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A Tribute to Dick and Eva Breadner
Dick and Eva Breadner have been sharing their story for years. Back in 1995, when the two young retired would-be Snowbirds came back from their first winter in Florida, they felt something was missing from their lives. By chance, they happened upon a SAMS Canada brochure left in their home church. The idea of short-term missions grew on them, and the next year they made what would be the first in a series of winter trips further south to Chile, Peru and (on many occasions) Honduras.
Paying their own travel and local costs, Dick and Eva would offer to serve the church and missionaries in whatever way they were able. Their goal was to enable the full-time missionarie
s and to build relationships with the pastors and lay workers of the national church. One winter they de-cluttered a diocesan office, one filing cabinet at a time. On many occasions, they have helped to support short-term teams that travelled down to Honduras and needed to be fed and ferried around. They have negotiated bad roads, run-down vehicles and rapidly-changing plans. They have shopped, cooked, cleaned, repacked medicines and sewed clothes for an orphanage. They have taught English. They have fixed things that were broken and built others. They have written home. They have taken photos. They have blogged. And with every visit, Dick and Eva’s knowledge, wisdom, insight and experience has grown.
Back in Canada, Dick and Eva have not been idle. For many years, Eva has also lent us her wisdom as a SAMS Canada Board member and a member of the Mission Personnel Committee, providing a much-appreciated connection between the Board and the pastors, lay pastors and missionaries in Honduras. Many times in past years, when we did not understand a situation or forgot a church name, Eva was our immediate “go-to” person, providing clarification and understanding, and more of that wisdom!
It is a wisdom that comes from spending time with people, listening to their problems and sharing in their celebrations. Though Dick was not on the Board, he too served as a member of the Promotion and Awareness Committee, he spent many hours putting together and maintaining our first website, and he accompanied Eva to many of our AGMs in different SAMS-supporting churches. His presence was especially appreciated when we met together for our Spring Board meetings at the Scott Mission Lodge outside Collingwood. His cooking and organizational skills helped keep the meetings running smoothly and economically, and for this we were truly grateful.
Dick’s servant heart was evident just last month when we met as a Board in Mississauga and Richmond Hill. Just when energy levels were flagging and we struggled to fit a few more essential discussions into the remaining hours of our time together, there was the rattle of a cart and Dick appeared with two piping-hot pots of tea and some snacks!
There is a season for everything, and Eva has decided to step down as a Board member after many years of service. We will miss Dick and Eva at our meetings, though we know that we will always be able to call or email either of these two talented and committed individuals for a slice of that wisdom I mentioned earlier. Thank you so much, Dick and Eva, for being such a valued part of the SAMS Canada family!
Ruth Lee
Chair, Mission Personnel Committee
Dick and Eva Breadner
Belleville, Ontario
Canadian Retirees Making a Difference
Dick and Eva Breadner specialize in short-term missions while serving abroad, and minister actively here in Canada to promote the work of SAMS Canada and its ministry in rural Honduras.
"Until we retired, we had little interest in mission. Eva had the idea that missionaries were especially spiritual people who wanted to "save the world." Dick retired from government service in May of 1995, and Eva stopped working in September of that same year. "That winter we did the "Snowbird" bit — we went to Florida for the winter. We discovered that a life of idleness was not for us. When we returned home, there was a brochure from SAMS Canada on the church bulletin board advertising the opportunity to work in the mission field and pay our own way! We applied, were accepted, and were invited to Chile that autumn on our first mission trip. Since that time, we have made twelve short-term visits, serving in Chile, Peru and Honduras.
Dick and Eva's personal mission is
- to do whatever we can to make the life and work of our full-time missionaries easier, better or more pleasant to encourage the national leaders through our relationships with teams of sisters and brothers in partnership in the Gospel.
- to return to Canada to witness to the importance and validity of evangelistic mission, based on Christ’s Great Commission . . . "Go and make disciples of all nations", and on Romans 10: 14 . . . "How can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent?"
"Through these experiences we have learned that underneath the culture, people are the same. We have the same basic needs for shelter, food, clothing, love, stability. We have the same concerns: health, desires and fears for our children — drugs, alcohol, future, threats to personal safety. God created the cultures, and we would be well advised not to meddle. We’re not better or worse — just different."
Want to Learn More?
Dick and Eva’s circumstances are similar to more and more Canadians today … skilled, energetic, and enthusiastic retirees with the time and the opportunity to explore this side of mission and ministry.
They are always willing and available to speak to parishes and groups, or by phone, on how you too can enjoy the same privilege and blessing.
For more information - please contact Dick & Eva.
