The Anthis Family Adventures

Volume 5, Issue #2 joel.anthis@sim.org

www.anthisfamily.com March, 2006

Anthis Update

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings from Nigeria! We hope that spring has arrived for most of you and that you are rejoicing in the newness of life that comes with the season. Here in Jos, it is hot and dry and many are struggling to find water. We even had to cancel surgeries one day this week because the hospital did not have enough water to sterilize our equipment and linens. But we look forward to the rains in late April or May.

March Madness

Our Nigerian March madness has had nothing to do with basketball! God has blessed us with visits from two special families that have impacted our ministry here in a huge way. First, Dr. Louis Carter and his wife Anne joined us for the entire month of March. Louis is an SIM career missionary and plastic surgeon who travels to mission hospitals not only performing plastic surgery, but also teaching both missionary and national surgeons. Joel and several Nigerian doctors were able to learn surgical techniques which will be helpful in treating many patients in the future. Anne is his “right-hand woman” and skilled operating room nurse. Louis and Anne are tireless and it is hard to keep up with them! Louis came to help Joel perform some final reconstructive surgeries on Emmanuel (the young man we have written about who was injured when an oven exploded). But God has been able to use Louis and Ann to help many other patients here at Evangel as well. I wish we could write and show pictures of them all! One such patient is a young Muslim boy Cindy had sent to see Joel regarding both chronic ear problems and a cleft lip and palate. The young boy is eight, but his family had never been able to afford to have his problems corrected. We were able to sponsor the surgical correction of his cleft lip and palate, done by Dr. Carter and Joel, and have had the privilege of sharing Christ’s love in both word and deed with his family. But only the Holy Spirit can open the hearts of men – please pray for this precious family.

Before surgery Dr. Carter and Joel repairing the cleft lip and palate. Mom, Joel, and patient after surgery

The second week of March we had Dr. Doug Green (a neuro-otologist from Florida) return and bring his parents Dr. and Mrs. Jim Green. Doug and Joel were able to perform many technically challenging ear cases together; two of their patients were the daughters of Nigerian indigenous Christian missionaries who work in very difficult situations in rural Nigeria. But the most exciting aspect of the visit was the chance to have 7 Nigerian ENT doctors join us during the week to learn advanced ear surgery. They came from Lagos, Kaduna and Jos and it was a great time of relationship building. Joel will travel to Kaduna in April to give a visiting professor lecture at the National Ear Care Center as the guest of the Muslim Nigerian ENT surgeon we wrote about in our February newsletter. We praise God for the relationships He is building.

Drs observing Dr. Green in the OR MK ear patients with Joel post-op Many ENT surgeons in the Evangel OR

Kid’s Corner

Our kids love to feel that they are part of something important. And this month they really felt like they counted. Nigeria is conducting a nation wide census. This is a difficult but very important undertaking. When the official census counters came to count us, the children took it very seriously. Each gave their own information, and made their own thumb print. When questioned about literacy, Abby admitted she could not yet read and write, but quickly followed that statement with the fact that she would learn soon. The kids also had the opportunity to view a 90% Solar Eclipse last week here in Jos, which was very exciting for them.

Anthis family has been counted ! 90% Solar Eclipse in Jos……….as seen through x-ray film at Evangel Hospital

Prayer and Praise

Praises:

For God’s presence and protection in our lives
For the opportunity to impact lives through the weekly Crown Ministries Financial Bible Study we are leading for Nigerian doctors who work at Evangel hospital. It is so exciting to see people being transformed through the study and application of God’s Word.
For our awesome support and prayer team

Prayer Requests:

That each member of the Anthis family would maintain our focus on Loving God and Loving Others and that we would not grow weary in doing good
For God’s guidance and provision as we make plans for our home assignment from Summer of 2006-Summer 2007 (in the Houston area)
That the Lord would use the financial bible study we are leading to transform many at our hospital into good and faithful stewards.
For the young Muslim street boy “M” whom we wrote about in our February newsletter. He is scheduled for a very large operation (a maxillectomy) to remove a tumor in the upper jaw in the next two weeks.