After 26 years of marriage they took on second careers.  Their new calling is to devote their time to the Lord by being volunteer missionaries in Nicaragua for Partners Worldwide based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  David has worked in agriculture all his life and Wendy worked numerous years in the health field as a clinic nurse.

 

Their jobs as resident farming and health mentors are steadily increasing in possibilities for the technological advancement of the poor and needy in Nicaragua. Their goal is to create self-sustainability with the impoverished partners they work with in those areas.  Through the work they are doing in agriculture and medicine they are able to spread the Good News of Salvation as God opens doors of opportunities.  

 

Address:

 

David and Wendy Van Klinken

Apartado 1076

Managua, Nicaragua

 

Phone- 011-505-265-8846

partnerdavid@gmail.com

partnerwendy@gmail.com

 

 

Chipata, Zambia

Greetings from Zambia,

     It is hard to believe a year has past since we accepted this position.  It is wonderful to remember what God has done for us.  At the side you can see a timeline of the milestones we met together through your support.  A special thanks to those who housed and/or fed us as we waited those four long months to leave. 

     Below is a summary of our first six months of work here.  We are thankful to God for preparing the way and giving us success in our endeavors. 

CBI-Chipata: This business association has re-grouped, identified committed members, and began meeting bi-montly to discuss the future of the group.  Since January the group has re-written their constitution and policies.  Kyle hopes to begin business training within the next few months that will equip them to grow and make an impact in their community. Assessing commitment is a major challenge in this project.

CBI-Lusaka: Due to the sudden death of the chairman’s wife, this group has been inactive.  However, in February they held a general meeting to assess future commitment and to introduce Kyle as Partnership Manager.  Training will also be the first priority for this group. Assessing commitment is a lso a challenge here.

CCS: Chipata Christian School continues to grow.  Bethany has spent time building the administration’s capacity. Together we have begun to address the issue of balancing out the powers of the board and the administration through discussions and training.

F2F: In January we have taken over Partners Worldwide reporting for the Farmer-to-Farmer program.  We are just beginning to learn about this program and growing in our understanding of food security through agriculture training and orphan care.

Villages of Hope: We spent time here in Sept. and Oct facilitating visitors as well as getting to know some of the staff and orphans who live there. There is a PW staff up there, thus it is not necessary for us to do much consulting. (www.akcli.org)

     This note only provides a glimpse of the work you supported this past year.  Therefore, we encourage you to check the blog for more details and information including news of our additional areas of ministries and evangelism. March 1, 2009 marks the beginning of a new fundraising year for us.  We are thankful to say that in 2008 we were able to reach our target because of your generosity and commitment to this work.  If you are interested in giving to see this work continue, please see the enclosed card or our blog: www.stobsinzambia.blogspot.com for instructions.  If you have questions you can call the Partners Worldwide office: 616-224-5874.  Words cannot express our gratitude for your kindness and support.  We pray you are knowing God’s love and trusting Him during these difficult times.

With Hope,

April 2009