Dr. John and Hannelore Fryters on one of their numerous trips to Peru.(submitted John Fryters)

By Glenn Hicks

faith and work

Prince Albert’s Global Citizens

Jan 28, 2020 | 5:00 PM

It’s fair to say Prince Albert couple Dr. John Fryters and his wife Hannelore keep themselves busy. They’re well known for their local seniors advocacy efforts but their two decades of dedication to faith and work have also taken them on regular journeys across three other continents.

Now they’re being honoured with a Global Citizen Award from the Saskatchewan Council for International Cooperation (SCIC).

So focused are they on their hands-on approach, John even wrote a book about the theology of work.

“You can teach about God and work, but if you don’t do anything practical, it doesn’t make sense,“ he told paNOW.

That ethos to getting his hands dirty on multiple projects has stuck with him since he was offered a pastorship at a church in Meath Park almost 20 years ago. He accepted only on the condition that he live a life of practical mission work that has taken him and Hannelore on 32 trips to Peru, five visits to South Sudan – during peace and wartime – as well as working missions to Uganda and India.

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Attaraya, Peru. John plays the nut Instrument on his day off. (submitted photo/John Fryters)

“We have helped build or renovate over a hundred homes in Peru, and we built a vocational school in South Sudan for returning refugees who wanted to learn a trade,” he said.

The two also taught small business skills in India and Uganda to assist people in setting up their own means to generate income.

The couple’s outreach made a significant impact on the lives of others. For example, John said the teen daughter of impoverished parents they engaged with in Africa some years back has recently graduated as a chemical engineer. There are numerous other such success stories.

Twenty years of international cooperative efforts hasn’t slowed the Fryters down. Hannelore recalled their early efforts to assist hundreds of young pregnant women and teen moms soon after they first arrived in Prince Albert in early 1990. Now they have turned their attention to another age group; the P.A. Seniors Advocacy Centre.

“It’s very, very important; we don’t want seniors to fall by the wayside,” Hannelore told paNOW. “They have so much knowledge to give the younger ones. We want to pull that out before they go.”

Gardens in the Dessert: Lire, South Sudan. Fryters on an inspection trip to Lire Vocational School’s carpentry shop.(submitted photo/John Fryters)

John and Hannelore are also pastors at Heart of Seniors Gathering, a church for seniors only.

For the SCIC, John and Hennelore personify the international efforts they’ve been advocating for over 40 years.

“The Fryters have offered not only supports but have helped build strong communities,” Aria Ramdeo, the organization’s project and campaign coordinator told paNOW. “They are really inspiring others to work towards our mission towards a more just, equitable and sustainable world.”

Verbalizing one of her favourite quotes, Ramdeo said: “I always thought someone should do something and then I realized that I was that someone.”

The Fryters will be honoured at a ceremony at Heart of Seniors Gathering church Feb. 2, at 3:15 pm.

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glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow