The Unseen Guest

PDF Version: AWA_Update_180331

Have you ever sat down to a meal with a family who left an empty place for a yet-to-be-seen guest? A place setting for Jesus? (Question linked to an explanation) While some think it a bit odd, it is a precious reminder that the Lord is present and active. He brings people and circumstances into our daily routines that advance His Kingdom on earth, if the eyes of our hearts open to see Him at work. During the CMDE medical conference that finished Thursday, He did just that for us and for others. We could fill pages describing connections that the Lord gave us "randomly" with people who did, and may yet, benefit Community Health Evangelism (CHE) in Cote d'Ivoire. There are others for whom we were, and may yet be, a blessing ourselves.

• We met a missionary laboring in Gabon who wants to begin a CHE outreach in her clinic setting. The ministry is located a short distance across the Ivorian border from where a new CHE team was trained last year. The relative proximity of the groups will make it fairly easy to assist them occasionally as efforts get under way on both sides of that border.
• Of all weeks, a complete stranger who has served with Mercy Ships International contacted us by email. She has a burning desire to start a CHE ministry in Cameroon. Because of the conference, Verlin was able to connect her with other people serving there that he met at the conference and assure her connection to CHE mobilizers elsewhere.
• Another day we "happened" to eat lunch with a doctor and his wife serving in Kenya. He came seeking practical ways to integrate community health lessons into training at their Bible Institute for pastors and medical workers. He felt the CHE model, as it influences public health approaches like what we share at the university in Cote d'Ivoire, might be a way for their ministry to make greater inroads in transforming lives. In that way, others still impoverished can find the true wealth revealed in Christ that is both tangible and spiritual.
• One of the community health track lecturers was a well-placed teacher of doctors whose experiences may meet our felt need for the university program to have someone of greater teaching experience help us at that level. We have been praying that someone come to help us develop and see implemented a university curriculum that is based on the CHE trainings that we've done there every year since 2013. Even if she is not the person the Lord has called at this time to help us to connect the developing distance-learning, class room study, and seminar training for accredited university diplomas, she has connections with others who may prove to be that person.

On this joyous Easter weekend, we rejoice that our unseen Guest and Savior participates in our conversations and lectures, boards each airplane flight with us, and joins us as we sit down for meals. Like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus soon after Jesus' resurrection, sometimes we do not understand until afterwards why our "hearts burn within us." Still, we rest in the truth that He is constantly weaving our lives together with others so that His glory can be seen here on earth!

Prayer & Praise:

• Join us in praying for church outreaches and services that seek to share the Gospel in an intentional way this Easter weekend.
• Friends in both Michigan and Tennessee are celebrating the lives of their dearly departed-for-heaven loved ones this weekend. Pray for family tears to be comforted.
• Ask for a special measure of grace for a CHE training that begins here in Abidjan on Monday. Our preparation time was very limited because of our time in Europe and other trainers have been or are occupied elsewhere. Pray for physical strength and clear thinking for the 35 hours of training Monday through Friday.
• Pray that nothing hinders our united praise to the One who conquered the fear of death and makes available to all an unfailing hope of living transformed lives. He is risen indeed!

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 weekly: Refreshing Service  180324.PDF
Last Video: Backwards Brain Bicycle Link(s)
                                - Backwards Bicycle PDF
2017 Q4 Report: All "Fixed" up
            -  Anderson Report 180127 PDF

2018 Budget Info:
CHSC-0118_ANDERSON-2018-Budget.pdf

GIVE ONLINE to support these ministries: www.che4a.org

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Refreshing Service

PDF Version: AWA_Update_180324

Our first week at the medical conference was productive and encouraging. It is invigorating to meet new people doing similar work around the world. With more than sixty nations represented, we learn from each other and experience an even greater joy while sharing what has been effective in our disparate places of service. Verlin has appreciated gaining nursing education credits, renewing certifications, and being made aware of current trends of disease and available or appropriate medical interventions. We have been refreshed in many ways.

Other connections we made this week may result in helping get CHE up and going in two neighboring African countries. During free time, we have visited sights that make the geography of the Bible come alive. Yesterday we climbed Mars Hill; today, Debbie traveled with a group to see Corinth. They stood in the very place where the Apostle Paul was summoned before Gallio the proconsul for judgment in Acts 18. To read the Scriptures at these ancient ruins and hear a Greek believer explain the concept of the bema from his culture was a powerful experience.

Prayer & Praise:

• Ask for safe travels as we return to Cote d’Ivoire on Friday, and for other families as they return home to places all over the world.
• Continue to pray as we prepare for CHE and DMM trainings in April. We praise the Lord for Skype as it allowed Verlin to connect and plan some from here.

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 weekly: Backwards Bicycle  180317.PDF
Last Video: Backwards Brain Bicycle Link(s)
                                - Backwards Bicycle PDF
2017 Q4 Report: All "Fixed" up
            -  Anderson Report 180127 PDF

2018 Budget Info:
CHSC-0118_ANDERSON-2018-Budget.pdf

GIVE ONLINE to support these ministries: www.che4a.org

Debbie's Facebook Page



Verlin's Facebook Page

Backwards Bicycle

PDF Version: AWA_Update_180317

The Backwards Brain Bicycle video linked in this update is a favorite of ours. (Click image for 8 minute YouTube video - an alternative MP4 video link here if not working). Although Destin Sandlin demonstrates how hard it is to learn to ride a “backwards” bicycle, we learned from the Fritsch family how his sharing serves a greater purpose than simply reinforcing what we taught our kids: spouting knowledge does not equal understanding. Learning to do something differently than the way you have seen it or done it takes time, and practice.

As we go through the joys and hard work of teaching Ivorians how to lead Discovery Groups, we often remind them of the ‘backwards bicycle’ experience that we are all having. It takes a good while to get the hang of showing a group of people how to individually hear the Lord’s voice in a Bible study, as well as then apply what He says immediately in life. It looks very different than what is typically understood as preaching and teaching, or even giving a devotion, but the habit changes that happen matches better what is described in the Bible. One of our Bondoukou DMM trainers said this week that it has taken several months for the process to feel natural and comfortable for him, but that it was worth the effort. He is more effectively engaging with family and witnessing to neighbors than ever before in his life. He is excited about how God is using him. This applies to CHE too.

When you receive this update on Saturday evening, we will have just landed a few hours earlier in Greece for a medical missions conference that will keep us there until March 30. Verlin will participate in some training to refresh basic skills for two days and gain some continuing education credits to keep his nursing license current. Then he’ll attend seminars relating to his medical field for six more days. Our mission director and co-founder, Greg and Candi Seager, will be there, as well as quite a few fellow missionaries from other countries. We look forward to seeing many of them for the first time face-to-face, as our mission team takes the opportunity for us all to meet and exchange. 

Prayer & Praise: 

• Continue to pray for the Bondoukou church that just completed its training to lead Discovery Groups. Ask for wisdom as they practice what they have learned of Disciple Making Movement methods (DMM) and reach out in neighborhoods. We will begin to train a second church in April. A fourth local church’s pastor approached us about training this week.
• Ask for a time of fruitful meetings and refreshing for us in Greece.
• Pray for the CHE team as we prepare for two 5-day CHE trainings in April.
• Join us in praying for the family of missionaries Randy and Kathy Arnett. They served in Cote d’Ivoire with the International Mission Board of Southern Baptists. Both died in a car accident in Congo this week. Another missionary couple suffered injury, as well as a Congolese man.


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 weekly: Able  Anderson Weekly PDF
Last Video:Farming God's Way
                                - Dirty Hands PDF
2017 Q4 Report: All "Fixed" up
            -  Anderson Report 180127 PDF

2018 Budget Info:
CHSC-0118_ANDERSON-2018-Budget.pdf

GIVE ONLINE to support these ministries: www.che4a.org





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Able

PDF Version: AWA_Update_180310

Do you ever wonder if we as Christians really “get” that through His divine power, the Lord has granted us “all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue…” (2 Peter 1:3)? Do we really live like this is true? One way that such a firm faith shows itself in a third-world culture like the one where we live, is when the local population stops looking to rich nations, or individuals, or other wealthier church communities to be the solution to their problems. Instead, they begin step by step to learn to hear Jesus’ voice for themselves, and bind together in communities to bring lasting change. Oh sure, it may be nice when an outsider injects some funds, or tools, or information into the process (although sometimes that actually stops the progress entirely), but they do not wait for a hand-out or an “expert” from somewhere else to move forward

Verlin and Emmanuel, the president of the Ivorian CHE association, were pleased with obvious changes in some of the places visited this week and last week where CHE training has previously been completed by different teams. One group of villages built a pastor’s house with no outside help and plan a multi-lingual effort of literacy training. In a location 200 miles distant, local people painted and expanded the local elementary school with no government help, built a place for school children to be fed, began a fish farm, and eagerly look to learn more ways to improve their daily lives. This latter village is filled with adherents to another religion, so as these projects prove their capacity to work together to solve village problems, they also open doors for them to begin hearing the Gospel house to house. Our Savior DOES give us all we need for life and godliness, we must simply open our eyes to see it! Perhaps you need that reminder today in the various problems you face. 

Prayer & Praise: 

• Thank the Lord with us that we received our visas this week! Verlin also received his residency card.
• On Sunday we will complete the six-week training at the church in Bondoukou on how to lead Discovery Groups. Pray for the church council as they meet to discuss how to continue the Bible studies in neighborhoods.
• Please pray for our son Cason and daughter-in-law Suzanne as they make educational decisions for our granddaughter Chelsea. She will complete her time at the Mama Lere Hearing School at Vanderbilt this May. The plan is to mainstream her into a regular classroom situation for kindergarten. The question is ‘where?’ in order to select between the challenges each opportunity poses.

This week, through our prayers, the Lord brought to light at the government level some of the lies and corruption that greedy men tried to use against our brother who owns the land where the CHE agricultural project is located. This will make it easier to affirm his rights. Keep praying for the remaining steps to right the situation which has delayed some efforts while strengthening others. 
  

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 weekly: Follow up  Anderson Weekly PDF
Last Video:Farming God's Way
                                - Dirty Hands PDF
2017 Q4 Report: All "Fixed" up
            -  Anderson Report 180127 PDF

2018 Budget Info:
CHSC-0118_ANDERSON-2018-Budget.pdf

GIVE ONLINE to support these ministries: www.che4a.org

Debbie's Facebook Page



Verlin's Facebook Page

Follow up

PDF Version: AWA_Update_180303

We traveled north this week to make final plans for a CHE training scheduled in April, and to visit two people who are putting CHE into practice. Mentoring through follow-up is a huge part of the CHE process. One person is a doctor who attended the university training for three years, and now uses what he learned in his pediatric work at the public hospital. As we ate lunch together on Tuesday, we found out he received an award for excellent service in the whole region! Sometimes he feels like a fish swimming upstream, but he stated that the CHE training he received always influences how he practices medicine.

The second CHE practitioner is a dear pastor and his wife in a remote village. They are reaching out in three surrounding villages using CHE with Discovery Groups as the Bible study method. A recent experience of an NGO trying to assist a near-by village further ingrained the truth in their hearts and minds that local problems require local solutions. Attached is a picture (at sunset!) of their new T-shaped church building that is almost complete, a necessity since the congregation has grown so much.

Verlin then left on Friday to pick up the president of the CHE national network three hours south. Next they travelled to Bouake to put plans in place for a large CHE conference scheduled in November. They also had a very encouraging meeting with a pastor in a remote village in mid-Cote d’Ivoire who was trained in CHE in 2016 and 2017.

Prayer and Praise:

• Rejoice with us that eternal destinies are changed, daily lives are enriched, and hope is reborn as Ivorians spread the good news of abundant life in Christ! You have a part in that, and we are grateful. We were blessed with over 25 hours of safe travels on the road this week, always a cause for thanks.
• Good news! When Debbie called the visa office in Abidjan this week, she was told that the machine is now repaired and that we can get our visas.
• Continue to pray for obstacles to be removed in our CHE agricultural project. 

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 weekly: Grounded  Anderson Weekly PDF
Last Video:Farming God's Way
                                - Dirty Hands PDF
2017 Q4 Report: All "Fixed" up
            -  Anderson Report 180127 PDF

2018 Budget Info:
CHSC-0118_ANDERSON-2018-Budget.pdf

GIVE ONLINE to support these ministries: www.che4a.org

Debbie's Facebook Page



Verlin's Facebook Page