Restore

PDF Version:
AWA Weekly 250215 PDF

Taste and See (Psalm 34:8)

The profusion of flowers and chocolates that punctuate the modern Valentine's Day really has little to do with the life of its namesake, who lived during the Roman Empire. Saint Valentine became widely known for marrying Christian couples in secret against the wishes of the pagan government. His commitment to restore the God-ordained covenant of marriage eventually led to his martyrdom, a price he willingly paid. Valentine’s Day seems much better represented in doing the hard, messy, time-consuming, and sometimes sacrificial things that Godly love entails. Retired missionary friends taking time from their day to help Debbie transfer a load of her Dad’s belongings to storage on Friday stimulated her to think of philia and agape love.

250215-Luc-Kouadio-b
Dr. Luc on the website
The holiday also reminds us to pray for our dear friends in Abidjan, Dr. Luc and Deborah Kouadio, who lead the ARC-en-Christ (ARC). It is an alliance of people dedicated to restoring couples who recognize that their marriages are troubled. The year-round fellowship and training include pre-marital and family counseling with Bible study. He is the visionary university leader whom God used to establish CHE training amidst national public health department leaders and researchers in Abidjan. Every year since 2015, this NGO has lodged, fed, and otherwise served the ten to twenty CHE trainers who arrive in September to facilitate the week-long training sessions. ARC faces a dilemma with their ministry: the lease ends this summer on the property they have rented for three years. For some years, they have prayed, saved money, and sought to build a permanent property, but the vision has yet to come to fruition. Properties in Abidjan often have two or three entities claiming ownership. Even if you get legitimate paperwork through the arduous, costly, and slow process, local contestants may damage any investments a purchaser makes to show their discontent. Dr. Luc has expressed concern that their ministry may not have a defined spot to receive guests when the CHE training rolls around again. Verlin has assured him that arrangements can be made as in 2013 and 2014, although it would not meet their incredible standard of generosity and excellence. (Verlin reserved a space and arranged for food before returning.) As they labor to restore couples in troubled marriages and disciple believers, we pray their closing process on property finishes calmly, and soon.

Come and See (Psalm 34:8)

Verlin continues in other ministry obligations and in preparing our place to receive Debbie’s dad. This week, he had to replace or restore wood on our entry stairs and deck to keep it safer for longer. The 100 sq. ft guest bedroom needs clearing and bookcases moved to make the single-wide trailer more senior-living friendly. Our home is not a permanent solution for Eddie but a respite until an appropriate place is found. Debbie is weary from exhausting days but is grateful for family members and many friends who devote hours to help when they can.

Prayer & Praise

  • 🙏 Thank you for continuing to pray for all aspects of the West African CHE Internship in Ghana. Although Verlin will not participate this March except perhaps by video conference, we hope to keep aware of some activities and developments via WhatsApp.
     
  • 🙏 Pray the needed legal paperwork with community endorsement happens soon for the marital ministry of Arc-en-Christ to build on permanent property in Abidjan. Their rental contract ends this coming July.
     
  • 🙏 The race is on to get Debbie’s dad, Eddie Payne, out of his apartment on Feb. 28. Thanks to the gracious help of family and numerous friends, two storage areas are almost empty, and about 2/3 of his belongings are properly stored. Pray that we perceive the Lord’s leadership clearly and finish the task on time.
Your partners in the Gospel,
Verlin & Debbie
TN_Homestead-VerlinDeb-20191214_103927.jpg
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: Many Hands...
        - 250208 PDF
Prior Videos: Worth
        - Reflect & Rejoice
 
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.

GIVEONLINE to support these ministries
                                   www.che4a.org
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Many Hands...

PDF Version:
AWA Weekly 250208 PDF

Taste and See (Psalm 34:8)

"Many hands make light work" is probably a phrase all of us have used at one time or another. A noteworthy example of this principle occurs in the book of Nehemiah. Many hands divided the work of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. Reading the names of specific families and the portion they built in Nehemiah 3 is fascinating. One particular verse struck Debbie today. Nehemiah 3:12 mentions daughters who helped their father, Shallum, mount a section of the wall. These women evidently possessed a skillset perhaps not typical of females of that epoch but which their father recognized and was happy to employ for the Lord's sake. From time to time, we all need reminders that our Father distributes talents to His children as He wills. Our preconceived notions of what kind of person can perform specific tasks may lead us to overlook capable people willing to serve!

Come and See (Psalm 34:8)

250208_Helpers_for_Eddie
Some of the helpers
`Many hands' from Cross Timbers Free Will Baptist Church gathered today along with us both at Debbie's father's home of two years to help sort through three storage areas and transfer many of his belongings to a central storage spot. Words feebly express our gratitude to around 15 people from the Paynes' Nashville church home who helped! What was accomplished in half a day was incredible. We were touched by the volunteers' age range and skill set. There were preteens, a teen, a pastor, a retired missionary, a couple in their seventies, and several people closer to our age. Men, women, boys, and girl used their talents and resources to bless Eddie unforgettably. Verlin and our firstborn continued the work until dark. Two other missionary couples and friends from the church assisted Debbie during the week in getting many boxes ready to load. Today helped us see a peek of light at the end of the tunnel. We still have no housing solution, but keep praying!

Prayer & Praise

  • 🙏 Praise God for the powerful gift of community in the family of God that we believers enjoy! Ask the Lord to bless the friends who served Eddie so lovingly today. May we all be as aware and willing to use our time and skills to serve others.
     
  • 🙏 Continue to pray for a housing solution for Eddie in the Lord's time.
     
  • 🙏 Verlin has noticed that his umbilical hernia has continued to open more over the past few months. This is the site initiated by an appendectomy in 2021 and repaired 'for good' in 2022. Pray we find appropriate steps to find a surgeon who humbly performs his duties as requested to stitch a closure that can endure.
Your partners in the Gospel,
Verlin & Debbie
TN_Homestead-VerlinDeb-20191214_103927.jpg
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: Winds of Change
        - 250201 PDF
Prior Videos: Worth
        - Reflect & Rejoice
 
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.

GIVEONLINE to support these ministries
                                   www.che4a.org
No comments:

Winds of Change

PDF Version:
AWA Weekly 250201 PDF

Taste and See (Psalm 34:8)

250201-of-2409-WACHE_FR
JP from Guinea
Community Health Evangelism (CHE) workers worldwide regularly confront the reality that it takes much time and a worldview change for dependent people to learn interdependence. A case in point is the testimony of a CHE leader ministering in Guinea shared at last September's Francophone regional CHE meeting. JP attended the CHE Internship in Ghana a few years ago, still stuck in the mentality of seeking handouts for projects and ministry development. The Internship Director, Dayo Obaweya, and Verlin spoke to him in groups, privately, and separately about the need to change his perspective to see God's blessings. Instead of seeking funding or regular assistance from outside sources, learn to patiently develop local resources to fund ministry and outreach. With subsequent input from various CHE trainers over time, he understood and demonstrated a broadened view of CHE. Now, when training pastors, he insists that THEY are the ones who teach the congregation how to provide for their families and not rely solely on the people to support the pastors. He shares from the example God provides in Psalm 23 that a Good Shepherd leads the sheep to green pastures, not the other way around. People learn husbandry, especially with chickens, natural medicine, and agricultural improvements in crops like corn. Their early efforts included rehabilitating an abandoned refugee camp into a medical center. Now, the skills they perfect begin to fund CHE ministries.

Come and See (Psalm 34:8)

This week, we received three encouraging calls from African friends and partners. An Ivorian pastor called to share that their small village congregation finished constructing a cement church building except for the roof. Secondly, the Ivorian partner spearheading efforts to create the CHE agricultural ministry to fund others using CHE also connected. He applies CHE concepts like those he heard lived by JP while sharing them with local community leaders. He continues the step-planning process we worked out to create two initially needed organizations to manage the effort. Your support allowed us to participate in paying for lodging and transport of the ECHO agricultural trainer from Burkina Faso to train him and others last November. Now, he practices and teaches others the techniques learned, including creating compost and non-toxic, natural pesticides from what is found locally. He trusts Verlin will return when possible to assist the agricultural outreach to become operational and get a brick-making machine on site. A third call came Saturday from our dear brother, Dayo. He felt compelled to remind us that God created our current "pause" from being there to assist family here. He also shared thrilling news about new collaborations for CHE ministry expansion in Africa and worldwide. The African Internship Center, where the yearly West African CHE Internship occurs, executes a status change. We are eager to share more details in a future update.

Prayer & Praise

  • 🙏 It is time for our granddaughter Chelsea to have an MRI and a follow-up Vanderbilt consultation after the complicated surgery last summer to remove her defective cochlear implant device. This week, her parents learned that newly placed orthodontics may interfere with the MRI procedure! Pray for a workaround.
     
  • 🙏 This week, Debbie's father received a copy of the birth certificate needed to apply for senior independent living situations. Barring a miracle of provision from the Lord in the next two weeks, he will stay with family for a short while or use temporary lodging like traveling RNs or professionals while waiting for a living space to open. Pray for hundreds of details that must be accomplished before his lease ends on Feb. 26th.
     
  • 🙏 Pray the CHE collaborations mentioned and the ministry opportunities they open in Africa will bear fruit worldwide. Continue asking the Lord to direct leaders who prepare interns for the CHE Internship in Ghana.
Your partners in the Gospel,
Verlin & Debbie
TN_Homestead-VerlinDeb-20191214_103927.jpg
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: One Deed
        - 250125 PDF
Prior Videos: Worth
        - Reflect & Rejoice
 
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.

GIVEONLINE to support these ministries
                                   www.che4a.org
No comments:
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