn much and be sensitive to God as we have strategic conversations.
Other Mission news
Our Board of Directors met in May. We thank Sharon Kast and Richard Banis for their leadership and support in decisions and plans. We also wish to thank Dave Robbins for his many hours of work helping Ron in developing a strategic business plan for ICH. Please pray that ICH will continue to move forward in the vision God has given us. We hope to make this information available on our website which is in the process of being refurbished.
South Africa News
LaVerne Busbee is returning to the U.S. the end of July for a few months for rest and visa renewal. We are excited to learn more first hand from LaVerne about her ICH work over the past year in South Africa. Please pray with us and her for the details of renewing her visa and that God will provide financially and in every way the support she will need to return to Huntington.
News from the ICH Office
We praise God for successful completion of a new roof for our ICH base in S.C. Severe rain storms resulted in leaks and roof damage that could not go unrepaired any longer. Ron was our construction chief for the entire two month process. From the planning and redesign of the rafters and support system, purchasing and logistics of materials, tearing off the old and building new, he persevered and we now are in the dry! We cannot thank those who volunteered hours and some even days to help in this huge but necessary job. Besides help from our sons-in-law, Stephen and Howell and Ron’s brother Frank, we experienced an unexpected gift of help

from our larger family, the Body of Christ. Friends from Three Rivers Baptist Church in Irmo, S.C. who heard about our need arrived with tools in hand. Our thanks to Eric Opsahl, and Scott Terrill for sending two of their company’s roofers, Lawrence and Chris. Thanks to Eric Loebs and especially Ben Amberg who even returned to help in spite of the hard work and heat he endured. We stand in awe of our faithful God and His provision at a time of great need!
More news to come!
We will report on our next two months of ministry in September.

Below are listed the contact info for the people and ministries listed above.

Dr. Steven Satterfield 828-255-8961 http://www.satterfieldod.com/

Focometer info. www.infocus.com (device for eye screening)

Dale and Anita Rozell www.glassesformissions.org 954-581-5266 (kits for making glasses)

Brian and Anne Keay http://www.truthaction.com/ 828-458-9284 (multicultural children’s literature)

Donations for ICH are tax deductible and are received at:
145 Chillingham Rd. Irmo, S.C. 29063

2010-05-07T14:37:00.000-07:00

Newsletter for International Christian Hospice
February - April 2010

We are joining all believers around the world, this time of year, in remembering and celebrating our Savior’s death and resurrection. We pray that you will join us this Easter season in renewing our faith in Jesus Christ, the risen Lord. He is worthy of all praise, He who offers His grace freely to us, the One who would rather die than be separated from us now and for eternity!

International Christian Hospice has all the more reason to press on in our mission because of the living, risen Christ! He is the giver of each day of life and has a plan to give hope and peace even when we do not know how much time we have left to live.

Central America News

We returned to Guatemala in February to spend time with Dr. Sergio at his small mission hospital in Chocola. We learned both happy and sad news. You may recall our ministry time with Dr. Sergio last July. We had the joy of seeing Bayron and his family decide to follow Jesus. In January, Bayron died of liver disease. We rejoice that God granted him 6 more months with his family as a new man in Christ! Together they joined a local church, where the Pastor and staff had received ICH training, and now Luciana and the three boys are being surrounded by them.

We also learned of two other terminal patients with whom we had the opportunity to do hospice ministry and they have gone on to be with the Lord. Please pray for the grieving family of a 57 year old mother and grandmother as well the family of an 18 year old boy who died of Leukemia. Please pray for Dr. Sergio and his staff. They and many believers who live in this community received ICH training to have an ongoing outreach to those who are dying and their families.

It is always a joy to report the blessings and success when a team joins us in ministry. In February we welcomed our team of four people to Honduras for a week of training seminars. We extend our thanks to Don and Sue Smith from Lexington Baptist Church, in S.C. who have become experienced ICH team leaders/trainers and brought with them Linda Lovern, also from LBC, for her first field work. Thank you also to Linda Gill, Hospice RN, from Taylorsville, N.C. who came to work with this team. They presented ICH training for 172 people, including interdenominational church workers, community leaders, medical personnel and business owners. 30 of these people are Pastors serving throughout the large central region of Honduras. Once again it was reinforced to us by these folks how they valued the Christian Hospice teaching we shared. Several Pastors came to us personally to say how difficult they find it to visit and minister to people who are ill and facing death. Now they have counseling skills as well as a better understanding of the stages of death and grief that will help them in their desire to help others.

The remainder of our work in Honduras this spring was spent in preparation for the future. God opened the door for a meeting with Dr. Rodas, a leading pioneer in Palliative Medicine, in the capital city, Tegucigalpa. Dr. Barbra McCune, who directs an Episcopal mission clinic, joined us at this meeting and we all shared a common passion of bringing comfort care to people at the end of their lives. Dr. Rodas has a small day clinic where he sees patients with end stage diseases and then he drives to visit hospice patients in their homes within a 2 hour radius of the city. He is an example of the small segment of the medical community who are beginning to be aware of the huge need for end-of-life care. ICH is pressing on in our goals to encourage and educate the nationals, such as Dr. Rodas. We discussed together the possibility in the future for a Hospice/Palliative care workshop for physicians in Central America. Our meeting with him and Dr. Barbra was closed with a sweet time of prayer in which we all recommitted ourselves to serving together to bring comfort, dignity and hope in Jesus’ name to people who are suffering and dying.

While in Tegucigalpa we had the opportunity to make a home visit with our Volunteer Coordinator, Lourdes Argueta. She and her church have been providing hospice support to our young friend Ever, and his family, whom we have known for 1 ½ years now. It was a blessing to see his smiling face and we could detect the huge effort he made to get into the electric wheelchair ICH had provided. Ron was able to make some adjustments to his electric hospital bed and we delivered some much needed food and medications to his home. The toll of chronic, systemic infection was evident in his very thin, frail
body but Ever testified again to God’s faithfulness on the good days and the bad. Please pray for Ever and his family during his slow decline, and for the ICH ministry that is supporting him. Thank you Lourdes, and our other ICH volunteers, who are at work serving God and their own people through ICH in Honduras.

New Mission Members

We wish to welcome Richard and Babara Banis who have joined ICH as missionaries. We had the honor of working with them in Israel 10 years ago and became friends with a common goal in service for the Lord. When we founded ICH seven years ago they were our first supporters and biggest encouragers. We are thankful to God for opening this door of ministry to them and for the experience and skills they are bringing with them. Rich and Babara have served as full time missionaries for 28 years working in many different countries. They both have strong organizational and management skills, as well as Rich’s accounting experience. They are based in Marshall, N.C. and Rich’s primary responsibility will be to keep the financial books for ICH. We believe that God has sent them to minister with us and look forward to serving with them. They are faith-supported missionaries, and will only receive the donations designated for them through ICH.

Please Read their introduction letter.

BANIS BEACON
Winter 2010

Proverbs 16:9, “The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps”

Dear friends and family,

A new year holds great possibilities. How will God reveal Himself to us? Are we ready at our age to receive from Him new challenges and a new direction? Several years ago our daughter-in-love gave us a beautiful wall hanging that says: “When God closes one door He opens another.” After 28 years with Helps International Ministries, God is closing the door there for us and has opened another door. As we change our direction the Lord has new plans for us.

Seven years ago our friends, Ron and Susan (a hospice nurse) Naish, started a new ministry, International Christian Hospice. We were involved with its inception with suggestions, encouragement and Barbara’s secretarial skills. She was privileged to type the handbook for the seminars that Ron and Susan give. It started slowly, but has since grown to seminars being held in several countries and the U.S. Rich is doing ICH’s accounting and is on the Board of Directors. We feel the Lord calling us to serve Him now through ICH.

The ministry verse of ICH is 2 Cor. 1:3,4, “Praise be to God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” Not only are seminars held, but what a tremendous opportunity to share the Gospel with the dying and their families. In many overseas countries hospice care is unheard of. When someone has a terminal illness they are left alone to die. Ron and Susan teach caregivers how to care for the dying to make the remainder of their lives more comfortable. Many times the dying and their families hear of God’s saving power and accept Him as their personal Savior. For more information about ICH look at their website: http://www.ichospice.org/ or the blog at http://www.ichospiceblogspot.com/.

We will minister with them as much as possible through accounting, any secretarial skills needed and taking trips overseas when possible. We appreciate the prayer and financial support you have given us over the years and would ask that you continue the support and send it to: ICH, 303 Madison Heights Drive, Marshall, NC 28753. For you who have supported us with prayer we ask you to continue to pray for us especially through this transition. If God leads you to support us in this new ministry we will greatly appreciate it. As always your gifts will be tax deductable.

It has been a pleasure serving the Lord with you these last 28 years and look forward to serving the Lord together again with you.

Still available to Him,

Rich and Barbara

Contact them at : 303 Madison Heights Dr. Marshall, N.C.

South Africa News

ICH in South Africa continues with God’s blessings under the direction of LaVerne Busbee. In just a brief update we can tell you that she is continuing to work in several villages with Home Based Care givers, AIDs patients and is also providing ongoing ICH education. Living with the South African villagers since July ‘09 she has demonstrated daily her compassionate hand-on approach. LaVerne is seeing fruit to her labor as several more people have come to faith in Christ through her ministry. She is now praying about how God is leading her in future ministry with ICH. LaVerne is also faith-supported and receives only the donations designated for her from her supporters.

Another Language

Another piece of exciting news is the completion of our Pastor’s training manual in Haitian Creole. A dear friend named Paula, whom we met in Dominican Republic, has been working for several months on this translation between her own ministry work during this time of turmoil following the earthquake in Haiti. Much thanks to her and to the Lord for this fourth language in which ICH will be available.

Praise:
· Central America ministry time this spring
· Pastors and laypeople trained for Christian Hospice work
· New translation of ICH materials into Haitian Creole
· New believers through ICH ministry
· Rich and Barbara Banis new ICH missionaries

Prayer:
· Team preparation for Guatemala and Honduras in July and August
· LaVerne Busbee, South Africa ICH
· Future plans for Hospice/Palliative Care Center in Honduras
· Financial needs for ICH work to continue
· Web site improvement
· Development of business plan and upcoming Board of Director’s meeting

Thank you for your prayers and interest in International Christian Hospice. We are honored to serve God and be an extension of each of you taking hope and comfort in Christ to rest of the world.

Donations to ICH are tax deductible. Send to:

International Christian Hospice
145 Chillingham Rd.
Irmo, S.C. 29063

2010-02-11T17:33:00.000-08:00

International Christian Hospice News Update for January 2010
Ecuador is an amazingly beautiful country set within the majestic Andes Mountains of South America. It was our privilege to fly to Quito, the capitol, and spend 10 days learning and experiencing some of what God is doing there. Since meeting Sheila Leech, RN in November at the Global Health Mission Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, we were eager to respond to her invitation to visit the two organizations she is working with which provide hospice care in Ecuador.
HCJB (radio call letters) has been present for nearly 80 years in Ecuador as the hub of Christian radio broadcasts. Not only do they minister with multilingual radio programming stations all over the world but they also have a Medical Mission arm of which Sheila is the International Director. She has served in Ecuador for 30 years and currently organizes and leads medical teams to provide health care globally. Sheila has just returned from doing medical relief work in Haiti. Please pray with us for Sheila and her team of doctors and nurses, both U.S. and Ecuadorians, who are at this time giving medical care in Ghana, Africa in Jesus’ name. We wish to thank her for her hospitality and time spent with us during her brief time back at her base of ministry in Quito between her worldwide travels.
One of the highlights of our time in Ecuador included Hospice Children’s Day. 30 children, whose families have been served by Hospice and have experienced a death of a loved one this past year, gathered Saturday January 23rd for a day of fun and learning. The Palliative Care/Hospice staff, including medical doctors, nurses, a psychologist, volunteers and chaplains of the Jersey Foundation presented activities, games and crafts designed to address the grief of these children. We all had fun participating and helping the children to express their feelings and each were given opportunities to talk about their loved one who died. Much creativity and love went into their creations of memory boxes and stickpin boards. Several HCJB volunteers, including Sheila, minister with the Jersey Foundation in hospice patient care, support groups and bereavement of adults and children.
The Jersey Foundation has a Palliative Care/ Hospice program unique to the Quito area. The missionary director, Dr. Nicky Bailhache from Jersey Island of England, invited us to observe several aspects of the ministry she has developed over the past nine years. She, along with Ecuadorian Dr. Ximena Pozo, are both specialists in Palliative Care and provide disease and symptom management for patients who have terminal illnesses. We accompanied Dr. Nicky and Amanda, registered nurse, on home visits one day. We saw the love of God in action as they helped patients and families who are coping with physical, emotional and spiritual problems common near the end of life.
Later in the week Sheila Leech invited us to the Day Hospice Center which she directs for HCJB. We enjoyed a delightful day with five patients who are terminally ill but still able to gather for crafts, music, Bible study and a meal once a week. We were honored to see this loving, volunteer team laugh with, serve and bring God’s living word into the lives of people who are often the forgotten ones.
What great learning experiences we had this week observing and working with others who have the common passion for Christ-centered Hospice care around the world. Thank you to the Jersey Foundation Team for their time meeting with us and sharing what they have learned. We remember the words spoken to us by the nurse Amanda after a home visit, “How can someone hear our words if they are suffering and in pain?” Another person once said, “People don’t care about what you know until they know that you care!” Our Savior taught us by example as He ministered to people’s physical needs so their spiritual eyes could be opened. These truths are coming to life through this vibrant, God directed hospice ministry tucked away in the Andes Mountains.
One afternoon we had the opportunity to take a tram-lift from the city of Quito which is at 9,000 ft. elevation up to 13,400 ft. for breathtaking views. Yes, literally breathtaking! Our cardiovascular and respiratory systems had to adjust to this height where oxygen masks are recommended if one were in an airplane at that altitude. We hiked slowly up to where we could view the snow capped volcano Cotopaxi to the south emerging between layers of clouds and a glistening glacier to the east. Although we wore coats and hats because of the frigid wind, we both got light sunburns on our limited amount of exposed skin. Weather on the equator is so unique that the temperature varies only a few degrees year round.
We were greatly encouraged and uplifted through the things we learned during this time of ministry. We feel like we were students in school again and we eagerly tried to absorb all we could about hospice serving the people in this culture. God has shown us some exciting new possibilities for International Christian Hospice through all the people we met serving Him in Ecuador. We also learned more about the challenges we face in order to grow International Christian Hospice in the direction He desires.
We anticipate this year to be one of growth and request that you join us in prayer for the following:
· Additional board members, particularly a Medical Director
· Technical assistance with web and media
· Revised, improved and expanded training materials and modules
· Follow-up ministry among the existing ICH trained Pastors, Volunteers and Medical Personnel
· God directed strategy to fulfill the organizational vision and goals
· Financial partners who have the common passion of reaching people who are nearing death with the comfort, peace and hope only Christ can give
In February and March we will be returning to Honduras and Guatemala. Pray for us as we travel and also for a Team from Lexington, S.C. who will be joining us there in ministry.

God bless you for your interest and for any financial gifts that God may lead you to give.
Please make them to: International Christian Hospice Tax deductible receipts available.
145 Chillingham Rd. Irmo, S.C. 29063

2009-12-28T11:27:00.000-08:00

International Christian Hospice Newsletter October to December 2009
Christmas blessings to you in honor of our Savior Jesus Christ… Immanuel… God with us!
Thank you, everyone, for your love, support and prayers as we have completed our 6th year of service to God. We desire to give Him the praise for what He has done and for what He has in store for the future!
Would you like to join us in ministry here or abroad this coming year? Help is needed on Mission Teams and in administrative/organizational work. Please contact us by email or phone.
October teturn to Honduras:

Thank you for your prayers for Ron and Don Smith as they experienced a very fruitful and safe time in Honduras. God went before them in preparing the way for several important meetings. Plans were made with our ICH Central American Director, Pastor Francisco Ilias and Central American Director of Volunteers, Lourdes Arguetta, for teams returning to Honduras in 2010. They met with key leaders of many churches, the Evangelical Hospital and Project Aldea Global to continue prayer and dialog about expansion of ICH in Central America. During their time in Honduras the political situation remained uncertain but order is returning. They witnessed that God is empowering the Honduran believers and current government leaders to stand firm against the unconstitutional dictatorship President Zaleya attempted to establish last June. They heard many testimonies of prayer and spiritual revivals occurring in towns and villages throughout the country in spite of the increasingly desperate economical times they are living in. God’s mighty hand is continuing His purpose through His people there and His purpose for ICH bringing hope and peace even in uncertain times. The latest news is of a peaceful election on November 29th and a new President who begins his term in January. Pray for this man and this nation to remain a democratic nation with strong spiritual freedom.

November : - Global Missions Health Conference in Louisville, Kentucky
-ICH Team Conference Day in Lexington, S.C.
“Every year it just gets better!” We agree that this Louisville conference week has become a highlight of our year! We were honored to rub shoulders with thousands of people serving Christ through health care ministries from all over the world. ICH was among hundreds of exhibitors and we thank our four ICH team leaders and Sean Steiner from Abby Road Hospice who attended with us and helped to man our booth. God’s presence was felt and He reminded us all as we listened to powerful speakers and fellow missionaries that, " HE IS ALIVE AND ACTIVELY CHANGING LIVES THROUGH THE HANDS OF HEALTH CARE WORKERS AROUND THE WORLD"!

The ICH Team is growing, Praise God! Saturday, November 21, we had a great day of planning, sharing and prayer at Lexington Baptist Church. We thank the twelve people, representing four churches, who gathered with us because they share the same vision for taking the good news of hope in Christ around the world. We are seeing the reality of the dream God gave us for multiplying teams of ICH trainers to be prepared to move through open doors of opportunity. Please continue to pray for these and many more folks to join ICH in short or long-term ministry.
December: Dominican Republic Mission trip Ron and Susan were accompanied by four team members for ten days of ministry. It was a privilege to offer ICH training seminars to over 200 people, in churches, an AIDs treatment clinic and mission training center located in five districts of the Dominican Republic. Many testimonies were given like the woman who stood and told us about her mother’s recent illness and death. She shared with the group that the teaching we gave was just what she had experienced and she wished she had known before what to expect and what to do. One Pastor shared with the group that the ICH information is powerful and necessary for his church members because right now they know many people in their town who are sick and dying. He expressed his desire for more training and issued an invitation to speak to 200 additional Pastors from many denominations. Thank you to our Nazarene friends for opening this huge door where the need is so great. Thanks also to those who are providing medical care to over 3,000 people at the IDEV AIDs Clinic. We pray that our teaching about how to minister to people with life-threatening illnesses and grief will reflect the compassionate heart of God to those they touch daily.
On Sunday we were refreshed and ministered to in a worship service lead by our missionary friend Dr. Francisco Sabado. He and his wife, Dr. Diane, are currently caring for patients in need of palliative and hospice care in the home setting. We will never forget the surprise “Christmas Caroling” we received the evening before we left. We opened our front door when we heard Caribbean style drums, tambourines and percussion instruments wishing us “Felice Navidad”. This group of ten friends from church danced and sang their way into the house and then we served cookies and cokes to complete the celebration. Unfortunately we had to decline the tradition of joining them to move on from home to home singing then gathering more people along the way all night long.
What’s ahead in 2010?

January: Ron and Susan will be traveling to Ecuador to visit with a Hospice Mission currently active in Quito. They hope to learn how hospice is meeting needs and reaching both home care patients and in-patients. Please pray!

February: Ron and Susan will be ministering in Honduras. A team from Lexington Baptist Church will join them to lead a week of Hospice training seminars. Please pray!
Spring Please pray for ministry plans that are pending. We need God’s guidance and discernment as we consider the direction of ICH in two areas: returning for follow-up to countries where current ICH ministry is being done and expanding into new countries from which we are receiving a growing number of invitations. Please pray also for financial resources so that ICH can continue to take the message of hope and comfort in Christ to people who are dying around the world!
As we come to the end of 2009 and look forward to the new beginning in 2010 may God’s Word speak from His heart to yours!
Psalm 119:29-31(NLT) “Your eternal word, O Lord, stands firm in the heaven. Your faithfulness extends to every generation…your laws remain true to this day, for everything serves your plan. “

Serving Him with you,
Ron and Susan Naish intlchristianhospice@yahoo.com 803-781-0656
Tax deductible Donations received at: ICH 145 Chillingham Rd. Irmo, S.C. 29063

2009-11-06T05:28:00.000-08:00

News from ICH missionary to South Africa LaVerne Busbee
LaVerne has written some great news of God’s work in South Africa! Recently two ladies made decisions for Christ because LaVerne is faithfully ministering to the sick and dying. She wrote of the funeral she attended which left several orphaned children. The Pastors sometimes performs 3 funerals a day because of AIDs. Many of the orphaned children come to the Center where she

teaches Bible lessons and offer a midday meal. LaVerne is also giving Hospice training at the Center to volunteers in the Home Based Care. These ladies proudly wear their aprons as they work alongside LaVern visiting and demonstrating Christ’s love in the villages. It is through these home visits and hands-on care that God is opening many more hearts to the Gospel of peace and hope amidst the ever present toll AIDs is taking on the lives of the young and the old. Please pray for LaVern as she ministers with ICH.

2009-11-03T12:32:00.000-08:00

Newsletter July-September 2009
International Christian Hospice (ICH)

Dear family and friends,

Thank you for your prayers and understanding about the recent email scam against us. It was distressing to experience someone falsely impersonating us as being stranded in England and needing funds then pirating away our complete contact list. Thankfully we still had access to our old email through Bellsouth so we could alert most of you. Please note this new email address which will now be our primary contact place at intlchristianhospice@yahoo.com. No one is immune to these sorts of “bumps in the road” but God was not surprised nor was His plan thwarted for us and ICH. We are trusting in Him as we press on with the work He has given us of taking hope and comfort in Christ to the world!
July and August What is happening in Honduras and Guatemala?
Proverbs 16:9 “We can make our plans but the Lord determines our steps.” Most of you are aware of the unstable political situation in Honduras since President Zelaya was removed and replaced by Micheletti in early July. Through phone conversations and emails we have stayed in touch with missionary and national friends in Honduras. They all are OK but everyone is feeling the impact of limited travel, decreased supply and higher prices of goods, uncertainty about the future of their democracy and freedom. It was a difficult decision to cancel our travel taking one of our teams to Honduras this summer. We continue to ask for prayer for this country, its’ government, the believers and particularly those who are doing and receiving Christian Hospice care. We thank God for the many ICH trained volunteers, Pastors and leaders who now are continuing the work to bring hope in Christ especially when the circumstances around look grim. Ron with Don Smith, a Team Leader from Lexington, S.C. will be traveling to Honduras in October to encourage our friends and view the situation making plans for our return to Central America in January. Please pray for these dear folks and for God’s direction for ICH ministry in this region.

Our thanks to the 8 members of our Guatemala Team from Biltmore Baptist Church. They joined us in ministry in the Hospital Cristiano Santa Fe about 45 minutes from Matzatenango.
It was an amazing week and we saw God’s hand everywhere we turned. We worked along side Dr. Sergio Castillo and his wife Veronica who serve the poor among their own people offering health care and God’s love. As Dr. Sergio says, “We do not only heal the body but the spirit also, in Jesus’ name.” During our 10 days of ministry there were 8 adults and 200 children who received Christ. Our team offered pre and post-op care for surgical patients, vision screening and fitting of glasses for over 100 people, a fresh coat of paint at another clinic site, VBS daily with over 200 children attending from the surrounding villages, and Christian Hospice training or Pastors, health care workers and

church volunteers. The team had several opportunities to go into homes to visit and minister personally to individual families. One day Dr. Sergio introduced us to Bayron, Lucianna and their 3 sons. Bayron has been one of his patients and now is dying of end stage liver disease at the age of 39. Because of his addiction to alcohol his family has experienced many crisis, loss of job and home, and now Bayron is beyond medical help. His days are spent mostly sleeping, fighting high fevers, some mental confusion and eating very little. Lucianna tends a small store out of the front room of their small rental home to keep them going. They have had problems with their oldest teenaged son rebelling and staying out of the home until late at night. Three team members, Yesinia, Teresa and Terry, joined with us to visit their home one afternoon. Everyone was home and we had a precious time of listening to them talk about their lives and also sharing the good news of hope and peace through Christ.

That day we knelt with Bayron, Lucianna, and the 2 older sons as they decided to follow Jesus. Joy and tears marked a new beginning and Ron encouraged Bayron with a reminder that he now has the opportunity to “finish well” leaving a legacy of faith for his sons rather than hopelessness and failure. The next day we returned for a follow-up visit and heard Bayron and Lucianna testify to the changes they were already experiencing as God was taking their fears, anxiety and anger and replacing it with peace and a harmony they had not experienced in their home before. We also were able to introduce a local Pastor and his wife, who had received ICH training, to them that day and left them visiting together. Recently we received an email from Yesinia, our young Guatemalan seminary student, translator and friend. She had spoken by phone with Lucianna who happily reports although Bayron’s condition remains weak and unchanged he has had no alcohol since he gave his life to Christ. She also says that their son is staying home after school and has a new respect for them that makes them very proud. We stand in awe of God’s transforming power and feel so privileged to carry the message of His redeeming love around the world through the ministry of International Christian Hospice.

What is happening in South Africa?

LaVern Busbee is now living and working in an area of small villages about 4 hours north of Johannesburg. She is spending her time ministering to AIDs families and orphans. Part of her responsibilities include helping with care of children, many who are HIV positive. She assists and provides training to home health workers traveling the region and going into homes providing Christian hospice care. Please pray for LaVerne as she organizes and leads in establishing home-based hospice care and finds opportunities to share Jesus’ love with the dying.

September : Organizational expansion opportunities are in the works!

ICH is in the early stages of sharing the common goal of serving the dying of northern Nicaragua with a mission agency Vision Nicaragua. This organization has worked in Nicaragua for several years developing a 10 acre multifunctional center which provides jobs, medical clinic care and spiritual training. Nearby, in one small village of 500 people, over 50 men are currently dying of renal failure caused by exposure to chemicals used in sugar cane farming. This situation is replicated throughout this region. Last year Vision Nicaragua hosted us as we gave our ICH training seminar and 45 Pastors, church leaders and laypeople from the area attended,

many who are infected or are widowed. The personal stories they shared with us opened our eyes to the reality of life and death they face every day. We asked ourselves how can we more effectively assist these people? As God has led, the leaders of Vision Nicaragua approached us about the possibility of planning and building our first Christian Hospice center which could provide hospice training, clinical outpatient monitoring, family support as well as inpatient care for terminal patients at this center. Please pray along with us for God’s timing and guidance as we consider this ministry opportunity with Vision Nicaragua over the coming months
It was a great time of fellowship and sharing about ICH as we attended Global Impact Celebration at Biltmore Baptist Church. Thank you to all who stopped by our booth and also the Connect Group for your support and welcome. We pray that God will continue to confirm His call in people’s hearts for service, prayer and support of missions around the world.
Prayer needs coming up
October Pray for Ron and Don Smith, team leader from Lexington, S.C. as they travel and work in Honduras.
November Global Medical Missions annual conference in Louisville, Ky. during which we will have a booth in the expo center. Several ICH volunteers will be attending and manning the booth with us. Pray for safety in travel and for the contacts that God has for us to make at the conference with people interested in the ministry.
December Travel and ministry with teams joining us in Dominican Republic. Plans are being made to work with the medical staff at an AIDs clinic and to offer training seminars to a large Pastor’s association. Please pray for the necessary communication, planning and preparations over the next few weeks.

2010

Pray for God’s leadership in as we consider ministry work in the following countries next year: Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Nepal, Ukraine and Moldova.

Pray that people will join us in short or long term ministry.

Pray for financial provision for the work God has in store.

Pray with us that our faithful God will be glorified in all that is done in His name through

International Christian Hospice.
Serving Him with you,

Ron and Susan

Tax deductible donations can be sent to:
International Christian Hospice 145 Chillingham Rd. Irmo, S.C. 29063
Email contact: intlchristianhospice@yahoo.com.

2009-07-14T18:58:00.000-07:00

News Letter International Christian Hospice June 2009
(ICH is now a nonprofit organization and donations are tax deductible)
Greetings and blessings to all of you! God has given us an awesome spring! He has been faithful to carry out His plan for our lives and for International Christian Hospice. All we have to do is be obedient and show up. He does the rest!
We would love to introduce you to some of the wonderful people we met in Moldova and Ukraine in April. We had the honor of staying in the home of a lovely, young family in the town of Vinnitsa, Ukraine. The Pochapsky family, Vova, Tanya and their three girls (number 4 is on the way), hosted us and introduced us to Ukrainian life, language, food and culture. Tanya is a wonderful cook! Our favorite dish was Borsht, a savory vegetable soup featuring home grown beets. Beets are a very important and versatile crop of Eastern Europe from which they get all of their sugar (it isn’t red, but light tan granules). From their front yard you can smell the aroma wafting up the hillside from the chocolate factory. We knew immediately that we love this country!
Vova, who speaks fluent Russian, Ukrainian and English, was our translator as he took us to meetings with local believers. Vova’s large extended family, as well as many of the other Christians who survived the Soviet occupation, have a powerful, unwavering faith in God. He shared personal stories of God’s unfailing presence in the face of persecution and hardships that we can only imagine. We were humbled to celebrate our Savior’s resurrection as we worshipped shoulder-to-shoulder with our new friends. Thanks to several native Russian speakers from Columbia, S.C. we arrived with all our training material ready to share. It was a great honor to introduce them to Christian Hospice ministry. The concept of going out into the communities with a ministry of care and comfort in Christ will give them a practical avenue to share the gospel. Having lived through an era of suppression and fear they are ready to learn and exercise their freedom of faith. God’s timing for bringing us here was perfect as always!
Our train travel in Eastern Europe definitely merits a few lines of description. This mode of transportation is the most popular, comfortable and economic. We had two opportunities for adventure as we joined Russians, Ukrainians and Moldovans on the Moscow train. Vova waved goodbye from the platform through the billowing smoke as we began our 10 hour trip from Vinnitsa, Ukraine to Chisinau, Moldova. This leg of our travel was in the daytime and we probably annoyed our Russian cabin mates (4 person bunk/bench cabins) leaning over them to watch the beautiful countryside glide by. So far our Russian language skills included “hello, please, thank you and God bless you.” Of course, Ron also utilized the word “Uaz”, in our mostly sign language conversations. Uaz is the name of a classic Russian-made jeep seen mostly on very muddy roads in villages. At one point, to his delight, he even got to examine Vova’s father’s Uaz and sit behind the wheel. 90% of Ukraine is rich black soil, the envy of most surrounding countries. During the past century, Germany and Russia hauled train car loads of soil out of Ukraine. It is considered the “breadbasket of Eastern Europe”. We soaked in the early, spring green of the vast agricultural fields, blossoming fruit trees and flowers. At the border crossing into Moldova, we remained in our cabin. We submitted our passport for examination to the officers who stood in our cabin doorway and after more sign language, nods and smiles we were cleared to continue our journey. One necessary activity during our travel was a trip to the restroom. At the end of the car was the facility including fresh air and a view. Thankfully, handholds are provided to compensate for the rhythmic sway of the train. Upon pushing levers, both sink and toilet drains open and empty onto the tracks passing beneath. We had been puzzled as to why the restroom was locked during the frequent station stops. Mystery solved!
Moldova is a small country between Ukraine and Romania, about the size of Massachusetts. Chisinau is the large , capital city. We had a wonderful week of ministry teaching in the Moldova Bible Seminary. This is the only school in Moldova providing a three year program of Biblical education for Pastors, Educators and church leaders. We considered it an honor to be invited to share a week of Christian Hospice training with the second year students. These dedicated young adults are required to study challenging subjects such as theology, Biblical history and hermeneutics, not in their native Romanian tongue, but all classes are in English. An interesting fact that was shared with us was that Moldova has the highest number of missionaries going out to other former soviet countries. Currently student teams are preparing to go to Kyrgyzstan. The experience of death and grief has no geographic boundary. These students will be equipped with a better understanding of this difficult time and with skills in sharing Christ’s love when people are open to hearing there is hope beyond the grave.
During this week we gave our ICH training also in the evening to other local Christians. God connected us with Rodica Cerbova, a national, who is closely connected to the government medical care system in Moldova. She and her husband, who have planted and pastor a new evangelical church in a village, live to serve their own people. We spent a day with her visiting a local hospital and discussing her connections with influential people. As we prayed together with Rodica, all of us sensed a strong bond of desire to bring Christian Hospice care into the medical system and homes of the people of Moldova. God gave each of us a confidence and excitement for His plan for future partnering together.
Another 14 hour train trip, this time at night, returned us back across the border to Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. God blessed us with a great time of meetings with missionaries and nationals in the setting of one of the oldest, classic cities of Europe. Some of the world’s most beautiful art and music come to us from Kiev. We also saw vividly the spiritual darkness and need for hope and peace found only through Christ. All forms of gambling, unrestricted alcohol and prostitution are legal in all of Eastern Europe. God connected us with some very strong believing churches and seminaries where He is raising up nationals with the message of Truth that sets all men free. He has shown us many doors of hospice opportunities and we know He is leading us to return for future ministry.
The months of May and June have been filled with stateside ministry development and team training. Our first Board of Directors meeting was held in Columbia, S.C. and we are praising God for those who are joining us with fresh vision in planning the direction for the future. He has raised up 2 teams who are planning to accompany us to Central America In July and August. In July we will be sending out our first missionary to South Africa, La Verne Busbee. She will be opening up Christian hospice care with AIDs orphans, widows and families in villages north of Johannesburg for her first term of one year.
As you can see we have much to praise God for, much for which to continue to trust Him and much we are believing Him for in the future. Thank you once again for your prayers, your giving and believing with us that International Christian Hospice can bring hope and comfort to the dying around the world!
Praises
*Ukrainian and Moldovan believers now equipped with ICH ministry-Open doors for future
* Teams joining us for ministry in July and August
*First Board of Directors meeting successful
Prayers
*Safe and healthy travel for Ron and Susan for 2 months of international ministry ahead
*Preparation, travel and ministry for teams and people in Guatemala and Honduras
*Political situation in Honduras, national Christians
*Financial, staffing and training development needs of ICH
Serving our Lord with you,
Ron and Susan Naish, Directors
All Donations Are Tax Deductible mailed to our office at:
International Christian Hospice 145 Chillingham Rd. Irmo, S.C. 29063

2009-03-28T05:05:00.000-07:00

International Christian Hospice Newsletter
January -March 2009

“…and now, O Lord, give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching Your word…They testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them.” Acts 4:29, 33

Dear Family and Friends,

God has chosen to place all of us in an exciting and crucial time of history! Many people today are tempted to live in doubt, fear and depression over the world’s current financial and political situation. In Acts we read about the first century church which faced a very similar world, if not a worse. We read the response of believers in the above verse which was to pray, asking God for greater boldness and then they powerfully testified. They made a choice, unaffected by finances, society or the current political system. As a result they experienced “God’s great blessing”. Many Christians today are mistakenly looking for security in “health, wealth and prosperity” rather than something much greater that God has in mind. What were the great blessings of God these first century believers experienced? We find the answer as the story unfolds that thousands came to faith in Christ and the first century Church began to spread world-wide. Will we take this challenge despite what we see going on around us to pray for great boldness to testify powerfully the message of hope and resurrection to a dying world? International Christian Hospice chooses to take this challenge! Even in light of the difficulties of our times and the challenges we face in ministry Christ and His love is transforming lives of people who are facing death and families who are grieving. Thank you, family and friends, for your bold prayers on our behalf! We know that you are praying because God is showing us daily His hand at work in ICH. We believe that what is being accomplished through ICH around the world is “God’s great blessing.”

We don’t want you to miss any of the exciting things God has been doing. We will try to condense these three busy months and give you the highlights.

January-Honduras and Stateside

· Wednesday night ICH training as 10 week series at Lexington Baptist Church, S.C. Thanks to Chuck McCurry, Team Leader, as facilitator and other team members at LBC for teaching.

Honduras

· Meetings to encourage our Honduran ICH workers and plans made for opening work in 4 new locations
· Home ministry with 2 people who were dying and their families
· Meeting with the DeBose who direct Grace Life Ministries and Seminary
· Meetings with the Director of Evangelical Hospital, Dr. Maritinez and also Dr. Aguillar, staff MD. Discussion continues about partnering for a future ICH Care and Training Center in Sequatepeque.
· Looking at potential property and buildings for ICH Care and Training Center which adjoins the hospital property.
· Meeting with Chet Thomas, Director of Aldea Global, a national organization with 600 community health promoters who are being trained in Christian Hospice care.
· Met with a new Russian friend, Anya, who is a missionary to Honduras. She is now also helping us with translation work for our upcoming trip to Ukraine.
· Traveled approx.1,200 miles in Honduras in our faithful Ford Escape. Preparation for return in August with LBC team.

February- Dominican Republic and Stateside
· Translation of ICH written materials into Russian began by friends in Columbia, S.C. Special thanks to Irina Ponomarev, Ludmilla Falter, and others.
· Meetings with Drs. Francisco and Diane Sabado in Santo Domingo, DR
· Meeting with staff at Virology Clinic in DR working with over 1,000 people with HIV and AIDS. Plans made for future additional training.
· Team members Dr. Arleen Jennings and Linda Craig, RN joined us in ministry in DR.
· Participated in 2 medical outreach clinics to Haitian refugees.
· Presented 3 ICH training seminars in DR.
· Meeting with Director of Nazarene church of DR for future hospice training.

March
· Praise God! We received our official confirmation from the IRS of our non-profit status! This has been a long process begun last March and all donations, written to International Christian Hospice (ICH) are now tax deductible.
· Preparation for ministry trip in April to Ukraine and Moldova. Final work on material preparation and translation.
· Meeting in Knoxville, Tn. with Dr. Martinez and wife Norma who are visiting in the US. Discussion and prayer continues for possible partnership with Evangelical Hospital in Sequatepeque, Honduras.
· Welcome to Lavern Busbee who will be accompanying us to Moldova in April for field training. Lavern will be going to South Africa later this year as an ICH representative working with AIDS orphans and families.
· Planning meeting at Biltmore Baptist Church for team going with us to Guatemala in July.
· Safe arrival of medical equipment via container to Honduras. Thanks to Dr. Mario Fu and Team Co-ordinator Lourdes Arguita for pick up and delivery to Ever, our young paraplegic friend. Ever continues to decline but remains strong in his trust in God. Thanks for your prayers and donations!

We know that you have been praying because we have seen God’s hand at work in taking the ministry forward. New doors are opening for International Christian Hospice to fulfill our mission. Please continue to pray!

Prayer Needs
· Preparation (for us and those we will minister to), travel and ministry in Ukraine and Moldova in April
· Discernment for growth and answering requests for ICH in many new countries
· Wisdom for God’s timing and plan for partnering with Evangelical Hospital in Honduras for a Care and Training Center
· ICH annual Board meeting in May in Columbia, S.C.
· Financial needs for continued ministry

We are honored to serve Christ and to represent you in His name. God has led us in founding International Christian Hospice and walking beside Him in faith for the past 5 years. Please partner with us in prayer and giving so that people around the world will have the opportunity for peace and comfort in Christ as they face eternity.

Serving Him together,

Ron and Susan

Tax deductible donations can be made to: International Christian Hospice
145 Chillingham Rd.
Irmo, S.C. 29063

Contact Information: ronnaish@bellsouth.net
ichospice@gmail.com
http://www.ichospice.org/
http://www.ichospice.blogspot.com/

2008-12-18T18:45:00.000-08:00

International Christian Hospice Newsletter December 2008
Report Summary of Ministry for 2008
Projected Ministry Schedule 2009

Christmas Blessings to each of you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! We thank Him for this special time of year to celebrate and remember God’s entrance into humanity through a humble birth. Join us in worship of the One who was and is and is to come! It is our honor to humbly serve Jesus by taking International Christian Hospice ministry to the world. Thank you for your prayers and gifts which are the conduit through which God is building His Kingdom around the world.

We flew back to the US in September and began an exciting fall of ministry and fellowship in 4 mission’s conferences and speaking opportunities. Biltmore Baptist Church, our home church in Asheville, NC, hosted us and 40 other missionaries in their annual Global Impact Celebration Weekend. We enjoyed renewing friendships and meeting other people who are in ministry around the globe. A few highlights for us were the International Bazaar, much like a world fair, and the Monday morning debriefing. Common problems such as burnout, feelings of isolation and poor communication were addressed and some helpful solutions offered. Thank you BBC for your loving support and making sure we know you are with us in prayer no matter how far we travel!

Our next Mission’s conference was in October with our dear friends at Lexington Baptist Church, SC. This annual Global Focus Conference gave us some great opportunities to share with Sunday school classes and individuals who stopped by our display booth. We have a special place in our hearts for LBC particularly because of the eleven mission team members who have come with us to Central America to do hospice ministry over the past 2 years. The warm embraces, genuine support and interest we experience every time we are at Lexington blesses and encourages us to keep pressing on. We believe that God arranged contact with other missionaries this weekend to open doors for us to take ICH to Ukraine, Moldova and possibly Turkey in 2009.

Also in October we joined a group of volunteers for training at Abbey Road Hospice in Columbia, SC. Sean Steiner, CEO and Lyn Reagan, MSW offered a great workshop on the compassionate hospice work they offer to anyone in the midlands of SC. We can clearly see Christ’s love and hope being offered through the staff at Abbey Road and are excited about partnering in local volunteer work with them and also about their staff joining us in international ministry. This is another example of the Body of Christ coming together in His plan for Hospice.

The first weekend of November we were invited for the first Global Missions Conference of Greenway Baptist Church in Boone, NC. We thank our new friends Gordon and Lucy Rule for hosting us. It was an enjoyable time of sharing with their church about ICH and learning about their work locally and in El Salvador.

We attended the largest annual Global Medical Missions Conference in the US in Louisville, Ky. the second week of November. We were so encouraged to learn how much God is doing all around the world. We joined with thousands of attendees who gathered twice daily for worship and Bible study. The rest of the day was filled with smaller breakout sessions taught by medical missionaries on many different topics of global health concerns. We noticed two themes that became recurrent as we attended classes: 1) every ministry emphasized holistic care which ministers to the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of each person; 2)every ministry was involved in community development through their particular expertise. How exciting to know that we are on the same page with other mission efforts around the world! Whether it was about primary medical care, pure water treatment or AIDS and TB infectious control each ministry desires to involve communities and broaden the focus beyond just meeting physical needs. As one speaker said “If we only fix the body we have really done nothing.” How awesome that God has called us to see people with His compassionate vision. Meeting the physical needs of healing is only temporary. He desires the eternal impact of healing the heart and restored relationship between Himself and each individual. The spiritual healing of each person raises unlimited possibilities for improving community wide health and all living standards. International Christian Hospice gives training for the national Christians in ministering to the whole person meeting them where they are in the terminal process. This training also targets bringing the spiritual leaders and medical community together to accomplish Christ-centered care. We are beginning to see the fruit of this happening in all 7 developing countries in which we have worked. This is all to God’s glory and under His direction. We are the honored ones who get to be a part of His plan for ICH.

In December we have traveled to the Dominican Republic for 10 days of ministry. God has partnered us with Drs. Francisco and Diane Sabado who are missionaries and have been doing hospice care for individuals in their own home for several years. Before we ever met them their dream was to open Christian Hospice centers for training and care. Since we met in November 07 we all have been praying and planning in unity toward this goal. Our time with them this month was encouraging to all as we are seeing the possibilities of a hospice house near their home in Santo Domingo, the capital. A fellow short-term missionary from Asheville, Sharon Kast, FNP, joined us for a week of ministry and travel. We were able to present ICH training in two different locations. We drove west toward the Haitian border to a small town called Tomayo. Pastor Francisco Melo, who pastors a small church there, had spread the word of our coming to do training.

We were delighted to meet with Pastors and church leaders from 34 different evangelical churches in that region. Over 60 people attended our training seminar in a large meeting hall on the town square. The pastors prayed for us at the end of the training which was a wonderful expression of God's Love.Dr. Jose Noa attended also from the local government hospital and expressed a need for his staff to have hospice training. The next day Pastor Francisco arranged a meeting with Pastor Edison who asked us to return and work with his organization in the south of the DR and also in the capital.

We visited Pastor Francisco’s tiny church, Christian Church of the Body of Christ, in a very poor community on the outskirts of Tomayo and prayed for his ministry there. We also traveled that day to another Haitian border town, Jimani, to learn more about a mission project there. Back in the capital, The Sabado’s church pastors Alexi and Omeyra welcomed us and received the Pastor/Volunteer training eagerly. They shared stories of co-workers, family and friends who are dying or grieving. As we spoke God’s message of Hospice in Jesus’ name the people began making plans to start their own outreach. As on each trip God networks us with more of His people. We are looking forward to working with new friends, the Lepleys, who serve as missionaries for the Nazareen Church. Many plans were made for our time of continued ministry in the DR. We are praying for God to raise up those He desires to go with us in February.
We are praying with Drs. Diane and Francisco Sabado about possibly developing this house into Hospice home/training facility in Santo Domingo. This will be the first ICH facility we have the opportunity to open which can meet the needs of people who are dying and have no place to go as well as to provide training and outpatient care.
As 2008 comes to a close we have many praise and prayer items. Please join with us in raising these things before God who is our faithful guide and provider.

Praises in 2008
New organizational incorporation/ non-profit status
5 mission teams joining us to work in 3 Central American countries
400 new Pastors and church leaders trained in Christian Hospice
4 possible locations for ICH training/care centers in C.A. and D.R.
Increased openess of Medical personnel in C.A. and D.R. for Hospice training

Prayer Requests
Guidance in organizational planning for growth in ministry and staff needs
Discernment in developing ICH centers in the countries as God opens opportunities
Encouragement and perseverance of the ICH workers in the 7 countries of our ministry
Finances to support ongoing ministry
More people to join ICH in short or long term ministry

We pray that you and your loved ones have a Blessed Christmas and a joy filled New Year! Thank you again for being a part of what God is doing around the world through International Christian Hospice!

Your friends and co-laborer in His harvest,
Ron and Susan

Tax receipts will be sent for any donations to International Christian Hospice
Mail to either: P.O. Box 1014 Swannanoa, N.C. 28778 or 145 Chillingham Rd. Irmo, S.C. 29063

Report Summary of Ministry 2008

Countries in which we ministered 5
ICH training Seminars (other countries) 26
Total People Trained ( Pastors, Church leaders
Volunteers, Medical staff) 795
People attended Grief Workshops(other countries) 195
Short-term Mission Teams 5
Medical Clinic participated in 5
Pastor Associations presented to (other countries) 4
Mission Conferences(US) 4
Other Speaking opportunities(US) 2
ICH Volunteers partnering with
Abbey Road Hospice(US) 7

(Detail description of monthly ministry activity available if desired)

Projected Ministry Schedule for 2009
(Subject to Spirit lead changes)

January Medical Equipment delivery to Indiana for shipment to Honduras
Ministry in Honduras

12 Week ICH training begins at Lexington Baptist Church

February Ministry in Dominican Republic
Short-term Team to DR

March ICH Board Meeting
Organizational development

April Ministry trip to Ukraine, Moldova, Turkey

May-June Ministry development

July-August Ministry in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua

September-November Mission Conferences
ICH Board Meeting

December Ministry in Dominican Republic

2008-11-03T14:36:00.000-08:00

Newsletter October 2008
Ron and Susan Naish
International Christian Hospice

“Jesus Christ the same, yesterday, today and forever.”

We hope to bring you encouraging words from the Living Word and from our hearts. This is a tumultuous time in history for our country and our entire world. Our natural response is fear when things seen out of control. We are tempted to turn our focus onto ourselves and find ourselves wringing our hands in worry. We need to turn our thoughts to the One we have placed our faith in, whether in good times or bad. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me ALL the days of my life.” These words from scripture are not only for the good days, or only on the days when we feel secure. There have been many times of uncertainty and chaos since our world began but God is not caught off guard. His sovereignty and power have not wavered. We need to ask ourselves what we are really trusting in. As believers we have a steadfast Rock, an anchor in the midst of the storm-Christ Jesus our Lord! Right now is a wonderful opportunity for us to return to our faith personally and nationally!

We must not let fear immobilize us or turn us inward! The condition of people around the world has not changed nor our Lord’s passion for them to know Him. The governments and economics of most developing countries are in chaos and near collapse everyday. People in these countries live with these conditions in their normal, daily lives. It is nothing new to be on the brink of disaster at the whim of their government’s corruption and greed. Millions live not only in national crisis but in personal crisis facing death and eternity with no answers. God’s commission to us has not changed to bring His message of hope, comfort and peace through International Christian Hospice. We see this as a time of stretching ourselves in greater faith to follow Him through the many open doors before us.

There is so much to share with you about the past three months of ministry. God has kept us on the edge of our faith-seat as we have seen Him work His wonders. We flew back to Central America in late July. Our car was stored with friends in Sequatepeque, Honduras (we will be back to Sequat. again in our story), and we saddled up for the first leg of ministry which took us to Guatemala. Our plan was to spend a week working with Dr. Sergio Castillo in a small village called Chocola in the tropical, and very hot coastal highlands. It was our honor to host the Ballard family, from our home church Biltmore Baptist in Asheville. Paul, a Physician’s Assistant and Kathy, a Family Nurse Practicianer worked along side Dr. Sergio to provide medical care in his Hospital Cristiano daily clinics.

Their two daughters, Carter and Caroline, helped to conduct VBS for over 50 chilren. The small hospital was the perfect setting for 30 Pastors and church leaders to attend our ICH training. This region of Guatemala includes four indigenous Indian groups. During our week here Dr. Sergio performed a successful surgery on a young man from a remote Tzutujil village four hours walk away. This young man named Manuel, in his mid-twenties, works for a coffee plantation picking and carrying 100 lb. bags out of the mountains for .80 cents a day. Dr. Sergio told us that he had never seen such a large and painful hernia as this man had. We were honored to join Dr. Sergio as he prayed with Manuel and with his small family clan who accompanied him. Later Manuel asked Dr. Sergio “which god did you pray to for me?” Dr. Sergio told him about the Most High God who loves him. Manuel told Dr. Sergio and Paul that in his village they worshipped many gods but “now I have seen the power of Sergio’s One True God”. Please pray for this family and for this unreached village who have been introduced for the first time to the Gospel. Pray for Dr. Sergio as he offers healing of the body and the soul as he treats more than 10,000 people a year.
While in Chocola, we also had the privilege of spending time praying and counseling with a very distraught couple. They are grieving the loss of their daughter-in-law and grandchild in childbirth. They were barely able to hold the family together in the midst of their anger and depression. We shared with them the normal stages of grief that they were experiencing, and also some practical things they can do to help their son and grandson. Psalm 139 spoke God’s reassurances to them and we saw a transformation in their faces. They told us that “now we know that God really does still love us and we can keep going, one day at a time”.
After this time of ministry we began to discuss with Dr. Sergio a common dream. He is interested in opening a Hospice unit within his hospital. This would be the first like this in Guatemala and could meet the needs of people who are dying and have nowhere to be cared for. Please pray for God’s direction and future hospice plans in Chocola.

The next chapter of our work in August took us back to Honduras. An ICH training team arrived to work with us for a week of seminars in the capital city Tegucigalpa and also in the small town of Sequatepeque, which we mentioned earlier. Don and Sue Smith were the team leaders accompanied by Linda Gill, RN and Beverly Decker all from Lexington Baptist Church in S.C. Our hospice training this week began at the Evangelical Hospital with 50+ health promoters who provide healthcare and education in villages all over central Honduras. We were thrilled that these nationals will take the new knowledge of Christian Hospice care and minister to hundreds we could never reach. Another “divine appointment” we had was to meet the General Physician, Dr. Manuel, and learn of his desire to open a hospice unit in this hospital. We are in awe of God giving us this second contact with His people of like mind and vision! There is more to come about this.
Before this week was over God had given us ministry opportunities with 14 different churches, a group of 26 teachers and staff of a Christian school, 2 large elementary school assemblies, several personal counseling and home visits. And as always, we received many invitations to other churches and other towns. This ICH team has truly experienced the eagerness these people have for learning about hospice. They are making plans to return and continue the work early next year.

The last week of August we drove down to Nicaragua and were hosted in their home in Leon by Mike and Maria Saeli, missionaries with Nehemiah Institute, for 5 days. We are blessed with these new friends, who are a delight and inspiration to us! Maria, who had been a hospice nurse in the U.S., accompanied us to the Chinandega area where we presented ICH training to a group of Pastors and church leaders at Bethel Christian Center. In this northern part of Nicaragua many of the men who have been sugar cane field workers are dying of renal failure. Some of them attended our seminar. We also were able to visit in the home of Aleandro who is 31 and his wife Maria, who live in a small Village named Bethel. He told us his story that he was diagnosed with renal failure 6 years ago and gave his heart to Christ 1 year ago. He showed us a photo of him with his brother two days before his brother’s death from renal disease. He spoke of his concern for his two children and wife because he knows he has only months to live. We encouraged him in the knowledge that he has given them the ultimate gift in His example and legacy of faith in Christ. His wife expressed her gratitude, through tears, for our visit and for praying for their family.
God has brought us into Nicaragua to plant the seeds of Christian Hospice and we pray for more opportunities and for more workers to return and water these seeds for the Lord of the harvest.

On September 2nd we traveled to the central part of Nicaragua and met our second ICH team from Lexington Baptist in S.C. We have been so blessed by the partnership we have received from our friends at Lexington. Chuck McCurry was the team leader, accompanied by Margaret Taylor, Shari Phillips, RN and Joyce Turpin. Our thanks to Mike and Joan Vilasi who are missionaries in the small southern town of Rivas. Through their efforts arrangements were made with local believers for a very full and fruitful training schedule. God allowed us to work in some beautiful, but needy locations.
We began by crossing Lake Nicaragua by ferry to the island of Ometepe. On a little side note of interest, this is the only fresh water lake in the world with sharks. Ometepe is made up of twin volcanoes and jungle and is home to about 30,000 people. We spent two days in presenting hospice training to Pastors and church leaders on both sides of the island. God had another divine appointment for us. Pastor Dennis hosted our training in his church, New Jerusalem, then requested that we visit someone with him. He led us down a path through a banana grove and behind a small house to a small, thatched lean-to, home of Alberto. He requires lifting and much assistance just to get dressed and out of the bed. Due to his severe, advanced arthritis Alberto experiences constant pain, depression and other related problems. We discussed some comfort measures and diet plan, gave him some Tylenol and although we encouraged him with scripture and prayer we felt so inadequate as we left. One thing God reminded us of is that Alberto is precious to Him and He called us to that remote spot to bring His touch through our hands. We later learned of a Christian MD who has a clinic on the island and the Vilasis will be working with her to provide care for Alberto.
Back in Rivas we gave a two day seminar in Rain of Grace Church. And rain it did! This is the rainy season and the church was flooded and mud filled the day before we were scheduled. But thankfully the sun came out and church members spent hours cleaning and drying the floor. Many different churches were represented by Pastors and church leaders as well as community leaders and Dr. Aguilar, who is the Director of the public Hospital of Rivas. An amazing discussion took place that day. God brought two specific Pastors and Dr. Aguilar together with us, each of us having the common dream of opening a Christian Hospice facility in Rivas. This was neither preplanned nor expected but I am sure God smiled as we talked excitedly together. Plans began that day for the Christian community and the Medical community to join in ministering to the homeless and needy who are dying. Only our great God could orchestrate this, our third such development in Central America in a matter of weeks, bringing the right people together sharing our vision for hospice. Please pray with us over this third possible opportunity to partner with the national Christians in Central America in Hospice facility ministry.

Before we left Nicaragua our team presented training at the Nehemiah Institute in Managua. 20+ people who are ministering in a huge variety of ways now have received training in hospice care. Our dear missionary friend, Maria Saeli from Leon attended this seminar and boldly told us she would like continue presenting ICH training in the northern region of Nicaragua. Her love for the Nicaraguans and her heart for hospice in Jesus’ name have inspired her. Within days of our leaving Central America we got an email from Maria. She and another missionary, Angi Hopkins, are presenting the training in a church who heard about us but their members could not come when we were there. How we praise God that He is at work in a far greater way than we could have ever imagined!

As we promised, we would like to make one more mention of Sequatepeque. Once again we are storing our car in this town in the heart of Honduras while we are in the U.S. Since we began to work in Central America almost 5 years ago we have felt that one day God would establish a central place for an ICH office. Please pray with us as we are considering this town as our base from which we, and our teams, could easily travel to any Central American country. We are also praying for a national Christian to help us staff this office. For now this is only in the projection stage because we are still awaiting our non-profit status. We are told by the lawyer that it is possible that we will have it by January 2009. In the meantime, we can accept donations for ICH and will give tax receipts as soon as possible.

We hope that you have taken the time to read about our busy ministry over the past three months. Even in light of the difficult economic times for us personally, and we know for many of you, we know that God’s work will continue in His time. He has been our faithful provider and He promises to complete His work in us. Our prayer for you is that you will earnestly seek to know Him and to make Him known!

Our notebooks and calendar are full of contacts and places who have requested ICH training. We feel that we have only scratched the surface. The nations are calling! Our brothers and sisters in the faith are calling to us for the knowledge and tools which we have available at our fingertips. “How can I face death and grief? Does God really care that I am suffering?” These questions haunt us from conversations we have had in a stark, hospital ward in Honduras, in a thatched roof home in Guatemala, beside a hammock bed in Nicaragua, or in a dirt-floored shack in many third world countries.

2008-10-21T07:17:00.000-07:00

A letter from a dear friend about his son's going home.

We met Paul Steiner in Nicaragua earlier this year. We told him about the ICH Ministry and the work in Central America. He was very interested and wanted to share his son's story with us. He gave us persmision to use this story to help others thru life's final challenge. The Grace that God gave his family members atests to God's great love for each of us. He peomises that, "He will never leave us or forsake us". Even as we face death He gives us the hope of a new body and everlasting fellowship with Him in Heaven.
Our thanks goes to the Steiner family in appreciation for sharing the story of their son's going home.

HOMEWARD BOUND

Tuesday I was on an early morning flight from Cleveland to Wichita. The night before we had received a call that our twenty-year-old son Paul was in the hospital with serious health problems due to lupus. Paul’s kidneys were so weak and diseased that he would need to leave college. I was afraid. How could I help him walk through this struggle of shattered dreams? Paul had experienced so much pain in his childhood years as an orphan in Guatemala-- and now this. I cried.

“Hi, Dad,” he said as I walked into his room. “It’s good to see you.” We talked a bit about the family before he said, “Dad, I have some business with you. When it’s time for me to die, promise me that you won’t keep me hooked to machines. Let me go be with Jesus. Dad, promise me!”

“Son,” I replied, “I’ll do my best.”

Paul went on. “I want to tell my birth father in Guatemala that I forgive him for killing my birth mom and that I love him. I want to tell him of the joy and peace that I have in Jesus Christ.”

I was amazed. “Paul, you’ve changed! What happened?”

“Last Thursday night, Jesus came to me in a dream. He was right here in my room with outstretched hands, asking me to come home. Dad, you would not believe how beautiful heaven is!”

“What did you tell Jesus?” I asked.

“That I could not go yet!”

“Why was that, son?”

“Dad, I need to tell my birth father that I forgive him for all the things he did.”

“Paul, we’ll do everything we can to find your birth father,” I promised.

Mid afternoon, three of his friends stopped in to visit. While we talked, Paul fell asleep. In his sleep he started talking, inaudibly, weeping as he talked. The four of us, not sure of what was happening, softly sang familiar hymns. When Paul woke up, I asked, “Son, what were you dreaming?”

“Jesus came to me again and asked if I was ready to come home.”

“What did you tell Jesus, Paul?”

“ I am ready.”

The next morning when I returned to his room, I found that Paul had a fever and was very uncomfortable. As his temperature rose, his blood pressure dropped. I read scripture and prayed with him. Late in the night Paul asked, “Dad, if I can’t urinate, does that mean my kidneys quit working?” When I replied that it probably did, he said, “Remember, Dad, I don’t want to be kept alive with a machine.”

Thursday morning I called my wife, Beverly, to tell her that Paul had a rough night. She supported Paul’s request not to allow life support. We prayed for wisdom for the decisions to be made.

Paul was sitting up in bed, when I returned, panicked and in pain, “Where were you, Dad? I’m sorry. I tried to move and I pulled out my IV.”

Since the IV team was unable to restart Paul’s IV, Paul was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The doctor said that things were not good. “Something grave is wrong in his abdomen. We would like to do exploratory surgery. It will mean a ventilator and, if we can get his blood pressure up, a dialysis machine. The kidneys have shut down. We don’t know what is going on.” The doctor told me that the chances of Paul’s surviving the surgery were fifty/fifty at best and that there was a possibility Paul would need a dialysis machine for the rest of his life.

At that moment I was reminded of the words that Eric, Paul’s younger brother, had spoken to me only thirty minutes earlier. When Eric phoned, he said, “Dad, we don’t want machines to keep Paul alive. Paul’s body is not like most twenty year olds, it is much older than that.” This gave me an overwhelming sense of confirmation that the right decisions were being made.

I explained Paul’s requests to the doctor and his refusal of life support. Since I respected those desires, I could not sign for the operation. I had peace I was telling the doctor the right thing.

I sensed tenderness in the doctor as said he respected my position. He advised me that Paul probably had less than an hour to live. I left to go and stay with our son.

Paul was clearly glad to see me. “Dad, I would like to have an anointing service when my friends come.”

I thought, he has less than an hour to live; his friends have exams this morning, and they’ll never make it. “Paul,” I said, “let’s you and I have the service, and then when your friends come we’ll have another one.”

I held Paul in my arms, his frail and weakened body slowly shutting down. Paul said he was at peace with God. I thanked the Lord for Paul’s life and asked that He would pour out His grace on Paul. I thanked the Lord for the great emotional and spiritual healing that He had done in Paul’s life. Even though I did not understand why Paul had to experience so much pain, I thanked Him for giving Paul the grace to endure it. Paul then prayed a short prayer of thanksgiving for the life and opportunities he had experienced. Then, since there was no oil available, I took my saliva and anointed Paul’s head.

Shortly, the chaplain came and we talked in the hall while the nurses attended to Paul. “The doctors have something they want me to ask you,” the chaplain said. “They do not understand you and your son. They are confused. Why no heroic efforts, no machines?”

“Christians are just passing through this life on their way to a better place,” I shared.

“You don’t understand.” The chaplain tried to explain. “Daily, they deal with distraught families. Even when treating a 90-year-old patient on the verge of death, they are expected to do all they can to keep the person alive for a few more days or weeks. Many of these are Christian families, too. Your son is young, twenty, in the prime of his life. Why, as a father, would you not do everything possible to keep him alive?”

I told him of Paul’s experience of peace and looking forward to heaven. I shared with him my understanding that we place far too much value on our earthly lives, that scripture tells us that life is a prelude to heaven. I explained that Paul knew he was going to have a new, perfect body. Why should I wish to hold him here? Instead I had released him to God’s care and keeping. I knew God could do a miracle and restore Paul’s body, but Paul had already received the ultimate healing of emotion and spirit. To me that was what mattered.

Shortly after this, friends from college walked into his room. I was surprised. Didn’t they have exams? How did they know to come? Then the dean of students walked over to Paul’s bed and said, “I am here to see you.”

Weakly Paul said, “I know, and it will probably be the last time.”

“Paul, would it be ok if we had an anointing service?” the dean asked.

What I had thought could not happen, did, as Paul’s friends gathered around him for the anointing service he desired. The dean prayed and anointed Paul with oil as we quietly sang several hymns. All of us in that holy moment experienced God’s comfort and peace.

Paul’s blood pressure improved and he was allowed to sit in a chair. The nurse agreed to bend the rules for visitors, but only two people at a time. Paul was happy to be up. It hurt a great deal, but he stayed there for three or four hours. For the next eight hours a stream of Paul’s classmates, the soccer coach, and fellow teammates came by. Two by two they came into his room and he challenged each one in their faith walk. They had come to grieve with Paul in this difficult time, but went away blessed, privileged to be at his bedside as he encouraged them on their journey of life.

In the middle of the afternoon the surgeon, who had diagnosed Paul’s illness as lupus just two weeks earlier, stopped by. I asked if Paul’s kidneys could ever recover. He explained that they were too diseased to ever work again. Some of the agony over the decisions we had made earlier eased.

That evening as I sat with Paul, he said to me, “Dad, I am so happy I am going home.” His radiance was intense as he lay there in peace. As Paul slipped away, he left a testimony of a glorious home coming with Jesus.

Paul was gone from this life, but my work was not over. I was committed to finding his birth father and sharing Paul’s story. My flight home, despite the pain of missing Paul, was a celebration of the freedom that my son was experiencing in his heavenly home.

2008-08-06T09:03:00.000-07:00

International Christian Hospice

Greetings friends and family! We pray God has been blessing you and growing your faith every day. We have been learning new lessons about His faithfulness as He has led us through times of prayer, waiting, seeking and moving forward. But unchanged is the heartbeat of Jesus’ words which He has called us to.

“The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:37-38

What a privilege to be called to serve God through ICH and to see Him fulfilling this plan. His desire to reach the people of the world with hope and comfort in Jesus Christ remains foremost in our hearts and minds as we move forward in ministry.
God has opened the opportunity for International Christian Hospice to become an independent non-profit ministry. We are currently involved in the process of applying for this new status. God has blessed us with the assistance of another hospice organization in Columbia, S.C. in this process. Please pray for this to be completed in God’s timing. He has also lead us to establish a new base of ministry in Columbia as well as out of our home in N.C.

More exciting news is about ICH work which is ongoing in Honduras. Our Central American Director, Pastor Francisco Ilias has been busy over the past few months leading ICH training seminars. He has presented training in four cities to

Pastor Associations, churches and volunteers. He has been able to promote the ministry on television stations in two areas. The hospice ministry has been taken by Pastor Francisco in to hospitals, schools and homes. He also presented training to a group of Christian Police officers who desired to know how to help people who are dealing with death. Equipping the nationals for continuing ICH is happening and we praise God for His sustaining power.

We are leaving for Central America for ministry on July 31. It will be a full schedule of travel and training. Three teams will be joining us from two churches. Each team will be working with us in a different country: Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. We will be training new members for training teams for future ICH trips. God is expanding His ministry and needs workers for the harvest. We have been praying for others to experience the blessings through working in the Hospice Ministry. God is not only bringing many from the US but workers from other countries like Pastor Francisco.
Praise God for His faithfulness to us His children.
We are seeking His direction for the future of International Christian Hospice and steadfast hearts to follow where He leads. We appreciate your prayers and financial support. At this time before we receive our tax status number, if you would like to contribute to the ICH Ministry you can give through either Biltmore Baptist, Arden NC or Lexington Baptist in Lexington, SC only as a temporary measure not to be in conflict with either churches existing missions giving program. We will keep you informed on the tax exempt status as it develops.
Serving Him Together,
Ron & Susan Naish
Directors, International Christian Hospice.

2008-04-03T16:33:00.000-07:00

International Christian Hospice in Nicaragua February 2008

God’s timing is always just right! Not too early and never too late! Thank you again for your faithful prayers which God answered just 2 days ago in making our Honduras car tags available. The next chapter of ICH in Central America began as we drove into Nicaragua on Saturday, February 9.

Our first week was spent in the northern region near Chinandega. Through contacts in N.C., which include Ron’s sister Arleen, we stayed at the mission project of Vision Nicaragua. God began to show us why He brought us to this area when we met the people of a small village nearby called Bethel. The major job industry of the entire northern region of Nicaragua is sugar cane. Hundreds of men who have been field workers are now suffering with kidney failure. Treatments such as dialysis or transplants are not an option for these men in this poorest of Central American counties. The population of Bethel is approximately 500 and 75 of the men are currently sick and dying. It is believed that the chemicals which are sprayed on the fields, while workers are present, causes this fatal disease. Labor and life is “cheap” here in Nicaragua. We met with a group of Pastors who asked us “what can we do to help these people who are dying? How can we help them and their families?” We spent two days visiting homes in the village and hearing stories of suffering but also of great faith. Brother David, who is dying, and his wife Telma and their family gathered around as Ron showed them our children’s book, God’s Plan. As Telma read aloud from our booklet Words of Comfort tears filled her eyes. Yes, God treasures His children and desires to send words of hope for eternity to those whose health is failing. He desires to give purpose and hope to those who grieve. ICH is coming to Nicaragua “for such a time as this!”

In Managua, we met many Nicaraguan Pastors and church leaders of different evangelical churches. We stayed at the Baptist Mission team house and made plans for future trips and training in partnership with the Nehemiah Center. We also received an invitation to bring our hospice training to the large new Baptist hospital.

It was a joy to meet our missionary friends, Mike and Joan Vilasi who run a children’s home, in the southern town of Rivas. They introduced us to key Pastors in this area who were eager to learn about ICH. We visited Ometepe, famous because it is an island made of two volcanoes, set in the middle of huge Lake Nicaragua. We have been invited by a group of 25 pastors to return to Ometepe and present hospice training to them and their churches. We surprised Dr. Tirza, who has a clinic for the poor on Ometepe, by visiting her clinic one afternoon. We had met her two years ago in Honduras and told her then that someday we knew God would bring ICH to her country of Nicaragua.

We ask that you join us in praying for our future plans to return to Nicaragua. We met so many people who all wanted to know when we would return. We feel as though we have merely scratched the surface during these few weeks and we are excited as we anticipate what God will do! Pray specifically for people to join us. We are hoping to bring ICH teams to Nicaragua for ministry in the early fall. Thanks for standing with us in prayer and support!

In gratitude to our faithful God,

Ron and Susan Naish

January Febuary 08 news letters

2008-02-11T12:37:00.000-08:00

News letter International Christian Hospice
January 30, 2008
Ron and Susan Naish

Welcome again to our blogspot updating you on our latest ICH news. We are so thankful for your interest and prayers for our ministry. We pray God’s blessing and direction in your life for this New Year!

We had several weeks in the U.S. over the holidays and enjoyed some great time with family and friends and now we have returned to Latin America for Ministry.

MMI Intl. Dir. Brian, Elizabeth Saunarine , Directors Training

On January 6 Ron flew to Peru for a mission conference with Medical Missions International (MMI). We met their Director of Integrated Health, Elizabeth Saunarine, in November when we presented ICH training at the MMI hospital in Dominican Republic. She invited us to come to the international conference in Peru and Ron presented our ICH training seminar to MMI directors and staff from 7 countries. Ron also had the opportunity to offer the same two day ICH training in a large Catholic church in down town Arequipa. There were 17 attendees from the Catholic Church and a priest from the Anglican Church. These opportunities to present hospice training in both locations, has opened doors for ICH to expand into Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. A big thanks for the MMI team and Directors Brian and Elizabeth for the invitation to present the ICH training to their staff. Please pray for discernment of God’s plan and timing for us to begin work in these countries.

On January 11 Susan flew to Honduras to meet Ron, who flew from Peru, for ministry work in Central America. Sarah Workman, the author and artist who wrote our children’s book God’s Plan, accompanied Susan and she is working with us for a few weeks. She is such a blessing because of her excellent Spanish and her compassion for people and missions. Sarah received her master’s degree in Art Education in December. Please pray with her as she seeks God’s direction for her future. Sarah Teaching Children´s Book below.

Tag less car after one year.
Pastor Francisco, Blanca & baby,

Our first few days in Honduras involved some of the practical issues of life for us in Central America. We hope you remember our story of January ’07 when we drove down from N.C. with our new ministry vehicle, a 2001 Ford Escape. In February ‘07 we registered it in Honduras and applied for tags (they require one on the front and the rear). We were told that there were none in the country. We have been waiting for a year for their arrival along with thousands of other drivers of tag less cars. Ron drove to the city of our registration only to be issued a cardboard provisional tag. Still no metal tags in Honduras. This provisional tag, now proudly displayed in the front window, allows us legal passage over the roads in Honduras but we cannot go across country borders until we have the official metal tags in place. We heard a rumor today that the tags may be issued the first week of February and if you do not pick them up on time you will be substantially fined. So we have developed plan A, B and C. We are scheduled to travel to Nicaragua in February so (A) Susan may travel on alone by bus (ahhh…fond memories of early days of ministry in Central America!) to get the ministry going while Ron remains in Honduras, continuing to inquire daily at the tag office. Or (B) we may both travel by bus to Nicaragua leaving the car in Tegucigalpa and Ron will return for the tags later. Or (C) we both wait and postpone our work in Nicaragua. We thank many of you who are praying for us and trust that God will reveal what we should do according to His plan.

Another interesting thing happened just today regarding our car. Ron noticed that the gears were shifting hard as we ascended and descended the steep hills here in Tegucigapa (some say it reminds them of San Francisco). We made it up the last incline and into the parking space of the hotel to discover that the clutch had gone out. God reminded us again of how good He is by his protection and we praise Him that this did not happen 2 days ago. On Monday we drove across 5 mountain ranges from San Pedro to Tegucigalpa bringing Sarah, Pastor Francisco, his wife and 5 week old baby with us. God also arranged for us to make it to the hotel parking lot where the hotel owner will allow us to leave it for a few days. Not only are we and the car safe but we are expecting our mission team from Lexington S.C. to arrive tomorrow. After several emails and phone calls to them we are resting in the knowledge that they will be bringing the needed parts with them. A big thank you to our friends in Lexington! Is our God big??? Huge!!!

It may be hard for some people to understand the importance of our transportation but our ministry happens because we are mobile. We spend our entire time traveling from city to town to village bringing the Hospice training to the people. This is the heart of Hospice; going where the people live and die with the message of hope and comfort in Jesus name.

Over the past two weeks we have given ICH seminars in three churches. Now there are 110 more Christians trained in Hospice ministry. We also had the opportunity to introduce ICH to a gathering of 250 Evangelical Pastors at a Central American Missions Association meeting. The concept of Hospice care is unknown here and sharing this unique concept as a church outreach program interests everyone we talk to. We have had several meetings with our web site developer and now have some video interviews, which were done in a small television station, added to our web page. We hope that this will personalize our ministry information that is available.

CAM Pastors Association

Ron & Susan On TV for Web Page

We must include two stories about people with whom we visited and how God is using ICH. Our missionary friend, Dr. Barbra McCune who works here in Tegucigalpa, told us about a little 4 year old girl named Marta Cristina. Her parents brought her to the government hospital here in December. She had been treated unsuccessfully for parasites for many weeks in her small town clinic as her tummy grew larger. Her diagnostic tests revealed a large, inoperable tumor. Dr. McCune is consulting on her case and we arranged to visit her at the hospital along with our ICH Coordinator Lourdes Argueta. The government hospital offers “free” medical care but that does not include sheets, towels, personal care items, food, medicines or tests. Cristina’s parents have been taking shifts staying with her, one at a time as the rules allow, while the other sleeps in the hallway on the floor or goes out to buy food and necessities. Occasionally her father will travel two hours by bus back to their home to see their other two children left in the care of relatives. When we arrived her father had gone to the lab in another building to deliver Cristina’s blood specimen drawn by the ward nurse. Susan was able to take gifts of towels, shampoo and soap enough to share with the other 20 children in the ward. She cried, talked and prayed with the mom, Miriam, and little Cristina. Dr. McCune shared that the prognosis is poor and so we are so thankful that Lourdes met this family and will be able to provide ICH trained people to support and minister to this family. Please also pray for the parents who are nominal Catholics that God’s message of hope in Christ will transform the life of their family for eternity. Below is Cristina and her mother in the hospital.

Lourdes, Susan & Dr McCune and Ron Cristina’s Father in Center

One evening, after we had presented our Hospice training in a church on the outskirts of the city, we walked down a rocky, dusty road to the home of Ever. He is an 18 year old, double complete amputee, who lives with his 72 year old grandmother and caregiver. Two years ago Ever had a gunshot wound to his lumbar spine. Due to severe infections in the bones of both legs he had total leg amputations to save his life. He also has a colostomy and urinary catheter, as well as bedsores on both hips. The sadness in our hearts over this tragic situation was lightened by Ever’s beautiful smile when we arrived unannounced. He was lying in a clean bed, on an air mattress, and his worn Gideon New Testament was on the bed beside him. His room was bare except for a small TV with rabbit ears and snowy reception on a small table. Ever assured us that he had placed his faith in God and trusted Him with the rest of his life. We are humbled by the great love our Father has for “the least of these” and we praise Him for bringing us to this church and neighborhood so we could meet this extraordinary young man of faith. Dr. Fu, our ICH Honduran Medical Coordinator, was with us that day too. He is planning to visit and manage Ever’s medical care in his home for free. This compassionate Christian doctor was sent to us from God last August when he attended one of our hospice training seminars. He has committed himself to giving free home medical care for any ICH patients. He not only ministers to them medically but he also prays, sings and reads scripture with them. We overheard him discussing plans to return with food which he will cook for Ever and his grandmother. The truth that God has “a future and a plan for us, to prosper us and not to harm us” as Jeremiah 29:11 tells us was evident in this home that day. In the face of tragedy and a very poor prognosis Ever’s attitude of peace and trust spoke volumes. Please pray for Ever, his grandmother and also the ICH volunteers who will be ministering to this family.

Ever with a great attitude, Dr. Fu, Grandmother, Ron & Ever

As you can see these few weeks of ministry have been full, demanding and rewarding. How thankful we have a Savior who is adequate for every situation and who longs to show His love for all people whether they have many years or a few days left to live.
We are here because God has called you to be our support in prayer and in giving and we thank Him for each of you. We are blessed with the opportunity of a life time to be here serving the one who is Faithful.

We would love to hear from you through our main email address ronnaish@bellsouth.net.
Check out our web site at: www.ichospice.org
We are receiving ministry donations at: (Note donations are Tax Deductible)

International Christian Hospice
145 Chillingham Rd.
Irmo, SC 29063

With grateful hearts,

Ron and Susan Naish
February 8, 2008
Newsletter for International Christian Hospice from
Ron and Susan Naish

Thank you for returning to our blogspot and for your interest in our ministry. We hope you had a chance to read our newsletter from January 30th. This update will tell you the “Rest of the story” as Paul Harvey used to say. A lot has happened in just 8 days.

We welcomed our International Christian Hospice mission team from Lexington, S.C. on January 31st. We know that you have joined us in praying for our vision that God would raise up Christians from the U.S. to bring this ministry of hope in Christ to other countries around the world and also national Christians to lead ICH in Central America. It has been exciting to see how God has brought these two teams together. From Honduras we have our Central American ICH Director Pastor Francisco Ilias, our ICH Honduran Coordinator/Translator Lourdes Argueta and our ICH Honduran Medical Coordinator Dr. Marcos Fu. From Lexington we have our ICH Team Leader Chuck McCurry, and team members Don Smith, Devon Shelton and Shari Phillips. We believe that each of these people have been hand picked by God to participate in the eternal impact of this ministry. What a joy to work together as a team over the past week!

Devon Shelton with Ever, Don Smith with Ever, Team from Lexington Baptist

We introduced you to Ever in our last letter. Visiting with Ever was one of the first events on our team’s agenda. The people from Lexington brought medical supplies and gifts for Ever and his grandmother and we had a great time visiting with them. Dr. Fu is giving Ever free medical care in his home although his prognosis is poor. Shari and Susan were able to give some practical nursing instructions. He is currently battling a serious infection and large bedsores and we are praying he will respond to treatment that will give him comfort and a better quality of life. Ever and his grandmother continue to testify to God’s love and peace in midst of this physical tragedy.

Dr. Barbra McCune, our missionary consultant here in Honduras, met with the team briefly. We learned that little Cristina is still in the hospital receiving some treatment to hopefully shrink the size of her liver tumor. She has continued to weaken and will soon be in the arms of Jesus. Our ICH volunteers are continuing to visit to provide support and prayer and Dr. Barbra is following with both physical and spiritual care. Please continue to pray for this family.

The team was invited to present our first ICH seminar at Jehovah Shalom Evangelical Church by Pastor Giraldo, who is a completed Jew in Jesus. After thirty minutes of vibrant praise and worship we presented hospice training to 60 people, most of which were older teens and young adults. These young Christians are

Team with Pastor Giraldo & wife, Sheri teaching at Shalom, Excitement over ICH Certificates

already going out in small teams to surrounding villages sharing the Gospel. A group of 10 volunteered to specifically organize Hospice outreach as an additional ministry of this church.

We left the mountainous capital city, Tegucigalpa, by van and traveled out into the dry, dusty interior of Honduras known as Olancho. This reminded us a little of the “wild west” as we saw cattle and cowboys in the long stretches between towns. The team presented training in two towns to 78 representatives from several different denominations. The highlight of our time with these believers was joining them in visiting patients at the local hospital. We were honored to encourage and pray with many people who were very sick. The nurse from the church also shared scripture and poems from our Words of Comfort booklet with several patients. These believers know the reality of being the hands and feet of Jesus. That day we also accompanied two of the ladies who received our hospice training out to a small village to visit Julia, her husband and three children. This couple both have AIDs and we know that the ICH newly trained volunteers will be continuing to minister to them.
Julia in village HIV positive
Devon comforting patient , Team praying for patient in hospitalBefore we left the town of Catacamas we enjoyed a short tour of some ancient caves. As we walked on the trail above the underground river we were able to get a glimpse into the life of the ancient people who buried their dead high up in crevasses in the caverns.

On Tuesday Feb. 5 we all returned to Tegucigalpa. The Lexington team caught their flight back to the U.S. It was a great time of ministry and plans were made for future work together with the Honduran ICH Team. We are anticipating a future of growth as God continues to build International Christian Hospice staff both here in Central America and the U.S.

New tags and windshield, Replacing windshield

We also want to let you know how God has answered prayers about the issues with our Ford Escape. The Lexington team was true to their word and they arrived with the new parts we needed. Ron was able to fix the car himself here in the hotel parking lot. Also Ron made a phone call a few days ago to the license tag office and learned that our tags are finally here, Praise the Lord! It has been a long year of uncertainty. Since the office is on the other side of Honduras it was necessary yesterday for him to fly to the city of La Ceiba to pick them up then back to Tegucigalpa. Late yesterday afternoon we drove the Escape and Ron was able to change gears smoothly (Thank you Lexington friends!) and proudly “sport” our shiny, new tags. In Central America tags stay with a vehicle for it’s life. We also want to say a big thank you to donors who provided for a replacement windshield. Last year a rock and the hot sun cracked it severely. God is Good!

We want to give you a preview of our plans for the next few weeks of ministry so you can be praying specifically. Tomorrow we will drive south and cross the border for our first trip into Nicaragua. We are now able to do this since we have our official tags on the car. Our plans are uncertain but we are hoping to make contact with missionaries, national Pastors and medical facilities in the northern area of Leon, midway down the country in the capital of Managua then south in Rivas. Please continue to pray for our safety in travel, for God to connect us with the people He chooses and for open doors for Christian Hospice.

We know that you all, our family and friends, have been so faithful and supportive in praying and also giving to International Christian Hospice. Thank you because we know that you are behind us. We feel your prayers. We are learning more each day about walking by faith in God’s provision for ministry needs through you. God’s blessings to you! Please watch our blogspot (ichospice.blogspot.com) for more news next month. Also our web site: www.ichospice.org

We are receiving ministry donations :

International Christian Hospice

145 Chillingham Rd.

Irmo, SC. 29063

Please email us anytime at our main email address: ronnaish@bellsouth.net
We would love to hear from you!

Serving Him together, Ron and Susan

2007-11-28T18:24:00.000-08:00

International Christian Hospice Newsletter Update December 2007

Greetings and Christmas Blessings to each of you and your family!

We look back in gratitude to our awesome God for what He has done in 2007 through International Christian Hospice. How amazing that He has allowed us to participate in His plan for this ministry. We thank Him for all of our friends and family who have partnered with us in so many ways. We are reminded this Christmas, by Jesus’ entry into our world, that He is our personal Good Shepherd who loves each of us with an everlasting love. “Oh come let us adore Him!”

The latest ministry news is all about walking by faith through the open doors set before us. Our vision trip to Dominican Republic (D.R. is a nation sharing the island of Hispaniola with Haiti in the Caribbean) last spring set the stage for our return in November. The week prior to our arrival in D.R. they were struck by hurricane Noel. The massive flooding took its’ toll on the country, especially the people living in the low areas near rivers or any water source. Thousands of homes were swept away, roads and bridges washed out leaving unknown numbers of people dead or homeless with many towns and villages stranded. In this country of 7 million, 1.5 million are Haitians and these are among the poorest of the poor. In the wake of these great losses and disaster God brought ICH with His message of hope found only in Jesus Christ.

God partnered us with His people who are at work in the D.R. in surprising ways. The original plan to travel with a team from Radio Bible Hour to do ICH training for Pastors changed, which God often does. The team lead by Dr. Smith came down the second week as they had planned but now their main goal was to minister to the flood victims in the Jimani area which was hit very hard. They were able to do some medical clinics and food distribution and help villages with other types of relief. Meanwhile we met and worked with a couple who are missionary MDs, Diane and Francisco Sabado, who already have a dream for hospice in the D.R. Through the years, they have taken into their home and cared for many people who were terminal until their deaths. We were able to spend several hours with and minister to a man who has colon cancer that is currently living with them. Because of the love he is being shown each day he expressed to us that he now has assurance of God’s care and peace no matter what the future holds. The next day we joined the MDs as they took a US mission team to do relief work in poor villages which border the dumps. Another day we traveled 3 hours inland and assisted the team with a medical clinic in a remote area which has no medical care. We also visited some property that they are praying about being the site for a Christian Hospice facility. God has given them the desire to open several Christian Hospice training and care facilities throughout the D.R. and we are excited about the opportunity ICH has to minister with them.

It was also a blessing to present our ICH training to the hospital staff and the Director of Integrated Health, Elizabeth Saunarine, RN at Medical Missions International (MMI).
They told stories of seeing people daily at the hospital who are dying. The ICH training provides them with knowledge and resources to understand the special needs of these people and their families. MMI has trained Health Promoters who visit villages to provide health training and care where people live and they were so grateful to learn how to better minister to people who are dying at home. As a result Elizabeth has invited ICH to participate in an international MMI conference in Peru in January 2008. We will be able to present Christian Hospice care to national representatives who run mission hospitals in 6 different countries in Latin America.

Training at Community Church Bus load of relief from the church Medical team from the church Dr. Sabado in clinicIglesia Comunitaria Cristiana (Christian Community Church), in Santo Domingo the capital city of D.R., hosted our ICH seminar for a group of about 35 church leaders and medical professionals. We became very excited as we shared our ministry with these dynamic Christian Dominicans. This is a rapidly growing, evangelical church led by Pastor Guerrera with the focus not on the people’s lives within the walls of the church. The primary goal in all aspects of church life is reaching out into the community with the Gospel. They currently have a daily preschool ministry, a gym open to the public playing Christian music and offering counseling, weekly meals to feed the local homeless in the city and a free medical clinic in the church for the poor. Many church members who attended our training form teams who visit weekly in the local government hospital to pray with and befriend the ill. We listened to many stories of the hopeless and dying people on the streets and in the dismal rooms at the hospital. The compassionate believers of this church are already out their rolling up their sleeves in the name of Christ. Over lunch the Pastor shared his vision with us for all the churches in the Del Camino Association, of which he is president, in 8 Latin American countries. He invited us to participate in their plan for community development bridging the church with the world around it by sharing the Living Word in the form of Hospice.

To further seal our relationship with these believers we went with them on a Saturday outreach to two poor communities. One volunteer group distributed rice and other foods, foam mattresses and other supplies which the church purchased to homeless flood victims about 2 hours out of the city. The group we worked with consisted of 4 MDs and 2 other church members. We went to another town, Bani, 1 ½ hour away. Bani is in the south and was hit hard by flooding. Over 300 houses were destroyed, leaving 1000+ people, mostly poor Haitians, homeless. The cultural rivalry and dislike between the Dominicans and Haitians was no where to be seen as the MDs examined and treated 318 sick people in Jesus’ name. 60 of these people were being housed in the second story of the community building where we held the clinic. The local Del Camino Pastor with whom we worked that day took us on a walking tour to the flood area and mud filled homes no longer habitable. We prayed together for God’s Spirit to pour out His mercy and grace on this area of such great need. The Pastor told us of the growth his church has experienced in the last 2 weeks. The reality of God’s love is being lived out by the believers of this third world country. ICH must provide training to these national Christians so they can reach the dying around them with the only Hope for all men.

God opened another door of opportunity through an interdenominational Pastors’ Association. On Sunday we were invited to introduce ICH ministry for the first time to about 50 Pastors on Tuesday morning. Then we were promptly scheduled for a half-day training seminar on Friday morning. The training was hosted by a missionary couple in a Dominican church plant of the Four Square Church. A group of 11 Pastors and 33 church leaders attended and many told us that they were now planning to begin Christian Hospice outreach in their churches. We concluded the seminar with promises of additional information and training in the future for these eager Christian brothers and sisters.

We have tried to convey to you the powerful and effective tool International Christian Hospice can be to the developing world in the hands of the believers. Just this letter with highlights of one month of our ministry is enough to overwhelm us.

Susan explaining meds in clinic

Susan counseling

Area where 300 homes weredestroyed

Haitian refuges who lost homes

Devastated area near Bani, DR

Our Bus stuck on trip to clinic

That is why we earnestly request your fervent prayers for three very important things.

First, pray for other Christians to answer God’s call to serve with International Christian Hospice. This could be in short-term or full-time service.

Second, pray for financial provisions to meet the needs for ministry travel, training and materials.

Third, pray for wisdom and discernment of God’s plan for moving forward through so many open doors. In 2008 our opportunities lie in 2 additional Latin American countries, Ukraine, Moldova and Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia (totaling 10 countries of ministry).

“Life is but a vapor” says the Psalmist and his words clearly describe what we have witnessed happening to people all over the world. Were Christ’s 33 brief years of life significant for you? The power we have in knowing the Man whose birth we celebrate is beyond anything else in this life! We urge you to search your heart in light of these words of Jesus…

“The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing.
And the words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” John 6:63 NLT

You can join with International Christian Hospice to take the words of Christ to the nations; words which He promises bring eternal life. Please send donations to:

International Christian Hospice Inc.

145 Chillinghan Rd.

Irmo, SC 29063

Have a Blessed Christmas and New Year filled with His Vision!

Serving Him together,
Ron & Susan
Ron and Susan Naish

September 2007

2007-10-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

Greetings to our dear friends and family and welcome to our new “blogspot” method of getting our newsletter to you. (ichospice.blogspot.com) We are excited about this way of being able to keep you all informed on a regular basis. We are also providing our newsletter by regular mail. There is much news to share because God has been faithful to continue His work through International Christian Hospice.

We traveled to Central America in early August with our agenda full for the coming weeks. Our 2001 Ford Escape was being kept by friends for us and our first challenge was to obtain a Central American license tag. As you probably remember we drove from N.C to Central America last January and we applied for permanent tags last March in Honduras. We were disappointed to learn that new tags are still not available this fall. So we continue to pray and wait. This caused our plans to change somewhat limiting our driving exclusively to the country of Honduras with paper permit in the glove box. But God’s plan was still in place despite the normal inconveniences of working in developing countries.

The first two weeks we spent time with our Central American directors, Pastor Moreno and Pastor Francisco, who live in the northeast area of Honduras. Together we visited several sick people in their homes and provided Hospice support to some churches in this area. Our first opportunity to appear on a Christian T.V. station was a great experience. Pastor Francisco interviewed us live on the air explaining the unique ministry we are offering the Honduran people. A few days later we had an enjoyable visit from a couple from the U.S. who traveled with us to the more remote eastern area where the Garifuna people live. In one home, while visiting an elderly, sick lady, Ron was able to share the Gospel with a neighbor who decided to place his faith in Jesus that day. We never know who will be listening when we arrive in someone’s home. A seemingly simple event can turn into a divine appointment with God leading us each day.

In mid-August we traveled across the country to the capitol city of Tegucigalpa. Preparations were being made for the first ICH team to arrive and work with us in the field for two weeks. God delighted us with a special blessing of bringing Chris and Rachel Embler across our path again (Chris is Susan’s cousin) in Tegucigalpa. Our paths last crossed in January in Alabama but God had now brought them all the way to Honduras on their walk from N.C. to Peru. Yes, they are walking by faith and ministering along the way. Check out their blogspot for their amazing story of God’s provision and protection in a year of travel on foot. (http://www.ourwalkoffaith.blogspot.com/) We were so blessed that God lead them to us for this time. God used their faith and testimonies to inspire us in areas of our lives in which we have been trusting in ourselves, our abilities and our possessions rather than trusting God.

The team of eight people, lead by Chuck McCurry, arrived in Tegucigalpa from Lexington Baptist Church and we began the field training phase of our new ICH team. What a huge blessing and encouragement to have them working with us! We know that many at home have been praying for us and this group because we experienced God’s hand going before us in powerful ways.

In the first 3 days we had opportunities to present ICH training in two churches and also to the staff and parents of a Christian school. This opened the door also for the special talents of two team members who do clown ministry. God surprised us again with His unique plan of bringing these special talented “clowns”. They added much joy, especially at an Old Folks Home and as we visited a very sick boy in his home. This boy’s mother, along with many others responded to the message of Christ’s love and decided to follow Him.

We must share a story of the power of our loving Father in an experience Ron, Chuck and Don had doing a home visit with a Pastor. On Saturday morning we presented ICH training to a group of people in a church on the outskirts of the city. We discovered that two of the women in this church had been in our seminar two years ago in another church and had since been doing Hospice ministry in their community. Now 23 others wanted to learn how to minister to the sick and grieving also. In the afternoon we planned to make home visits so divided up into groups. Ron, Chuck, Don and our translator Lourdes went with the Pastor to visit Fabian who lived in a very small home on top of a steep ridge. They climbed to his home and found him in bed with only his 8 year old grandson to care for him. His wife was working 12 hours a day, 6 days a week which is the normal work schedule, to provide a small income for their needs. Fabian had suffered a stroke, had a lung and kidney infection. He was very weak, uncomfortable and in respiratory distress. The men were able to reposition him and get some food and drink for him. They had prayer with him and made plans for the Pastor and ICH volunteers from the church to return and assist him and his family. The men shared with the team that evening the helplessness they felt. Fabian’s location and physical situation presented the impossibility of getting him out to the hospital or to a place where he could receive treatment and care. The situation seemed hopeless. So we prayed for Fabian and for the church who would be continuing to minister to him. On the next afternoon, Sunday, we presented our ICH training at another church a few miles away. The small group gathered slowly and we began teaching. We often tell stories and give examples of people we have met who need Christian Hospice ministry and Ron told the group about Fabian. One of the men in the group began to ask questions and was very interested in him. During the break he introduced himself as Dr. Fu, a Chinese/Honduran physician. He provides medical care for the poor by making house calls and usually receives payment in eggs or tortillas. Dr. Fu eagerly offered to visit Fabian with the men the next morning. On Monday morning the men met Dr. Fu at the church at 7:30 and hiked up to his house. This morning his son and grandson were with him and his wife had already left for work. Dr. Fu gently examined him and also drew blood. He began asking questions and the story unfolded. Fabian had become a believer a few months earlier. His condition had worsened and he was too weak to make the trip down the mountain to the hospital for an appointment. He had begun to pray for God to send help to him. He

told the men that they were God’s answer to his prayer. What a testimony of God’s great love for each individual! The powerful faith that this man displayed to his family also had eternal significance. Ron and Dr. Fu shared the Gospel with the two boys who were watching everything and they decided to give their lives to Jesus that day. Dr. Fu promised he would cover the cost of the lab work and would return with medication and there would be no charge. The entire team witnessed the great love that our Shepherd Jesus has for the one lost sheep. We were all reminded that everyone, no matter how seemingly insignificant, is precious to God who gave His life for them.

We left the city and spent one day ministering in the village of Alubarin. From there we spent two days in the hot, southern town of Choluteca near the borders of El Salvador and Nicaragua offering hospice training in two churches. By now the rainy season had begun and the road out of Choluteca was flooded beneath two feet of rushing river current. We learned this as we sat in a long line of traffic and the authorities predicted 6 hours until anyone could cross. But we serve the God who is in control! We were expected at our next place of ministry so our team sang praise songs and prayed to our God who can do anything. Within 45 minutes the water level had dropped to below the crossing and we were allowed to travel on. Each day the team grew in faith as we saw the hand of God at work around every bend. We serve an awesome, powerful God and nothing is too big or too small for Him.

Chris and Rachel stayed on with us for a week after the team left for the U.S. God gave us the perfect window of time just before hurricane Felix hit to purchase and deliver Bibles to the north east coast of Honduras. Chris, Rachel, friends and family had donated money to provide Bibles in the newly translated Garifuna language. These people of African descent live in secluded, remote villages. We had the privilege to place 236 Bibles in the hands of Christians who work and live among these people. We were able to go to the village of Corazal and present a Bible to Sulma. She is a Garifuna leader in her small church of 15 believers. We were thrilled as we listened to her read John 3:16 in her heart language for the first time. We are witnesses as God is pouring out His Spirit and sending His Word to places that have been closed to the Gospel in the past.

We were sad to say goodbye to Chris and Rachel but we parted on buses going in opposite directions. They headed south to Nicaragua and we headed northwest to Guatemala City. Our car had to remain in Honduras in storage awaiting tags but our flight back to the U.S. was scheduled out of Guatemala City. The results of the hurricane in the area we traveled was minimal with only a few mud slides and the bus was able to pass through them. Our flight connections were delayed so our trip from Guatemala City to N.C. lasted 2 days. Thank you to those who pray for our safe travel!

We are honored to be involved in two Global Missions conferences this fall, one at Biltmore Baptist Church and one at Lexington Baptist Church. It will be good also to spend some time with our family especially the new grandbaby expected in October.

Please pray for our next ministry work in November. We will be traveling to Dominican Republic and Haiti to work with churches and clinics presenting ICH training. It will be a privilege to work with the Radio Bible Hour missionaries in Jimani at a Pastor’s conference. This is another new area of work that God is opening up.

We cannot tell you how we appreciate your prayers and your financial gifts. It is all to the Glory of God and to enable His plan for the work of International Christian Hospice.
If you would like to receive our newsletters by email or our blogspot rather than by regular mail please email us at ronnaish@bellsouth.net and let us know.

God bless you and we pray that you will experience His love and power in your life each day!

Serving Him together,

Ron and Susan Naish