Andean Aid Advocate

Kerry Bauman is the Pastor of Chain of Lakes Community Bible Church (CLCBC) in Lake Villa, Illinois.  He is also a Director of Andean Aid.  After graduating from Slippery Rock University in 1980 Kerry  worked with Campus Crusade for Christ. He worked for two years in Chattanooga, Tennessee and then spent the next 7 years directing a team in Katy, Texas. While on staff, he participated in three missions trips - one to Freeport, Bahamas, one to Guyana, South America and the last one to Guam and Micronesia.

Kerry received a Master's of Divinity Degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in 1993 with an emphasis in evangelism and missions.  Kerry went on to persue a career in sales.  The call to return to ministry led him to join the staff of CLCBC in 1998 as Pastor of Student Ministries and in 2003 he became Senior Pastor.  During his tenure as Pastor of Student Ministries Kerry became friends with Andean Aid founder Wayne Cramer.  He and Wayne established a ministry to poor children in Nuevo Almaguer, on the outskirts of Monterrey, Mexico.

When asked why he makes time to serve on the Board of Directors, Kerry says,” Andean Aid takes seriously the exhortation from the book of James to 'look after widows and orphans in their distress.'  I cannot think of a better way to demonstrate pure and undefiled religion to children of Columbian refugees than to provide the opportunity for a quality education in an environment where they can experience first-hand the love of Christ.

I consider it a privilege to support the work of Andean Aid and the vision of Wayne and Susan Cramer. I am confident that the Lord will bless this effort by permitting us to start more Help and Hope Centers throughout the Andes region.

I pray that God will move many families in the states and around the world to join us by giving of their resources to this Godly and noble cause."

 Change for Changes

A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed ~ Proverbs 11:25

            The ministry in Rubio is growing at a fast clip.  Just recently an influx of children registered at the Help and Hope Center as a direct result of this summers VBS.  We are really feeling the need for a full time director to manage all of the day-to-day operations of the Center as well as the other ministry activities in Venezuela.  Gaby Andrade (see Frontier Flyer volume 1 Andean Aid Advocate) has been acting as Director on a part time volunteer basis.  She works diligently to oversee the Hope and Hope Center facility as well as maintain her position as Professor of Research Methods in the university.

The Center now serves the needs of more than 150 students.  We look forward to offering even more services to the community. We long to provide a pre-school, an early reading program, and meals for the poor.  These are just the tip of the iceberg.  Our new sponsorship program will need constant administration.  God is moving this ministry at a pace that is challenging us on every level.  We need a dedicated person carrying out the duties of operating the ministries each day.

Our plan is to raise $6,800.00 yearly to replace Gaby’s income in the university.  We believe we will be equipping this ministry to flourish at a whole new level with Gaby overseeing the activities full time.  Won’t you help us meet this very important need?

Andean Aid Offers Spanish Learning Product

Andean Aid is pleased to offer a new service to those attempting to learn Spanish.  Our Founder, Wayne Cramer, has been on a quest to gain fluency in Spanish and has come across a great product called Rocket Spanish.  It’s fun and effective, comes with great audio files and computer learning games, can be downloaded immediately to your computer, and is very reasonable priced.  Now, Andean Aid is not in the business of endorsing products but this is a great program and fits nicely with our ministry mission.

For those that are planning a mission experience in a Latin American country this is a great way to learn some basic Spanish to enhance your trip.  If you visit the Rocket Spanish web site through the Andean Aid site at www.andeanaid.org/learnspanish.html and make a purchase within sixty days, then Andean Aid gets a percentage of the purchase price.  You get a great Spanish learning program for a very reasonable price AND help Andean Aid achieve its mission at no extra cost to you.  Check out the Rocket Spanish site to hear Wayne Cramer’s testimonial of the product.

Please pass along this information to anyone you know that is looking for a way to learn Spanish.  Also pass it along to any church contacts you may have.  Perhaps they would like to offer a means of learning Spanish to those getting ready for short-term missions teams.  Rocket French and Rocket German are also available through the Andean Aid site, at the same web address, with the same benefits to both the purchaser and to Andean Aid.

Featured Friend

Deisy Carolina Cubides Gelvis just turned thirteen years old this August and attends El Chícaro School near her home in Villa Bahareque.  Her entire family - mother, father and brothers, live in a small barro (mud) house that is owned by her grandmother.  As Deisy says, “it may not be much but we live in an honorable way”. 

She helps support her family by selling ‘Sun Ice’, similar to our popsicles.  Each weekend you can see her pushing her cart through Rubio.  This is not a childhood job for extra spending money.  It’s crucial to the survival of the family.  Her father picks up whatever odd jobs he can and her mother stays home to take care of younger siblings.

Deisy discovered that she has a talent for art at the Help and Hope Center where she has access to paper and artistic supplies for painting and drawing.  She has freedom to experiment with different styles and colors.  She told a staff member at the Center that she has never had more paper than what was necessary to do her homework.  She was astounded that she could draw or paint, and if it wasn’t right, she could get another piece of paper and start again. Click on Sponsor a child now to sponsor Deisy.

 Hands On Opportunities

James 1:27 – Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Sponsorships are now available!  This is a great opportunity to establish an intimate relationship with a child in need.  You will receive information about the child and his or her family and will have an opportunity to build a relationship via e-mail correspondence at the Cewnter.  The staff will periodically update you on the child’s progress. 

This is a great opportunity for families and home school groups.  Children will learn about a child in another country and their culture.  Those students studying Spanish can establish a pen pal relationship with a child whose native language is Spanish. 

To check out this opportunity and to see some of the children that desperately need your help go to www.andeanaid.org and click the Sponsor Me! link.

"Help and Hope Center" - Update 

The staff at the Help and Hope Center (El Centro de Ayuda y Esperanza) offered a week long Vacation Bible School to the children at Villa Bahareque.  These children could never afford to make the trip to Rubio each day so we took the VBS to them.  Up to 150 children came each day for a wonderful time of Bible study, crafts and games.  The theme was “Jesus to the Rescue”.

The VBS was held at the U.E. El Chícaro School, which is near Villa Bahareque.  Each day the children met in their community and were driven by bus to the school.  This was a huge treat in itself because they seldom get to ride in a bus with their friends. 

Sixty of these children made a decision to follow Jesus by the end of the program.  Many of them had their homes destroyed or severely damaged in a storm that hit their community just days before VBS began.  A large number of these children have also registered to use the Help and Hope Center.

The teachers and administration at U.E. El Chícaro School were so impressed with the program, and the resulting good behavior of the children that they have asked for more events like this to be held at the school.  God is using the Help and Hope Center to greatly impact this community.

Prayer Points

Specific prayer needs:

-          Safety for our staff and students as the presidential elections draw near

-          Hearts touched to sponsor our children.

-          Funding provided for a full time Director.

-         Provision of a larger facility for our growing population of needy children.

Key areas of praise:

-          Sixty children accepting Christ at Vacation Bible School.

-          More children registering at the Help and Hope Center.

-          Fantastic people managing Andean Aid’s ministry in Venezuela.

Send Frontier Flyer to a Friend

Please pass this newsletter along to friends or family members who might like to read more about Andean Aid’s work in Venezuela.  If you are a friend who has received this newsletter, email us at andeanaid@sbcglobal.net to start receiving your own updates.

 We value your interest and your feedback.  You may contact us electronically at www.andeanaid.org

Or, contact us by phone at 847-201-8311 or 847-489-8703.

Or, by mail at Andean Aid, P.O. Box 190, Antioch, Illinois 60002

Speaking Engagements

Venezuela is a hot spot in world events.  It’s not likely to simmer down with the upcoming presidential election.  Wayne Cramer is currently accepting speaking engagements to tell the Andean Aid story and to share his experiences and perspective on the situation in Venezuela and the challenges facing ministry there.  This presentation is particularly suitable for small groups.

Contributions

Contributions may be mailed to:

Andean Aid, P.O. Box 190, Antioch, Il.  60002

or made by credit card at www.andeanaid.org (click on the JustGive.org button) .

 Here are some levels of giving and how they impact our ministry:

ALL GI FTS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!

 Words from Wayne  (Message from the President)

There are many wonderful things happening with our ministries in Venezuela.  Children are being served and they are learning new and wondrous things about themselves.  They are also learning about Christ and many are accepting Him as Lord and Savior.  We are growing in numbers and services and more people are stepping forward to support this ministry.

We have finally kicked off our sponsorship program where families can have personal relationships with needy children as they meet some of their financial needs.  These families and groups can also help meet some of the spiritual and emotional needs of these children and learn a great deal about an interesting and important part of our world.

I’m excited about offering Rocket Spanish through our web site.  This has the potential to greatly bless our ministry.  Neither Andean Aid nor I are “pushing” this product.  I am merely making it available for those who are looking for a Spanish learning product and would like to see a part of their purchase support ministry in Latin America.

Children left homeless by a violent storm attended Vacation Bible School and put their trust in Jesus Christ.  May God grant me the faith of these little ones as we wait on Him for His provision.  It’s also exciting that the public school system has asked the Center staff to provide more Christian programs at the school.

These are tough times in Venezuela.  The upcoming presidential election is splitting the country once again as people take sides for their respective candidate.  Venezuela and the United States are at odds which makes ministry difficult.  God has lead us to form a Civil Association in Venezuela, which will allow these important ministries to continue regardless of the turn the country takes politically.  Please pray that the document for this Association is approved with wording that boldly proclaims our Christian faith and Biblical principles.  Also pray for the staff at the Help and Hope Center, the Directors of the civil Association, the students and families that we serve and all Venezuelans as they face this challenging period.