Alfredo and Alex Leon

David Graham

David Graham is a missionary surgeon from Johnson City, Tennessee in the U.S.A. After graduating from Wheaton College with a chemistry degree he attended medical school at The University of Tennessee, Memphis and then took his specialty training in General Surgery in Chattanooga, Tennessee at Erlanger Medical Center with the University of Tennessee. After two years of general surgery practice with the Navy in Lemoore, California he joined a private general and vascular surgery practice in Knoxville, TN. He moved to Ecuador in 2002 and worked for two years with La Fundación Hogar del Ecuador (a health clinic started by the local church) in the city of Cuenca in the mountainous Andes of Ecuador. In March of 2004 he moved over the mountainous ridge and descended into the rainforest, beginning work in Shell at Hospital Vozandes del Oriente. Like many, he first heard about Ecuador through the story of the five missionaries killed by the Huaorani (Auca) in 1956. He says, "I feel privileged to be living out my long time dream of being a medical missionary, I cherish the wonderful friendships I have made here in Ecuador, I'm challenged by the work, and grateful for God's blessings in my life."

The Hardin Family

The Hardins arrived in Shell in November 2004.

Mike is a family medicine physician who was previously on faculty at the Waco Family Practice Program and medical director of a clinic. Throughout his training, Mike has recognized God's leading to use his skills in missionary medicine.

Karol grew up on the mission field in Papua New Guinea, where her parents worked as Bible translators with Wycliffe. Before arriving in Ecuador, she completed her PhD in Spanish Linguistics and was on faculty at Baylor University

Both Karol and Mike want to use their gifts and skills to help meet the spiritual and physical needs of underserved Ecuadorians.

Kirsten (5), Evan (3) and Cameron (1) can't figure out why it took so long for God to get their parents to Ecuador - but they're glad they are here now!

The Umble Family

Randy and Melanie Umble have been serving with HCJB since 1999. They began as Working Visitors and are now carreer missionaries in Shell. Randy teaches 7th and 8th grades at Nate Saint Memorial School while Melanie takes care of their four children--Jonny, Natalie, Erik, and Katie.

We invite you to visit their website at: www.umbles.com.

Florence Judd

Unbelievably, there has been no other Registered Nurse come to work here as a career missionary since I started here in January 1996. This vital, grassroots ministry to the poor, under-privileged Ecuadorians is something thousands of nurses can read about but WHO WILL COME AND HELP?

There is never a day when I don't feel like going in to work. I love the job I have at Hospital Vozandes del Oriente. I've been working here as a Registered Nurse since January of 1996 and wouldn't swap it for anything. Being in the place I know God wants me to be helps keep me through the tough times which we all experience. I work on a team of six nurses working three rotating shifts. Situated as we are on the edge of the Amazon jungle, patients come to us by small Mission Aviation Fellowship planes from the jungle or by road from the mountain area. Because of the terrain in which the people live and work, we treat many accident victims - snake bites, falls from trees, dynamite fishing accidents, chainsaw injuries, gunshot wounds, to name a few.

MY STORY

I was born in the North Wales village of Caergwrle six weeks before World War II was declared. A happy, carefree childhood carried over into adulthood. A month after my twenty-first birthday I found myself in Australia after four weeks at sea on the migrant ship Fair Sky. The two years I planned on spending in Australia stretched to thirty-four and encompassed marriage, birth of three children and divorce. By my mid-thirties happiness was a thing of the past and despair my daily companion.

CONVERSION

The morning of the 22nd February 1975 was the worst time of my life but by the afternoon I was changed forever, a "new creature in Christ" as the Bible terms it. Through a providential encounter with a Christian, Mr. John Darlington, that Saturday lunchtime, I heard what I had to do to be saved, not only from my unhappy state but, more importantly, from my sin. Understanding little of what I was hearing, but desperately clutching at this first ray of hope I'd seen in years, I decided to follow Christ. My despair disappeared and hope, joy, peace (new words in my vocabulary) took over - my new life began.

THE YEARS FOLLOWING

Almost at the same time as my conversion I sensed that one day I would be working overseas for God. When I graduated from Sydney Missionary and Bible College in 1982 I thought He would open the door to overseas service then but He didn't. The years went by. My children grew up and married, Grandchildren were born. I was quite happy with my life and began to think that maybe I'd even been mistaken about God's call to overseas. But one more hurdle and then I was thrust out. That was a change of profession.

The call to nursing was clear and the way opened up before me to train first of all as an Enrolled Nurse through Eversleigh Hospital in Sydney and then as a Registered Nurse through the University of Western Sydney. It was when I graduated that God called me not only to Ecuador but specifically to Shell. I worked here as a working visitor for three months in '93 and then applied to come as a career missionary. I was accepted by HCJB, gathered a support team together and left for a year of Spanish language study in Costa Rica in December of 1994. December 1995 found me back in Shell ready to start my missionary career.

The Koleski Family

The Koleski family arrived awhile ago from Tucson, by way of Miami and San Jose, Costa Rica. Jerry is a Family Physician. Elizabeth is a nurse with years of experience in public health. They arrived just before Christmas 2003.

They have three children, Andrew, age 11; Alison and Lorraine are twins, age 9. They attend the Nate Saint Memorial School.

Jerry learned Spanish by working with Mexican-American patients at a Community Health Center in Tucson, and by studying at language schools in Miami, Florida and San Jose Costa Rica. Elizabeth learned Spanish the easy way; she grew up speaking the language in Spain, Argentina, Venezuela and Colombia. They yearn for their children to learn Spanish growing up in Ecuador.

Coming to Hospital Voz Andes Oriente in Shell, Ecuador, on the edge of the Amazon rain forest is the culmination of a dream Jerry and Elizabeth shared before they even met 17 years ago. They both were called by the Lord to serve Him overseas as missionaries. The Lord blessed them by leading them to meet each other, discover their common call, fall in love, and marry. The difficult work followed with 4 years of medical school, 3 years of Family Practice residency, 5 years of loan repayment and 1 year plus of sharing what God is doing in our lives and raising support. Language School in Costa Rica finally led to our present opportunity to serve God in Shell.

We look forward to meeting you in person or email. We can be reached at:jkoleski@hcjb.org.ec

Arthur and Frances Blackburn

Arthur and Frances Blackburn are first-term missionaries with HCJB Global. They arrived in July, 2004 after living in Quito for ten months for Spanish language studies.

Arthur is the administrator of Hospital Vozandes del Oriente. He worked in the manufacturing field for 30 years and is from Opelika, Alabama. He considers it to be a privilege to work at HVO helping people while serving God.

Frances teaches Kindergarten at the Nate Saint Memorial School for the local missionary's children. She has been in the education field for many years and finds teaching kindergarten the most enjoyable job in the world.

Arthur and Frances have three adult children who live in the Auburn-Opelika area in Alabama. They all support their parent's decision to follow God's call to serve in Ecuador.