Vol. 5: No. 10
December 29, 2016

Members of "Team Utah" in July 2016

STM Year in Review

by David Nakhla

Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.
Psalm 127: 1a (ESV)

The end of December is always a good time to reflect on the Lord’s work throughout the year. In 2016, he was faithful to continue the opportunities for short-term service in Quebec, the Czech Republic, Uruguay, Japan, and even some short stints in Haiti. Domestically, teams traveled to the Menominee Reservation in Zoar, WI, and to Magna, UT, San Antonio, TX, and Wildwood, NJ.

A big highlight was the Lord’s development of the work at the Boardwalk Chapel in Wildwood, NJ. The work is growing by leaps and bounds. It is becoming a spectacular domestic opportunity with an increasingly “foreign missions” aspect to it, as the staff discovers new ways to interact with some of the thousands of international workers who come to Wildwood for summer jobs (see Testimonial entitled, "Bringing the Nations to Himself," below). The Chapel's summer staff receives training in evangelism and apologetics, and ample opportunity to put what they've learned into practice on the boardwalk. In addition, church youth groups are welcome to come for a week at a time to participate in the work.

We look forward to seeing what the Lord has in store for us in 2017!

Click below for quick links to reports, testimonials, photo galleries, and archived S.T.O.R.M. Reports from 2016:

Looking Ahead to 2017

Missionary Associates Needed in Uruguay

The OP Mission in Montevideo, Uruguay, is currently seeking individuals to serve as Missionary Associates in the following capacities:

• To assist with outreach, evangelism, and music in the worship services (must possess at least a Limited Working Proficiency in Spanish)

• To assist with missionary childcare, cooking, and cleaning (must possess at least Elementary Proficiency in Spanish).

What is a Missionary Associate?

• Click here to learn more about Missionary Associate service in the OPC

For full details on the opportunities in Uruguay, please contact:
Rev. Douglas Clawson
Associate General Secretary, Committee on Foreign Missions
douglas.clawson@opc.org

Missionary Associate Needed in Quebec

OP missionary Rev. Ben Westerveld is currently seeking a young man or woman who desires to assist in the outreach and discipleship ministries of St-Marc's Reformed Church in Quebec City, where Rev. Westerveld serves as Pastor.

Please consider applying if you:

• are a professing believer of Reformed conviction
• can speak French or desire to learn the language
• can make a commitment of at least one year
• are available to start in 2017 (or any year!)

What is a Missionary Associate?

• Click here to learn more about Missionary Associate service in the OPC

For full details on the opportunity in Quebec, please contact:
Rev. Douglas Clawson
Associate General Secretary, Committee on Foreign Missions
douglas.clawson@opc.org

Looking Back to 2016

2016 Report:
Using the Building Skills That God Has So Graciously Given Us

by Raun Trieble

In April 2016, Raun Treible served as a Team Leader of one of two teams that were sent to Japan to refurbish the exterior of the Nozomi Center, a disaster-response community outreach center established by the OPC and its affiliates following the Tsunami of 2011.

Excerpt: Thanks be to God for providing strength and safety to both teams and for all the work that was accomplished . . . . I personally was excited to return to Yamamoto after five years to see the progress made in recovering from the tsunami and the impact the Nozomi Center has in meeting the physical and spiritual needs of the community.  It was encouraging to see how the land is recovering from the salt contamination as evidenced by the local farmers beginning to cultivate, flood, and replant rice in the nearby fields once again.

Click below to read the full report:

2016 Testimonial:
Bringing the Nations to Himself:
The Power of Prayer at the Boardwalk Chapel

by Timothy Hsu

Timothy Hsu served as the Assistant Evangelism Coordinator at the Boardwalk Chapel in Wildwood, New Jersey, during the summer of 2016.

Excerpt: One of the most exciting and fruitful ways we saw God at work this summer was through the friendships we built with our neighbors working on the boardwalk, some local to the Jersey/Philly area but mostly internationals in Wildwood for summer jobs . . . . We befriended Muslims from Egypt, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Bangladesh, and Jewish people from Israel; we encountered atheists, Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox believers from Canada, Ecuador, Russia, Croatia, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, and other eastern European countries . . .

Click below to read the full testimonial:

Year-Round Opportunities for Service  

STM Resources