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
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We, the editors, want to
encourage readers to send
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clubs and churches.
We can’t promise that
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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.