News update - Hewes Family, Missionary Associates to Ecuador

Buenos Dias from Quito!

We have officially begun the settling in process in our apartment in northern Quito. It’s been a busy time of nesting, with many trips to the grocery store (Supermaxi), the hardware store (Ferrisariato, or Ace Hardware), the appliance store, and several furniture stores. We have beds, a dining table and chairs, appliances, and coming next week, a living room set.

There are many missionaries here from several denominations working with the television network or leading teams around Ecuador. There is much work to be done. God has blessed the ministry and the Un Buen Consejo counseling service has recorded thousands of salvations this year. There are many challenges ahead, though. Technical facilities here in Quito need to be built up and the local staff needs more training. Our missionary, Bill McDonald, is also building up a church plant nearby. Right now it is meeting in a tent, but they hope to have a building soon. God is bringing many people to the church and today is their first anniversary. Joe will be there this morning to take pictures, including a group shot of the entire church family – about 150 people.

We feel very comfortable here and the kids are doing great. Shari and Katie are at Alliance Academy, and English Christian day school located across the street from the TV studios Joe works at. They have made friends and seem happy. Walking back from the furniture store yesterday Joe found a place that sells a pretty good Philly cheesesteak!

Life here is very different from New Jersey. While we are in the capitol city, it is a very hands-on, face-to-face economy. There are malls and stores, but many utilities are handled on the street. There are no gas lines for your stove. You buy large tanks from a guy driving a flatbed truck up and down your street and hook it up yourself to your stove. Utility bills are all paid at Servipago, a place with cashier windows (and long lines). There is no online bill paying here! Taxi rides are very cheap, usually under two dollars.

Our apartment is great. There are lots of picture windows and we have views looking south over Quito and west to the Pinchincha volcano.

Every neighborhood has paid private guards that keep watch over several buildings, something like a concierge. We are a ten-minute walk from the Unsion television studios and Alliance Academy, and about 15 minutes from the hardware store.

You can see photos of our neighborhood, and life in Quito, at our photo gallery: www.pbase.com/joehewes/quito. We will update this gallery regularly so save the link.

We have some prayer requests:

1. that we learn the language;
2. that technical challenges at Unsion Television be overcome;
3. wisdom for Joe in his work at Unsion Television;
4. same for Karen as she seeks God’s will for her in this mission.

We are grateful and give glory to God for the mission and call He has placed on our lives. We are grateful for your prayer support as we bring the Good News to the nations, and for your financial support that has helped make this possible. We cannot believe sometimes that we have actually moved to another country! But we are here for such a time as this to make a difference in people’s lives.

Hasta la vista!

Joe, Karen, Shari and Katie Hewes.

Hewes Family, Missionary Associates to Ecuador, News update

The Hewes family has arrived in Ecuador!

We had a safe flight and all 19 pieces of luggage arrived. We are staying with missionary friends who live on the first floor of the same apartment building we are in, so it is a very smooth transition.

We are very excited about the work the God has put before us. We are loving Quito already.

We will have more news and photos soon.

Thanks to all of you for your prayers and financial support.

Joe, Karen, Shari and Katie Hewes

Missionary Associates to Ecuador

So long status quo

Today was my last day at CBS News after 17 years. It was a great day - many well-wishes, some lovely parting gifts, and a great send-off to the next chapter of my life.

Many thanks to all my friends at CBS. Your warm sentiments today were appreciated and will always be treasured.

Hewes Family, Missionary Associates to Ecuador - News update

Just a quick note to let everyone know that we have reached our total financial goal and are preparing to leave for Ecuador on Thursday, November 2!

Joe has resigned from his job at CBS News after nearly 17 years of service. His last day is October 25. The commissioning service at our home church, Monmouth Worship Center in Marlboro, will be this Sunday, October 15. Joe and Karen will preach and give a presentation about Unsion Television and our mission there.

Next week Joe will travel to the Ecuadorian embassy in Washington DC, to apply for visas for the family.

The house is not quite sold yet, but we are trusting that God is going to take care of that, just as he has so ably taken care of all the other things necessary for us to carry out His mission.

Many thanks to all the pastors, supporters, family and friends, and prayer partners who are helping to make all this possible. And thanks be to God for his many blessings.

Joe

Big News!

We are ever closer to departure. Last week Joe turned in his resignation from CBS News, after nearly 17 years of service. His last day will be October 25.

We have planned our departure for Thursday November 2. The house isn’t quite sold yet but we believe that God will take care of that. In the meantime, we are scrambling to get Visas, insurance, cancel subscriptions, roll over retirement plans, empty our house, and take care of those millions of details before we leave.

Many thanks for your prayers and faithful support. We will get a newsletter out soon with more information.

Joe, Karen, Shari and Katie Hewes

Missionary Associates and Missionary Kids to Ecuador

Joe on the radio

In June, Joe spent over an hour on the air on WYRS-FM, a Christian radio station in Manahawkin, NJ, with host Bob Wick. It was a great time of sharing about our ministry and good fellowship with good friend Drew Overgard, youth pastor at Cedar Run Assembly of God (pictured, with Joe). Many thanks to host Bob Wick for having us, and to Drew Overgard and Gary Thorne Jr. for acting as agents to make this opportunity available.

The (almost) Missionary Life

Not a day goes by we don’t think about our true call to serve God in Ecuador building and rebuilding Unsión Television International. The devastating fire several months ago did not consume God’s burning desire in the team of missionaries called to serve. Unsión is back on the air in new studios in Quito, and new programs are being produced every day. God is taking the tragedy of the fire and using it for good. Unsión has found a building that is almost 3 times larger than the original building. They are hoping to buy it and renovate it so it could be used for studios and offices. This would save Unsión three years in rebuilding time and give them a larger building!

In the meantime, God continues to work real miracles through this ministry. In the first five months of 2006, over 1,500 individuals made a decision for Christ through Un Buen Consejo, the counseling center that is associated with Unsión Television. This is a 300% increase over last year at this time!

Back here in the Unites States, the Hewes family has been having a great time traveling to churches all over New Jersey, spreading the news about Unsión Television and raising funds for our mission. New Jersey truly is the Garden State. From the beautiful shore beaches, to the low farmland of south Jersey, to the rolling hills of north Jersey, we have seen the beauty of God’s creation as we travel around the state. The photo to the left was taken in Cape May (the southern tip of New Jersey), in between morning and evening services. The lure of the ocean was too strong to resist, so off came the clunky dress shoes and onto the sand we went. While the long days of travel can take their toll, we feel truly blessed to be visiting wonderful churches, and are proud to be New Jersey District missionaries. We see in the churches we visit that we are truly one family under God as we are warmly received as a brother and sister in Christ.

“And the Gospel must first be preached to all the nations.”
(Mark 13:10)

Teams needed for Unsion Television reconstruction

Unsion Television International is in the process of rising up from the ashes on eagle’s wings. God has been so good to this ministry even in the midst of what some would call a disaster. The headline is there is an urgent need for reconstruction teams in Cuenca for the next six to 12 months. Read on.

Here is the latest report from David Olson, a full-time missionary with Unsion Television based in the United States:

As I opened a note from Bill McDonald (the founder of Unsion Television) today and read the following lines, my mind and heart leapt to the story of Joseph and his revelation of himself to his brothers in Egypt.  Joseph’s famous line was: “meant for harm but God intended for good!”

Now, read this: The vice president of Ecuador sent a letter expressing his sympathy for Unsión and congratulating on our values programming.

We set out with the mandate of: Those who tell the story will shape the culture.  The highest levels of the government of Ecuador are recognizing that we are there for the family and in doing so are changing the culture in which we live.  The end result – each 1:46 hours someone new comes to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

God is showing us that what Satan meant to harm us God has turned for our good.

We thank you for the continuing support and encouragement we receive daily.  You are so very special to us.

We would like you to help us in one more way.  We need construction teams right now.  We need one new team every week for the next 6 months to a year.  We are rebuilding and must have the help of those who sent us to finish the work.  If you want more information contact us at davidolson@unsiontv.com or call our offices in the USA at 540 736 7206.

Pastors, we thank you for your support and allowing us to bring our message to your church. We are thankful for your prayerful consideration of a monthly pledge as soon as you can, so that we can get about the business of saving souls. We are especially thankful to the pastors and individuals who have already pledged support. We are at 43% of our pledge budget and are praying on getting to Ecuador before the end of August, if not sooner.

Yours in Christ,

Joe, Karen, Shari and Katie Hewes

Missionary Associates and Missionary Kids to Ecuador

Unsion finds temporary studio space after devastating fire

The outpouring of love and concern from our note yesterday has given our faith a boost that is incomparable. 

The good news is that we are working diligently to be back on the air next week.  But, to do that we need a miracle.  Of course God is the miracle worker.  He began today by providing temporary facilities at the local Catholic university from which to broadcast in Cuenca.  If you understand what that means in a Latin American context you would be shouting with us. 

To be able to put our signal on the air we need 3 cameras, tripods, a video switcher, audio board, graphic generator, play out devises like a DV or DVcam units, cables, etc. About $100,000 will do this.  To be permanently back on the satellite we need about $500,000.  Many of you have asked about our insurance.  Currently we think we can get about $80,000. 

We will celebrate our 3rd anniversary on the 26th of April, 2006 and trust God to provide all we need to be fully recovered and back touching lives across the  Americas at full power.  Please joint us in prayer as we move forward with Him.

With much gratitude and appreciate for every note and prayer,

Unsion Television News Update

 

There are no pictures nor words that can show the miracle of Unsión Network.  But God has shown Himself faithful.

 

Last week we prayed and believed God for a miracle.  We felt that God said we would return to the air in one week.  As a matter of fact we wrote that in our last note to you.  So today, only 6 days after a fire destroyed the entire Cuenca broadcast station, at 7 am eastern standard time, with borrowed equipment, borrowed location, borrowed sets, borrowed cables, and everything else but the transmitter, Unsión Network’s local broadcast signing back on the air it is nothing short of a miracle.  A miracle wrought by hard work, coupled with a community that sees Unsión as their network and faith that transforms.

 

We are not back on satellite as we haven’t received the funding necessary to purchase a new uplink system but we are on the local station reaching 400,000 people.

 

As the weeks progress and funds start coming in we will rebuild the station, network, and extend our reach to all 500,000,000 people under the footprint of our satellite.  Yet, God never stopped working, people continued to receive Christ even as the fire burned.

 

We continue to need a financial miracle but know that God has already started the process of bringing it about.  Thanks for being a part of it.

Fire in Cuenca, Ecuador

Dear friends,

What you see is the operational heart of Unsión Television International going up in flames. I say the “operational” heart because the true heart of this mission lies within those who have chosen to follow God’s call to establish and run this network. This is the equivalent of the CBS Broadcast Center going up in flames.

The Cuenca studios are where all programming was produced and originated from. The satellite uplink facilities that reached countries from the tip of Argentina to the Canadian border were also destroyed. Financially, this represents over $250,000 of Speed The Light money over the past three years.

Please pray for this vital mission, and its battle against the forces of darkness as it spreads light and hope across the nations. 6,000 people responded to God’s call and made commitments to Christ because of the message they saw on Unsión. 20% of the people attending the AG church in Cuenca are there because they heard of God’s saving mercy through Unsión and its counseling center, Un Buen Consejo.

The need for workers is even more urgent now than it has ever been. We are stepping up our efforts to raise the monthly pledges necessary to get to Ecuador. Any financial support, be it monthly or a one-time donation, would be much appreciated.

Specific prayer requests:

Thanks be to God that no one was hurt in the fire;

pray for funds to rebuild;

pray for wisdom and human resources to speed the rebuilding process

pray that the Hewes family raises the funds soon to assist in the rebuilding process.

Thank you and God bless,

Joe, Karen. Shari, and Katie Hewes

Missionary Associates and Missionary kids to Ecuador

March 29, 2006

Dear Friends,

Today we suffered an incredible setback at Unsión. In the process of constructing a new roof over our facility, a welder’s spark ignited a fire that completely destroyed our studios, master control and satellite uplink equipment. Three years of struggle and sacrifice was gone in a matter of minutes.

After the blaze was brought under control, our staff gathered to give thanks to the Lord for the protection of our staff and to reaffirm our faith in the promise of Romans 8:28 “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

More than ever we understand that ‘our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.’ Eph 6:12

Pray that we might have divine wisdom as we rebuild. We will be back; the souls of thousands lie in balance.

For all of us at Unsión,

Bill, Connie and Seth McDonald

Casting Crowns concert

Karen and I had a great time at the concert on March 5. Josh Bates opened the show, followed by Nicole Nordeman and Casting Crowns ("Stop asking Oprah what to do!").

Here is a link to our concert photos:

http://www.pbase.com/joehewes/casting_crowns

Thanks to the tickets Karen won (!) from Star 99.1 FM, we had great seats, seventh row on the aisle.

Enjoy the photos!

Joe and Karen

Post from MK, Shari =)

Hey anyone who reads this. It's Shari this time, so prepare to be amazed.

Yesterday I had a conversation with my friend AJ. I mentioned how my friend Nicole (who currently lives in Florida) is moving to Indonesia. His mouth dropped open and he said, "Indonesia?! She better be careful because she could get eaten!" And then I said, "Huh?" so he explained, "Years ago these missionaries went to Indonesia and some cannibals ATE them because they hated missionaries!!" In response, I told him how missionaries went to Ecuador and they were killed. *End of the Spear* I also told him how Quito is on a volcano. His eyes got wide and he goes, "So you might die!?" Me, being unfazed, nodded and replied, "Yeah but that's the risk every missionary takes. It's part of the job." And he couldn't believe it.

I mean, I know kids younger than myself going to places, but they can't tell anyone. It's a sensitive country. While there, they can't email anyone their location or make any videotapes or anything like that. On the AGWM MK email, every few minutes you have to sign in again. They're very high in security. Yet people all around the world live this life, an unpredictable, not always safte one, by choice. Hmm... kinda made me think.

Well, as my best friend Laney, who lives in Texas and is going to Scotland says, the bell's fixin to ring so I gotta go. Much love from this side of the screen =)

Prayer request

Please pray for the Threshers, Missionary Associates leaving for Brazil on February 21 (tomorrow!)

You go, guys! We love you and can’t wait to see you in the southern hemisphere.

Joe, Karen, Shari and Katie Hewes

Missionary Associates and Missionary Kids to Ecuador

Finance update

We are officially at 40% of our pledge budget! Thank you to all the churches, pastors, and individuals who have helped us get to this important milestone.

We are praying on a July departure date, so the kids can start school in September in Ecuador.

Joe

Unsion Network 2005 year-end report

January 23, 2006

It is with much enthusiasm, satisfaction, and expectation that share with you this year end report.

The year of 2005 was a tremendous year of challenges and opportunities. As you will see in the following graph, every indicator shows positive growth or improvement. For example, viewer coverage has grown by 525% and our ratings by 191%. At the close of 2004 we were producing 10 weekly and daily programs; today we are producing 15 programs. Donations are up 67% and sales 119%. Our paid and volunteer staff has increased by 238 individuals. Contacts to our counseling center, Un Buen Consejo, have increase by 148% and verbal commitments to Christ through our trained counselors have improved by 158%. May God Receive All The Glory!

As we reflect upon the accomplishments of 2005, we realize that God has given us the privilege to participate in a divine work of the Holy Spirit. Also, we would be amiss not to recognize the tremendous sacrifice and dedication of our incredible staff. God has truly brought together a visionary team of committed and enthusiastic participants.

Most importantly, there is a genuine sense of expectation on the part of our staff which drives us towards a more excellent product and effective ministry. We truly feel that God has called Unsión to impact the entire Hispanic culture with a positive message of influence, hope, and salvation.

We love being in church!

Most Sunday’s we are at different churches in New Jersey (and occasionally out of state) giving a message that at the least tells of our mission, and at the most is a longer message about our call, our testimony, and the opportunities God has for everyone and anyone called to short-term missions. We carry some interesting baggage with us, including a large poster board that has some pictures of Ecuador on it. We also have what I call the “toy bag”, which contains some souvenirs Karen brought back from her missions trip to Ecuador. The souvenirs include some native-made musical instruments and some dolls and toys from Ecuador.

If you are interested in the Assemblies of God Missionary Associate program, check out their new website that lists all kinds of opportunities around the world for short-term missions service. The address is www.goag.org.

Joe

Oh the missionary life for me!

Coming home late one night from a church date we lost our right rear tire on the Garden State Parkway. It just shredded to pieces at 65 miles per hour. Thankfully no one was hurt, but the shoulder was too narrow to change the tire. Garden State Parkway service showed up, changed the tire, and charged us…nothing! A very nice tow truck driver named Joe (what else!) did the work in no time.

Joe

Hewes Family update

Well here we are, six months since our last post. We promise to try to keep up with things!

It’s been an exciting six months. We are at about 25% of our pledge budget and have raised our entire cash budget, praise God! We have spoken in about 14 churches all around New Jersey. We are getting an excellent response to our message.

Our thanks to all those pastors and individuals who are supporting us in prayer and financially.

Check back here often for posts form the whole Hewes family.

Joe