Drumbeats

PDF Version:
AWA Weekly 230923 PDF

Taste and See (Psalm 34:8)

Life has changed. Gone are the days of yesteryear when information passed slowly from one community to another. Consider the limits of smoke signals, drumbeats, the Pony Express, and boat mail in past centuries. The Internet offers instant access to news and knowledge in very remote locations! On the African continent, the transfer of news previously happened (and still does, at times) with different drumbeats announcing innumerable communications like births, deaths, marriages, and calls to meet or battle. Life moved at a snail's pace compared to now. In addition, people living close to the Equator did not worry about the advent of winter or have need to store crops for long months with no food available. Such lack of planning is deadly in colder cultures. Interestingly, these factors still affect the economy of nations, and even the methods and pace people use to share the Gospel today (see the book Foreign to Familiar for an interesting treatment of this subject.). When these planning worldviews collide, misunderstanding and confusion are normal.

Now, imagine teaching long-term project planning with defined steps and tasks to people with little or no reason to think much beyond the day's needs. With that picture in mind, you have exposed one of the great frustrations of many Americans who work or minister in Africa. But the Western adage remains true: "Necessity is the mother of invention." When Africans encounter situations requiring long-term step-planning, they learn to do it and apply it better in their context than Americans usually do. This is the situation we face in mentoring the university's CHE team. Their expertise in many fields far exceeds ours, and we gladly glean many truths working with them. Still, planning years in advance is one area where American experience and advice are valuable. It is also why there is a step-planning lesson at all three CHE university training levels.

Come and See (Psalm 66:5)

UFHB team gifts to
conference planners

Verlin participated with the university CHE team on Friday in evaluating the Scientific Congress and week-long CHE trainings. He rejoiced in their progress of managing this since beginning 8 years ago. In the first few years, they scrambled to plan three months in advance, very much a drumbeat approach. Now, they begin thinking ahead to 2025 and the steps needed to make the training successful. Repeated errors will get corrected to smooth future events, including the need to get invitations to Ivorian CHE trainers at least three months in advance to give their employers. That will limit the last-minute questions of whether trainers can come or not. As all advance professionally, the team recently began using Zoom when members travel. They hone in on communication tools like WhatsApp that work better than email for dispensing information. (One was running the regional polio vaccine encompassing more than 110 districts.) With the phenomenal progress, a few areas need work. These include hands-on practice for team members in village settings. We seek that some dedicate themselves to set up and tear down the CHE trainer room to do it elsewhere. This task now takes 30+ hours before and 30+ hours after the week-long training.

Prayer & Praise

• 🙏 Thank the Lord for progress in turning over CHE projects and ministries to Ivorians! Pray for the steps still needed to complete the transfer. Pray for choices in new ministry opportunities, including the university's CHE team possible decision to duplicate the CHE training at other university locations in future years.
   
• 🙏 We expect to return home this week in two trips. Verlin will take new appliances, supplies, and Debbie on the first trip. Then he will return for a speedy second trip to Abidjan to finish obligations and carry the final goods. Ask the Lord for safe travels.
   
• 🙏 As happens frequently after the university training, we both are recovering from mild malaria cases. Pray for full strength to return.
   

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 - specifying Verlin and Debbie Anderson in the optional Memo.

 

Prior: Hold Loosely
        - 230916 PDF
Prior Videos: Simple Servants
        - Reflect & Rejoice
 

2023 Q2 Report: Pruning Priorities
  -  2nd Q 2023 Report 230722 PDF

2022 Budget COMPLETED:
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.

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