Tooling Up

PDF Version: Anderson_Report_18_06_02.pdf

TOOLING UP

So much of our ministry and lives consists of long weeks (and sometimes years!) of preparation and training for key events and opportunities that the Lord opens before us. Learning to be patient and faithful during the ongoing “equipping phases” is always the challenge, but the rewards are worth it. From the spiritual and educational, to the judicial and physical, the Lord keeps us busy in His schoolroom to improve our usefulness, and that of others. This update is late in part because of some of the time-consuming “homework” He gave to make our team more effective, but good things have resulted, and so we rejoice. Our Father can make us all “perfect in every good work to do his will, working in us that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ.” (see Heb. 13:20-21).


Spiritual Tools (Underlines link to prior updates.)

Since our last quarterly update, an Abidjan group, two churches in Bondoukou, a Bible Institute in the north, and a group of churches in the west received new training or further equipping to begin Community Health Evangelism (CHE) ministries and lead Discovery Bible Studies. Other CHE teams not directly related to our ministry also advanced in beginning new outreach groups.

Ivorians will have a great opportunity to expand their spiritual “tool box” at the Million Village Challenge conference that the Ivorian CHE network is hosting this year in November. Visitors from the States and other African nations will gather to offer their experiences and training to what we hope will be several hundred people from various evangelical groups and NGOs. Verlin and Emmanuel (the Ivorian CHE network president) are the point people in planning and spreading the word. Ask the Lord for special wisdom and strength as, during June, they finalize the location for meetings, lodging, and food.


Educational Tools

Corbin, our youngest, walked the graduation stage on May 19 at Union University as an expected summer graduate. He has one final class to take in June and July to complete his engineering degree. We are so proud of him, and grateful for his perseverance through some difficult times to achieve this important milestone! Of course, he asks for prayer to find a steady job in a timely way this fall.

Verlin also honed his educational skillset at the two-week continuing medical education conference that we attended in March. He now has the certifications and continuing nursing credits he needs for his RN license into 2020.

At that conference and the Global CHE meeting during the first week of May, the Lord also gave us some wonderful connections. For several years we have prayed for doctoral level U.S. contacts who have the credentials and the heart to help us get the Community Health Engagement program integrated with curriculum at the university in Abidjan and off the ground. Besides the distance learning now being provided by Dr. Terry Dwelle and the North Dakota Public Health Training Network, a technologically appropriate curriculum that should work, we also need one or more American institutions to help guide the Ivorian university in developing a curriculum that bridges the differences between the English and French speaking worlds. That prayer is much closer to being answered positively. The spiritual implications this could have in Cote d’Ivoire and beyond are astounding. Doors previously closed open to hear witness because of the number of lives that are changed physically when health programs integrate spiritual awareness based on God’s Word.

Judicial Tools

The Bondoukou area agricultural moringa and corn project of Farming God’s Way came to a skidding halt a few months ago. Unauthorized leaders seeking personal profit in the village signed an agreement with Indians to use our brother’s land, without our brother’s consent and for an entirely separate farming purpose. After three months, as a legal complaint is registered and pursued, the Lord seems to be answering prayer in a great way. We believe that by October, or November, our brother will have the legal documentation needed to guarantee that he is not defrauded again in this way. Hopefully he will receive restitution for some property damage and lost income. Early in the process, we considered forcing the issue by continuing to work in the fields. Under advisement, we chose to wait for a judicial judgment that publicly illustrates the importance of possessing definitive legal paperwork for land use. This was after the words of a mediator, the traditional chief, and a sous-prefet, were disregarded by the interlopers who, apparently to us, hope to mitigate their losses while they can. In the process, our CHE colleague has continued to share the Gospel with the villagers and we have been permitted by the Lord to dedicate time to other initiatives. Fortunately, the agricultural demonstration gardens in our yard and to the south continue to develop.


Physical Tools (Links to video article.)

For several years Debbie has been hampered in ministry by bone-on-bone pain and the poor mobility of her right knee. (The photo shows a tool she fabricated to press a high button since a ladder was not a viable option.) Since other health issues have been nicely resolved, she is taking the total knee replacement off “hold” and having the surgery this summer. Her surgeon recommended an improved physical tool, an implant specialized to her specific knee measurements, which seems to provide better results. However, the special implants take 6 weeks to make and required a specific scan that could not be done in Cote d’Ivoire. So, she will be in the States most of the summer rather than having had the surgery in May and been ready to return in late July. The surgery is planned for June 14. Physical therapy will continue afterward for 6 to 8 weeks. She insisted that Verlin return to ministry so that several large commitments in Africa are not delayed. We are both grateful for family and friends who have stepped up to help with her care and transport after surgery.
On the field, another physical tool helps our team keep up with Bible study groups and the agricultural project in a more cost-effective and speedy way. We purchased a 50 cc motorcycle to diminish our automotive expenses and have left it for team members to use in our absence.


Financial Tools

The CHE progress and transformation of lives and villages is happening because you provide the financial tools for us to continue. We strive daily to be wise stewards of the resources God has provided through you and others so that the impact will be as far-flung as possible! Thank you for being committed ministry partners in every way. As usual, our quarterly financial summary follows the donation report covering January through March of 2018.


PRAY ALWAYS

• Pray for preparations of the Million Village
  
  Challenge (MVC) in November. Taking on the planning for this conference of nation-wide invitations has stretches the existing Ivorian CHE network to the limit. Ask that leaders from multiple evangelical groups and NGOs respond to the invitations. Pray that as a result of their participation, many unreached, unengaged people groups in Cote d’Ivoire will hear the Gospel and receive much-needed help to engage in Christ’s work of local transformation and dominion.
• Pray with us that the legal steps to protect the agricultural project will proceed quickly and continue to uphold the rightful land owner.
• Ask the Lord to clearly lead the believers recently
  
  trained to lead Discovery Bible studies in several churches. Pray that they will be effective in reaching their families, neighbors, and coworkers for Christ while being strengthened in their own faith.
• Thank you for praying for Corbin’s last class this summer and that he smoothly transition into the workforce in engineering, able to begin paying his student loans.
• Pray that Debbie’s surgery on June 14 goes well. Ask for successful weeks of physical therapy to regain her physical mobility which will increase her effective ministry on the field.

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).

Prior: Dream Destinations 180526.PDF
Last Video: Backwards Bicycle Link(s)
                         - Backwards Bike PDF
2017 Q4 Report: All "Fixed" up
          -  Anderson Report 180127 PDF

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

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