Blessings, not Bothers

PDF Version: AWA Weekly 220924 PDF

Taste and See (Psalm 34:8)

One commitment made as a missionary couple when our children were home growing up was to view their presence as blessings, not bothers. Numerous hassles accompanied the process of homeschooling in rural Africa—many adjustments for us all. However, our three offspring enriched life and ministry in countless ways. Children create opportunities for witness when a family lives cross-culturally, though we simply miss their presence now! So while praying for Children’s CHE (Community Health Evangelism) to take root in Cote d’Ivoire, we rejoice when children’s outreaches continue to occur in our various settings. Such was the case recently.

Gospel sharing via sport; Click for Rumble
or click here for a 0'26" YouTube video

Hélène Ferrer, a CHE-trained believer from France representing Impact France of RESCOF, joined us September 4-11 for the university CHE expo. Though her husband Franck was not involved with the UFHB team, he accompanied her in prayer and the hope of sharing Jesus with Ivorian children. He belongs to a group of believers using athletics in France to share the Good News. Verlin arranged for Franck to partner with a CHE-trained pastor whose church integrates some sports outreaches.

During the week, the two had a marvelous time using soccer to share the Gospel with several different age groups. This event only happened because, two years ago, God placed a conviction to share soccer outfits in the hearts of some American ministry partner friends. The Lord validated their offer as useful in our spirits. The gift included a provision to transport the soccer uniforms that Franck distributed with Marius. The loving donations made by the Deyton family in East Tennessee, who gave without knowing how the uniforms would be used, blessed six youth and four adult soccer teams! We had kept the uniforms while waiting on the Lord until an opportunity opened to extend Jesus’ Kingdom by helping several rather than one group who use CHE to spread the Gospel.

This week, the same Abidjan pastor traveled to a region of Cote d’Ivoire where he grew up. He and his team set up two CHE committees where there are no active CHE ministries! Pray the efforts will result in many additional lives being transformed by Jesus. Sports got used as part of those starts, too.

Come and See (Psalm 66:5)

In personal news, we received a startling phone call from an Ivorian coworker who cares for our property and animals in our absence. Luna, our female Rottweiler, gave birth to ELEVEN puppies this week, and none of us even knew she was pregnant a month ago! We now try to view their births as blessings, not bothers. The puppies will put a kink in our schedules over the next few months. However, who knows what Gospel-sharing opportunities they may open over time!

Prayer & Praise

• 🙏 Our bodies have yet to fully overcome malaria and respiratory illness that developed last week, especially Debbie. Please continue to pray for complete healing and renewed strength.

• 🙏 Pray for the children and adults who received the Gospel message through the soccer activities of September 6–8. Also, lift up the two new CHE efforts in Pastor M.’s hometown area.

• 🙏 Verlin continued CHE training follow-up in categorizing new contacts this week. Pray for an excellent conclusion to these and other details before we return home after the end of September.

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 provide support as we maintain 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: Reflect and Rejoice
        - 220917 PDF
Prior Videos: The Great Story
        - Lasting Footrints

2022 1Q Report: The Persevering
  -  2022 1Q Anderson Report 220521 PDF

2022 Budget Info:
CHSC-0118_ANDERSON-2022-Budget.pdf
 
  Something to ask? Write updates@verlindeb.org

AWA represents
Andersons Witness in Africa.
It is also a brand of bottled water in Cote d'Ivoire where we serve.

GIVEONLINE to support these ministries
                                   www.che4a.org

Debbie's Facebook Page

Verlin's Facebook Page

Reflect and Rejoice

CHSC LINK: Reflect and Rejoice

PDF Version: AWA Weekly 220917 PDF

Taste and See (Psalm 34:8)

Planning committee president
and Level 3 Micro Enterprise
Development (MED) trainer who
specializes in healthcare finance
emcees the opening ceremony
of the 2022 CHE expo. A linked
video reprised by Joseph Kouadio
shares a bonus of the excitement
felt at the closing ceremony @5'58".

Reflect and rejoice become our mental activity when reading participants' comments written during last week's Community Health Engagement (CHE) expo at the UFHB. Most completed daily reaction sheets and a summary evaluation for us. Beyond compliments on trainers' humility and experience, comments revealed profound worldview shifts taking root in many Ivorian lives. The change impacts the physical and spiritual lives of untold numbers now and in the coming years while opening many hearts' doors to the Gospel.

• The training is of great quality and will help us perfect our community work; we appreciate the convivial atmosphere and passion of the trainers.
• Today I realized that ignorance is a serious disease.
• Today I am happy everyone agrees that changes must begin in the home.
• For lasting community change, we must learn to do it for ourselves rather than have others do it for us.
• I discovered that we must get at the roots of beliefs to resolve a community's problems.
• I learned that all actions in the community must take into account and involve the community itself. It is better to choose development from the naturally available resources than to resort to aid.
• Today I learned that my "glasses" of perception are not the same as others. Another said, "I discovered that you have to look at things through other peoples' eyes."
• Today I realized I don't know everything!
• Today I learned that most diseases can be prevented through community health education.
• Today I discovered that community ownership corresponds to people voluntarily mobilizing to do their own development by their own initiative.
• There is a big difference between relief and development.
• Many participants were astonished and appreciative of the pedagogy used by the trainers. One cogently stated that all lessons together exceeded expectations and were well-structured and coherent.
• I learned that good health means more than not having a disease. It is being in harmony with self, others, God, and the creation.
• From the third level of micro-enterprise development training: Failure to plan is planning to fail—planning is essential; overcoming temptation is a danger in my life—think of negative consequences; a good business plan gives confidence to partners; there are many ways to do accounting, but it must be daily, and I can do it; I must be faithful, persevere, work hard; I can raise livestock without chemical products.
• The CHE program is a gold mine!

Come and See (Psalm 66:5)

Reflect and rejoice continued with others when Verlin attended post-event meetings with Ivorian partners. Following the event, the university planning team notes successes, failures, or items for improvement to compare with notes that Verlin brings from participating trainers and attendee reviews. They then plan their pursuit of means to expand the reach and influence of the training. This year, in another step of passing it on, an Ivorian trainer helped us for three days to correct and order lessons and handouts for next ear.

Prayer & Praise

• 🙏 Pray that last week's participants will put into practice the many things learned in their own settings.

• 🙏 We suffered from malaria and cold symptoms this week but feel better now. Pray for continued strength.

• 🙏 Our hearts grieve with the Daniel Kambou family and the FWB family of churches. Daniel, a young pastor who married on September 3, died suddenly of hepatitis this week. Pray with us for his family. However, we can't help but believe that more local churches must embrace CHE to overcome and limit such loss. We pray.

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 provide support as we maintain 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: Snapshots
        - 220909 PDF
Prior Videos: The Great Story
        - Lasting Footrints

2022 1Q Report: The Persevering
  -  2022 1Q Anderson Report 220521 PDF

2022 Budget Info:
CHSC-0118_ANDERSON-2022-Budget.pdf
 
  Something to ask? Write updates@verlindeb.org

AWA represents
Andersons Witness in Africa.
It is also a brand of bottled water in Cote d'Ivoire where we serve.

GIVEONLINE to support these ministries
                                   www.che4a.org

Debbie's Facebook Page

Verlin's Facebook Page

Snapshots

CHSC LINK: Snapshots
PDF Version: AWA Weekly 220910 PDF

Taste and See (Psalm 34:8)

Professor Luc greets a colleague image taken from
the extended video prepared by Joseph, his son

Snapshots permanently capture the emotions, energy, and elements of a journey together. This year, while rejoicing with you, we share a short video of the CHE university training produced in snapshots and video clips. Professor Luc’s son, Joseph, worked late into the night to prepare this as a labor of love for the university community. The quickly transitioning 5-minute flick (that opens with a click) conveys the excitement generated as 18 CHE trainers from the nation’s interior, the university, Nigeria, and France poured heart-motivated experience into 96 apprentices during the week. Participants in three levels of Community Health Engagement (CHE) separated into 4 classrooms set record numbers. As in previous years, people from villages learned in mixed classes with doctors, pharmacists, and other well-educated leaders. Honestly, only in the context of an all-inclusive Biblical, heart-changing approach like CHE could such a thing be imagined and implemented in Cote d’Ivoire!

As usual, we have emotional snapshots of events that touched us throughout the week. Verlin remembers a pivotal moment when a director of national health programs for women indicated having initiated community interactions in 2015. Dr. Helen unintentionally made his point with an example explaining how the annual training sessions began changing government ministry evaluation forms in 2014 that changed evaluation standards. Understanding dawned that advancement depended upon the approaches shared being applied. Debbie recalls overhearing a lady from one of the villages speaking on the phone during a break. She explained to a friend that she was following a training at the university where people from Nigeria, France, and the United States joined Ivorians to teach her. Then came words that brought tears to Debbie’s eyes. The elderly Ivorian woman exclaimed that even the “big people” at the university greeted and talked to her. Imagine listening and commenting in classes with people who greatly surpass your education and rank. That is what this sweet Christian woman did because the CHE ministry approach insists that everyone contributes something when establishing shalom (the peace of God) as the standard for good health in a community.

Come and See (Psalm 66:5)

Another snapshot comes to mind as we write and begin clean-up and follow-up. Two days before the expos began, an Ivorian scheduled to teach beside Verlin in Level Two canceled his participation due to work demands. As a result, Verlin facilitated 21 lessons—an unimaginable number to many who use the inductive-style teaching of LePSAS. The Holy Spirit let him function with sufficient energy and kept participants on track as in the other levels. While others could have helped, the sacrifice helped maintain a higher quality of mentoring at all levels. Half the trainers facilitating courses did so as a 1st or 2nd experience. Only three have assisted each of the nine years. Hopefully, in the future, the growing number of experienced trainers from the interior, where over 100 programs are initiated or running, will prevent that load on any one trainer.

Prayer & Praise

• 🙏 Praise the Lord for another week of successful CHE training at the university! Ninety-six people learned to trust the Creator’s ideas of shalom over their own at three levels. The number will almost certainly increase next year. Thank Him for the devoted believers of ARC-en-Christ witnessing to the nations by serving all the trainers and participants from three villages at a new location.

• 🙏 For the first time, one man from the university CHE team and a professed Christian expressed his desire to help us train Ivorian missionaries later this year! Praise God since Cote d’Ivoire needs many more trainers nationwide who will respond to this growing need.

• 🙏 Pray for follow-up meetings this week with the people who worked tirelessly for the success of the training event. We personally have three additional training opportunities because of the week. Ask the Lord to guide our handing over of yet more responsibilities in the planning and execution of all stages of training.

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 provide support as we maintain 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: Yes, No, Later
        - 220827 PDF
Prior Videos: The Great Story
        - Lasting Footrints

2022 1Q Report: The Persevering
  -  2022 1Q Anderson Report 220521 PDF

2022 Budget Info:
CHSC-0118_ANDERSON-2022-Budget.pdf
 
  Something to ask? Write updates@verlindeb.org

AWA represents
Andersons Witness in Africa.
It is also a brand of bottled water in Cote d'Ivoire where we serve.

GIVEONLINE to support these ministries
                                   www.che4a.org

Debbie's Facebook Page

Verlin's Facebook Page