Faith Ventures, Spring 2000: From the Editor's Desk

Partners in Faith

By Don A. Johnson

To open the pages of this little paper is to involve yourself in opportunities, challenges, and "ventures of faith" that may change your life as they are changing the lives of the hundreds affected by God’s blessing and leading of Eden Valley’s faith ventures around the world. Graduates, former staff, and current workers are plowing their lives into the furrow of this world’s needs in Mexico, China, Dominican Republic, Korea, Puerto Rico, India, Kyrghyzstan, Japan, Africa, Nepal, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, and the countries of South America. As you read some of their stories in these pages, I know you will rejoice with me in "what God hath wrought."

[Don Johnson]

Just to emphasize for a moment God’s hand in it all let me ask a question. Who else could have planned for hundreds in North Korea to be reached behind the closed doors of this Communist country? Hugh and Polly Kim from South Korea came to train, then work at Eden Valley, then ultimately they formed part of the entering wedge to begin opening the doors of China. Because of their Korean background, they have been able to work relatively freely in the prominently Korean speaking Yanji area of North China—just across the river from North Korea! Read the exciting news from their corner of service.

All the way from "down under," Australians John and Paula Maher with their two girls, Danielle, and Rebekah, joined the Eden Valley-planted institution at Mt. Akagi, Japan. Read and respond to the challenge John brings us.

Maria Flint began as a visitor from Mexico. She was found near Denver by an Eden Valley student from Columbia, was baptized at Eden Valley, sent as a student missionary to our school in the Dominican Republic, and then served her people at Creel, Mexico. Maria then returned to the Dominican Republic as the new bride of Bethel President, Fred Flint, and served as Education Director. Today Maria writes as wife of Eden Valley farm manager, Fred Flint, with their newest family member Bryen claiming most of her time.

Meghan Rima represents the significant numbers of Eden Valley missionaries who have never even been to Eden Valley but have become part of Eden Valley’s faith ventures. Meghan writes from our mission at Creel, Mexico, where she is newly arrived from Walla Walla College to give a year of her life that I’m sure will extend into permanent service for God. I know you will be challenged and blessed by her fresh perspective on mission life.

Like Meghan, Debbie and Carl Norris, along with their son Carl Jr., from Michigan have never been to Eden Valley, but have been working with Country Life Institute in the Dominican Republic (formerly Bethel Institute) as full fledged missionaries for the last seven months. I say "full fledged" because they went at least four other times at their own expense to help on various projects there. Jackie Rodrigues from Adventist Southern University is now serving in the Dominican Republic as well.