How does a person be- come a missionary, leave the comforts of affluent Ameri- ca and go to an economi- cally depressed foreign coun- try - to preach the gospel of Jesus? For Ed and Kathy (Hies- tand) Brainerd the answer to this question has a long history. Missionary Tradition Ed’s great, great uncle was David Brainerd, a miss- ionary to the Indians of the upper Susquehanna Valley in the early 1700’s. In the Brainerd family there have been many other mission- aries, preachers, teachers. You could almost say that evangelism flows in Ed Brain- erd’s blood. You could say the same abcut his wife Kathy, daugh- ter of Mr. and Mrs. Paul S. Hiestand, R. D. 1, Marietta. Her Uncle, Rev. John S. Hiestand was founder and is pastor-emeritus of Con- gregational Bible Church near Marietta. Her brother Paul Lemar Hiestand is a missionary in (of all places) Rome. Her brother Galen is a pastor in Omaha, Ne- braska. Cousin Clyde Hies- tand is a missionary in North Africa. Another cousin, Wil- mer Longenecker is a miss- ionary in Yemen. Live Among People The Times-Bulletin inter- viewed Ed and Kathy at her father and mother’s home between Maytown and Bain- bridge, where they and their daughters Angela and Valar were spending the Christmas holidays before going back to their mission in Azua in the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean. Page 12 — SUSQUEHANNA TIMES & MOUNT JOY BULLETIN Ed with Angela and Kathy with Valari Azua is a small city where the Brainerds live among the natives, far from other miss- ionaries, carrying on their work of bringing Christ to their impoverished and un- dernourished neighbors. Kathy remarked how diff- erent their situation was from a traditional mission, where the missionaries all lived together in a com- pound, separate from their parishoners. Ed and Kathy are very much part of the people among whom they live and work. Deeds of Love One of the most signifi- cant parts of their ministry is carrying out the most menial tasks. One night Ed drove all through the night carrying the body of a two- year old child who had died in a distant hospital from dehydration and malnutri- tion, taking it back to its grieving family for burial. At another time he drove children to visit their mother every week in a hospital a hundred miles away. Such deeds are deeply ap- preciated by the people of Azua, who shower gifts of food, which they really can- not spare, onto the Brain- erds. But as Kathy said, to reject the grateful people’s lavish gifts would have hurt them. It is by acts of love that people are brought to Christ. As Ed said, quoting 1 John 4:19-“We love Him because He first loved us.” In the three years that the Brainerds have been in the Dominican Republic, Ed has baptized 130 people. Catholic Natives In a way, it is strange that the Brainerds should be missionaries in the Domini- Rick Smedley, Jr., po installed in old Marietta school. can Republic, because a ma- jority of the people are nominal Catholics. But the people’s ties to the church are very flimsy; Christianity has very little meaning for them. y Even more strange is the way the local Catholic priest actually assists them in their work. One time the Brain- erds were distributing Bibles, and ran out of copies. They went to the Catholic church where the father gave them more Bibles to continue their distribution. The ecu- menical day had arrived. Medical Team Ed and Kathy also assist members of a medical team that comes to Azua now and then. As many as 100 much needed operations are performed in a van: hyster- ectomies, hernias, goiters, tubal ligations. One of the greatest needs in this land of want is limiting the size of families. Brainerds bring gospel to Dominican Republic One of Kathy’s most es- sential functions is enter- taining at functions like wedding receptions (she must have learned some of her hostess skills from the Hiestand ladies of the May- town area). Practical Effects So, the work of the Lord goes on in a most practical way. And the effects of being converted to Christianity can be seen in a most practi- cal way too. The “Evange- licals,” as Protestants are called in the Dominican Re- public, are noteworthy for their trustworthiness and honesty. They are appoint- ed to positions of responsi- bility. “Evangelicals” stand out for their sobriety and faithfulness to their wives. The Times-Bulletin wish- es Ed and Kathy Brainerd ‘Godspeed when they return to Azua on January 16. Need news from YOU Now that the Susque- hanna Times and the Mount Joy Bulletin have combined, the new paper has more space in which to print news. We, the editors, want to encourage readers to send us news items about them- selves, their families, friends, clubs and churches. We can’t promise that all news received will be published as soon as we get it. Sometimes we still have more news than we can print in one issue, and we have to save some of the news for a later edition. We want you to send us news that interests you, be- -cause you are one of our readers, and we want news that interests our readers. Jeffrey B. Brown, Jaycees’ President, with Mayor James Gingrich, declaring January 19 to 25 Jaycee week in Mount Joy. JC Week in Mount Joy January 19 - 25 has been proclaimed Jaycee Week in Mount Joy by Mayor James Gingrich. The local chapter has planned many activities during the week and encour- ages the community’s parti- cipation in the celebration. The week will begin with a Prayer Breakfast to be held 7:00 Sunday morning at St. Mark’s United Metho- dist Church. Rev. Warren Tamkin will be the guest speaker at this breakfast which is open to the public. Later that morning the Jay- cees and their families will attend the worship service at their president’s church, the Trinity Lutheran. On Monday evening the Jaycees will entertain their bosses at a dinner to show the Chapter’s appreciation for the support given it by the Jaycees’ employers. Wed- nesday evening has been de- signated Library Night. The Jaycees will present the Mount Joy Library Associa- tion with a new book and flag contract for the coming year. Friday, the Chapter will display the flags on Main Street in honor of Jay- cee Week. The week-long celebra- tion will culminate on Sat- urday evening with the Eighteenth Annual Distin- guished Service Award Ban- quet which is open to the public. The Jaycees will be recognizing members of the community for their service as well as presenting the Dis- tinguished Service Award. Mr. Barton Fields, Deputy Secretary of the Common- wealth, will be the featured speaker of the evening. Re- servations for the banquet and prayer breakfast can be made at the Jack Horner Shoe Store or by contacting any member of the Jaycees. Marietta J-Cs work at ecology, rec center ho ocd 2 ints to me ter and electric line Jaycees = Sgr Last Saturday the Mari- etta Jaycees were at the old Marietta school collecting waste paper and old glass as part of their ecology drive. Rick Smedley, Jr., de- scribed progress on renovat- ing the school as a recrea- tion center for Marietta. The Jaycees have com- pletely re-wired the school. Breneman Electric Company was generous in helping the Jaycees in their work. Rick Smedley, Jr., and Bill Sload unloading citizen’s waste paper and glass in ecology drive. Outside, a basketball and volleyball court are almost ready for use. A tennis court will be the next out- door project. Jaycees who have don- ated a lot of time to reno- vating the school are, be- sides Pres. Smedley: Bill Sload, Sam Zuch, Butch McCarty, Donald Pickle, Jr., Bill Hyseck, Jay Risser, Gary Kline, and Dick Sipe.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers