Feliz Navidad! Merry Christmas! Gesegnete Weihnachten!

Dear friends,

May this Christmas be a time of joy for you. “Without Jesus, this would just be winter!” is on a nearby church’s sign. Quite true. Jesus came to give us the gift of eternal life with God, saving us from our sins. He will be coming again as King. That’s a lot to celebrate!


God has been answering your prayers and ours. The end of October, Tom began work as a Research Associate for Myriad Pharmaceuticals in Salt Lake City. His research tests components of future cancer medicines. Tom rents a room nearby and has made good friends with his landlords Jen and Patrick and with his fellow renter Fahad (from Pakistan and studying Economics). He’s enjoying getting to know people through Intervarsity at the University of Utah.


In July, Dan will start an Internal Medicine Residency at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington. This winter, he will work for a month at HCJB Global’s hospital in Shell, Ecuador. He loved vacationing there while growing up; it will be interesting for him to experience life from the INSIDE of the hospital!

Both sons are home with us for Christmas. It sure is nice to be together again.

Dick’s Mom’s health is more stable, but she will not be able to return to independent living because of dementia. We are grateful that she knows us and expresses her love for us.

Thank you too for praying for God’s guidance for our future ministry. In June, we’ll be returning to Quito, Ecuador with HCJB Global. Dick plans to be more involved with AIDS ministry world-wide through HCJB Global. Marian will work with HCJB in a “new and improved” role as Executive Director of Global IT. Since it is a job that can be done from about anywhere there is a phone and Internet connection, she will begin in January.

We have enjoyed being in Michigan this year – working at Southwestern Medical Clinic (Dick in Infectious Diseases and Marian in IT), attending The Chapel, seeing family and friends. God has given us the rest and refreshing that we needed. Thank you for YOUR part in that healing process.

Yours,
Dick and Marian

Welcome to our blog!

Dear friends,

Thank you for taking the time to visit us. We are on Home Ministry Assignment from HCJB Global until May 2008. We are living in St. Joseph Michigan where Dick is working at Southwestern Medical Clinic. Our son Tom graduated this Spring with a masters from University of Michigan and is living with us as he looks for a job in biomedical engineering. Dan, a fourth year medical student at the University of Miami, is in Tacoma Washington doing a gastrointerology externship at Madigan Army Medical Center this month.

We have traveled to Ohio often this summer to visit family. Dick's Mom, Nada Douce has been in the hospital several times with infections and now is in a nursing home.

Marian has been repainting the inside of the house...one more room to go!

We'd love to have a chance to share with you about these past four years in Ecuador. You can contact us here.

Yours,
Dick and Marian

Summary of 2003-2007 term in Quito, Ecuador

Dear friends,

This was probably our most challenging term! We returned to Quito as "empty-nesters," Dick's father passed away, HCJB Global is going through many changes, Marian took on more responsibility for world-wide IT work, and Dick's work often expanded beyond Hospital Vozandes. Here is a bit of a picture tour through the term.

Dick took various roles in Hospital Vozandes' Family Practice Residency program. It is our joy to see Dr. Galo Nuñez (far right, second row) heading up the program now.

Dr. Nuñez has been in several discipleship Bible studies with us, as has Dr. Juan Roldán (second from the left) who is now Hospital Vozandes' Assistant Administrator.

Dick helped to organize and lectured for Hospital Vozandes' annual medical conference. Each year, the conference drew around 500 attendees in person and around 500 by virtual classroom.

Dick worked with the Ecuadorian ministry of Health on the treatment of AIDS/HIV, TB and rabies. And with C.A.R.E., Dick trained medical personnel from 260 Ecuadorian companies in AIDS/HIV treatment. He treated AIDS and TB patients in Hospital Vozandes' weekly clinics.



He also produced radio programs for HCJB Global on various infectious diseases.



Both Dick and Marian worked with Camino de la Luz Bible studies, leading discussion groups and lecturing. Marian also led Precept Bible studies.


A highlight for us was visiting Partners in Hope clinic in Malawi. Dick trained the medical personnel in AIDS/HIV and TB treatment, while Marian set up the office network and trained office staff.



What a joy it was to see Dr. Paulyna Orellana fulfill her life-long dream of serving as a missionary in Africa! Paulyna studied in our Residency program and participated in discipleship Bible studies with Marian.




Teamwork is what summarizes how Global IT works. It was Marian's joy to work with these very talented men and women!


Marian has had the great blessing of being mentored by two gifted professionals - Gerry Barksdale, Global IT's Technical Manager and her boss Dick Jacquin, HCJB Global Vice President of Support Ministries. Mil gracias Dick and Gerry!

We are very grateful to those who supported us and prayed for us through this term. God showed His faithfulness to many through you!

Serving a great God with you,
Dick and Marian Douce

Ministry in Malawi - Partners in Hope

May 2006, Dick and Marian visited Partners in Hope clinic. Dick gave training to personnel in AIDS/HIV care. Marian helped to set up their office network. Currently, in September 2007, the clinic sees 2000 patients monthly.



Here Dick shows the Infection Control nurse how to search resources from the Internet in her work.