Long-Term Highlights Archive

BAGELS – MÁS QUE PAN

As many of you know, Nacer Ministries tries to generate some of its own income by starting small businesses, or micro-enterprises. One of these, which was started about four years ago, is a bakery run by and in the Cristo Viene Niñas girls’ home. The name of the bakery is “Bagels – Más que pan,” which translates to “more than bread.” The bakery started making only bagels and has since evolved to make cinnamon rolls and cakes as well. “Bagels – Más que pan” does not only have the purpose of generating incomes for the homes, but provides the girls of Cristo Viene Niñas with the opportunity to learn a skill that can enable them for a job later on in their life, when it is time for them to leave the home. The bakery is teaching the girls valuable lessons in work skills, responsibility, people skills, organization, and cooperation. It is a project that has helped them to learn new skills and to help themselves and the homes. We thank all the individuals and churches that have invested to get this project up and running. Please pray that the girls continue to work in this project diligently to better the homes, themselves, and their future.

Dr. Tom & Diane Schiefer                                      

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Sometimes Christian Veterinary Mission veterinarians have the privilege of reducing scapulohumeral luxations…

Recently a missionary friend emailed to ask how we were taking to life in this little village called Seattle after years in the bush.  “It’s also quite something here to watch the tribals come out of the hills and into the city,” he commented.  “Are you a tribal?”  Yep, I was feeling pretty tribal right then, like I had just come out of the hills.  

Now that football season is over, our 15-year-old son Aaron and his friend, had been using their after-school time to hone their “free running” skills, running up walls, turning flips, jumping over rails, etc.  Aaron was endeavoring to duplicate stunts he had seen on “YouTube”.  

You run, bounce into a front somersault in the air, no hands… no problem, after some practice.  Run at a wall, leap as high as you can on its vertical surface, try to run a few steps before gravity takes over and still land on your feet… varying degrees of success.

But turning back flips from a standing start didn’t work out so well for him.  With no spotters, he tried anyway, didn’t quite make it over, landed on his right shoulder, arm backwards. 

Pain!

Fred and I were working in our third floor offices that late afternoon.  Our first clue something had gone awry was when we heard the anguished bellowing of a familiar voice reverberating up the stairwell.  Aaron gingerly made his way up the stairs to 2nd floor, supporting his arm like fragile glass at a funny angle to the side.  He was also doing a pretty good job of alerting the entire building to his distressed condition.  

Fred went into “bush mode,” running out of his office and down one flight of stairs to meet Aaron, checking the bones for possible fracture, then deciding it was a dislocation and needed to be replaced immediately to relieve the pain.  His mind flew back 21 years to the time he replaced a Bunna guy’s dislocated shoulder in the Ethiopian bush.  Could he remember how? Fred was going to put Aaron down on the floor right there in the 2nd floor hallway and go to work!  But people were poking their heads out of doorways all down the hallway and insisted we go into a nearby conference room before trying anything—at least to muffle the uproar.  

So in we went and down we went, Aaron flat on his back, arm to the side, bravely trying to stifle his roars of pain.  Fred sat at his feet, shoes off, one foot braced in Aaron’s armpit for leverage.  I knelt beside my six-foot baby boy praying tearfully, holding on for dear life.  

Fred stretched the arm out laterally and rotated the head of the humerus back into the shoulder socket. Aaron felt it pop in and had immediate pain relief.  Thank God.  Oh yeah—we coulda called 911; but waiting would have been more agony for Aaron.  Praise the Lord it was not broken!  It was a glimpse back to our “handle it yourself” years in Ethiopia. 

Dr. Vicki Van Gorkom                                           

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...Jed and I arrived at her house and gathered our supplies from the vehicle.  While we were still 50 yards away, I could see the horse didn’t have a lameness problem. It was laying flat out on several pieces of cardboard, surrounded by piles of plastic and rotting garbage.  Looked like a colic (a painful belly caused by a number of possibilities – some terminal).  I removed the bag of ice they had put on the leg of the horse and started my exam.  Looked in the horse’s mouth to assess the mucous membranes, moved to the chest to listen to the heart, then put my stethoscope on the horses abdomen to listen to the sounds of the intestines.  The horses gut did not sound good, it was full of air.  I decided I should do a rectal exam to see if I could feel any other abnormalities with the intestines.  I layed down behind the horse amongst the fetid piles and reached my arm up into the horse.  My fingers encountered balloon like loops of intestine similar to what would be found with a blockage of some sort.  Not a good prognosis for the horse.  Getting up I told the family, in my broken Spanish, that I was afraid the horse would not make it.  I gave the horse an injection to help decrease the pain of the intestinal cramping and said we would return in the evening.

Unfortunately the horse did die.  I found out later that the family had found a local veterinarian (the title “veterinarian” is used very loosely here) several hours after we left and had him examine the horse.  He told them the horse was needing calcium.  He gave the horse an intravenous dose of calcium and a shot of B vitamins (which cost them an exorbitant amount) and left.

I told them the truth, they just didn’t want to hear it.  They were much happier with the diagnosis of “low blood calcium”.  In a similar way Jesus gave a diagnosis of eternal separation from God to the non-repentant heart.  He came to earth taking on the likeness of man and saying some things that not everyone wants to hear.  Things like:  I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6), No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him (John 6:44), Enter by the narrow gate.  For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few (Matthew 7:13-14).

-Dr. Brett Terhaar

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This week there was a student performance at the Agriculture University.  The performance was during my English class time.  Since my students were either involved or wanted to go watch, my translator, Tsende, and I decided to cancel class and go, too.  It was to start at 4 pm.  We waited and waited.  We had plans to return to the V.E.T. Net office by 6 pm to go home.  By 5:40, the doors still were not open.  However, I believe God used this time of waiting for His purpose.  While we were waiting, we got to chat with some girls in our class and four of their friends.  Tsende invited them to the VET Net Bible study the next evening.  Wednesday night she met the eight girls and took them to the dinner and Bible study that VET Net offers every week.  During the small group discussion, six of the girls prayed to receive Christ!  If we hadn’t had to wait so long the day before, they might not have had the opportunity.  God is good and continues to work in all of our circumstances, even when we get a little frustrated.

-Dr. Heather and Leon Heisey                     

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When I sit in the Gesses church or in a village doing women’s ministry I often find myself asking "Where are you God?" I sit and watch the Gumuz men, women and children ‘going through the motions’ of church and worship.

"Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you."

The words ‘call upon me, pray to me, seek me, find me’ became real to me and I found myself wondering if we were doing this. Am I doing this? Are we showing the Gumuz how to do this? Is this something that can even be taught?

I was once the kind of person that went to church on Sundays because that’s what a Christian does. But in the last few years, God has shown me that He didn’t just want me to go to church out of duty. He didn’t want me to read my Bible out of duty. He didn’t want me to pray out of duty. He desires our hearts. He desires us to worship Him, seek Him, pray to Him and read His Word because it is our own heart’s desire to do those things. And now, I desire for other people to desire Him in this way.

-Colette & Barry Schwenk      

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And have you ever been to Costco? Sometimes they serve little food samples. I wouldn’t dare mention how my family loves to taste-test, wandering down the aisle then brazenly return again for more. Especially the pizza samples. J How long until we learn to be cool??

While Vicki and Jodi sauntered between snacks, I paused before a head-high mountain of coffee. Which flavor to choose? But O Good, I had company. A man who was clearly Ethiopian was standing on the other side of the mountain, looking just as perplexed about which to choose as I was.

Like someone who’s spent years in a community-oriented culture, I sidled over. We stood shoulder to shoulder, staring at the pile before us. A camaraderie of silence. 

Whoa. It wasn’t a mountain of coffee at all. It was a whole mountain range! And somewhere south of the Continental Divide were industrial quality grinding mills. No crank handles or pounding sticks; must be electric. Probably complicated to use.   

When he glanced at me, seeming to appreciate the company, I asked him in Amharic, “Which kind of coffee is better? How is one to know? Which kind do you like?” His eyes widened and stared at me, shocked to hear his own language. Priceless expression. You shoulda seen it.

I was having fun, so I went on in Amharic, if only to prove he could believe his ears. “My wife loves coffee.” Culturally appropriate to speak of family. “I must try to pick a really good kind for her. Do you know which is best?”

Long silence. Finally linguistic function returned. “You speak Amharic!” he exclaimed in English. That wasn’t what I’d asked. Now I was really having fun. I tried to assemble an expression to look like, “Duh! What do expect to hear someone speak in a big Costco Store in Seattle Washington, half the globe away from east Africa?!”

“You speak English!” I remarked with similar tones, in Amharic. He saw my eyes twinkle. We laughed. In the end we each picked a bag of coffee, and like two Ethiopians, he showed me how to grind it to what I hoped would be the level of coarseness Vicki liked. It just seemed natural, doing it together. He delighted to show me how. No embarrassment. Community. Hard to explain, but I miss it.

-Drs. Fred & Vicki Van Gorkom

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As I write this month’s letter in October, there is much uncertainty and reason in the natural not to be thankful.  I looked at the headlines on Yahoo! just before writing this letter.  The world economy has fallen off a precipice, though it seems to be recovering somewhat.  The US Electorate is faced with another difficult and, as always, divisive decision.  The War on Terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan continues to cost lives of American men and women as they fight for freedom and security.  Genocide continues in many parts of the world, often unrecognized and unpublicized.  Wildfires rage in southern California for yet another year.  In the Two-Thirds World, HIV, malaria, malnutrition, and government corruption continue to ravage the population.  Though most Africans don’t have IRA’s, 401(k)’s, or other retirement investments, they are nonetheless affected by the global economic crisis.  In South Africa, food prices have doubled and in some cases tripled in just the five months we have been here.  We have been insulated a bit from this by the strength of the dollar making our US Dollars buy more South African Rand when we convert, but still are faced with higher food bills and hungry, growing teenagers.

In the face of all this uncertainty, I know that each morning when I wake up, I have a choice.  I can look at the natural circumstances of this fallen world and become discouraged, cynical, and even despondent.  Or I can look to my PAPA and His Supernatural Provision and be encouraged and thankful despite the natural circumstances of this fallen world.  I can be reassured knowing nothing that happens surprises Him; He knew it all before He ever created the Universe.  I can be reassured that He knew me and numbered my days before the foundations of time.  I can be reassured that each day, His Mercies, His Grace, His Provision, His Strength, and His Love are available for me to tap into to whatever extent I choose.  I can be reassured that He gives of Himself above and beyond all that I can imagine or believe.  I can be reassured that He loves to give to His Children exuberantly and extravagantly; I must simply choose to receive exuberantly and extravagantly. 

-Drs. Tim & Paula Ulrich                       

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Thanks to all of you who have been praying for us and for the Banna during this time of famine.  It started raining the end of August and has continued raining on and off.  The local landscape has been transformed from dry and barren to lush and green.  The fields are planted, the crops look good, and if the rain continues, we should have a nice harvest come Nov/Dec.  Though food prices are still high and people still struggle to adequately feed their families, with an end in sight, no one seems to care.  Thanks to your support, we have been able to help over 200 of the most needy through the food for work program and continue to do so.  We were also able to give the wereda (our county) enough money in August to provide each farmer (10,835 households) improved seed to plant as everyone had eaten their seed grain saved from last year.  Please pray that the rains will indeed continue and that many who have heard the good news through the food for work program will believe.  

-Drs. Trent & Tabby Cox                                                                                       

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Do you remember when the soldiers came seeking Jesus to arrest Him?  During a short and simple conversation, 600 soldiers fell down. Why? Because when Jesus replied, ‘I am He,’ (John 18:5) He actually used the Hebrew “I AM”.   Oh, the power of His name!
…and at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow.
 Let’s keep in conversation with Him about all that is on our hearts and remember that the power that raised Christ from the dead lives in us!  He is in our midst. How precious it is to walk and talk with the Living ‘I AM’.

-Dr. Karen Smirmaul                                  

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It was 10pm Aug 14th, 2008. Every where firework! People are shouting and singing Mongolian anthem together. They hold hands together. Many of them had tears in their eyes with full of joy…So many people also were holding Mongolian flag…..Mongolia! Mongolia!
They don’t know each other but they know that they are Mongolians.

This is the picture of the evening when Mongolia wrestler got a golden medal from Olympic games in Beijing, China.  For Mongolians this is first Golden medal from Olympic after 44 years. Mongolians were celebrating it together.

I was imagining how wonderful it would be if all Mongolians turn away from sinful life and come to Lord Savior. And singing worship songs together and holding hands for God. And shouting Hallelujah, Hallelujah ….

For me it is impossible. I can never think that whole Mongolian nation will be saved. But in God everything is possible.

-V.E.T.Net -Oyuna

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Parasite life cycles are one of the amazing examples of God’s creative genius. They are also a great argument against the development of life through chance and natural selection. The larvae hatches from an egg on the ground and is nearly microscopic as it crawls up a blade of grass changing stages along the way. It reaches the tip of the grass blade as an infective larvae and sits in a little droplet of water waiting for a sheep to come along and crop off the grass. Parasites are mostly very species specific and when the right host ingests the larvae they begin to grow in the warm environment they find in the stomach and intestines of the sheep. As the sheep ingest more and more of these infective larvae, the parasites grow and suck the life from their host. Soon the unsuspecting sheep is growing thin and is susceptible to other diseases. And it takes more grass to feed the many parasites that live inside. 

In James 1:13-15 we read, “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Doesn’t that sound just like the parasite? It is a tiny insignificant almost microscopic little thing. But when full grown, it becomes a debilitating infestation that leads to disability and sometimes death. Sin often starts so small and then it begins to grow. Our attractiveness to other people soon dissipates as we become spiritually thin. Guilt and broken fellowship with our Father takes a serious toll on our lives.

The good news is of course that there is a solution. Like the “Model Herder” who carefully treats and cares for his stock, God has just the right treatment for us. It is found in 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Then…we become attractive to those we meet. We see such a visual picture of this in our V.E.T. Net Team. The difference between our Team and others is quickly seen. The V.E.T. Netters have a real desire to help their people, but they also want to be attractive and gain the opportunity to share how God has changed their lives. Jesus truly shines through them.

-Dr. Gerald Mitchum                   

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The opening purpose statement of a national conference on transformational development this past week stated that “we hope for our organizations and ourselves a renewed understanding of the transformational work Christ calls us to share, so that we might become better signposts of the Kingdom in a broken world”.  Ron and I were excited to attend this conference and hear some very well-known names in Christian community development such as Bryant Myers who wrote Walking with the Poor, and Brian Fikkert, founder and head of the Chalmers Institute on Christian micro-finance.  It was a real privilege to be able to speak on “Working with Women in a Patriarchal Society” there. The most exciting story I heard there was about a “handful of peanuts” from a Christian worker in Africa. 

A village woman was willing to adopt an orphaned infant but she was a poor woman. She went to the local health officer named Nancy and said, “I will raise this child, but I cannot afford to send her to school. Will you commit to providing the school fees for her?” 

Many of us would want to respond with such a matching commitment. But Nancy was very wise and responded, not only with compassion toward the child, but also toward the woman. She could see and understand the need to empower this woman and not create dependency. 

So Nancy reached down and picked up a handful of peanuts.  As Nancy put these into the woman’s hand, she said, “These are your school fees.  Plant these peanuts. Next year harvest and replant. And again the next year. And when the child is old enough for school, the harvest will be sufficient for the school fees.”

I love the beauty of the simplicity and profound wisdom in Nancy’s response.
It takes nothing away from the adoptive mother but enables and empowers her. God has greatly gifted us and He requires that we give our very best, not necessarily the easiest or quickest response.

“To whom much is given, much is required.”  Luke 12:48

-Dr. Karen Stoufer

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Santos is a small, wiry man, his skin is leathery and creased from the years of hard work in the sun.  I met him the first day we moved into the house we occupy on the northwest side of Asuncion.  He does yard work and odd jobs for people around the city here in Asuncion.  Santos always has a ready smile and delights in lending us a hand as we learn about our new surroundings.  One thing I miss here is manual work(outside!) so I’ve been inviting myself along to labor with Santos a couple afternoons a week  It also provides opportunity to practice my Spanish.

Last week after a combination of hand gestures and elementary Spanish I deciphered that we were going to remove a tree for a man in the barrio I live in.  We arrived at the mans house carrying our machete and a small hand saw to discover, much to my surprise, a 25’ tall tree with limbs well in excess of 12” in diameter.  I watched as Santos went up the tree bared footed, machete in hand, and started the process of taking the tree apart, in 6 to 10 foot sections.   After watching Santos hack his way through several limbs he motioned for me to take my turn.  Up I went, hacking and flailing with all of the gusto of a good old midwest farmboy, muscling my way through the job.  Santos just watched and smiled.  After the first limb I was nearly spent.  We still had 80% of the tree to take down and then cut up into 4 foot pieces and stack it.  Santos came back up the tree and gently taught me a couple of things.  1)  He showed me how to use the machete (small strokes using the weight of the machete not my own brute strength).  2)  I can’t be too proud to tell him when I am tired and need help (this will be more important in the summer).

Ahh.  Sounds like a biblical lesson in the making.  The Bible has much to say to us about how to “do” life.  We may attempt to live lives that reflect our belief that the law (10 Commandments) that we read in the Bible are a good thing.  We strive with all our might to do good to others, stay out of trouble, etc.  Just like I was trying to cut the tree up with brute force.  A “get’er done” attitude.  To work hard so that my good will outweigh my bad.  The problem is I don’t have the strength to live a life where I am in perfect compliance with the Bible.  That’s a problem because God requires perfection.  And my family will attest to the fact that I am not perfect in my attitude or in loving other things more than God (sin) every day.  The solution to that is my dependence on the sacrifice of Jesus’ perfect life, death, and resurrection.  Jesus covers my vast imperfections and is the strength for me to live a life of obedience.  Obedience out of gratitude not compulsion.  Gratitude because when I call on Jesus to forgive me of my past, present, and future failed attempts at goodness, He does.  I am weak but God gives me strength. 

Paul says it in 2 Corithians 12:9-10
9 But he said to me,  “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.1

-Dr. Brett Terhaar

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His young arms flailed in the air as he frantically raced down the dusty road.  Several dozen distressed cattle and calves were running in a frenzy before him and his 3 jittery childhood friends.  As we drove up, we could see sweat pouring from all of the young boys, as they gasped for breath, waving to us to stop the Landy and help them.  A few minutes before, we had seen an ominous sign in the road:  a small calf alone, stumbling in confusion towards the bush.  I commented to Moses, “That’s unusual; I hope there wasn’t a raid here!”  But here was the evidence.  The Jie subtribe had sent a group of warriors, armed with AK47 sub-machine guns, to steal cattle from the Bokora.  Moving stealthfully through the thick underbrush, they had burst out into the road, in front of the innocent boy-shepherds.  With loaded semi-automatic weapons pointed at their trembling faces, it did not take the kids long to scatter, surrendering the livestock without a thought towards futile heroism.  Two herds were taken (minus the young calf who was too slow to keep up with its mother) while the third, which had been slightly ahead of the others, remained with the boys.  Fearing that the armed men would return for the 3rd herd, the boys were racing to the safety of the army barracks, 7 miles down the road. 

Seeing the urgency and danger of the boys and their animals, we quickly tried to think of how we could help.  The young calves were slowing them down, while one teenage herdboy was trying desperately to carry the smallest one.  We loaded 5 of the smaller calves in, and cautiously, prayerfully, turned the vehicle back to the site of the raid, to pick up the stranded, motherless calf.  Heaving it hurriedly into the bed of the Landy, we quickly drove to the army barracks to report the raid and encourage the soldiers to begin to track the animals and the thieves. 

Life is still tenuous here in Karamoja.  Danger and fright lurk around unknown corners.  But, thankfully, that is not the end of the story.  Love and faithfulness dwell in our midst as well.  God, in His mercy, continues to show himself to us, through His Protection, His Provision, and His Profound Wisdom. 

-Dr. Val Shean

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I got my wallet out of my purse and paid the taxi driver, then put my wallet back…but apparently missed the bag.  So when I got out of the taxi, the wallet fell to the floor without anyone noticing.  When I went inside the garage to pay the bill for the truck, I had no wallet and retraced my steps back to the long-gone taxi with a sick feeling, realizing what happened.  Gone.  I was nobody, had nothing, and no way of proving anything.  Then I realized the worst part:  WE were nobody, had nothing, and no way of proving anything as WE both were without ID, money, credit cards, licenses, ATM cards, bank book…NOTHING…and far from home. (and the truck had no gas, since you don’t’ want to leave it in the garage here with a full tank!) 

After a million prayers, I figured we were going to have to borrow some money from a friend in Ceiba…but the garage wouldn’t let us leave in the truck to go to her house.  Great.  And we had no taxi money.  Great.  BUT, the garage did agree to let me drive the truck to get money if I left Scott there for collateral!  Can you believe!  So, thanks to a friend, we got out of Ceiba and back to Trujillo.  I put a stop on our bank account, our credit card, and our ATM card. But the most important things I lost were my Honduran identity cards:  driver’s license and residency card.  Do you find it amazing that I would think that two little cards are more important than $1000?  I do.  But it is true.  We prayed that God would use the money we ‘donated’ to touch whoever found it.  But HOW was I to get those cards back? 

-Scott & Diane Karper

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A young mother and her baby showed up outside on the second day.  The baby girl was dehydrated, malnourished and had a beginning pneumonia: all the things we associate with neonatal death in the villages.  Given hydration solutions and antibiotics, it was hoped the baby would improve before we left the next day.  That was not to be.  It was time to leave and the questions started about what to do with this little one.  There was no one to let the baby nurse to supplement the mother’s milk which wasn’t enough to sustain her two month old who only weighed 4 pounds.  The villagers expected that the baby would go home to die but not the team from GA or Angi my friend and fellow transplanted gringo. 

Here’s the “step”, a young 16 year old mother with a very sick baby from a village that frankly is used to losing neonates, so much so that they sometimes don’t name them for several months until they see if they will survive.  She left her husband two days ago to accompany her father to have his scalp sutured by the visiting medical team; she didn’t think there was anything to be done for the baby.  She has never been out of this mountain area, probably not even to where we left the trucks.  Angi and the pastor told her she needs to go with these people, most of whom she can’t understand and they look weird.  She will travel to places she’s never been and they may save her baby.  Some of the people are saying “no stay, your husband doesn’t know where you are and will be mad if you don’t return home.”  I’ve tried to put myself in her place with all the unknowns; really the only known is that her pastor says God and these strangers will look out for her.  That she decides to go is more than I think I would do.  After driving for 8 hours to a small town hospital/clinic it’s decided that they can’t do anymore than the team is doing and that if the baby is to survive she has to go to Managua which is another 8 hour trip the next day. She has been riding in a truck with a gray haired and bearded gringo that speaks a foreign language and she’s not even sure where she is, and then is told we’ve got to go further.  Imagine having never been out of the mountains then going into a city of over one million and buildings larger and taller than anything you’ve ever seen and suddenly being there with your sick baby.  Mary says you had to be there when they put her in the little room and the sliding door closed then the room moved upwards to take her to Intensive Care.  After all this and the needles and tubes in her baby she is told that she can’t stay but can visit every few hours.  To me it is beyond what I think I could do...

Dr. Richard Ervin

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Delayed again. The first week I was to get introduced to the communities I had to postpone it to visit another area with some sick animals. Formal introductions and going through the right channels are important here. Going to the countryside communities without them would not be a good way to win favor with the local people and the government offices. This is one of those times where it seemed better to patiently wait until the next week. The second week I made it to my appointment to meet the communities, but a phone call to the government official to confirm the time on the night before postponed the appointment because it had been raining all day and the roads would be muddy. (Of course I had already been driving through creeks and mud for the entire week, but I respectfully agreed to wait until next week.) Three weeks seemed like a long delay. I was feeling pressured by the weather. The rains had already started which is the best time to discuss and collect plants which bloom and fruit—the perfect time for learning about the animals and the plants which make the animals sick and those that make them better. I was frustrated that it had taken so much time to get a simple introduction to the communities.

Now in the third week, I stood in front of the Gololicha community with Ali, one of the government officials. My mind was reeling—I was expecting to talk with one or two important people in the community (if we could find them), and in front of me were about thirty men! After I greeted them and gave a short introduction one of the community members quizzed “Ati maqaan kee eennu? (What is your name?)” Various men young and old were gathered and sitting around in various places on the ground. Ali and I stood before them. I answered that my name was Qabaallee, the Borana name that I had previously been given. “Ati ka eenyu? (literally Whose are you?)” The Ethiopians use their father’s first name as their last name, and they were not happy with my foreign last name. The community decided I needed a good Borana last (father’s) name. One man suggested that my father’s name should be Gololicha since I was coming to help their community. They all voiced their agreement and I suddenly had a full Borana name. My father’s Borana name is now Gololicha, which means to feed someone (Quite appropriate since Dad is an Iowa farmer).

We then went to the second community, Dembela Badana. We first went out to the site, but found few people there. They were all at a meeting back in town. Ali knew this, but wanted to make sure that I learned the road to get back to the community. We went to the meeting at the edge of Dubuluk town and men and women were gathered together under a large shade tree. I was introduced and this time I was a little more prepared for my introduction since I had practiced once. The community was happy that I was there and wanted to know when I would start. Ali commented that I was already here and ready to work. A second person asked how I would get to them since they were spread out and sometimes difficult to find. Ali once again replied and pointed to my vehicle that we had driven and told them that I could drive there. I told them that I could even rent a horse or a mule to come and find them (I always need a good excuse to go riding). They laughed at that comment—I guess that picturing a white girl on a horse was a funny sight to them.

As we leaving the meeting Daniel, a Borana man who accompanied me, told me that I was quite lucky to have such a turnout of people at not just one place, but at both places. I realized that had I not been delayed for the three weeks that I wouldn’t have gotten such a good turnout. Rather than having one or two people see my face, many elders were able to see who I was and hear that I was coming to learn from them and to help them with their animals. This will help tremendously in gaining their trust. And I have taken on the name of one community—a good sign that they want me to be a part of them. It has truly been God’s timing and not mine.

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. Prov. 16:9 (NIV)

Dr. Denise Ward, Ethiopia

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Hence, tired and weary, the two doctors wanted to stop in for a few days of R&R.  Knowing this, it is never our intention to bother them with medical cases, but sometimes God’s intentions differ…
That evening, while visiting a local family in their hut, I also heard from the mother of a young lady we had previously taken to Jinka with a breast lump.  The doctor who saw her at that time assured us it was not serious and told the girl to watch it for a few months and to return if it did not go away.  Unfortunately, it had not gone away nor had the pain of it subsided.  Again, I asked Bjarte to take a look.  He concluded that it was most likely a benign tumor, but that it should be removed and could be done so easily, involving only a minor surgery.  But I did not expect him to say what he said next, “Let us do it here so that she doesn’t have to come to Jinka.  I have a small surgical pack for just such things.”  Though our dining table has often served as a surgery table for animals, this was to be my first time to use it for a human surgery!  We boiled the instruments and I pulled out some of our own surgical drapes and sterile skin prep packs and various other materials.  During the operation, I provided the surgical lighting (flashlight) while Bjarte and David removed the golfball size mass under local anesthesia.

…For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  Ephesians 2:10  As I ponder this verse, I smile at the thought that God planned for my week to be interrupted by two surgeons so that we could help these two ladies.  Isn’t it nice to know we don’t have to go looking for good works, God will bring them right to our doors-

Drs. Trent & Tabby Cox, Ethiopia

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Promises.  The ones with a deep foundation.  The kind we can depend on (unlike t.v. commercials or campaign rhetoric).   The ones that bring comfort when we awake at 4a.m. gripped by fear and doubt.  Promises from God are as good as gold, better than money in the bank.  They hold assurance that because of their origin, they will come to pass. 

Our friends had a little parakeet named Perry who lived in an oversized cage in their kitchen.  He spent his days doing things that birds do.  He also seemed to have an unspoken promise for us all… if you put your finger in my cage, I will bite it!  The tenacity to which he upheld this promise was well known by all of our kids (and a few adults who dared test him). As funny and predictable as this little bird was, our God is 10,000 times more reliable and LOVES us besides.  He’s not “perched” in heaven waiting to inflict pain.  His promises are “for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28).  We trust many of you are able to identify with God’s faithfulness in providing for your good. 

Dr. Brett Terhaar,  Paraguay

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After school gets out Narantsetseg starts to eagerly run home to her ger (home). The dirt path twists and winds haphazardly through lines of wooden fences that surround 2-3 round felt tents per yard. She is thinking about the gathering tonight to decide her new baby brother’s name. The baby is now old enough to receive a name and several relatives are coming. She begins to giggle and swings her pink plastic backpack wildly. As she turns the corner she disturbs a pack of stray dogs eating dumped trash along the fence. Narantsetseg sees strays everyday when walking home, but this time one of the dogs begins to growl at her. He’s seems to act differently than the others who just scurry away looking for more trash. The dog comes closer still growling and she can see saliva dripping profusely from its mouth. She cries out and makes a dash to her ger’s yard which is just 50 feet away. But the dog chases and bites her on the back of her leg drawing blood. Thankfully, a piece of her pants leg is torn off and the dog begins to take more interest in shredding the material than pursuing the girl. She runs into her ger crying and falls onto her mom’s lap. Her mom comforts her and begins to wash the wound. That night the baby brother was given a name and by his 3 month birthday, his older sister Narantsetseg had died from rabies.

Dr. Karen Smirmaul, Mongolia

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Are you looking for a nice quiet vacation spot? Maybe a little get away for just you and someone special?  How about a family friendly resort? Well have I got a deal for you!!! Gesses is nice and quiet this time of year. Livestock are so dehydrated, they just stagger around without making any noise. At night you can fall asleep to the beating of distant drums that celebrate the life of someone that died up to 10 years ago. Every now and again guns go off in tribute but you barely notice because the large swarms of locust devouring everything that doesn’t move masks the bursts. Ahhh. It’s almost too good to be true. Think about this part. There’s no fighting with the kids about bath time because there is no bath time! It’s like a little slice of heaven. Thankfully it’s really hot so you don’t get to sweaty or dirty. Anyone ready to come visit yet? We have some fellow missionaries who seem to host visitors or short-term missionaries every other month. Of course, they live in the highlands where it’s 70 degrees year round. Fruit grows in abundance and there are rivers everywhere. I guess it’s all about location.

Dr. Barry and Colette Schwenk, Ethiopia

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"God, I thought we had seen your last idea but you just keep taking us one step further into a limitless land. If we go there you must again separate the sea…you must bring water from the rock…you must still the storm."

The coffee pot steamed on the Duel Fuel Coleman and rice was bubbling on the other burner. This stove burns benzene right out of our truck tank and is the center piece of our roving kitchen. When the wind is down and the flies asleep, a simple evening meal becomes a delight to the neglected palate.

He was a strange man approaching our camp. Herding his animals, he was dressed in a stylish suit as he road his horse proudly. We have had hundreds of herders invade the solitude of our camp, but never dressed as this man. He anchored his horse at a polite distance and accepted food and drink. He was a man of intelligence and stately pride. His was a story to challenge us to greater commitment to help these people who are without an advocate.

"I go to my veterinarian and he tells me that he is being forced to provide worthless medicine for my stock. I want the drugs that will kill the parasites and make my animals healthy, but he will not sell me these modern medicines. I have seen what a difference these quality products can make, but I have no way to get them."

I gave him my card and asked that he take it to his vet and request the V.E.T. Net medicines. I hoped that our influence would help him to get the products that he needed. Then we asked, "What about Jesus Christ…have you ever heard of Him?" "No", he replied, "Who is this person…I have never met him."

Dr. Gerald & Frances Mitchum

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The skin-covered drumbeat began slowly, resounding softly off of my living room walls. The homemade, handheld harp picked up a melody as clapping hands joined in. Melody and Harmony converged, making me smile. Another team meeting has begun with communal rejoicing and worship! I love being here in Africa living in community, creating a caring "family", sharing our daily bread, and our hearts and souls. The tune, "We are Together Again", brings out our joy of being One. As I look around the room, I can see the living, breathing, smiling Body of Christ, with all its joints and limbs and organs and other body parts reaching out to express themselves within the context of Team.

Over the last 15 years here in Uganda, I have been developing and mentoring this team and am so excited to see the Lord's hand of Power and Love at work in our lives and our ministries. This year, we have felt the Lord leading us to extend the tent pegs (expand our programmes) to become available for partnership ministries through out the Karamoja Region, as well as in the surrounding tribes and countries. We will be serving as consultants to empower churches, community groups and organizations to serve the Lord, multiplying ourselves and our impact. It's an exciting time to stretch ourselves and to expand our faith as well as our hearts to encompass that which the Lord has put before us to do. We welcome you to join us in the rejoicing at our Team Meeting.

Dr. Val Shean

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Picture in your mind two little Tasmanian devils, spinning out of control, only becoming still when they finally fall asleep.On their 1^st day at the home, the two little lambs some how climbed straight up a 10 foot high brick wall  then
walked across it like tight rope acrobats. On the top of the one-brick thick wall are pointy iron barbs. The walls are made to keep the bad guys out. We never thought we would need something more secure to keep the children in!

To House Mama Eliana´s surprise and frustration, they would not respond to, "Get down! We do not want you to get hurt!" They finally scurried down the wall after Eliana mentioned that the tiger next door would surely eat them if they went over to the neighbor's yard. So they finally obeyed and climbed down.

Shortly after their arrival, we observed that screaming, crying, and punching were what Juan de Dios and Edwin considered the normal way of getting what they needed and wanted. This is very contrary to the way the Talita Cumi boys are taught. With Gods patience, perseverance and strength, the Lord is using Eliana and Pastor Daniel as instruments of love for these new boys. These boys have been captive prisoners of anger and fear for long enough. I believe that Jesus rescued these little ones when he brought them to Talita Cumi and has set their feet on Holy ground.

The love that the children are receiving is like an anointing balm. Healing the hurts and calming them down. In turn they are beginning to respond in love to their new house parents. I've seen them go from smacking everyone in sight to now wrapping their skinny boy arms around Eliana. Hugging her like they are holding on to dear life, and in a way, they are. She is showing them a better way: God's way.

Dr. Bill & Heidi Janecke

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