FALL 2023 ISSUE
UPDATE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Giving and Receiving Blessings
—Internationally!
Dear Friends,
Missionary work is always a two-way blessing! People at the venue receive encouragement, truth, and an experience of God’s love in action, while nearness to God and special personal blessings come to those who have said, “Here am I. Send me!”
This summer, Hartland students and staff spread out to bless others in Ukraine, Zambia, and the Dominican Republic. Two extension schools were conducted following a Hartland tradition, but there was a new twist: the one in the Dominican Republic was taught by students who shared what they’d learned in their Hartland classes.
Here’s a brief taste of what happened as God used Hartland students and staff in these three international settings.
Our Mission
To equip missionaries to transform the world through Christ.
We are training missionaries to touch people’s lives with God’s love through a biblically based educational program that combines academics with practical service and outreach.
We Envision
Hartland alumni serving in every nation, supporting the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church to prepare the world for Christ’s soon return.
Our Motto
Educating for Eternity, Serving Today!
MISSION REPORTS
Ukraine
In July, at the Ukraine Union’s request, Hartland College offered an intensive professional training course on the campus of the Adventist university in Bucha. It covered how to combat the widespread trauma, grief, and anxiety triggered by the war. Ukraine’s eight conferences each sent seven attendees—a mixture of psychologists, pastors, and lay leaders.
The Hartland team comprised four mental health instructors: Ivonne Restrepo, Gerardo Payan, Pr. Paul Coneff, and Pr. Robert Mackay; and one student: Johan Gomez.
Until they met the attendees, the team didn’t fully realize how much their instruction was needed in Ukraine. Apparently, communist education never provided practical training in anything, and Ukraine’s traditional religion painted God as a distant Being Who is to be feared. This legacy still endures. Not only did all the participants need practical instruction in helping others receive healing; they admitted to needing help themselves.
Iryna Begas, Women’s Ministries director for the Ukraine Union said afterwards, “During this training, we practically experienced and felt ‘Christ’s method’: compassion, closeness, understanding, and the gentle healing of the Holy Spirit. It was a real revelation for me that all the psychological methods of help that were discussed have a biblical basis and are Christ-centered!”
She continued, “When the Lord heals the heart, He fills it with His light and love. It was with such hearts that we all left for different regions of Ukraine to bring God’s love and healing further!”
The participants left blessed not only with practical methods, but also with a personal experience of a loving, healing God that they couldn’t wait to share!
The Hartland team was also blessed. Johan Gomez commented, “I was able to see the Holy Spirit working in all the attendees hearts; thus He was also reaching mine. I was also inspired by the resilience and willingness of the Ukrainian people to continue moving forward despite the adverse circumstances of the war.”
Zambia
Lusaka, the capital of the African country of Zambia, includes many shanty towns where spiritualism and witchcraft thrive alongside Pentecostal Christianity. Concern for their people inspired two Hartland students and one graduate, all from Zambia, to plan an outreach to scatter the blessings of truth. Godfrey Miyanda, Mwaba Chibwe, and Thomas Musa also invited their Bible teacher, Pr. Armando Lopez, to join them.
The team held three simultaneous evangelistic series in Lusaka. With help from 30 local medical students, they also organized health expos at each site which attracted people to the meetings. The local churches prepared the ground and followed up, baptizing a total of 31 new believers by the end of the outreach. “The joy of seeing people saved is indescribable,” says Mwaba. “I was exceedingly glad that God used me as an instrument to bring people to Jesus.”
The team also distributed 875 copies of The Great Controversy. Pastor Lopez affirms that these books, along with focused meetings, helped to acquaint people with the state of the dead and who is really behind spiritualism. “The enthusiasm with which the local community received and embraced this literature was truly remarkable,” he says.
There was also time to visit Gwembe, a rural village where starvation threatened. They provided sacks of corn and left two medical missionaries there to provide health instruction.
By the end, the whole team felt very blessed. “Praise the Lord for the mission we did in Zambia,” Mwaba beams!
Dominican Republic
In the Caribbean island nation of Dominican Republic, five students—Laura Zapata, Iosif Sacuiu, Jackson Suekert, Tarcis Scaffy, and Jason Tshuma—held a weekend camp meeting and a week-long Bible and health outreach training which culminated in a health expo. They were guided and assisted by the Restrepo family. The venue was a beautiful mountain-top school—Fundación Misionera Campo Real.
At first, bad weather threatened to sabotage the meetings. The access road ran through a swollen river and was steep and slippery. But God blessed! “He calmed the tempest, and the moment we lifted up Christ, God drew the people to participate in the programs,” recounts Jason.
Over 200 young people attended the camp meeting on the theme of “Discovering Your Identity in God.”
“Many of them expressed how grateful they were for the messages they received and the impact they had on their lives,” Tarcis says.
Twenty academy students then attended the outreach training and conducted the health expo. Iosif says, “It was a blessing to be able to mingle with the young people there and encourage them to follow God and engage in missionary work.” This was the whole purpose of the extension school.
Laura summed up the blessings of this outreach: “We ministered to young people in many ways; we equipped them to serve God; and we were strengthened physically, intellectually, and spiritually to be better missionaries.”
This summer’s overseas ministry spread so many blessings! We’re planning more extension schools
for 2024, and we invite you to share the blessings by contributing to next year’s international outreach with your prayers and gifts. This world is very troubled. More than ever, we need to be out there pointing people to Jesus and His soon return. Thank you for being our partners in ministry!
Yours for a finished work,
Norbert Restrepo President, Hartland College
More blessings—Hartland’s alumni are visiting us!
Another blessing from the Lord is our large international family of Hartland alumni! We’re excited to be seeing some of them at the Fall Convocation—our special 40th anniversary celebration and reunion! The campus accommodation will be overflowing, and we couldn’t be happier!
Last winter, a wonderful team of volunteers, Build and Restore International, worked on the upstairs mansion rooms that were the girls dorm. They made these beautiful rooms look like new! We want to furnish them beautifully, too, so they are ready for our alumni.
WE ASK FOR YOUR GENEROUS HELP WITH THIS URGENT PROJECT. The mansion is a special building, and we want to refurbish it to honor the Lord. We need $60,000 for quality furniture and bedding for six rooms. Please help us to prepare these guest room so they’ll be comfortable and a blessing to our alumni family and visitors!