One of Those Weeks

PDF Version: AWA Weekly 221008 PDF

Taste and See (Psalm 34:8)

Sometimes you have one of those weeks. You know the kind we mean. The week reminded us of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day, minus the Australia part! Last Saturday, Verlin began hobbling from renewed pain in his right foot and could not walk Sunday. The re-injury surprised him. On remembrance and research, he began to crawl on all fours to prevent added injury and get some core exercise. The crawling let us laugh some. Remembering a 2021 purchased resource, he followed advice to facilitate healing of the partially renewed injury. As it happened, we had to leave the larger ground-floor guesthouse apartment on Tuesday as a short-term team arrived. Monday morning, a squabble arose about how to get the cash needed from a bank to pay for the guesthouse and travel north. (You know missionaries have disagreements at times, right? ) Verlin received assistance from three others to get money by taxi, using a broomstick for a crutch; Debbie spent 12 hours readying for Tuesday’s departure. Since her Ivorian driver’s license does not permit pulling a trailer, either Verlin’s foot needed to heal or we needed to hire a driver. After discussion, she returned to Bondoukou on Tuesday by bus. That would save costs in Abidjan, limit Verlin’s movements to an upstairs room & bath, and let his foot recover enough to tape and drive.

Image from Deb's seat on bus

Early Tuesday morning, the young adult son of a CHE trainer and friend accompanied Debbie to the station. He helped her get situated on the line recommended as currently the most faithful. She had traveled alone by bus before on a short trip, but never the entire trip north. It became an adventure. The bus was in disrepair with plenty of freeriding cockroaches and no A/C, unlike when Verlin last traveled the line four years ago. A loop of about 15 African music videos played on the TV screen, with a great emphasis on twerking in several of them. Women handed up snacks and drinks at the stops along the way. Everyone was pleasant, but there was never a stop after Abidjan with a toilet—just dirt with no shrubbery to hide behind. Our Ivorian coworker met Debbie at the bus depot in Bondoukou and put her in a taxi to our house, about a 5-minute ride. What a relief to be safely home!!

About an hour later, Debbie made a dreaded discovery: she had left her CPAP in the African taxi! The loss happened after guarding the machine with great care on the bus north for hours! Immediately our coworker went back to the taxi syndicate and reported the problem. He spent two hours at night going around town, reporting the loss. Every day the search continues. The taxi syndicate repeats that they are sure it will turn up. She placed a $9.00 ad on Friday at the local radio station, which will report the loss for a week. As we write this update on Saturday, the CPAP is still not returned. It is likely unrecognized for what it is.

Come and See (Psalm 66:5)

Verlin accomplished much when confined before a computer with his leg propped up for the week, crawling and scooting. He balanced financial accounts and currency exchanges to get our expense reporting current with the CHSC and you. In addition, he handled much Community Health Evangelism (CHE) planning by phone and during three one-hour-long stops during travel to arrive home safely Saturday night.

It was one of those weeks, for sure. But, in reality, despite earthbound frustrations, this week was a Wonderful, Excellent, Not Bad, Very Good one because Jesus directs all work to what is good. He is sovereign. He sustains His in ways we cannot even articulate. Praise God for His Shalom granted to us!

Prayer & Praise

• 🙏 Pray for Verlin’s foot to heal completely. It is likely a reoccurrence of the April 2021 injury that has not yet fully recovered. Also, ask that Debbie’s CPAP machine be returned and still usable. Her sleep is greatly affected even though she and Verlin try to share his unit in split-shift sleeping.

• 🙏 Another CHE training for us to complete is scheduled for early November. We follow two others getting done by colleagues and have delayed a tentatively planned Farming God’s Way training. We still work out details for using CHE Micro-Enterprise development to guide the mushroom production and witness development. Pray for all the planning details related to that. We have much to do at home in the next few weeks to keep things running.

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: Hidden Team
        - 221001 PDF
Prior Videos: The Great Story
        - Lasting Footprints

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

2022 Budget Info:
CHSC-0118_ANDERSON-2022-Budget.pdf
 
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