Etched Hearts

PDF Version: Anderson_WEEKLY_170225

A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble. - Charles Spurgeon

Two Free Will Baptist (FWB) assemblies in Bondoukou are in shock and mourning this week. A beloved, faithful young mother from the Bereca church internally bled to death after a C-section. The husband is left with five children, including his newborn son. His beloved had begun labor one morning this week at 2 a.m. Her health record clearly indicated from prior pregnancies that she was at risk and that a C-section was indicated, as previously performed. The doctor let her go through many hours of labor prior to performing the operation. Then there was no blood available as they began looking for some after surgery. When her parents were informed of her passing, her mother collapsed in grief and was hospitalized for a time. She was their only child.

Next the cultural debate of where she should be buried began. Her Christian parents agreed with the husband that Bondoukou was best. Extended family and tribal leaders urged for her body to be returned three hours south for burial in Abengourou. Thankfully, after a local delegation of people traveled south to plead for her husband’s wishes, those who opposed relented. Her memorial service will be Thursday night, the burial on Friday. We did not know this sister well, but she had a genuine testimony for the Lord. Almost certainly there will be no carved marble at her graveside, but her life is etched on many hearts. Please pray for the family and all those offering help and comfort.

Today, Saturday, was the last day of the Community Health Evangelism (CHE) training in Bougou. It began with each participant practicing the LePSAS method used in CHE to mentor trainers. Verlin was impressed with how well they did. He gratefully noted that one of the men completing the training is physically handicapped. It speaks volumes in this culture that he is considered worthy of being a trainer. It speaks even louder of the change wrought by Christ that others cite him as an encouraging example. Perhaps he will be among those who start a ‘can do’ ministry with those whom our larger societies label as ‘handicapped’. There is yet to be established a vibrant CHE ministry of Ivorians for Ivorians among the handicapped here. This is a group most often neglected and excluded, or used as street beggars for money.

Prayer and Praise

• Pray for the bereaved family and all those touched by their grief and loss. Ask that the gospel is shared clearly at the funeral and that hearts of nonbelievers are drawn to Christ. Uphold the husband and the children in prayer during the days to come as family and friends help him make decisions about daily life.
• Ask the Lord for a good finish for Verlin in Bougou, for a productive meeting to plan another CHE training in central Cote d’Ivoire, and his safe travel home. He will preach Sunday in a new FWB church plant before leaving.

Your partners in the Gospel,
Verlin and Debbie

Christian Health Service Corps (CHSC) is a mission of dedicated medical professionals who participate in the CHE Global Network. Together, in a loose affiliation of individuals, churches, denominational and nondenominational agencies, we share God's Light and Truth through Community Health Evangelism (CHE). Verlin and Debbie accept donor partners to contribute as led to maintain support as we resume residential ministry to expand CHE ministries in Cote d'Ivoire under the auspices of CHSC & Ivorian partners. Tax deductible contributions by check are to be made payable to the CHSC with Andersons #0118 written on the memo line. Mail to CHSC - PO Box 132 - Fruitvale, TX 75127. Give online via the CHSC @ www.che4a.org (3% fee) or TDF (0% fee).

Last written:
Pray On Anderson WEEKLY 170211
Last Video:
DMM(YouTube) Anderson_WEEKLY_160611
2016 Q2/Q3 Report:
Farming_101(web) - 161119.pdf
2016 Budget:
CHSC-0118_ANDERSON-Budget.pdf

GIVE ONLINE to support these ministries:
www.che4a.org
Something to ask? Write: updates@verlindeb.org 

AWA represents
Andersons Witnessing in Africa

Deb's Facebook Page

Verlin's Facebook Page

Road Runner

PDF Version: Anderson_WEEKLY_170218

Verlin and an Ivorian pastor travel to central Cote d'Ivoire on Sunday, February 20. They will spend most of the week reviewing and completing the Community Health Evangelism (CHE) training for a group of churches which will gather in the village of Bougou. (Click here to see or register for CHE trainings). The first half of the TOT1 (Training of Trainers 1) for these believers was provided in mid-November 2016. It was a follow-up to 2011 and 2012 visits and subsequently fulfilled commitments in what became the fastest growing region of churches among Free Will Baptist communities here. As each lesson is orally translated into Lobi, and the initial training sessions started late due to travel concerns, the inviting churches chose to review and complete the training during a second week. Since this location does not have utility service electricity, a few challenges at added to the teaching situation. Verlin will be without his CPAP machine, too! : ) Otherwise, the CHE trainings we model can be done in any environment by design. This is a big reason the approach is now taught annually at the University. Teaching outside and under the trees will be a great way to deal with the heat, using God's natural HVAC system as we are in the dry season.

Women, such as these dear ladies from the church during the November

session, will prepare all meals. No fast food restaurants or grocery stores for them! In this picture, they pound yams to have foutou and sauce, a preferred dish of the region. While in most rural settings like this participants bring their own mats for the floor and buckets for their baths, all but a few in this case are local and able to travel home every evening to sleep. We expect 18 students will return along with some others to learn.

Prayer and Praise

• Pray for safe travels as the trip to central Cote d'Ivoire will be over remote roads that are very hard on vehicles.
• As for the Spirit's leading to be evident in fruitful teaching sessions. Pray that participants will grasp the concepts profoundly and apply them in their particular church settings to spread the Gospel more effectively.
• Pray that those not meeting with Verlin for DMM study development this week will lead their own studies during his absence for other ministries. For one trainee, it would be his first attempt to lead a study.
• Praise the Lord that Koffi's son has recovered from his bouts with malaria.

Your partners in the Gospel,
Verlin and Debbie

Christian Health Service Corps (CHSC) is a mission of dedicated medical professionals who participate in the CHE Global Network. Together, in a loose affiliation of individuals, churches, denominational and nondenominational agencies, we share God's Light and Truth through Community Health Evangelism (CHE). Verlin and Debbie accept donor partners to contribute as led to maintain support as we resume residential ministry to expand CHE ministries in Cote d'Ivoire under the auspices of CHSC & Ivorian partners. Tax deductible contributions by check are to be made payable to the CHSC with Andersons #0118 written on the memo line. Mail to CHSC - PO Box 132 - Fruitvale, TX 75127. Give online via the CHSC @ www.che4a.org (3% fee) or TDF (0% fee).

Last written:
Pray On Anderson WEEKLY 170211
Last Video:
DMM(YouTube) Anderson_WEEKLY_160611
2016 Q2/Q3 Report:
Farming_101(web) - 161119.pdf
2016 Budget:
CHSC-0118_ANDERSON-Budget.pdf

GIVE ONLINE to support these ministries:
www.che4a.org
Something to ask? Write: updates@verlindeb.org 

AWA represents
Andersons Witnessing in Africa

Deb's Facebook Page

Verlin's Facebook Page

Pray On

PDF Version: Anderson_WEEKLY_170211

Isn't it a joy to hear when a long-standing prayer is answered by the Lord? This week as we ran errands in town, we met an old friend unexpectedly at the bank whose boys used to play with Cason, our older son. Kevin, the young boy in white in this picture from 2001, was Cason's best Ivorian friend for years. They drifted apart, though, in their late teens as Cason realized that Kevin was living an unhealthy lifestyle. We counseled Kevin when he showed up on our doorstep drunk or high on drugs, and prayed with him and for him. He would admit that he needed to change, but for years did not escape the addictions. We rejoiced on Tuesday to hear that he has cleaned up his life with God's help and works for an NGO dealing with AIDS in the area. We expect to see him in coming days and check up on his spiritual walk. Hopefully this reminds us all that "we ought always to pray, and not to faint" (Luke 18:1), continuing to believe and pray for those "hopeless" cases!

This was an unusually slow week for us. Verlin held three Bible study teaching sessions, arranged to have some old washing machines and dryers examined for possible repair, spent hours preparing our financial records to submit taxes, worked to confirm a trainer and gather materials for a CHE training, investigated and purchased a resource for an Ivorian pastor and for CHE, received friends to read and borrow from our French library of Christian books, and counseled some others on spiritual and health issues. Debbie renewed her 6-month Residence Certificate at the police station, emptied belongings from containers in storage, and almost filled two large filing cabinets with correctly sorted and cleaned papers. She estimates that about one-fourth of her office sorting is done, but the remainder should be somewhat easier since the large categories are in place. Together we spent half of Tuesday waiting, getting photos, and filling out papers in town to get her name on two bank accounts. That was a necessary task we had put off for years, knowing it would take hours. Rare weeks like this allow us to catch our collective breaths and prepare for busier days.

Prayer and Praise

• Pray for Kevin to "stay clean" and walk with the Lord. Let us all be faithful in praying for friends and family who have wandered far from Jesus, or do not know Him yet.
• Our Ivorian worker Koffi's son, two years old, has been very ill with malaria this week. Ask for his healing and for the family to put in place at home preventative measures that will protect his health.
• Pray for continued political peace. One town on the coast was help hostage for some hours by special forces making financial demands of the government. 

Your partners in the Gospel,
Verlin and Debbie

Christian Health Service Corps (CHSC) is a mission of dedicated medical professionals who participate in the CHE Global Network. Together, in a loose affiliation of individuals, churches, denominational and nondenominational agencies, we share God's Light and Truth through Community Health Evangelism (CHE). Verlin and Debbie accept donor partners to contribute as led to maintain support as we resume residential ministry to expand CHE ministries in Cote d'Ivoire under the auspices of CHSC & Ivorian partners. Tax deductible contributions by check are to be made payable to the CHSC with Andersons #0118 written on the memo line. Mail to CHSC - PO Box 132 - Fruitvale, TX 75127. Give online via the CHSC @ www.che4a.org (3% fee) or TDF (0% fee).

Last written:
Real or Not? Anderson WEEKLY 170204
Last Video:
DMM(YouTube) Anderson_WEEKLY_160611
2016 Q2/Q3 Report:
Farming_101(web) - 161119.pdf
2016 Budget:
CHSC-0118_ANDERSON-Budget.pdf

GIVE ONLINE to support these ministries:
www.che4a.org
Something to ask? Write: updates@verlindeb.org 

AWA represents
Andersons Witnessing in Africa

Deb's Facebook Page

Verlin's Facebook Page

Real or not?

PDF Version: Anderson_WEEKLY_170204

Recently we invited a friend to eat with us. Over the meal, he shared some of his story that led him to forsake the religion with which he grew up and to embrace a new faith as a middle-aged adult. His beliefs have led him around the world to do good works in many countries, helping very poor people improve their lives. He abandoned his childhood faith because of perceived hypocrisy and corruption of leaders asking for money to perform their duties, among other things. This tale is of a man leaving the Roman Catholic faith as he saw it lived in Europe to accept the beliefs of Islam.

What eternal damage we inflict by embracing a church-going, hymn-singing, offering giving, mission tripping lifestyle without the power of Christ transforming our lives! We want to always remember that others study us to see if we are honest, obedient, and devoted lovers and followers of Jesus.

On a much lighter note, as Debbie continued cleaning and organizing our work spaces, she found a tool (a gift from a beloved Thompson) that Verlin had been missing for weeks! Now he can map an initial project by taking and recording dimensions with the exact coordinates of the plot of land and its limits. This agricultural project will provide both local jobs and useful nutrition.

Prayer and Praise

• Pray that our devotion to Christ will be found pure and sincere, inviting people to the perfect Savior and not repelling them. Pray for the genuine believers here in Cote d'Ivoire, especially leaders, to live in loving servanthood and not succumb to the temptation of abusing position for power or access to money.
• Thankfully the strike by government workers is over. As Verlin's father used to say, "Two wrongs don't make a right." The mutineering of soldiers for pay increases in an out-of-turn manner does not mean that other government workers striking would fix the nation's situation. In this case, some of those receiving government pay have to live with the wrongs others may have done in order to show a better way. Pray with us that the settlement reached will be honored by both sides and that life can get back to normal. Children are back in school.
• A CHE training will be held Feb. 8-11 in Abengourou, a town nearly three hours south of us. We will not be directly involved this time, but we pass along the request for prayer from our friends in CHE who will lead it.

Your partners in the Gospel,
Verlin and Debbie

Christian Health Service Corps (CHSC) is a mission of dedicated medical professionals who participate in the CHE Global Network. Together, in a loose affiliation of individuals, churches, denominational and nondenominational agencies, we share God's Light and Truth through Community Health Evangelism (CHE). Verlin and Debbie accept donor partners to contribute as led to maintain support as we resume residential ministry to expand CHE ministries in Cote d'Ivoire under the auspices of CHSC & Ivorian partners. Tax deductible contributions by check are to be made payable to the CHSC with Andersons #0118 written on the memo line. Mail to CHSC - PO Box 132 - Fruitvale, TX 75127. Give online via the CHSC @ www.che4a.org (3% fee) or TDF (0% fee).

Last written:
Strike On Anderson WEEKLY 170128
Last Video:
DMM(YouTube) Anderson_WEEKLY_160611
2016 Q2/Q3 Report:
Farming_101(web) - 161119.pdf
2016 Budget:
CHSC-0118_ANDERSON-Budget.pdf

GIVE ONLINE to support these ministries:
www.che4a.org
Something to ask? Write: updates@verlindeb.org 

AWA represents
Andersons Witnessing in Africa

Deb's Facebook Page

Verlin's Facebook Page