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Orphan Grain Train Christian Medical Endeavor Prayerletter
Volume 3 Number 3
April 2005
"The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the distant shores be glad! Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright of heart." Psalm 97:1, 11
What a wonderful time. Easter! He is risen, indeed! We were able to celebrate a wonderful time on a distant shore in Africa, unfortunately without my lovely wife, Sandee. I joined Delano and Linda Meyer in Sierra Leone. They are LCMS World Mission agricultural missionaries for assigned to West Africa, living in the large town of Bo, Sierra Leone, in the middle of the country.
Sierra Leone is a country about the size of Colorado with 3.5 million nationals. It is located on the Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea on the north and west and Liberia on the east. The Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sierra Leone has about 30,000 members, mostly in the rural part of the country, north and east, in the Kono [Co - no], Kailahun [Chi lo on] and Kenema [Ken ah ma] district with some in the capitol, Freetown, located in the west. The national churches in both Liberia and Sierra Leone had requested LCMS to provide a medical missionary, which is under consideration. In the meantime, they asked me to return and do some additional teaching. I went in March for four weeks into April.
We combined our efforts, holding classes in general health, treatment of various tropical maladies, especially malaria, dysentery and diarrhea, dehydration, worms, malnutrition and tied the medical aspects with the agricultural techniques which will enhance the productivity of the soil and how to combine the family efforts into a well meshed lifestyle, constantly tying the Christian life examples provided into the Bible by Christ and the Apostles.
The church planned to have the teaching for the Lutheran community. However, several Moslems requested permission to take part in the training and were welcomed. This fit very well into the effort to reach 100,000,000 with information of Jesus Christ in the LCMS ABLAZE program. Many sub-Sahara African Moslems do not understand the god to which they offer prayers. Nor their religion! The underlying belief system is traditional or animistic, in which belief that all have spirits and one must try to avoid irritating or upsetting those departed as they can cause havoc or trouble. You see, the nationals do believe in an afterlife. This prepares them well for receiving Christ into their lives. In fact, there are purportedly 3,000 converted into the Lutheran faith in Africa, daily. There are more than 6,000,000 on the continent right now!
Much information was gleaned as we were traveling. In the district capital, Kailahun Town, we met Dr Ellison Mujungu, the regional director of the UN High Committee on Refugees dealing with repatriation of the Liberians in Sierra Leone. His specialty is Public health, with emphasis on HIV. We learned a lot from him about the extent of the virus in Africa. One of the major fears with which they are now dealing is the insidiousness of the viral illness. One can carry it for years [average seven] before showing the disease. Many of the refugees have been in areas where the virus is more prevalent. They are infected and carry the disease back with them. Pray the ability to foresee ways to test en masse so the spread may be blunted.
We met with the Christian Health Association of Liberia who was holding their annual conference while we were in Monrovia, Liberia. During the meetings, I talked with the director of a hospital there, upcountry. Dr Emmanuel Sandoe is one of five physicians working at Phebe [fee bee] Lutheran Hospital in Bong County, about two and one half hours northeast of Monrovia. We discussed options for re-supplying the facility as the rebels had decimated it during the civil war. Orphan Grain Train is going to try to re-equip them to some extent. Pray that the customs folks there will allow this humanitarian effort to continue.
I just returned from a visit to Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Northglenn, Colorado, for their mission festival, a wonderful experience. While there, I visited my new granddaughter, Alana Joan Foster who was born as I was leaving for Africa March first. Thank God for safe delivery of Jill, having given birth to their second, giving Sam the sister he wanted, Amen.
In June we will take a trip to Haiti, to the flooded areas of Gonaives. July has the Kenya visitation in the offing. Watch for these reports.
PRAYER REQUESTS
- Thanks to God for safe travel and good work in Africa, plus safety of Sandee while I was absent. Be with us as trips to Haiti and Kenya are accomplished. May His will be done to spread His kingdom and give us the Holy Spirit to lead us to do the appropriate things needed to do.
- Pray for the returning refugees in Liberia. May the Lord provide safe harbor and clean lives for them if it is His will.
- Thanks, Lord for the successful labor and delivery of Jill and Ben of Alana. May she grow in Your love and grace, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Now may the Lord bless and keep you, make His countenance to shine upon you and give you His peace.
In His Service,
Doc
William P Foster, MD
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