Peter Hubert, who served as a German radio program producer at Radio Station HCJB in Quito, Ecuador, with his wife, Maria, for 25 years, died of cancer in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, on Friday, April 18. He was 84.

Peter and Maria's missionary service in Quito culminated an incredible series of events dating back to the 1920s when they lived in Mennonite colonies in the former Soviet Union. Peter was born on Nov. 10, 1923, in Sagradowka, Ukraine.

He was only 5 years old when Joseph Stalin initiated the first of his infamous five-year plans, but he vividly remembers the time. "There was the collectivization of all property, and church services were not allowed," Peter said in an interview in 1989. "Even having a Bible at home was dangerous."

When the Mennonites began traveling to Moscow in 1929 in the hopes of getting permits to leave the Soviet Union, Peter's father was reluctant to go because it was winter, he was short of cash and his father-in-law was ill. But one day when he got home from work, his wife had packed their few belongings, and they were ready to leave.

"We left early on a Sunday morning," Peter said. "It was Nov. 10, 1929-my sixth birthday. Our neighbor took us to the train station. Of course we only traveled on the back roads." Peter's family discovered that Nov. 10 was the last day that train tickets were being sold at train stations in the area of the German settlements. The government was trying to stem the flow of German colonists to Moscow.

When they arrived in Moscow, they found themselves among some 20,000 Mennonites who were living outside the city. "No exit visas were being granted, and the authorities had long lists of Mennonite names. They were picking up whole families and sending them back home. Others were imprisoned. I would say two-thirds of the Mennonite refugees were sent back."

However, some of the people entered the German embassy in Moscow, pleading for help. As a result, on Nov. 25 Russia signed an agreement with Germany to receive the homeless people.

Shortly before Christmas, the families of Peter and Maria-although they didn't yet know each other-were put on a train to Germany where they were housed for several months until they could board a ship and emigrate to southern Brazil where there were some Mennonite colonies.

Life in Brazil was simple, but the Mennonites were grateful for their freedom, initially living in huts, but later building log houses and planting crops in the poor soil. It wasn't until 1945 that Peter and Maria met for the first time as they were members of the same choir.

They married two years later and worked on a dairy farm in addition to being active in the church. In 1952 the farm was sold, and they decided to volunteer at a Mennonite Brethren Missions/Services (MBM/S) children's home in Curitiba, Brazil.

This was a six-week assignment turned into six years. In February 1959 the Huberts decided to take a 15-month study leave to learn about church planting at the New Tribes Mission and Bible Institute in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

In 1960 they began working as church planters in Sóo Mateus do Sul, a small city 90 miles west of Curitiba. Despite the oppression of spiritism, the Huberts established a small Mennonite Brethren Church during their 3½ years in the area. The church is still in operation today.

Then in 1964 the Huberts accepted an invitation to serve as teachers at the Mennonite Brethren Bible Institute in Curitiba. They had scarcely arrived at the school when they received a letter from MBM/S, saying they needed a couple to serve in the German Language Service at Radio Station HCJB in Quito.

"At first we decided not to go," Peter admitted. "We had five children, and we weren't prepared to move so far away. And there was much work to do in Brazil."

But as he was planning to write a letter turning down the assignment, he sensed the Lord saying, "I haven't asked for your opinion. I asked if you were willing to go."

As a result, the Huberts' minds were changed, and they arrived in Quito in 1964, quickly becoming popular radio personalities with listeners worldwide. Their programs sparked 10,000 to 16,000 letters annually, and countless numbers made decisions for Christ. "The biggest highlight of my 25 years at HCJB was the freedom and possibility of proclaiming the gospel worldwide," Peter said.

After retiring in 1989, the Huberts made a final visit to Brazil before settling in Abbotsford where they remained active in church ministry, leading Bible studies and continuing to produce German radio programs that aired on AM station KARI in Blaine, Wash., for 14 years.

In addition to his wife of 60 years, Peter is survived by four children, Helmut, Godfrey, Heidi and Henry. He was predeceased by his oldest child, Edith, and a son, Harry, who died as a baby. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, April 25, at King Road Mennonite Brethren Church in Abbotsford.