Weekly Missions Update 11-20-17

Every Disease and Sickness was Treated:

A week ago, we led our first mobile health clinic in a bush town named Denta.  When Jesus entered a town, He healed the sick and taught about the Kingdom of God.  Our clinics seek to do the same.  

Denta, a town of about 200 people, has a history of resisting the Gospel.  Though the town had a church, the church was far from being Christian.  The pastor and it's members participated in the dark demonic society.  During one of my early visits to Denta, this church gathered to welcome the town’s children back from the bush after being initiated into the demonic society.  These children walked to the cadence of a drum while being paraded through the town.  They wore hooded gowns and walked slowly with their bodies bent towards the ground.  The sight looked like something you would expect to see in a halloween movie.  
  

Four years ago, Cyrus and Orpah felt led to start a Christian church in Denta.  Every week, Cyrus walked 13 hours in and out of the bush to lead a Bible Study with five people as he struggled to start the church.  The town's people and the secret society fought against him.  The chief told Cyrus that he would never give land for the church to settle.  Despite many setbacks, Cyrus was faithful to his calling.  

After 3 years of ministry, Cyrus’ church grew to 14 members and the town relented, giving Cyrus this land to establish the church.  

We chose Cyrus' town as the sight of our first mobile medical clinic.  As we set up the clinic, Cyrus walked from house to house, handing out tickets to the sick.  After the town gathered, we thanked them for giving the church land to settle, we affirmed Cyrus' ministry, and we gave Cyrus the wonderful privilege of presenting the gospel to his entire town.

After Cyrus preached, the sick were called one at a time to have their vitals taken.  Medical charts were prepared and every patient was prayed over.  

Next, people were led to a waiting area behind the church where Cyrus presented the Gospel to them again, one on one.  Nine people gave their lives to Jesus.

Susan called the people into the church one at a time and treated every sickness and disease in the town.  




After Susan prescribed medicine, people visited our mobile pharmacy where they received free medicine and more prayer.  

By the end of our two day clinic, we had treated 104 patients.  We praise God for these victories:
-  Nine people gave their lives to Jesus.
- Cyrus' church's attendance doubled in size the Sunday following the clinic.
- Every sickness and disease in the town was treated.

45 of the patients we treated were children, 44 were adults, and 15 were elderly.  

Here were the diagnosis for the 45 children we treated:

40 were treated for worms

34 were treated for malaria

5 were treated for skin infections

5 were treated for UTIs

4 were treated for typhoid

4 were treated for scabies

1 child was diagnosed with an enlarged spleen

1 was treated for epilepsy

Random Pictures from the Mobile Medical Clinic:

Thank you for your partnership in the Gospel.  Cyrus is one of our students at the Remote Bible Institute.  Like many others, he is leading his church through the Romans study that we taught last year.  Please keep Cyrus and God's church in Denta in your prayers.  Please also pray for these mobile medical clinics.  Pray that we will be able to host more clinics in towns and villages where we are training pastors. 

Scott Hoffman's visit:

Last week, Scott Hoffman visited us from the States.  Scott is one of the directors of His Safe Haven. I praise God for his partnership and the rich fellowship we shared!  In this picture, Scott is meeting with two moms of special needs children who who are supported through His Safe Haven's ministry. 

While Scott was in Liberia, we hired 4 men to start clearing the 10 acres of land that we purchased for our special needs group homes, medical clinic, and training center. 

After the land is cleared, we will make a driveway, drill a well and begin construction.  

Scott helped me begin to prepare for two missionary families who will join us in Liberia, early next year.  These families will work full-time in His Safe Haven's special needs group homes.  Upon their arrival, my time will be freed up to reopen the Bible Institute.  Scott and I looked for housing solutions for these missionaries. 

Scott spent most of his time in our group homes.  Here are a few pictures he took of some of our children.

Liberty Elementary School:

Scott visited our elementary school.  I praise God for giving us a strong start to this school year!  Here are a few pictures Scott took while at the school.

All the students at Liberty Elementary School come from families who are greatly impoverished.  Without a good education, these children have no hope for a better future.  Thank you for sponsoring every student at Liberty Elementary School!  You are changing one life at a time! 

Sponsorship Opportunities:

Susan:  $375 monthly

We are looking for a sponsor or a group of sponsors to pay for our new physician assistant's salary.   Your sponsorship would enable us to hire Susan long-term.  Susan's salary is $375 a month (Note: This is the same salary the government pays physician assistants who work in Liberi'a hospitals).  If you are interested in helping sponsor Susan's salary, please send me an email letting me know your intent.  My email address is don@hopeforhome.org. 

Christian: $40 a month

Christian's sponsorship is close to my heart.  Christian lives in our neighborhood.  When we returned from the States, I was surprised to find him missing.  After asking around, I learned that his parents had moved him into the bush because they could not afford to feed him in Gbarnga.  I am seeking to intervene in Christian's life.  Christian has a history of steeling.  One day, I ran out of my house when I heard a child screaming for help.  I found Christian's mother burning him with a hot coal.  He was hungry and had stolen food to eat so she was teaching him a lesson.  She forced him to hold the scolding coal in his hand and rubbed it on his face as a punishment.  Christian is still a thief.   Christian's academic performance in the past has been poor.  Yet my heart truly breaks for him.  I am seeking someone to help me intervene in his life.  The road he is traveling is not a good one.  Christian's older sister, Hannah, has agreed to allow Christian to live in her house. Hannah is my neighbor.  Christian needs your sponsorship because Hannah, is still in school and cannot afford to feed him.  $40 a month feeds, educates, and medically treats Christian.  If you are interested in sponsoring Christian, please send me an email letting me know your intent.  My email address is don@hopeforhome.org.

Liberia through Scott's Lens:

One of the things I enjoy most about having visitors is seeing Liberia through the pictures they take.  Here is Liberia through Scott's Lens.

Typical open air market

Public school near Gbarnga

Typical house

Taxi

New road leading to Monrovia

Typical Town

Home

Our hometown, Gbarnga

Woman selling popcorn in Gbarnga

Gbarnga and motorbike taxi

Gbarnga

Just up the road from our house

Our pharmacy

Cotten wood tree in Gbarnga

One of our grocery stores

Streets of Gbarnga.  Mothers carry their babies on their backs and loads on their heads.

Clothes laid on the roof of the kitchen to dry

Typical bush community


Selling produce

Transporting drinking water in plastic bags

Typical landscape

Transportation

  

Garage

Transportation

Most people travel by motorbike or by walking

  

Kokoyah Road near town

Kokoyah Road farther in the bush.  These logging trucks are very dangerous. 

Place to stop and get a Coke

Bananas anyone?

Cargo and supplies are shipped in these trucks

Transporting ceiling tile.  They also use these boards for chalk boards.

Bush road.  Children from the bush village running to greet us.

Very good bush road

Bridge

Prayer Requests:

1.  Please keep Liberia's presidential elections in your prayers.  The election is held up in Liberia's supreme court.  People are talking about the possibility if a transitional government.  Please pray for a peaceful transition of power.

2.  Please pray for new monthly supporters.  Our mission's monthly income has seen a sharp decline recently.

3.  Please pray for our elementary school.  Pray that God gives our teachers wisdom as they disciple our children.  

4.  Please pray for my wife as she home schools our children.

Weekly Missions Update 11-6-17

Liberty Elementary School has Opened:

I am excited to announce that our elementary school is officially open!    

Monday, November 6th, was our first day of school.  Here is a picture of one of our K1 classes.

Since we got a late start to the school year, we will close late this summer.  This is a picture of our second K1 class. 

 This year we were able to sponsor a total of 140 children.  All but 17 of these children attend our new school.  We were also able to assist numerous other children with school related fees such as school supplies, shoes, and uniforms.  Here is a picture of our K2 class.

 After completing our placement tests, we learned that nearly all of our sponsored children placed in 1st grade or below.  Due to this fact, we decided to offer two K1 classes, one K2 class and two 1st grade classes.  Here is a picture of one of our 1st grade classes.

We will add additional grade levels each year as our school grows.  Here is a picture of our second 1st grade class.  

Our students are wearing "colored clothes" until their uniforms are finished.  We hired Quinta's business to sew our uniforms again this year.  From the profit she makes, she will buy a year's worth of rice for her family and expand her business.  
On behalf of many impoverished children, THANK YOU!!!  

The Difference a Physician Assistant makes in our ministry:

Last week was Susan's first week on the job.  Susan is already making a great impact in our ministry.

We no longer need to take your sponsored children to the clinic when they are sick, we bring the clinic to them.  Susan is always a phone call away from your children.  She also travels with our team as we distribute supplies and minister to your children.

Hope is one of your sponsored children.  Last week, Hope became sick.  Susan was able to test, diagnose, and treat Hope's malaria from Hope's home.  

At His Safe Haven, Susan provides excellent medical care for all our special needs orphans.  Every day, she takes each child's temperatures, treats their sicknesses, and oversees therapy.  Every week, each child also receives a full medical exam.  

Many of His Safe Haven's foster moms are illiterate.  Monday through Friday, Susan teaches them verse by verse through the Scriptures. Susan's goal is to teach through the entire Bible.  We praise God for adding Susan to our team!

Things that come second nature to us, in the western world, are foreign to people in Liberia.  Last week, Susan set up hand washing stations though out His Safe Haven's compound and taught the moms the importance of washing their hands.

Susan also bought water bottles for each of our children so she can measure the amount of water each child drinks. 

In this picture, Susan, Grace, and Don are preparing medicines for our first mobile medical clinic, this coming Friday.  We will be ministering in one of the church plants that we work with.  We are prepared to treat up to 100 patients.  Thank you for making this ministry possible.  I believe the Lord is going to use these mobile clinics to save many lives and to lead many people to Christ.  I believe these clinics will also strengthen the local churches we work with.

His Safe Haven Field Trip:

Last week, we took His Safe Haven's moms on another field trip.  Later this year, we plan to build homes for each mom on our new property.  This property is large enough for farming and agriculture.  Imagine the impact our moms could have on their community if they learned to farm and raise animals God's way!  Liberians are known for their poor farming techniques and their low yields.  What if the yields from our fields were 100 times more fruitful than our neighbors?  Our moms could use this as an opportunity to reach their neighbors for Christ and to transform our community's thinking regarding special needs children.

Our moms had never seen chickens, ducks, and rabbits as large as the ones at the agriculture center.

They learned about a variety of rice that can be grown in both rainy and dry season.

They learned about fish farming.

Imagine seeing a turkey for the first time.

They learned how to compost and much more.

By the end of the day, their heads were spinning with vision while we spoiled them with an evening out.  We know the success of His Safe Haven's ministry rests on the shoulders of loving foster parents.  I praise God for giving our children amazing foster mothers!

Random Pictures from Last Week:

This is little Don.  He is the child who was admitted to the hospital two weeks ago.  Last week, we celebrated little Don's 2nd birthday.

This is a picture little Don's birthday party.  A Liberian birthday party usually involves loud music, dancing, popcorn, and juice.

Little Don loves Melanie.

Our boys enjoy playing with their friends.

I can't believe how fast our children are growing!

Prince has been painting a mural in His Safe Haven's therapy room.  Most of our children are nonverbal.  Since they can't communicate through words, we decided to paint a picture for them so they are constantly reminded that Jesus loves them deeply!  Each of our children's pictures are being painted with Jesus on our wall.

Prince drew these pictures to help train our illiterate foster moms.

Noah is a widow whose only son died two weeks ago in a tragic car wreck.  Noah's son was her provider.  Thank you for feeding Noah this month.

Prince is a special need's child that His Safe Haven feeds every month.  He and his mother live outside of Gbarnga.

We love our new pups!

Sponsorship opportunity:

We are looking for a sponsor or a group of sponsors to pay for our new physician assistant's salary   Your sponsorship would enable us to hire Susan long-term.  Susan's salary is $375 a month (Note: This is the same salary the government pays physician assistants who work in Liberi'a hospitals).  If you are interested in helping sponsor Susan's salary, please send me an email letting me know your intent.  My email address is don@hopeforhome.org.  

Prayer Requests:

1.  Please keep Liberia's presidential elections in your prayers.  There is nothing but uncertainty and confusion throughout the nation as there have been lawsuits and complications with the election process.  I have been told that the police are positioned throughout Monrovia wearing riot gear and carrying machine guns.  Please pray for a peaceful transition of power.

2.  Liberty Elementary School opened this week.  Please pray for our teachers and students.

3.  Scott Hoffman will be visiting us from the States this week.  Please pray for his travel and his time with us.

4.  Friday, we will be leading our first Mobile Health Clinic on Kokoyah Road.  This clinic will be held in one of our church plants.  Please pray for those we will be treating.  Please also pray the Lord will use this clinic to lead people to Christ and to help validate the church's ministry in the town's eyes. 

5.  Please pray additional funds can be raised for our ministry.

6.  Please pray for Melanie as she home schools our children.

Thank you for your partnership in the Gospel!