The Anthis Family Adventures
Volume 4, Issue #1 joel.anthis@sim.org
www.anthisfamily.com February, 2005
Anthis family in their Christmas attire Elephants trumpeting in Yankari Game Park
Anthis Update
Dear Friends and Family,
As many of you have already heard 2005 started out with tragedy here in Jos. While our family was away from the hospital compound where we live, on the night of January 3rd, armed robbers entered our compound. The Naatz family, our immediate neighbors were robbed at gun point in their home. After taking laptop computers and money the thieves were angry that the family did not have more. Elias Naatz (the oldest of five children aged 18) eventually got angry and yelled for the thieves to leave, and he was shot in the upper arm and chest. The thieves then left the house and began to escape the compound. The gun shot sounded like an explosion to Dr. Ardill (our general surgeon and other neighbor) and his wife, so they came running to the Naatz house to offer assistance not realizing what had happened. Dr. Ardill encountered the thieves outside the Naatz’ house and was also shot in the upper arm. The thieves were able to get away.
The next two weeks were completely consumed with caring for both Elias and Dr. Ardill. Dr. Ardill ultimately had to be evacuated first to England then to the US due to the severity of his wounds. Joel was able to care for Elias including his arm surgery here in Jos. Both are now continuing their recovery. Elias has returned to school to finish his senior year, and Dr. Ardill is healing in California. As you can imagine the entire missionary community here is trying to deal with the emotional impact of such an event. Please be praying for our safety and our peace of mind. Pray also for wisdom as we try to make security changes on the compound where we live.
Medical Rounds
While the above story illustrates how life can be difficult here, let me share a story about how God is giving new life here in Jos! At the end of December Joel walked into the next operating room to tell Dr. Ardill about the case he had just finished. Dr. Ardill said I am glad you’re here as I could really use your help. The patient on the table was a Fulani Muslim nomadic herdsman who had arrived at Evangel Hospital the night before after 4 days of travel and visiting 2 other hospitals that could not help him. He had been shot in the chest with two arrows after a dispute regarding his recent marriage to his third wife. The reason Dr. Ardill was asking for help is that one of the arrows was inside the left atrium of the heart! It was a miracle that the man survived the trip to Jos over bumpy roads with one arrow in his heart and one in his right lung! Now it was up to Dr. Ardill (a general surgeon) and Joel (an ENT) to remove the arrows and repair the sizeable hole in the heart, while trying to keep the heart beating!
Our Fulani patient on the operating table pre-op
They were able to remove the arrow from the heart and the other from the lung. Miraculously the man survived. Within the next week a friend of ours who is a Bible translator in the Fulani language visited our house and was able to share the Gospel in the Fulani language with this man whose life God had so clearly spared. After our patient heard the Gospel, he committed his life to the Lord. He has continued to recover at the hospital. Our newest hospital chaplain is Fulani and has been a great encouragement to him. He is doing well both physically and spiritually. His recovery has been lengthy, and it afforded us the opportunity to go as a family and pray with him and give him a tape player and some gospel tapes in the Fulani language. The fact that he can’t read really disturbed Abigail (although she also cannot read!), and she has been praying that he will “go to school and learn to read the Bible.”
The Anthis family presenting a tape player with Fulani language gospel tapes to Joel’s patient
Sometimes God has to go to drastic lengths to get our attention! Please pray for our patient. Typically Fulani converts face serious persecution because of their new faith. Our patient’s uncle who is staying with him in the hospital knows of his knew faith and seems to be a man of peace. Pray that when he finally goes home, that the life-saving good news of the gospel will spread in his village and among his people. It will be quite a day of celebration when he returns to his village, as his family, considering him dead, had already begun the grieving process and had divided up his cows.
Kid’s Corner
Over the Christmas break from school we were able to spend a few days as a family at Yankari Wild Life Park. This is an animal reserve about four hours from Jos. The kids loved it. We were able to see a herd of nearly 100 elephants. But the highlight for all three kids (and their parents too) was swimming in a natural warm spring in the park.
Anthis kids and baboons at Wikki Warm Springs
Prayer and Praise
Praises:
- For sparing the lives of our co-workers in this recent armed robbery
- For saving the life of this Fulani man who is now our brother in Christ; and for allowing our kids to share in the joy of our ministry here.
- For God’s continued faithfulness to us in all we do here in Nigeria
Prayer Requests:
- For continued safety and peace, especially for the kids
- That God would give us and the entire mission community wisdom about what security changes need to be made and the ability to make the needed changes
- Pray for the Naatz and Ardill families as they continue their physical and emotional recoveries
- Pray for continued opportunities to share the love of Christ in our words and our deeds
Serving Christ on your behalf here in Nigeria,
Joel and Cindy
Austin, Allison, and Abigail