John Mosiman at HCJB-TV La Ventana de los Andes (The Window of the Andes)

Almost as if by magic, the colors appeared on the easel at the front of the darkened church. But no, Lenin De Janón could see that the hands manning the brush and palette belonged to a man—a man he needed to meet.

De Janón had been wandering the streets of Quito for hours, mutilating his own arm with a knife. A young communist, he saw no reason to continue life after his girlfriend broke off her relationship with him. Depressed, the young Ecuadorian’s fascination with the picture grew as he watched the artist and felt his spirits lift a bit.

Approaching the man afterward, he learned the artist’s name was John Mosiman, a missionary at Radio Station HCJB who invited him to stop by the station to learn how the chalk talking and ultraviolet light worked.

“Me, a communist, go to a Christian radio station?” wrote De Janón decades afterwards. He nonetheless visited and watched Mosiman, engaging in a conversation that ignited De Janón’s thirst to learn what the Bible offered. A year later he received Christ as Savior at the same church where he’d seen Mosiman’s blacklight chalk talk. De Janón followed in the American man’s tracks, devoting his artistic abilities to God by serving as a missionary with HCJB Global.

“John created an art form he called ‘musical paintings,’ wrote Mosiman’s wife of 57 years, Gloria. “It was a blend of chalk paintings with theatrical lighting and choreographed to music, captivating audiences at clubs, conventions, churches and schools. He performed from New York to Dallas, Miami to San Francisco and also in Canada and in seven Latin American countries, spanning 41 years.”

He also created pencil drawings and acrylic paintings. Spare time saw John hiking and camping in the wilderness, including the Rocky Mountains where he climbed 47 peaks in his lifetime. “He was well known for sleeping under the stars in his hammock instead of a tent,” Gloria continued, “He greatly enjoyed carving intricate designs and Bible verses on walking sticks.”

Mosiman graduated from high school in 1949 at Boulder, Colo.

Born on Sept. 12, 1931, he was an adopted son of Fred and Lucille Mosiman of Elgin, Ill. In the early 1950s he served on the staff of the Maranatha Bible and Missionary Conference in Muskegon, Mich. In 1953 he graduated from Wheaton College where he learned chalk drawing from Dr. W. Karl Steele. He later attained a Master of Arts from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.

While learning the Spanish language in San José, Costa Rica, he met Gloria Geiszler, a nurse on her way to Ecuador to serve as a medical missionary. John’s artistic talents were to be used in the same South American country. Having arrived separately at language school, they later married in Quito where they served as HCJB Global missionaries for 12 years during the 1950s and 1960s.

“There is nothing in us to claim that we are capable of doing this work,” was a New Testament reference that John often cited. The verse continues that “the capacity we have comes from God. It is He who made us capable of serving…” (2 Corinthians 3:5-6, Good News Translation).

Upon retirement, the Mosimans moved to Austin, Texas. During disastrous flooding in Del Rio, TX, they assisted the affected families, also visiting people across the river at Ciudad Acuña, Mexico.

John spent his retirement years building homes for destitute families in Acuña, enabling them to move out of their cardboard shacks into frame houses. He recruited and spearheaded volunteer construction teams, supervising them and working with his own hands as well. They constructed more than 150 houses.

John Mosiman 1931-2012

He sponsored hundreds of Mexican youths for university and high school education. Through his life, God radically changed the life of many people; both those in need and those who came to help build.

Completing his work in Mexico in 2010, he continued to minister from his home in Austin despite his advancing illness. He taught the Bible to small groups and mentored several people before his death on Wednesday, Dec. 26, at the age of 81.

In addition to his wife, Gloria, John is survived by two daughters, Elizabeth of Summerville, S.C., and Marianne of Austin; a son, John, of Fort Mill, S.C.; and five grandchildren. He is also survived by a sister, Sue Wyld, Wheaton, Ill.

A memorial service was held at Hillcrest Baptist Church in Austin on Saturday, Jan. 5. To post or view condolences, visit http://www.cookwaldenchapelofthehills.com. The family has asked that memorial donations be made to the following ministries: His Work, Inc. (13217 Dime Box Trail, Austin, TX 78729), indicating that the donation is for the Acuña Mexico Ministry (http://hisworkinc.org), or Voice of the Martyrs (P.O. Box 443, Bartlesville, OK, 74005).

HCJB Global retirees Pat and Kay Talbot managed the Clark Guesthouse for several weeks during the summer.

Though it’s hard to let you go
In the Father’s hands we know
That a lifetime’s not too long
To live as friends
-Deborah D. Smith

Visitors to HCJB Global’s Latin America Region have helped us out. We’ve caught up with each other and enjoyed laughing together. Friends, we appreciate your hearts to serve God by serving Ecuadorians and others of this region. -Ralph

Alex Diaz, Carmen Reinoso and Candice Figueroa

Mike and Carol Hardin returned to Shell where they served with Hospital Vozandes. Here they are with their kids at Casa del Suizo overlooking the Napo River.

Juan Cabrera and Marlin Brubaker came to Ecuador for a migration . . . but not a human migration. Systems engineers at HCJB Global’s Ministry Service Center in Colorado, they came to migrate computers to a new Windows domain.

“The Accounting and Hospital Records department move went pretty smoothly and the users were able to start working when they came to work on Monday with minimal issues,” said Marlin.

Juan Cabrera, Marlin Brubaker and Barry Hamm at 5 p.m. - about halfway through a long workday.

Available in both English and Spanish, Christians, Let’s Make Good Television (Cristianos: Hagamos Buena Televisión), Gowan’s self-published book is available for “Christian groups that know they want to minister through television, but who have not had access to the professional broadcast world.”

“It’s written with Third World realities in mind, and frankly it’s inspired by the mistakes I’ve seen myself and others repeatedly make through the years just as much as it is by the professionals who have shared their expertise with me,” Gowan explains. “I’m convinced that Christians can and will produce some of the best programming on TV if we learn and respect these fundamental rules of professional television production and broadcasting.”

Gowan, 56, admits he’s part of the “first generation to grow up watching TV. Its influence both for good and bad is something I have lived first-hand since I was born.”

“Christian ministries were largely absent from this influential medium during its formative decades, for a wide variety of reasons,” he continued. “Now that so many ministries are finding their way onto the small screen, their lack of experience in the medium is often a barrier to being as effective as they might otherwise be.”

Gowan added that what is commonly known today as “Christian TV” is “unfortunately often not considered by mass audiences to be good enough to make them choose to watch it. But I’ve found that with even the most basic introduction to broadcasting theory and production techniques, their programs take a leap to a whole new level of audience impact. I love it when I get to have a part in making that transition happen.”

Gowan, the son of HCJB Global retirees Travis and Margaret Gowan, grew up in Ecuador. While in high school he appeared as an actor and singer in various productions at HCJB Global’s La Ventana de los Andes (Window of the Andes), the first TV station in Ecuador.

Upon graduating from Biola College (now Biola University) in communications and theater, he studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Pasadena, Calif. After marrying Sharon Hillis, a missionary kid from Venezuela, he taught theater arts at Westmont College for five years.

After joining Televozandes, the TV department of HCJB Global, Gowan directed and edited a variety of TV series while teaching acting and television courses at HCJB Global’s Christian Center of Communications. John co-wrote, directed and edited Televozandes’ award-winning feature TV movie, “Canción de Navidad,” a Latin American adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic book, A Christmas Carol.

Under Gowan’s leadership, Televozandes produced the Spanish versions of various Christian productions from North America and European ministries, including the Spanish dubbing of several episodes of Big Idea Productions’ popular series, “VeggieTales.” In 2004 Gowan was a translator and intercultural consultant for the filming of Every Tribe Entertainment’s “End of the Spear” and was one of the actors.

The Gowans continue to serve with HCJB Global in Guatemala, working with Asociación Viña and consulting with numerous television ministries across Latin America. Gowan is available for consultation or to arrange on-site bilingual training in TV production.

In addition to consulting in scriptwriting and general management, he is the dramatic director for “Deditos,” a video series of Bible stories told with finger puppets. “It’s a really innovative project being produced by the largely Mayan staff of Viña here in Guatemala,” Gowan said.

To order the book, visit www.createspace.com/3431284 (English) or www.createspace.com/3444268 (Spanish) or e-mail Gowan at johngowantv@gmail.com.