Recent Outreach
Topic: Mission
Posted on behalf of Cindy:

I (Cindy) have been on several different and very exciting medical outreaches in the two months.

One was to a small Muslim village in neighboring Bauchi State. I traveled with a team from our local Church in Jos. It was exciting to be part of this team that included doctors, nurses, agricultural specialists, pastors, a music group and a Gospel team (all Nigerians except me.)

The goal of our local Church is to see God plant a Church in this village. We used medicine and agricultural advice as a way to build bridges for the Gospel. The village does not have electricity or a clean water supply. None of the children I saw had any immunizations. Many of the children had signs of malnutrition.

We began our outreach by visiting all the local chiefs in the villages around the area. They were open to our visit and one chief of a neighboring larger village gave use permission to hold a medical clinic in his village as well. While we were greeting him, he requested that the Baturi (white doctor) see him and his wife for medical concerns. I was called from outside his palace (where I was waiting with the other women on the team.) As I crossed the threshold into the compound, I heard gun shots. Of course I did the logical thing and ducked. I was greeted with roars of laughter from the chief and the others inside. It seems that it is a local custom to fire your gun when an honored guest arrives. I recovered and treated the chief and his wife without any further blunders!

We slept under the stars (I actually brought a small tent) and began our work in the morning. We held a medical clinic and I made some house calls. We returned to the neighboring village where the chief had given us permission to hold a medical clinic. We were greeted by the young men of the village who told us we were not welcomed in their village. In fact, they said if we got out of our vans they would beat us. If you read the Nigerian news you know these are not idle threats. The chief had gone out for the day and was not there to sort out the trouble. We decided we would not stay where there might be trouble. We headed back to the village where we were staying and continued our work there. I had the privilege of sharing the Gospel with several of the women I saw in the clinic and several prayed to receive Christ.

We held a meeting each night which included an agricultural talk and a gospel message. On Sunday morning we held a worship service. Several from the village joined us. After the service we laid the cornerstone for a small Church building. It will be the first in this village. We pray God will establish His Church in this village.

God Will Make a Way....
Posted on behalf of Cindy:

I (Cindy) had the opportunity to travel out to the "Bush" for another medical outreach this weekend. This time I went with the outreach team from Gidan Bege. My previous trips have been to an established community health clinic to help the community health workers already working in the village. This time we went to an area with no available health care. There is no government or church health clinic within a 2 hour drive of where we went. The only health care in the area is a tradition healer.

We arrived at our destination after one hour on paved roads and an additional hour of off-roading. After meeting with the local Muslim chief, we were disappointed to learn that we would not be allowed to hold our health clinic and evangelistic meeting because of an important wedding in the community that night. We were able to set up under a tree and see some patients while conversations with the chief were on-going. I saw many very ill and malnourished children. The physical and spiritual needs of the area were great. I saw one very ill child with multiple cuts on his small chest. These were made by the local traditional healer in an attempt to cure the cough this small baby had. We gave the medicine we had and we prayed that God would preserve this little one's life.

Since we were not welcomed at our first destination, our local host suggested we travel to the next village. We were told the next village was just "ah chan" or translated "just over there." Well we called this the extreme outreach as the "road" was mostly a winding path trying to avoid rocks and trees. After an hour and a half, we arrived at a dried-up river bed across from the village. We all got out and surveyed the situation. In my very American mindset I thought, "No way are we going to get our vans across that!" The Nigerians with us said, "God will make a way!" They took shovels and pick axes and their bare hands and literally dug a road wide enough for the vans to drive across. All three vehicles with us made it across on this "road."

God definitely wanted us to make it to this small village. It was nearly dark when we arrived, so we went right to work setting up our generator and video equipment. We showed an evangelistic film and shared why we had come to hold a medical clinic in the morning. After the message 30 adults and 55 children prayed with counselors to receive Jesus. There is already a Nigerian missionary working in this area, and he will be there to do follow-up with all who made decisions. Before our outreach only 4 people were coming to his Sunday meetings. So, you can imagine his excitement upon seeing the Lord do such a mighty work.

After a night in a tent, we were up at first light to begin our medical work. All the children who came to the clinic were treated for worms. This is an endemic problem in the area and treating the whole community at the same time is the most beneficial way to do it. I saw mostly children (as we had an OB-Gyn with us who saw the women and a male health worker who saw the men). Many were scared of me because of my white skin, but warmed up to me as I tried to speak in their language. (Actually they roared with laughter hearing my Hausa.) I was able to help in simple ways and to do some educating with the Moms. It was a good but exhausting day. Please pray for those who received Christ and for all those in whom seeds were planted. Pray also that we might be able to return to the first village that turned us away. It is your prayers that are the real work of missions!

Village Health Care
Topic: Mission
Posted on behalf of Cindy:

In the last two weeks I (Cindy) have made 2 trips out to a small village in neighboring Bauchi State. The village of Dass is 3+ hours away and is home to a small ECWA (Evangelical Church of West Africa) health clinic. The clinic is staffed by a community health worker with some simple medications. We were asked to travel to Dass to see some more difficult cases and to encourage the church and clinic staff.

Our first trip was two weeks ago. Both Joel and I went along with an eye nurse, the supervisor of community health for Bauchi state and 3 very eager college students from the states here on a short term trip. We saw more than 60 patients, but we also left at least that many unseen. It is imperative for safety reasons not to be on the road at night so we had to leave in time to return before dark. Although we were frustrated by some disorganization, and serious lapses in crowd control, it was a good day. Joel and I got a chance to work together which was great. And we really got a chance to practice our Hausa as most patients spoke no English and we didn't have a translator (only occasional other patients waiting their turn who helped us) We saw many who had serious problems that could not be addressed in this simple clinic. We had a chance to stop and pray with patients and that was the highlight! I also enjoyed listening (through the curtain that divided our work station) to Joel dealing with lots of general medicine problems that he hasn't faced since medical school days. I was very proud of him (he should have been a family doctor!)




We had several patients come because the word had gotten out that Joel is an Ear specialist. One patient stands out in my memory. She was a beautiful little girl of around five from a Muslim family. She came because she had lost her hearing several years earlier. Joel examined her and counseled the father. She is a candidate for a solar powered hearing aid and she will travel with her father to Jos to have a formal hearing test in the sound proof booth in the eye and ear clinic at Evangel Hospital. Pray that she will be helped by the hearing aid and also pray that the door will be open to share the hope we have in Christ with her and her family.

We returned to Dass one week after our first trip to see the patients we had not been able to see on our first trip. This time Joel was not able to join us, but one of the Nigerian family practice residents training at Evangel came along, as well as 5 eager American college students. This time the clinic staff was ready for us. The line was orderly and I had a dedicated translator for the day. We saw 130 patients which mostly reflects the help of the Nigerian resident as his knowledge of Hausa and tropical diseases far exceeded mine. I still had time to pray with many of my patients. Many women came complaining of barrenness which in this culture is devastating and often leads to the husband taking another wife. There was little medical help to be offered in this simple setting, but God is the Author of all healing and we prayed for His solution to this painful problem. I also saw a woman, the mother of 5 children who was complaining of insomnia. As I questioned her more closely she revealed that her husband had recently deserted the family and converted to Islam. She was left alone to support her family and the stress was taking its toll. Please pray that her husband would return to the Truth and to his family, pray for my patient's comfort in this very difficult circumstance.

The last patient of the day on our second trip was the Chief of Dass. He was an old man (82 years) but very strong. He is a Muslim and has much power in the area. He came because he was having difficulty with his hearing. I examined him, and referred him to see Joel at his clinic in Jos. He is a good candidate for a hearing aid and we pray that his visit to Jos will begin a relationship that brings fruit for the Gospel.

Thanks to all of you that prayed for these medical outreaches. It is only by the power of prayer that we are able to minister here! We appreciate you all.

Giving Thanks
Topic: Mission
Posted on behalf of Joel:

Cindy and I volunteered to work as medical doctors in a Christian Crusade that was held here in Jos during the first week of December. Believe it or not, a church from Houston, TX came out here to run a crusade in the Jos city soccer/"football" stadium for the entire week. The pastor of the church was originally from Jos, Nigeria, and is also a medical doctor. So they held free medical clinics by day, and evangelistic crusade services by night in the stadium. Considering the complexity of running such a medical clinic/crusade here in Nigeria, it was amazingly well organized, and we were blessed by our opportunity to be of service as part of the crusade. The crusade not only saw patients for free, but also bought and brought many drugs and had a "pharmacy" of free medicines for us to give to patients. They also paid the bill for many patients to receive elective surgery during the week of the crusade, or during the next week during their follow-up.

I thought I would have to try and function as a general practitioner, but there was plenty of ENT related needs for me to address without needing to branch out into Ob/Gyn or Medicine. Sadly, we saw many patients who could not hear for one reason or another, and referred them to our new Eye and Ear clinic at Evangel Missionary hospital to have their hearing tested formally. Some may be able to benefit from surgery when a functional ear operative microscope arrives, Lord willing, in January or February by container. Others may benefit from hearing aids. We are so thankful to those of you who have contributed financially towards the purchase and shipping of much needed medical equipment, and also to those of you who have contributed to cover the cost of the solar powered hearing aids ($100 per aid is a bargain!).

The amount of suffering that is part of the Nigerian peoples' lives is overwhelming and is something that I am not used to. and is something that I do not ever want to become "used to." Every time I saw a mother, and asked her how many kids she had, there was always a pause. Did the doctor want to know how many kids are still alive, or the total number of kids that there had ever been? I can't remember seeing a mother with more than one child who hadn't lost at least one other child. I was able to remove a plastic bead out of one 19 year old girl's ear canal that had been there for over 10 years! When I gave her the bead to go and show her parents, she started to cry and told us that both her parents had died, and she was the one responsible for her younger siblings. So we prayed with her and for her.

In many of the Nigerian church services they thank the Lord in their prayers for counting them among the living. Just yesterday one of two vans returning from an outreach in Bauchi state (that is where Cindy went on an outreach 3 weeks ago) was in a terrible accident. More than ten people were thrown from the van, and two people are still in critical condition. Pastor Joel is the Nigerian Christian outreach leader who is still unconscious and desperately needs prayer. Please pray for Lord to preserve the life of His servant pastor Joel. The van rolled three times, and it is a miracle that many did not die at the scene of the accident. The reality of death and suffering is so great here; and yet the Lord is still in control. And what is our response: to become more acutely aware of the blessing of being counted among the living this very day, and to give thanks to the Lord.

Prayer Partner Letter
Topic: Mission
Date: Thursday, November 27, 2003 4:03 AM
Dear Prayer Partners,

The work of missions is prayer and you all have been working hard this week! I returned last night from the medical outreach I was helping with. I was exhausted but thrilled to have been part of what God is doing. I will give you all some of the highlights, but encourage all of you to come join us here and experience an outreach for yourselves!

We left early Monday morning to travel to our first village, called Miya. The team consisted of myself, the director of community health for Bauchi State, an eye nurse, a Family Medicine resident, and a medical student from Australia and his wife. When we arrived at the clinic in Miya, we went first to the chief's palace. He had given us his permission and blessing to hold our clinic and we needed to properly greet him. He is a Muslim and a very old man. We greeted him and the local pastor shared with the chief and all the people gather a short devotional and prayed in the name of Jesus. The chief asked if we would see him and his family at the palace. We agreed and while they were setting up a place for us to work we found out the chief has nine wives! We saw the chief and his key men and all of his wives. Then we saw the chief's oldest brother and his 4 wives. We had to excuse ourselves at that point as a huge crowd had gathered at the clinic and we needed to get there and get started. Thankfully we weren't asked to see all the chief's children as he has 57!

The clinic was very successful. We saw many patients, both Christians and Muslims. We administered health care and prayed for many patients. That night we held a meeting at the local Church and showed a Christian evangelistic film in Hausa. There were hundreds of people there and after the movie, the pastor shared a message and gave an invitation. One man came forward and prayed to receive Christ. We pray that seeds were planted with many others.

On Tuesday we saw more patients in Miya and then packed up to head to our next clinic. As we drove, we blew out a tire and God protected us as the driver was able to safely bring us to a stop. We had no spare, but thankfully we were able to hire a vehicle to get us to Bauchi and the ECWA office. We picked up a different van and we were off to Gar for our next clinic. We arrived in Gar after dark and were thankful to God for protecting us along the way.

On Wednesday, we began our day by going to the chief's palace in Gar. The chief had traveled to Bauchi to celebrate Sellah, the end of the Muslim Ramadan, but we greeted his two senior men. They thanked the church officials that had come with us and asked that we do more for the health of the local people. We went to the clinic and again saw many patients. After lunch I traveled back to Jos to relieve Joel of the solo responsibility for the kids. The team held an evangelistic meeting in Gar last night and will finish up the clinic today and then travel to Ningi for the last clinic on Friday. Pray for God's continued protection for the team. Pray that many more will respond to the Gospel as their physical needs are met in the name of Jesus!

Thanks for being apart of the community health team in Nigeria. Without your prayers we would not be able to bring the Gospel in word and in deed to the people in need!

In Him,

Cindy

The Fulani Family
Topic: Mission
Posted on behalf of Cindy:

Joel asked me to write the story that goes with the most recent pictures he sent so here goes.

Many of you read in our recent news letter about my trip out to a Fulani camp to do immunizations and to see some patients. It was there that I met Jao. Jao is the 20 month old son of Fulani Christian converts from Niger. His parents have come to this Fulani camp to be discipled and to learn Hausa so they can study the Bible. Their desire is to return to their Muslim families in Niger and share the joy of the Gospel.

Ten days before I met Jao, he had visited a local medical clinic with a high fever. He was given an injection of some medication and from the time of the injection he was unable to walk. When I saw him he had severe pain in his hip near where he had received the shot and was unable to walk or even stand. He cried out in pain if I touch his hip or his leg or tried to move it. There was very little I could do for him in the Fulani camp as the only medicine I had to offer was Tylenol. I told the pastor in charge to try to get him to Evangel hospital (where we are working) in Jos if there was no improvement.

Five days later, Jao and his family arrived at Evangel. He had not improved and was still unable to walk. The doctor who saw him in the clinic when he arrived thought he may even have polio. He was admitted to the hospital for treatment and tests. The family has no resourses, so Joel and I said we would pay for what ever was necessary. Jao received treatment for malaria and an Xray showed his hip was not infected as we had feared. We continued to pray for his improvement and tests were sent to the government hospital for polio. Jao slowly improved. He was discharged home this week able to not only walk, but run! The diagnosis is still unknown and the polio tests will not return for two more weeks. As I told the father, we don't know what he had, but we know who healed him! We praise God for his recovery.

Please pray he would regain all of his strength. As for the hospital bill.. Jao stayed six days, had several tests and received medication for several diagnoses. In the US six days in the hospital can cost thousands of dollars or more. Jao's stay with us at Evangel cost roughly $26. Now I will say that that is a huge amount for many here, but we were glad to be able to help. If any of you are looking for affordable health care come and visit us. I think even including the airfare our care is a real bargain!

New Pictures Posted
Topic: Website
The website (www.anthisfamily.com) now has new pictures posted under Photos - Nov 2003.

Kid's Corner: Austin
Topic: Family
We are making a lot of new friends, but we will remember all of you who are praying for us. Our school is very nice I feel accepted there. My teacher`s name is Miss Dykstra. She is very nice and she is a missionary. We are making new friends and adjustments. I am having fun learning new games but there is one I did not have to learn. SOCCER!!! We are also learning Hausa. Ina wuni(good morning). Ya ya yali (how is your family). Sai anjema (see you later).

Kid's Corner: Allison
Topic: Family
One day when I went to the market, I realized that little baby goats, and chickens, and roosters were running about. Sometimes if we are lucky we get to see baby chicks. My mom and dad are really nice to let Aunt Di send us poptarts. I am having a really good time. There are some things you can do in Nigeria that you cannot do in America, like having really high playgrounds. My sister Abby is very happy to see her new friend David.

To market, to market we go
Topic: Family
Posted on behalf of the Anthis family:

On Saturday, I decided to take Allison with me on my weekly shopping trip. Since I still am afraid to drive, we took a taxi. Allison enjoyed the ride with the 4 other passengers! Once we arrived there was still much walking to be done. There are no HEB's or Kroger's here! We went to each area of the open-air market buying our vegetables from some women on the sidewalk along the way. The vegetable ladies were thrilled when Allison tried out her Hausa for them. We even took some time to look at some Nigerian fabric. Allison wants to have a dress made, so we will return to the market to buy some colorful fabric when we have less to carry. All in all we probably walked well over a mile, but Allison was nicely rewarded with a pineapple Fanta and a package of TicTacs. She even said she would like to come again!