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Thursday, July 31, 2014

Ebola Update

Hi Friends and Family Members,
     In the past, I updated my blog only once or twice a month because I didn't want to overload people with updates.  Now, times are different.  Ebola is gaining momentum as it is  spreading across Liberia.  Prayer is desperately needed.  The situation on the ground is very serious.  My updates will be coming more frequently so that you know how to pray.  Here are some recent developments.

Kim Smith
Rob Schaeffer
-  Kim Smith and Rob Schaeffer, two Wordsower missionaries, are planning on staying in Liberia to minister in the midst of the storm.  They have prepared a packet on Ebola and are going from house to house educating people about Ebola and presenting the Gospel.  
-  President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has closed all but 3 of Liberia's boarders in hopes of controlling the spread of Ebola.
-  President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has closed all Liberian schools and is considering quarantining several communities.
-  On July 30, I got this text from Kim, "Radio news said 5 found dead in a house and 2 on the street.  Riot and looting in Nimba.  The storm approaches."
-  US Peace Corps, Samaritian's Purse and many other organizations have pulled out of Liberia.
-  Two airlines have suspended flights to Liberia.
-  Since July 23, there have been 94 new suspected, probable, and confirmed Ebola cases and 40 additional deaths in Liberia.
-  There have been confirmed Ebola cases in Bomi, Bong, Lofa, Margibi, Montserrado, and Nimba Counties.  There is 1 suspected case in Grand Gedeh County.

Please pray for Liberia.


God Bless,

Don
Map of Liberia.  The stars are where our bases are located.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Dear Friends and Family Members,
It is with a heavy heart that Melanie and I inform you that we have chosen to postpone our return trip to Liberia by 3 months due to the ebola outbreak in our hometown.  Please join with us in praying for the Liberian people.  Yesterday, Liberia shut down most of it’s boarders in hopes of containing and eliminating ebola.  In our hometown, several people have been diagnosed with ebola, the clinic directly next to our house has been exposed to ebola and has shut down, and the community hospital has shut down.  Throughout Liberia other hospitals are shutting down due to a large number of health professionals refusing to come to work in fear of being exposed the virus.  One clinic in Monrovia has been burned after an ebola patient died and a family member retaliated.  The situation is very serious and needs our prayers. 

Kim working working on the press
Kim (our mission partner) has decided to stay and minister in the midst of the storm.  He has prepared an ebola packet which he is now printing by the thousands on our printing presses.  The first 2 pages of the packet talk about ebola and prevention. The last few pages talk about repentance and salvation.  Our field leaders have been trained in how to use these packet and are beginning to go to every town presenting the information on Ebola and the Gospel to every citizen.  We will continue sending these mission trips out until the virus has passed.  Please keep our team in your prayers.  Please pray that this virus will be contained and eliminated.  Please pray for the Gospel as it continues to go out. Please pray for those who are suffering!
God Bess!
Don

Friday, July 25, 2014

Ebola has struck our hometown! Please Pray!

Downtown Gbarnga
I am writing to keep you up to date with some recent developments in Liberia.  As you are probably aware, Ebola has struck West Africa.  Ebola is a deadly virus that is passed through any bodily fluids.  It is highly contagious and has no treatment.  More often than not, those with the virus die.  Ebola has struck our hometown, Gbarnga.  There have been several cases of it in the hospital in our town.  The clinic directly next door to our house has now been closed due to the fact that one of it's doctors has tested positive.  Apparently the clinic was treating Ebola patients without knowing it.  This morning, we learned that one of our neighbors just died from ebola.  It cannot get any closer to our house than that. Other mission agencies in Gbarnga are beginning to evacuate their missionaries because of the danger.  We are seeking the Lord’s direction.  We have been recommended by those in Gbarnga to postpone our return trip by 3 months until things settle down.  We will need to make a decision soon in this matter.  Our hearts are in Liberia.  The idea of being in the States for a few more months is daunting.  We feel the responsibility of making wise discussions for the well-being of our family while feeling an intense desire to be back on the field.  Our heart’s desire is to be obedient to the Lord either in going or staying.  Please pray for those suffering and that the virus will be contained.  The situation is very serious!
This picture was taken while standing close to our house.
The clinic is the building in the background.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

June 2014 Ministry Report

Locations we have worked
        The mission of Jesus; “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9 NIV), is also our mission.  
        Our mission is that every village of Liberia will have a healthy church.  Most of the towns and villages of Liberia have no church. We have worked in over 400 villages in 12 counties.  This month we made 93 mission trips, visiting 99 villages and other locations and we made many other local mission trips. Some of the towns we were in multiple times. We went into 17 new communities.  Our longest mission trip was 7 days the shortest a few hours. 36 were baptized and 52 completed our extensive Bible study program. 27 completed our 2 week Bible Institute.  We printed and distributed approximately 41,000 pages of training material.  Several factors affect how many mission trips we can go on each month; illness, injuries, and availability of money are some.  

Liberian martyrs:  
        Drogdroken is a gold mining camp. It has its god (demon) that controls the camp.  It also has its priests.  The priests are powerful and bring great fear and respect.  In the recent past, two pastors went into the camp to preach.  As they were walking out they were ambushed and cut to pieces with machetes.  Christians are not welcome!  
One of our new young disciples named Messiah was in the camp trying to hustle money for his school fees.  He gives testimony of what he experienced while in the camp:  One of the priests of the god entered the camp.  He filled the camp with fear.  They believe that when the priest shouts their gold will disappear and when he curses someone will die.  That night the priest slept with the camp leader.  The next morning the camp leader was dead, blood had run out of his nose and ears and his gold missing.  Two Christians emerged.  They went in and prayed for the camp leader for several hours while the priest was yelling and shouting curses on them.  That evening the camp leader started to shake, sat up and soon had fully recovered.  The priest ran.  The camp residents had watched the whole event.  Later they gathered, discussed and decided to kill the Christians.  They loved their gold and were afraid their god was angry and that all their gold would disappear.  The Christians were warned and escaped unharmed.  
WSL has yet to enter this region.  Messiah wants to return one day but now is still full of fear.

Poison:  
        Samuel, one of those we are united with and assist, is doing a great job going from village to village in Grand Bassa County.  He evangelizes, disciples and starts churches in churchless towns and villages.  He was teaching a 3 day workshop that we sponsored.  His food was dished up and put to the side as he was teaching.  After teaching he went to his food and saw black powder had been sprinkled on it.  Immediately he knew what it was.  Taking it to others brought unrefuted confirmation: Poison!  It was a very powerful poison that brings quick death.  Fortunately, he observed it and is alive today.  Satan is alive and fighting mad.

Food cooking over open fire
Maryland County Branch Advances: 
        Our field leaders in Maryland just entered and started working in two new regions and tribes.  One is the Barrobo tribe of 32 known towns.  They have impacted 9 of the towns and baptized 15.  The other tribe is the Dorrobo tribe and has 9 known towns.  They have ministered in 2 of them.

Maryland County Branch Robbed: 
        Albert our director was home alone laying on his bed typing his end of month report and unexpectedly fell asleep.  He had not yet locked up our base properly.  When he awoke early in the morning the laptop he was working on in front of him was gone!  So was $200 dollars he had saved for his wedding, another laptop, camera, external hard drive and other items.  The thieves had walked all around him, his room and the house taking what they could.  Praise God it was not worse they did not take the motor bike, copier, generator, nor his life.

Albert at the Harper Base
Wordsower Bible Institute:  
        We completed another level 1 class.  There were 27 students.  Our first level teaches about discipleship, the second level is on the church.  We have sent these disciples out.  Our goal is to see an explosion of free independent churches that will reproduce in other churchless communities.

The Bible Institute

Beginning of a new church:   
         Gayeazon, a little village, is located on a hill deep in the jungle of our Grand Gedeh County.  The village is old, maybe 250 years or more.  For generations it has been a spiritual center of paganism and divination. It is an unreached churchless region.  The people preform rituals, sacrifices and consult the dead!  They have a demon they consult for healing of the sick.  They will go into the jungle and the face of a baby will appear and tell them how to treat the sick.  The sick for many generations have traveled long distances to this village for treatment.
        The village was isolated until 1980 when the government became unstable.  Opportunities and war caused many to leave the region.  Years later, many who had left returned as Christians.  But, were not welcome to practice their faith and had to leave the region to attend a church. 
        Our first visit to the town was in March.  Surprisingly the team was allowed to preach and teach.  About 40 attend when our teams arrive.  We have taught them about Christ, salvation, repentance, Idol worship, witchcraft and baptism.  Several have started our Bible marking lessons and others say they are willing to be baptized.  We expect some to come to the Bible institute. The walls of another stronghold, centuries old, are crumbling!  Surely we are seeing the birth of another church!  

Prayer requests:  
            Pray for Liberia.  Join us in a unity of prayer.  Pray for a great revival to sweep through this country.  Pray for a healthy church in every village in our generation, that every Liberian can walk small and find a healthy church.   Please make this prayer part of your daily prayers.  Pray for the safety of our leaders as they enter the strongholds of Satan!

June, 2014 Ministry Expense Report

Mission expenses:
$1,568 – Pens, folders, Bibles, mission trips feeding, etc.  
$1,485– Motor bike gas and repair, we have 10 bikes. We buy gas in bulk at about $5.00 a gallon.    

Wordsower Bible Institute:
$1,022 - Print Shop: This includes all expenses for printing Bible training material.   
$1,061 - Bible Institute classes: 27 students completed a two week class.  This includes housing, feeding, transportation.  It also included some additional development of the facility. 

Assistance to the poor:
$835 – Humanitarian assistance: This includes food (average cost is $1.50 a day for food) rent, home repair, etc. Most of this fund assists our sacrificial leaders that live in extreme poverty.  We also assist orphans, widows and the handicap.                     
$187– Medical expenses (average treatment cost per person is $1.00 - $10.00). 
$45 – School fee assistance

Team food and house supplies:
$1,380 – Food and house supplies (close estimate).  Our core team consists of 13 adults and 17 children.  That averages out to $1.53 a day per person to cover, clothes, food, batteries, soap etc.  Really, our team uses less than that per day because we feed visitors every day from the interior, refugees, and locals from our house funds.

Donations may be mailed to:
P.O. Box 1648 
Piqua, OH 45356

All Donations are tax deductible.  A receipt will be sent at year's end.  100% of donations go to the mission for the Liberians and Ivorian refugees.  None is used by me or administration.  If there are any donation questions, call Doug Billenstein at 937-459-6412.


$7,583- Total for the month.   

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Funny Videos of our Chimpanzee named Jessie

One of our joys in Liberia is our baby chimpanzee named Jessie.  Jessie is an orphaned chimpanzee that we are raising for the Liberian FDA.  Now that we are in the States and I have a good internet connection, I thought I would publish a few videos of her.  I hope these videos make you laugh and bring a little bit of our joy into your life. 

Jessie getting her diaper changed.

Jessie learning to pump water.

Jessie using a machete!

Jessie the locksmith.