It has been an amazing month! It is like the mission has hit
a whole new gear! We have gone from being busy, to being overwhelmed with
opportunities. God seems to have opened the flood gates, and we are on the
white water raft ride of our lives! (minus the raft….. and the river). This month has been filled with heart ache and
joy. We have gotten to witness dancing of victories and cries of anguish. But
one thing has been constant, God was there for all of it. We wish we could just
download all that we do, so you could witness, hear, and feel the great reward
we get to experience daily here in Africa.
We started with a distribution of grain to many new widows. They
were so excited to see us that they would literally dance upon our arrival. One
of the new widows could not dance though. Disease had left her handicapped and
alone. Someone allows this woman to live in an abandoned building in their
courtyard, but beyond that, she has nothing. She lives in a pile of garbage,
unable to walk or even speak very well. Her name is Minata Sakara. If you have
ever tried to seek out who Jesus meant
when he spoke of the least of these in Matthew 25:40, I am certain that Minata
was specifically on His mind. Amy and I are also convinced that women like her
are one of the reasons why God sent us here.
We had two special medical clinics this month. The first one
was in the village of Gourpoly, which is fairly remote, and in need of
help. We showed up, and about 2000
people did also. We had a doctor here from Pennsylvania on a short term mission
trip, and together with our nurses, treated over 200 kids for various injuries
and ailments. The second special clinic
was held in the village of Kabo. This village is 13 Kilometers outside of yako,
and is a place that is dear to Amy and I. This was a cursed village that God
has begun to move in. Christ has been working his way into the hearts of the
residents of Kabo one after the other. Over 1500 people showed up, and about
250 kids treated! We had another doctor and a nurse visiting us from Pembroke
Pines and two nurses from the Christian Missionary Alliance with us. Working
together with our nurses, we filed through the patients, and saw them all!
Meanwhile my department was to keep the crowds occupied. So, games, dance offs,
and a bible club for the kids! I was Goliath in a skit we did for the kids, and
they seemed to laugh a little to loudly for my liking when I took the stone in
the middle of my forehead. But kids and adults alike were given the gospel, and
many were saved. We followed it up with
an evangelism the next night, Amazing would not begin to explain the response.
I was a happy dad, when Delaney, my 16 year old daughter started the evening
off with prayer in front of the entire crowd.
We have had great reports on the girl Pauline we found near
death of kidney failure. She continues to heal.
Then in Doure , where we hold medical clinics every Thursday, a mother
showed up with her 10 year old daughter named Catherine from the village of
Arbole. Catherines stomach was swollen, and she had a lump on her side. After
inspection, we felt that we needed to bring her to a clinic about 2 hrs north
of us. We had blood tests, and then we were sent down to the capital for some
scans. We have sadly begun our battle against Cancer with young Catherine.
Chemo will begin on next week, and once the Tumors that have attached
themselves to her kidneys shrink, she will have surgery followed by more
treatments. The picture shows Pauline on my left, and Catherine on my right. Victories and heartaches, we
have become intimate with both.
So much more, but will end with this. I was back out in the
bush, drilling wells. We received a very generous gift for Amy and I to go dig
a well. This is an incredible tool to meet people at their need. Working
through the local pastors and churches. Finding the need, giving the community
water, and Christ. Another hole in the ground, another village impacted by
Christ!
