Getting Beyond the Beginning . . .

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 “Nothing has impacted my professional life as what you have shared these two years. It’s changed everything I am as a believer and in Public Health service.” – Professor

“When you see your teacher sit down to learn from someone else, you do not question whether or not you need to participate. You go yourself to learn.” – Regional Doctor from North

Trip to Côte d’Ivoire

Verlin’s trip to teach CHE at the university and to handle other ministry responsibilities far exceeded our greatest hopes. This Thanksgiving gives angels and us many reasons to rejoice. Below are a few highlights of his six weeks there:

• All began smoothly in getting residency papers for our next term. We were invited to live and minister in Cote d’Ivoire by a group representing multiple Christian organizations.
• The second year of CHE training at the University of Abidjan was an overwhelming success. The dates, program, and location for 2015’s training are already set. Level 1 and Level 2 trainings were done simultaneously with 4 Ivorians, 1 Nigerian, 1 Togolese, 1 Frenchman, and an American (Verlin) serving as trainers. 26 medical or government leaders from throughout the country received the first level; 11 of the 17 university leaders from last year continued to the second level of training. Verlin passed on much more organizational responsibility this year. University staff arranged that all expenses for lodging, transportation, and materials were paid. Every graduate student of public health is already being exposed to use CHE and how to coordinate with a growing number of Christian clinic and church-based teams. All anticipate much improved health – good relations with Creator God, others, themselves, and the creation. Local workers know new churches will be planted as the gospel is shared, as well.
• The weeks before, during, and after training, Verlin met with individuals to hear reports of CHE projects already in progress and to provide encouragement or sought advice. One doctor has initiated two programs in the last year. A second leader works to develop a project for use nation-wide that targets reducing early childhood illness and mortality. A Bible Institute in the northwest now plans to train all their students to use CHE; another denomination seeks regular training to use CHE everywhere. One successful agricultural CHE outreach had grown from 5 to 7 locations in the past year. A sister project will soon add to the 3 churches planted. Groups of women who successfully created individual micro-enterprises through CHE Bible studies now focus on evangelism. A village CHE leader evangelizing among Muslims received help troubleshooting and planning the next stage of outreach
• In repeated settings, the questioning plea was made, “When will you be back to help us better coordinate, spread, and understand ministry through CHE?”
• The only negative bit of news was the sale of our rented home to a new owner who wants to live on the property instead of rent it.  Downsizing to a smaller location is a good move for us. The Lord quickly provided a temporary location for our belongings until we return and negotiate rental of a new home.

Stateside Activities

Since Verlin’s return, it has been our privilege to speak in Michigan, Tennessee, and North Carolina. In early November we participated in the Global Health Missions Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. Ebola survivors, including Dr. Kent Brantly, and missionaries who cared for Ebola patients shared their testimonies and expertise. That same week Collaborative for Neighborhood Transformation (CNT) members gave a two-day seminar which we attended with 5 other FWB friends. The training introduced how to use CHE in the American context, where it is active in 15 cities nationwide. CNT’s and our goal is to teach others the essentials of how to organize communities by obeying God with healthy interaction.

Plans to Return

The end of March 2015 is our target date to return to Cote d’Ivoire for our next term. This is now a bold goal made in faith of God’s people, trusting the Lord to call those who will complete our ministry partner team.  Around 40% of our monthly support is pledged, with four new supporters in recent days. Scheduling services in advance has been complicated by following up on continuing CHE ministries which made returning to Cote d’Ivoire necessary and the need to establish a permanent U.S. address. We’d like to see our ministry funds arrive in ways that Africans can imitate to raise their own funds for spreading the gospel – from friends and churches who share a similar vision of outreach.

Pray for...

• Ivorian pastor Théophile Behi and family, as their son Emmanuel died in early November of typhoid fever, complicated by sickle cell anemia. Pray a CHE program develops. He lived longer and better because of information given, but typhoid is overcome primarily by community effort with medical intervention.
• The CHE Africa teen program’s need for house parents of orphans in Kortorkor, Ghana.
• Debbie to successfully schedule surgery on her right knee prior to the end of 2014.
• Corbin’s maturing as a godly young man while at Union University.
• Verlin’s CDC training in early January to work in and use Ebola Treatment Units (ETUs).
• Spirit-led services as we continue travels to share our burden for Cote d’Ivoire.
• The remaining financial pledges so that we can return to ministry the end of March 2015. U.S. housing and residency issues have unexpectedly cost us weeks of time since returning.

Thank you for your prayerful and loving support.

Sincerely,

Verlin & Debbie Anderson
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Bumping Along the Way !

A new Islamic head of family shared with me his distaste of what I.S. (Islamic State) is doing in the Middle East. We were traveling together in the discomfort of common transport in Cote d’Ivoire. It was a seven hour bumpy ride with stops for oil or water from Abidjan to Bondoukou . . . lots of time to talk even though both of us wanted the impossible after a busy week of encouraging development here – a nap on the way! My bench seat partner stated his dislike for the beheading of two Americans by I.S. sympathizers. He then asked if I agreed with him that only force truly brings good into this world to correct such acts - a commonly expressed Islamic worldview opinion here.

I shared that my greater concern than the reporters' lost lives was the mindset that placed bombs among women and children to protect the arms! Citing commonly accepted Biblical history, resorting to force was shown as not being our God’s first response. Roughly sketching the image of a fruit bearing tree from Darrow Miller and Disciple Nations Alliance, my hope of abundant life in Christ was explained. The visual aid helps explain how individuals and whole cultures miss out on our Creator’s blessings when they mistakenly accept lies as truths. With evident interest, he listened as I shared various consequences that stemmed from beliefs . . . and that armed violence is our Creator’s last ditch response to correct wrong ones. In this life, it is only authorized for civil governance when all other efforts to protect and sustain life fail and it’s never effective through generations to impose a particular way among men. The process simply affirms God’s eternal rules that allow life to flourish. Abundant living requires first a willingness to sacrifice self-interest, a willingness to suffer to do good, if progress it to be made for all. Jesus life modeled this for us. He did not agree, but more importantly, he did not disagree. He then told me of some Pakistanis that had recently visited in his home who appeared to be supportive of I.S. is doing. He had reported them to local police for investigation. We are to share again. You never know what can be learned and shared from traveling in the discomfort of a UPS like van with windows! I am personally aware of travelers becoming Christians, answering calls to ministry, and others considering Christ’s claims on their allegiance.

This story is an appropriate cap for the CHE (Community Health Evangelism/Education/Engagement) trainings recently completed in Abidjan. They enable practical plans to improve the public health for all participants via the government ruling over all, whether they consider themselves Muslim or Christian. The carefully shared Christian worldview equipped participants to move forward together, embracing common beliefs yet allows for public divergence of opinion. On the ground, Christians are energized to share their faith more vibrantly as one that can lead all to peace. To express the Living Hope active in this outreach, next week I will share with you a translated follow-up note that came today. It's indicative of the several written hopes and the many others orally shared by this year’s thirty-seven enrolled participants - most who were heads of departments or part of national agencies – none of whom were professed secularists or atheists.

Today I met with the nurse who leads the CHE team that was trained to reach in a Muslim village in June 2013. We discussed their progress and trouble-shot together what had slowed it. They were just a little uncertain of themselves. In looking over the list of participants at Abidjan training, he identified his boss and a leading co-worker, both of whom are Muslim. The higher-up had stated his very clear intention to facilitate CHE training in his region. Is it not amazing how God can plan all of our steps!

 Next week as I travel, I'll try to get out a short wrap-up of the knowledgeable Christian zeal breaking into gospel sharing health care as I visit the West African CHE Internship center before boarding a flight from Accra. In the mean time, please...

1. Pray for those trained in CHE in Bondoukou to regroup and prepare for the opportunities of evangelistic outreach that the Abidjan training is forwarding their way. I met with the head of the pastoral community and shared with another to the praise of God's glory.

2. Pray encouragement for the community of FWB leaders in the region. One recently suffered a break-in and theft. Prayer given that day focused on leading their community to Christ to minimize thefts. 

3. Pray for the 1000+ attended church in Abidjan which reaches much of the interior as the consider jump starting their denomination's CHE program to follow-up on the open doors of ministry resulting from the campus efforts.

4. Pray that Christians will find a way to keep Bibles regularly delivered at low cost to the area. It is expected that the 48 in two boxes that were opened today will be gone tomorrow. Thirst for God's Word remains high. It is more underreported than the violent clashes that still happen on occasion between militant groups. 

5. Pray for the Muslim seekers of truth to hear from Jesus in their sleep and in their waking prayers, including the fellow I witnessed to during Saturday's drive. 6. Pray for our worker and his bride. They welcomed ATTA Kobenan Ezekias (that's Hezekiah) into their family yesterday at 5:30 AM GST. He's a well nourished, content one that profited from his mother's consuming moringa oleifera leaf powder prior to discovering she was pregnant. Father, mother, child and in-laws are all happy.

Gladly serving Him,

Verlin and Debbie

Beyond what was asked or thought !

As I write, nurse Eugene finishes teaching the last lesson of Wednesday’s Training of Trainers 2 (TOT2), with eleven of last year’s seventeen participants. He is one of four experienced Ivorian believers and trainers who have helped us occasionally since 2006. At the same time, a Training of
Trainers 1 (TOT1) is in session for 31 doctors, health department leaders, and a few pastors. In all, two people we trained, combined with six other Christian trainers representing five denominational groups, offer hope to a nation.

The response remains overwhelmingly positive. The organizer of the meeting affirmed yesterday that we are to keep the second week of September fee every year to repeat the training. Each participant paid around $150.00. They learn how to apply God’s Word in such a way that their lives and those of their neighbors can be transformed. Biblical principles are shared like confession of error, how Jesus taught, and health being defined as living right with Creator God, oneself, others, and the creation. Judeo-Christian values are rediscovered as the foundation for the delivery of health care and scientific investigation to problems of daily Ivorian life. Depending upon the community being targeted for public health intervention, either Community Health Engagement or Education or Evangelism (CHE) is developed in local programs. As the participating French collaborator shared from his experience in an Asian nation where missionaries cannot obtain visas to plant churches, the CHE approach opens the door for people to ask why we live differently. The same proves true here where people in some locations seem initially ‘closed’ to the Gospel message.

There’s much more to share. I cannot keep the news coming out fast enough while I am busy in it and with some cell phone limitations. Briefly, here are some bullets of good news:

1. The University Community Health Engagement (CHE) team is at work in two locations.
2. The response remains so positive from so many that we are invited annually to return at the expense of participants. The university withdrew subsidization for budget purposes, but participant fees will cover the costs including flight, travel, and material expense of the training.
3. The UEESO and the General Baptist program shifts their women’s micro-enterprise groups to have more evangelism training
4. A UEESO leader plans that their Bible Institute students study CHE and a create a local model project for launch in Northwestern Cote d'Ivoire.
5. The cocoa project in the nation's southeastern region now has seven active committees. Two more have been trained since when I was here last.

In common service with you to the King of Kings,
Verlin & Debbie Anderson

  **photo uploads failed over 45 minutes; prior newsletters have some photos of last year** Download a PDF of August Newsletter with June financial report, click '2014 August'
Download a PDF of May Newsletter with March financial report, click '2014 May'

Verlin back in West Africa

Dear Friends,

We can thankfully report that Verlin made it safely to Cote d'Ivoire for his six week stay, after a one-day detour at the Ghanaian embassy in New York. All along the way the Lord opened doors to witness. Remember especially a young couple from Los Angeles with whom he spoke at length in the airport, encouraging them to return to belief in Christ after they had dabbled in Buddhism and Islam. The Lord provided a free night in a NY hotel and ease at the embassy to deal with a visa issue. Also, the lady at Delta arranged seating so that he had the whole middle section to himself and was able to sleep almost the entire flight--so wonderful after 2 previous nights of 3 hours sleep each! Although his bags preceded him on an earlier flight, they were waiting for him unharmed in Accra. It was almost a $500 savings to fly into Ghana instead of Cote d'Ivoire, and he took public transport across.

Verlin has already had various meetings with CHE trainers who will assist him in teaching at the University of Abidjan in two weeks. Other CHE trainers will join him from Togo, Nigeria, and France. What blessings and answers to prayer already. We eagerly anticipate what the Lord has in store this year at the University of Abidjan that will impact His Kingdom in days to come!

PRAYER POINTS:

Lift up the Sept 16-20 CHE trainings at the University of Abidjan. With two training session going on at the same time, it will be a very taxing workload for Verlin and the CHE teachers helping him. Ask the Lord for strength and good coordination with the University which is providing travel and lodging for the first time. May the Spirit have full reign in all that is done.

Ebola continues to ravage West Africa. Already, CHE teams have been sent lessons about Ebola to share in their local contexts. We are unaware of any cases in Cote d'Ivoire, but the deadly outbreak continues to spread. Pray for people who have suffered loss--sometimes 5 or 10 members in the same family. Pray for workers and particularly Christians who minister and offer hope in dangerous situations; pray for the disease to be contained.

Verlin has many details to arrange regarding our return to Cote d'Ivoire for a 4-year term, which we continue to project for the first trimester of 2015. The vehicle that we thought would be available to him had a breakdown, and so he deals with public transport for now. Ask for the Lord's guidance on many details.

Thank you for continuing in prayer with us in our ministry adventures. Your encouragement and prayerful support mean so much!

Gladly serving Him,

Verlin and Debbie Anderson