Apples on the ground, pie in the oven

I have never seen so many apples on the ground. This has been one of their best years for apples here at the Patagonian Bible Institute. Some of the apples are as big as a softball. They are already harvesting some. They take them to a special cold storage place that keeps them fresh until November so they can continually use them with meals for their 59 students.







I am staying in the very nice director’s home on campus here. (See photo) Directors Martin and Charlotte Jacobson, (photo) missionaries from Kentucky are two of the best of the best. This afternoon Martin picked up some apples off the ground and made us all a “smoothy” by combining chopped up apples and bananas. Uuuummm delicious! This couple works tirelessly during all their waking hours. They are constantly in a building program. Their dorms are fairly well finished on the inside and filled with students, but need to be stuccoed and finished on the outside. The large library/chapel building has a roof, but is far from completed and cannot be used. Naturally, like always, they are out of money. So building on the library/chapel has been halted awaiting another miracle. If you happen to have $60,000 hidden under the bed and don’t know what to do with it… well, just send it to the AGWM Missionary Ralph Hiatt account #283632 marked Patagonian Bible Institute. I’ll make sure it gets where it’s supposed to go.


Years ago, when Frances and I were here with our MMM (Mobile Ministry Module) they were trying to get the academic building up and going and had finally reached the end of all resources. Charlotte wept because they would now have to send the main builder, a wonderful brother, back home and close down the progress on the construction. About that time I received an email from a name I did not recognize asking me “What would you do if you had $100,000?” I thought it was just another gag and didn’t even answer it. But then a pastor wrote reminding me about the letter that his secretary had sent me. I knew this minister. He pastored a small church that was meeting in a school classroom. I responded, presenting him with the need of the IBP academic building. He immediately sent me (through the AGWM) $65,000 which I gave to the Jacobsons just after they had been in tears because they were having to shut down. The building was completed and classes started right away in those classrooms. I never asked that generous pastor what he did with the other $35,000… ha. I’m sure it, too, went for a good cause.

Lord, we need another one of those miracles… any time now, please.

Ralph