Emptied Cup

Emptied Cup Dr. Uvoh Onoriobe

Plumbline Publishing House

To Mum and Dad Copyright © 2020 Plumbline Publishing House

Who always said " you will go places"

To Chichi, Who has had to bear my absence for many weeks as I travel the globe.

All rights reserved

Your love and sacri ce is appreciated.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are not ctitious. It may bear similarity to real persons, living or dead. The intent is to serve as a testimony.

To Ujiri, Afoke, Evi and Oke No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

ISBN-13: 978-1-64786-049-3

Cover design by: Uvoh Onoriobe Email: editor@realrelationshipsmag.com Printed in the United States of America

Praying you will discover your purpose early in life and ful ll it

Contents Title Page Copyright Dedication Stirred Up

1

Available To You

6

The Call & The Need

12

What Is Your Purpose?

16

Emptied To Be Filled Again

20

Lord Break My Heart

24

Lena's Encounter

29

Left With a Broken Heart

34

Being God's hands

37

The Miracle at Agbor

41

Chichi's Trip To Haiti

45

Order My Steps

51

The Man With Rotting Flesh

55

Mission to Southern Kaduna

59

Family Legacy of Love

64

Witchdoctor's Son Surrenders To Christ.

68

Taking Territories

71

My Best Me

77

Do Not Let Down Your Guard.

83

No More Fear

86

Saved at Sea

91

The Power of God

94

Nandu- My Adopted Village

97

Mission To Gulu

100

Awed By The God We Serve

103

Love Finds A Way

107

More than A Conqueror

110

The Power Of Partnership

113

Transformed by your Mission Trip

116

Stay In Touch

121

Marianne’s Journal

126

Acknowledgement

139

About The Author

141

Stirred Up

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he journey to the ancient city of Benin seemed like it would never end. I sat in the vehicle and quietly prayed the whole length of the trip that the outcome would be favorable. I had applied for admission to Medical school at the University of Benin.

Disappointment lled my heart when I could not nd my name on the list. I was in utter disbelief. For a brief moment, my eyes shifted to the list of candidates admitted to study Dentistry, and behold my name was on top of the list. Dentistry? How on earth did my name appear there?

I never applied to study Dentistry. I had worked hard to gain admission to Medical school. But it was not to be. I took the entrance examination for the second time while I was in my rst year of Dental school, and to my dismay, the University of Ibadan o ered me a spot in their Dental program. I was eighteen years old at that time and had learned through these series of disappointments that there was something called “the plan and purpose of God”.

Buoyed with the knowledge that there was a path chosen for me to ful ll, I resolved to enjoy my remaining days at the University of Benin.

A friend of mine ( Belief Emadamerho) introduced me to the 1

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Christian Union Fellowship. I was enthralled by the passion and the commitment my brethren-in-Christ displayed. Before long, all I desired was that God would have His way in my life.

On the amazon River in Brazil

sel He could use. The esh needed to be quietened so that the life of God would ow. Growing up as a young Christian in the early nineties was a time de ned by an awesome desire to be used by God to show forth His praise and be a witness indeed.

A highly recommended book at that time was -The Man God Uses” by Oswald J Smith.

The rst few pages I read took me to my prayer closet. I learned from Pastor Oswald that:

This chorus was popular then: "Have your way oh Lord In my life have your way oh Lord.

Father have your way" It was short but pretty powerful when the entire house sang that song. I will never forget. His presence was palpable. Prayers were not only made when we were in fellowship, we made time to pray (kabash) in the Sports Complex.

I prayed not much for things rather daily I cried to God to be a ves2

Mission to Haiti

“God demanded my undivided attention. Everything else in my life must take second place. Friends and loved ones, home, money, work— all, even though legitimate—all must give way to Christ. Day and night my undivided attention must be given to Him, God rst! Such must be my attitude toward Him, Only then would He be able to bless and use me. Just as no marriage can ever be a happy marriage where either husband or wife withholds their undivided attention from each other, so my fellowship with God could only be complete when He had my undivided attention, He would have me wait on Him continually.

He added: God wants us to be one hundred percent for Him. And

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so the question arises: Are we out and out for Jesus Christ? Are we wholly God's? Not ninety percent mark you, but one hundred percent.

Completely given over to God. Let us ask Him, then, to detach us from “things”; to detach us from the world, from our families and homes, from all that is meant by the '' esh"; so that we can give Him our undivided attention.

Watching with prayer and much self-denial, I’ll triumph at last, with nothing between.

It was a daily prayer: that the esh would be silent so we could do the bidding of the Father.

The worship songs of that era had surrender and commitment embedded in the lyrics. I was a member of the Christian Union choir and thoroughly enjoyed the fellowship and discipline that my life was enriched with.

Longing for more I attended a retreat by Brother Gbile Akanni; characteristic of his ministry you leave there feeling you have not started. There was more to reach out for.

I committed to doing nothing that would displease Him and thus hide His face from me.

This hymn by Charles Albert Tindley (1851-1933) was a regular song of consecration at the meeting: Nothing between my soul and the Savior, Naught of this world’s delusive dream; I have renounced all sinful pleasure; Jesus is mine, there’s nothing between.

Nothing between my soul and the Savior, So that His blessed face may be seen; Nothing preventing the least of His favor, Keep the way clear! Let nothing between.

Nothing between, like worldly pleasure; Habits of life, though harmless they seem, Must not my heart from Him e’er sever; He is my all, there’s nothing between.

Nothing between, like pride or station; Self-life or friends shall not intervene; Though it may cost me much tribulation, I am resolved; there’s nothing between.

Nothing between, e’en many hard trials, Though the whole world against me convene; 4

Mission to Chambrum, Haiti 2018

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Prayer: “Lord, give me the grace to go beyond my comfort zone and do what You have called me to do. Help me to make a big impact in the Kingdom of God and in the world. May serving You never be inconvenient with my schedule or lifestyle. Amen

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Available To You

Use me Lord to show someone the way and enable me to say My storage is empty and I am available to You Now I'm giving back to You all the tools You gave to me My hands, my ears, my voice, my eyes So You can use me as You please I have emptied out my cup so that You can ll it up.

Mission to Ecuador

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ospel songs have marked and continue to deepen my relationship with God. During Bro. Samuel Etaderhi’s tenure as Choir Director of the Christian Union Choir, we rehearsed a song by the late Milton R. Brunson (1929 – 1997) - former pastor and music director of Christ Tabernacle Baptist Church in Chicago. That day I made a commitment to God that I would go anywhere for Him. It was during a choir practice that I rst made a declaration to God that my cup will be continually empty so He could ll me up to water the nations.

The lyrics of that song (I Am Available to You ) still makes me cry to this day: You gave me my hands to reach out to man To show him Your love and Your perfect plan You gave me my ears, I can hear Your voice so clear I can hear the cries of sinners But can I wipe away their tears?

You gave me my voice to speak Your Word To sing all Your praises to those who never heard But with my eyes, I see a need for more availability I've seen the hearts that have been broken So many people to be free Lord, I'm available to You My will I give to You I'll do what You say do

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The ministries of Archbishop Benson Idahosa, Pastor Benny Hinn, Bishop T. D Jakes, and Dr. Myles Munroe had a profound e ect on my life as I sought to be lled with God’s passion and purpose that their lives exempli ed. I prayed sincerely for His Spirit to over ow in my life unto everyone whom I would meet.

Kirk Franklin’s song Let Me Touch You was pivotal to an “encounter” that would change my life forever. I called on the God of heaven to show up in my room as I wanted to touch Him and see if He was real. I sang these words over and over again.

Let me touch You and see if You are real 7

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Even though, I know my heart Your hands can heal But sometimes I get discouraged And I need Your strength and shield, Jesus Let me touch You and see if You are real Sometimes to me You seem so far away And I wonder how to make it through the day But if I can touch the hem of Your garment Your power, I know, You can heal, Jesus Let me touch You and see if You are real

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Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own esh and blood?

Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard”.

When I'm down Let me touch You When I'm lonely Let me touch You When I'm discouraged Let me touch You Like I never have before Lord, I need You more and more, Jesus Let me touch You and see if You are real I received a visitation on August 23rd, 1997. The heavens kissed the earth in my room is the best way I can put it. His presence was tangible. The presence of the divine was evident in my room. The Holy Spirit appeared to me and He took the time to answer all my questions. I had a notebook lled with instructions.

He directed me to Isaiah 58:6-8 as the theme and modus operandi for my life. “to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

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Milton Praise Nite Canada

I could literally oat in my room. I never wanted the experience to end. My hands were hot physically. He told me that week of my life was like an advert of what my future would be like. He informed me I needed to grow into all the things I could be for Him. He said, “Uvoh Go Light Your World”. That was yet another song 9

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written by Kathy Troccolli.

There is a candle in every soul Some brightly burning, some dark and cold There is a Spirit who brings re Ignites a candle and makes His home Carry your candle, run to the darkness Seek out the hopeless, confused, and torn Hold out your candle for all to see it Take your candle, and go light your world Take your candle, and go light your world Frustrated brother, see how he's tried to Light his own candle some other way See now your sister, she's been robbed and lied to Still holds a candle without a ame Thirty years later, I can boldly testify that God truly lls all who come to Him with a thirst. Truth be told: the cups of our hearts are sometimes so empty. And yet they’re really quite full…full of stu and activities and cravings for all the world’s applause and play toys…that stu crowds God out!

Empty out your cup!

2 Timothy 2:20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sancti ed, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

Prayer: Help us to empty our cups of all the stu we chase, so you can ll us up – with joy unspeakable and full of glory!

Can God use your cup?

∞∞∞

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heart to be known as Healing Hands Inc. I nurtured this for 5 years and got the blueprint for the work. He made us know that He was enlarging our territory to all nations around the world.

The Call & The Need

I

graduated from dental school knowing that the gift of dentistry was to be used to glorify God. My medical knowledge and skills will be used to bring many to the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. I had my marching orders “ to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke, to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter —when you see the naked, clothe them, do not to turn away from your own esh and blood.”

I wasn't exactly sure of the route to the nations. I started out with publishing a magazine called Real Relationships (www.realrelationshipsmag.com).

Our vision is to provide an avenue where the hurting, the depressed, the frustrated and confused can nd acceptance, healing, hope, forgiveness and encouragement. I was not not sure where life would take me but one thing I knew was that I would not be a regular nine-to- ve Dentist.

I was invited to participate in a medical missionary project in Akwa Ibom State by Dr Tochi Okeke in 2002. After that trip I knew that I had found what I could do for a lifetime. I served with Pro-Health International from 2002 - 2011 taking the gospel and medical care to rural communities around Nigeria.

During a trip to Malawi in 2007, the Lord laid a ministry in my

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I have been privileged to take part in over 200 short term medical outreaches in 15 countries: Cameroon, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Brazil, Haiti, Nigeria, Zambia, Burundi,Trinidad and Tobago, Cambodia, Malawi, South Africa, Swaziland, and Jamaica.

We currently partner with other groups to bring Christ’s love to people around the world.

Serving in missions has been ful lling but not without its challenges. God’s grace has been abundant for the call these few years.

I am married with four children Ujiri, Afoke, Gabi and Ben. My wife, Chichi has been a major support in the ful llment of this vision. She has had to let go of some of her plans to allow us ful ll this call.

Our goal is to serve in a eld long term. We are trusting to be able to take quality healthcare to more nations especially those where Christ has not been preached. A trip to the Amazon in Brazil was truly enlightening. I got to know that there are thousands of communities where there is no Christian church. We just want to live to show forth the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Oswald Chambers stated in his devotional titled “Is He Really My Lord?” : “God is not o ering us a choice of how we can serve Him; He is asking for absolute loyalty to His commission, a faithfulness to what we discern when we are in the closest possible fellowship with God. If you have received a ministry from the Lord Jesus, you will know that the need is not the same as the call— the need is the opportunity to exercise the call. The call is to be faithful to the ministry you received when you were in true fellowship with Him. It 13

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does mean that you must be sensitive to what God has called you to do, and this may sometimes require ignoring demands for service in other areas.”

your sweet children my Lord. Without your Spirit, my life is so in vain.

Lord mold me and make me and help me to be more like You.

∞∞∞

During a mission to Haiti 2018

I gathered from Matthew Henry’s bible commentary that “No one can be quali ed to feed the sheep and lambs of Christ, who does not love the good Shepherd more than any earthly advantage or object .”

Are you planning on going for a short term missionary outreach?

Can you say you truly love God? It is true indeed, there are some that take upon them His work, and pretend to do it, who do not love Christ. There are others who feed themselves, and not the ock; and who feed the world's goats, and not Christ's lambs and sheep, and in time of danger or when it is not convenient, leave the ock.

Bible expositor John Gill once said “Only the true lovers of Christ faithfully perform His service, and abide in it by preaching the pure Gospel of Christ, by administering his ordinances, in their right manner, and by directing souls in all to Christ, the heavenly manna, and bread of life.”

Make this your commitment.

John 21:16 Jesus asked a second time, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?” “Yes, Lord,” he answered, “You know I love You.” Jesus told him, “Shepherd My sheep.”

Prayer: Make me an instrument of your love today. May I remember 14

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What Is Your Purpose?

D

uring the summer of 1997, I read a book by Tim Lahaye titled “Why You Act the Way You Do” and another by Dr Myles Munroe titled “In Pursuit of Purpose.” This time marked a major crisis in my life. I needed to retake a course in Dental School and the re-take exam was scheduled for seven months after the expected date. The attendant delay was to say the least depressing and drew me to His presence.

Dr. Myles Munroe once said , every human being living on earth is motivated by ve questions, the homeless man living under the bridge and the man living in the ivory tower, are both trying to answer the same 5 questions.

1. Who am I ?– This question deals with identity. The average human being has never answered the question, who am I? This is not what you do or did. Most people don’t know who they are, so they die as someone else. What are your strengths,your weaknesses? What makes you unique?

Where am I from ? – this is not an ethnic question. It is not about whether you come from Congo, London or Sokoto. No, it is where you are from in regards to your creation. If you can nd out where you came from, you can also nd out your ability, your strength and your potential. What is your source? Is it God? Why am I here – This is a question of purpose, why do you exist, what did you come to earth to do. Did you just come to go to work and pay bills and die, as many people think? It has to be more than that. There has to be a purpose for your existence. What upsets you?What makes you happy? These are all clues to your destiny and the purpose you were created for.

What can I do ? – What is my true ability? They say the average human only uses 10% of their brain. No one knows your ability, except the manufacturer. So never let anyone judge you based on their measurements or their tastes. What are you good at? What comes naturally to you?

Where am I going – This is a question of destiny. No one was just born to die, we were born to ful ll an assignment. What you are looking for is right where you are all the time. You don’t have to

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go to US or UK to be great, you can be great where you are. What legacy do you want to leave?What kind of di erence do you want to make in this world? What does your future look like?What dreams did you have as a young child,or maybe still have in your heart?

∞∞∞

Prayer

I present my body to Jesus Christ as a living sacri ce; I present the members of my body to Jesus Christ as instruments of righteousness. My body has been bought with the blood of Jesus Christ and it belongs to him. My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. I renounce every way I have misused and abused my body; I bring all those acts under the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. I rededicate my body and all its parts to the loving rule of Jesus Christ; I dedicate and consecrate my body to him in every way. I ask for the blood of Christ to cleanse my body and make it holy once more. Holy Spirit, come and ll your temple now; restore my body under the complete dominion of Jesus Christ.

Stand up! stand up for Jesus!

Ye soldiers of the cross; Lift high His royal banner, It must not su er loss From vict’ry unto vict’ry His army shall He lead, Till every foe is vanquished And Christ is Lord indeed.

Stand up! stand up for Jesus!

Stand in His strength alone; The arm of esh will fail you; Ye dare not trust your own.

Put on the Gospel armor, And, watching unto prayer, Where duty calls, or danger, Be never wanting there.

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In addition, we receive the wisdom to make good choices and decisions, the forgiveness of ourselves and others, freedom and spiritual growth, reverence for life, willingness to hear God’s voice.

Emptied To Be Filled Again

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read an article by Fr Anthony Ndang Ndichia , a missionary priest from Our Lady of Assumption Parish in Sasolburg, Kroonstad diocese in South Africa. It was truly life-changing.

His words were so profound: “If my life is clouded, cluttered with many thoughts and feelings, I may easily miss what God wants me to hear. Listening is key to our spiritual growth. To do this we need to open our minds and hearts, empty what blocks our way, create space, and await God’s voice into our lives.”

As you prepare to serve in any capacity, you need time to undergo “Kenosis” as exempli ed by Jesus in Philippians 2:7, “but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. Kenosis has its origin in Greek: κένωσις Lit: [the act of emptying] is the 'self-emptying' of Jesus' own will and becoming entirely receptive to God's divine will.

Some baggage is never helpful on a mission trip: resentment, anxiety, harsh judgments, self-pity, mistrust, negative thoughts, useless fears, worries, old wounding messages, addiction, and the likes.

These take up a lot of space and leave no room for God’s agenda of growth, knowledge, love, beauty, or pleasure.

To be lled, we must rst be empty. To be used, we must be hollow and open–available and ready. And as those who love God, we are His. We are the vessels on this earth who shine His glory. Because He has chosen us to hold the greatness of His power that is only from Him and not from ourselves.

2 Corinthians 4:7 (NASB)But we have this treasure in earthen vessels so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.

Yet to be lled with His power and shine His glory requires an emptying–a pouring out of ourselves, to make room for Him. And this pouring, is often in the form of self-denial, surrender, and even brokenness.

It is in the weakness of our own despair that our emptiness makes a hollow space, a space in us to be lled with Him. It is in the emptying that we relinquish our control and surrender to God, for Him to have His will and way.

Mission to Cambodia

When we create space for something new, we receive peace of mind and heart, healing of old wounds, greater acceptance of ourselves, the discovery of who we truly are and harmony with our families and colleagues.

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be con dent and fearless.

Prayer: All to you Jesus I surrender, I will ever love and trust you.

In your presence daily I will live. I humblybow at your feet. I forsake all worldly pleasures. Take me, Jesus, take me now

∞∞∞ And we see this example set for us by Jesus Himself, as He chose to willingly give up the authority that was rightly His. It was Jesus who showed us how to humble ourselves in the face of su ering.

It was Him who displayed the choice of willingly emptying Himself. He poured out His own will and way. He surrendered to the Father’s plan. He showed us by example, how to bend to God’s Sovereign way, even though it would mean such su ering, anguish, and pain.

We must volunteer to pour out our wants and desires, our plans and our ways, to make room for His way in us. It is only when we are empty and spilled out, His glory and power may ll that hollowed space, and shine in and through us for all to see.

Job 11:13-15 (CEV) Surrender your heart to God, turn to him in prayer, and give up your sins even those you do in secret. Then you won’t be ashamed; will 22

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Lord Break My Heart

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do not know what your heart is speaking to you as you read my memoir.

I am praying and crying:

Heal my heart and make it clean Open up my eyes to the things unseen Show me how to love like you have loved me Break my heart for what breaks yours Everything I am for your kingdom's cause As I walk from earth into eternity I left East Africa to always return to be a blessing. I saw starving children. I saw rst-hand girls that had been rescued from sex tra cking. I saw a family living in a less than ideal setting. I went into the hut. I saw a replace and nothing else and the child was lying on the bare oor on a sack. I had to get my colleague, Lena Beale to get me her most favorite blanket. She had no reason to hold back I see a generation Rising up to take the place With sel ess faith, with sel ess faith I see a near revival Staring as we pray and seek We're on our knees, we're on our knees Serving with gladness in East Africa

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On one of our trips to East Africa, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the Lord release His Spirit in a mighty measure during a mission to East Africa.

I had extracted a tooth for a patient earlier in the day. While taking a break, I visited the ministry tent. When we stepped in there, there was a literal rush of wind owing into the tent.

Then, there was a strange occurrence. A lady was speaking in the voice of a man. The same lady that had her tooth extracted a few minutes earlier. As she spoke blood spewed out of her mouth. Not a pleasant sight.

One of the local pastors interpreted for us and said that the voice was saying - "he will kill her". That was the manifestation of demonic activity. We rebuked that lying spirit and after a few minutes, she was made free.

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The Lord promised us - I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine o spring. When the people saw what had happened, faith was stirred, before long many were praying in the spirit. It was so cool to see God show up to quench the thirst of the people.

God never fails: They hungered and thirst after righteousness; were desirous of Christ and his grace, and more knowledge of him, and eagerly sought after them; and to these are promised the Spirit, and his gifts and graces, compared to water, for its purifying, softening, and refreshing nature, and for extinguishing thirst, and giving a real pleasure and delight; see Ezekiel 36:25 and the abundance thereof is signi ed by " oods" of water; for in the rst conversion especially, there is an abounding, yea a superabounding of the grace of God; it is a well of living water; yea, out of the believer ow rivers of living water.

During August 2020, a burden arose in my heart. I felt the pain of a struggling mother in Ethiopia. I asked some new friends I had made from our Dental Webinar Series. “Please nd me a one mother weeping as she struggles to fend for her family” I requested.

It took a couple of days and Eleni, a dental student in Ethiopia, took the risk of going out to the byways to nd one woman. Most people are indoors because of COVID 19.

After three days of search, Eleni brought news that she had found a woman toiling to raise 3 children. She also heard of her neighbor’s plight.

We were moved to raise help for two hurting families.

We heard about their stories from a friend. Eleni went and bore witness to their plight. It was really heartbreaking to hear them talk about their lives. We could feel their pain and struggles even before words were uttered!

Both ladies were raising their children by themselves as husbands were abusive, mentally unstable, and chronic alcoholics. Both mothers took on any menial jobs like selling corn or hot potatoes in the street. From their daily toil and people’s hand out, they provided food and shelter for their families. There were days they went without food.

Eleni was desperate to nd help. Healing Hands Health Society

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was willing and happy to make them bene ciaries of our COVID relief project. The good people of Ethiopia were willing to help with clothes or any other means they could. So we were able to provide them a month of food supplies and a payment of their rents for each family !! We heard their stories and took action.

Lena's Encounter

Let’s be there for one another! One family at a time.

∞∞∞

H

ello, I am a nurse. Can I serve?

When I told my family that I was going on a mission trip, some of my aunts were in disbelief. They were very well aware of my childhood- I was a fearful child and never went far away from home. My life took a dramatic turnaround when I had an encounter with the saving power of God some months leading to the trip.

I remember vividly, the Lord speaking to me as I watched a segment of Joyce Meyer's TV program.

He said," Lena, you are to go to the mission eld". That was the rst time I had received a very clear and direct leading from the Lord in a signi cant matter. I signed up immediately.

As the date of the trip drew closer, I began to implore the Lord to release me from the trip. Fear had come upon me. I so longed to hear His blessing on the matter but I did not.

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that trip that continue to shape my life today.

I saw God in the faces of the people. Both those we served and those I served with.

I met God there.

He changed me.

And I have never been the same.

I packed my bags carefully for my second trip to the mission eld.

This trip would take me to East Africa. The journey was long and packing just exactly what I needed was of utmost importance.

Well, at least that’s how I was feeling as I laid out all my supplies.

I had my single person tent which would go on top of my bed. Protecting me from my worst fear. Bugs!

A memorable trip to East Africa

I knew I needed to obey. Though I was afraid, I was greatly comforted that I was not alone.

Arriving at Port au Prince airport, I joined a group of excited missionaries wearing a similar T-shirt. No one knew that I had a trace of fear lurking in the background. That fear could not stand the sweet fellowship that I experienced. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by godly teammates and I can testify that I felt Christian love for the rst time in my life.

I had never felt so accepted in my life. As I write these words, tears pour from my face. It was one of the most tender times of my life.

I was bruised from the loss of my precious mother. I did not only lose her, I had also lost myself. The fellow missionaries were so warm and made speaking and sharing easy. I made friendships on

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I had my snacks, ashlight, bug spray wipes and rain jacket. Of course there were many other things on the list to pack. Most dear to me : My Bible and second to that a blanket that had lay across the bed on my mother the days leading up to her passing 3 years before. I slept with the large white eece on top of me most

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nights. I thought it would be the perfect covering for my trip as well.

Little did I know of God’s plan to use my blanket.

The East African people we ministered to were in need. Many were visibly starving. There were those with infections and injuries, gone untreated due to lack of available medical care. We received all who came to our ministry and prayed with them. We provided the medical care we could and asked God to multiply the results and the healing.

After clinic ended each day we would make our way back up the hill to the main road to board our bus and head back to our lodging. One particular afternoon Uvoh pointed out to me a hut and the family in it. He noticed they had a very new infant. The infant had no clothing. The family had little other than what they wore and the shelter around them.

That night as I lay down to sleep the Lord reminded me of his own birth. Born in not too di erent of a situation. Wrapped in whatever cloth was available.

Born among animals. I imagined the smell of the hay and the animals and how Mary would have been exhausted from a long journey.

family” I awoke in the morning and I knew the Lord wanted me to give my blanket to the family. As we walked down the hill that morning toward clinic I told Uvoh my plan. He was thrilled and accompanied me to their humble home. We were invited in. The oors made of mud. A single bed lay on the ground. The infant was naked. Smoke lled the air from their open re.

We could not communicate in words so gestures would have to do we handed them the blanket and they smiled. Ear to ear. That was enough to lift any burden I had felt about giving up this item of comfort that held such memories for me.

The child was wrapped in the blanket and a few more moments and we were on our way down the hill again.

Matthew 25:40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

Prayer: Lord Jesus, Give me eyes to look for and see the needs of others. Give me a heart that responds, and hands that take action. Never let me forget that as we love your people we are loving you.

∞∞∞

Laid in a trough where animals feed. Jesus too was part of the lower class in society.

My prayer was, “oh Lord this is your beloved child. I don’t have much to give but show me how I can display your love to this 32

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Left With a Broken Heart

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had always wanted to travel to Cameroon, a francophone country that shares a border with Nigeria. The opportunity presented itself when HART (Haiti and African Relief Team) scheduled to serve there in 2012. It was a perfect opportunity that I felt would help me achieve this dream of visiting the country while making a positive impact by providing dental checkups.

Cameroon lies between western and central Africa. To the left is Nigeria, the right is the Central African Republic, Chad lies northeast and in the south are Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. The country's capital city is Yaoundé which is nestled in the south-central part of the country. The country is home to more than 25 million people with a long-term Head of State, Paul Biya. I recall he has been in that position of power since I was in elementary school.

When I arrived in Cameroon with the mission group, we went to a city called Bafoussam in the western part of the country. It is known for being a trading centre, growing cash crops such as co ee, tea, nuts and for its breweries. The people of Bafoussam originated from an ethnic group called the Bamileke. The city is built on the Banengo and Baleng hills which are covered with savannah vegetation and it is about 1500m above the sea level.

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It was on this trip that I met Mama Sue of blessed memory. I will never look at Cameroon the same way. Mama Sue showed me what love is. She dedicated her life to serving families in her adopted village. She built a hospital and was so thrilled to take a team of volunteers there to support her work.

Mama Sue o ered to be my dental assistant so she could help apply uoride while treating patients. I do not understand why kind-hearted people leave this world early; God knows why. I

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pray and hope that I can love people half the way Mama Sue loved her village.

On every trip, I ask God to bring at least one person my way that I can be a blessing to.

Being God's hands

It was on our way to Bamenda, that I saw a child playing outside.

Looking closely, I noticed she did not have hands. I inquired and was told she fell into re while she was learning how to walk.

I went home thinking I could raise some help. I made contacts and at the end, it was futile as a lot of money was going to be needed.

Then there was also the issue of getting a visa. I was saddened that I could not be of help.

I hope and pray she is alright and that help got to her somehow.

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S

erving in the central African country of Burundi was a real privilege. The country was healing from a civil war that lasted from 1993 to 2005. The civil war was the result of long-standing ethnic divisions between the Hutu and Tutsi Ethnic groups. I was serving with Pro-Health International at that time. We partnered with Times Square Church New York for a gospel take-over.

We had over 200 volunteers from the USA and Nigeria and we got to serve alongside the President of the country - Pierre Nkurunziza who passed on in the summer of 2020.

The trip hit home when we served in a Twa settlement- a people that face discrimination from Hutu and Tutsi daily. The situation of the Batwa people has been the focus areas of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Burundi’s compliance with human rights standards. Land redistribution at Burundi’s independence does not bene t the Twa, and most are now landless. In the

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ation, I determined she had Necrotizing Ulcerative Gingivitis and immediately started planning for her treatment. When we were done, she said to me "Zikomo" meaning "Thank you". I cannot remember if I led her to Christ as a person. I know we covered her in prayer while I operated on her.

A few years before, I had asked God to use the dental skill He had blessed me with to glorify Himself. I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacri ce, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

I had always cried to God to use me for His glory. This was my song If You can use anything Lord You can use me If You can use anything Lord You can use me Take my hands, Lord, and my feet Touch my heart, Lord, and speak through me If You can use anything Lord You can use me.

Just after we arrived at the hilly abode of the Twa tribe, we set out to arrange where we wanted to run the outpatient clinic.

The leader of that village asked if we came with a dentist. Our team leader nodded in the a rmative and the man said there was a woman that urgently needed dental treatment. In my mind, I wondered why she had not gone to see a dentist in the city if her condition needed urgent dental intervention.

When they brought her in, I noticed she had a hole in her left cheek. I could see her tongue and teeth through the defect. I wondered yet again, "why should people live like this". On examin38

I was a relatively young dentist when I arrived in Bujumbura.

When I saw the case, I prayed for God to take over and use my elementary skills to bring hope to the ostracized patient that sought urgent care.

Like Esther in the Bible, there was no shying away.

Mordecai told Esther: if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?"

Jon Bloom wrote: Do you feel unquali ed for what God is calling you to do? Join the club. Kingdom work is supernatural work, 39

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no matter what your calling is. If it doesn’t require real faith, a desperate dependence on God to be with you to succeed, then either it’s not God’s calling or you don’t get it yet.

Have you been arguing with God over your calling quali cations?

If so, remember Moses. And remember that God’s call on you is not about you. It’s about Him. And the question is, are you willing for God to use your weakness to show how impressive he is?

Hymn: Use me Lord in your service , draw me nearer every day.

I'll be willing Lord to run all the way.

If I falter while I'm trying, don't be angry let me stay.

I'll be willing Lord to run all the way.

Mahalia Jackson sang this verse in Run All The Way : Wasted days, now behind me Evening sun is sinking fast Every moment draw me closer To the end, oh, to the end I'm gonna hurry, yes, in your service If you only let me in I'm willing to run all the way

∞∞∞

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The Miracle at Agbor

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he night before the Pro-Health commenced ministry at Agbor General hospital, I visited the hospital grounds with BigJohn Oliyo to be sure that the operating room supplies were secure.

As we made our way back to the vehicle, a group of women besieged us asking for registration cards. We made attempts to persuade them to wait till the next morning. They were adamant. We decided to pray with them as it was apparent that the situation that made them plan spending the night at the hospital ground must have been very serious. Most of them needed myomectomy procedure done ( removal of broids).

As we sang, I sensed the strong presence of God. When Big John raised his voice to pray, the power of God fell. There was some manifestation. We knew that chains had been broken and burdens had been lifted.

The next day we were overwhelmed by the turnout. A local pastor led the devotion that morning with the teeming crowd. As I made my way to the pharmacy to ensure that the team was situated, I heard loud screams.

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“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” (Matthew 28:19).

For some people “missions” means nothing but evangelism, while some organizations would rather have mission include every good thing the church might do except seeking the conversion of the lost.

What about teaching people to read and write? Or agricultural development? Or medical care? Or digging wells? Or orphan work? What if people do these things in Jesus’ name?

With Dr Iko Ibanga, a mentor in Missions

News got to me that a lady that has been crippled all her life miraculously started walking. No one laid hands on her. The presence of God to save and heal was evident. It was a truly good day to be called a Christian. There was great rejoicing as many people knew the family.

Oswald J Smith once said: In missionary work the great danger is that God’s call will be replaced by the needs of the people, to the point that human sympathy for those needs will absolutely overwhelm the meaning of being sent by Jesus.

The needs are so enormous, and the conditions so di cult, that every power of the mind falters and fails. We tend to forget that the one great reason underneath all missionary work is not primarily the elevation of the people, their education, nor their needs, but is rst and foremost the command of Jesus Christ— 42

Schnabel describes the missionary task with an almost identical set of three points.

“Missionaries communicate the news of Jesus the Messiah and Savior to people who have not heard or accepted this news.”

“Missionaries communicate a new way of life that replaces, at 43

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least partially, the social norms and the behavioral patterns of the society in which the new believers have been converted.”

“Missionaries integrate the new believers into a new community.” (Paul the Missionary, 28. Cf. Early Christian Mission, 11)

Chichi's Trip To Haiti

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It Pays To Serve

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hristian Union Fellowship Uniben was the training ground for several ministers serving in various elds today. The instruction received from the Campus Discipleship Activity groups and other functional units groomed graduates into dogged representatives of Christ.

A few months back I joined the group and we embarked on a trip to the voodoo village of Chambrum. We visited Love a Child Inc. (LAC). Love A Child is a faith-based humanitarian organization serving the needs of children in Haiti, serving the poorest of the poor, and working to spread the word of God and sharing Christ's love by example.

Haiti is a country that was devastated by an earthquake some years ago. The e ect of that disaster is still very much present.

The people need basic amenities of life: food, clothing, healthcare, and shelter. I saw many things that brought tears to my eyes like people eating from the refuse dumpster, folks living in shack houses with roofs made from dried leaves.

There is hunger in the land and people both young and old die from treatable sickness and diseases. Children eat clay cookies to keep their stomachs full. Basic education is for the privileged.

Many cannot a ord to eat a proper diet let alone a ord to send 44

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their children to school. They are in dire need of help.

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them.

We went with the primary purpose of touching lives and winning souls for the kingdom of God but had to serve in di erent areas.

My team gave out food to the hungry, provided healthcare for them through a mobile Clinic that was set up with a makeshift pharmacy. We also helped distribute clothes and fellowshipped with the children at the orphanage. We preached the gospel of Jesus Christ, won many souls to Christ, and gave out Bibles. I was surprised by the fact that many people could not a ord the luxury of owning a Bible because it cost about $10 apiece and this is very expensive when converted to Haitian currency! It was physically exhausting but God renewed our strength each day and kept us going strong.

While serving there, I met a sweet, intelligent little girl named Lovemica. She caught my attention all week. She didn’t ask for anything but to be loved and I found a friend in her. We had fun just playing like a little girl she was. I have a daughter of her age and I could relate and come down to her level. Loving her, playing with her, and providing health checks for her was so satisfying and rewarding.

Everyone can put a smile on someone’s face. It was a pleasant experience for me to be able to go, serve the poor and wounded people of Haiti, bringing them the love of Christ and just loving

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The people of Haiti were very receptive to the gospel of Christ but in some places, the people were very fetish and willing to remain serving the devil.

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We went to a village called Chambrum where the devil and his activities are highly exalted and the fear of him was seen everywhere. A shrine is almost in front of every home! Being armed with the name and the blood of Jesus, we had no cause to fear because at the name of Jesus every knee including Satan himself their father has to bow!

Philippians 2:10 tells us “so, at the name of Jesus, EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in Heaven and on earth and under the earth...” We carry the DNA of Jesus and cannot be defeated by any power. We have victory in Jesus always. We treated the people and preached the gospel of Jesus with many coming to know Jesus and Jesus was glori ed as we took over the land for Him!

A pastor rightly said “there are many reasons that the Lord calls us to serve. First, He rids us of pride and sel shness, allowing our focus to be on Him. Second, we proclaim our love for Christ through our care for one another. Third, God tests and puri es our hearts through service.”

People hardly volunteer their time, skills, and money in areas that go unnoticed but I encourage us all, what we do in secret, the Lord will openly reward us.

God calls us to have a servant’s heart—motivated to live a life that glori es Him, not ourselves.

We glorify God in our sel ess service.

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When we serve, we lend to the poor. The scriptures records in Proverbs 19:17: “He that gives to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will give him his reward." The Lord never owes any man. Service is an act of worship and also an avenue to secure God’s grace and reward. Whatever we sow, we reap. If you want to obtain grace in any way, show grace to the needy. Sow seeds of service and watch God multiply your harvest.

Serving God and man advances God’s kingdom and many souls can be won to His kingdom through serving their needs. I call that kingdom advancement work and God pays every laborer that works in His eld.

It’s interesting how we run after all the pleasures of life and push kingdom work to the backseat. There’s nothing wrong with wanting the best in life, working to attain the best, and living a beautiful life but the big question is this: how much have we labored tirelessly for the kingdom? How much do we serve the needs of our Father and our fellow brothers and sisters even when it is not convenient? Mathew 25: 40 tells us, "I tell you the truth, just as you did for one to the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me".

Matthew 6:23 tells us also to seek His kingdom rst and ALL other things shall be added unto us. A man with a heart to serve never lacks because ALL other things the Lord will add unto such.

After all, is said and done, after our life here on earth, we all will stand to give an account of all we have done here on earth and only what we do for the Kingdom will count not how many empires we built for ourselves nor our positions and what we have attained. What have you done to advance the kingdom of God? How have you served those the Lord has placed in your eld?

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You may not need to travel to serve but start from where you are.

Help in any capacity whether in prayer, acts of kindness, or volunteering your time in the soup kitchen, visiting, helping, using your skills and money where it is needed. Remember, it pays to serve Jesus!

We treated over 1,000 people, passed out over 5,000 prescriptions, and had many decisions for Christ! This is one of the largest Voodoo villages in Haiti, and we are winning! This team has been the best thing to ever hit this Voodoo village! They brought the power-packed presence of the Lord into this village!!! “The goodness of God leads men to repentance!”

Order My Steps

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uring a midweek service in 1993, Rev Tony Chukwudile of the Children Evangelism Ministry spoke on the need for folks to serve in missions. He gave an altar call for those who want to serve in missions. I stepped out.

I then began to pursue an experiential knowledge of God as told to us by our CDA pastors. I remember Pastor Amos!!! In Christian Union we were encouraged to seek God for ourselves.

A few years later Dr. Tochi Okeke introduced me to Dr. Iko Ibanga.

I worked with Iko in Pro-Health International and through that job, I met Dr. Ebere Azumah who gave me leads to serving in Haiti.

While in Prohealth International, I worked with Dr. Edith Okoi Chukwuyere. She informed me of her burden to serve with Joyce Meyer’s Hand of Hope. I explored that opportunity and have served in Cambodia, Brazil, Ethiopia, and Haiti.

We have now ministered in Haiti for several years. While there, I met Thomas Graves who loves Jesus. In Tom's house, I was introduced to Julie Clauss Brooks. She led us to the house we lived in for over ve years. Because we lived in that house, we met Rennie Kaufman whose church collects clothes that we send to Haiti and Northern Nigeria.

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God God loves! God moves! When we love and move with Him, we change the world.

Genesis 24:26 And the man bowed down his head and worshipped the LORD. 27 And he said, … I being in the way, the LORD led me …”

Eliezar’s words illustrate how important it is that we be obedient to the Lord each day. “I being in the way, the LORD led me.”

When he began his journey, he was unsure of where he was going and even more so of who he would meet. Yet he obeyed what his master told him and to his amazement, at the right moment he found himself in the right place, talking to the right person. “I being in the way, the LORD led me” – “I, doing all I knew to do, have been guided to do, exactly what my master wanted.”

So excited about tomorrow. It's so worth following God day by day.

Author, preacher, and evangelist E. Stanley Jones once wrote, "Don't ask for the whole way; ask for the next step."

If you say that you believe that God is good, that God has a plan for your life--then trust it. We discover in the Scriptures that the LORD directs the steps of the godly (Ps 37:23) and that we can make all of the plans we want, but it is the LORD's plans that will prevail (Prov 19:21).

When we received the clothes, I got across to Omolara Adelusi (Uniben connection) who is today ministering to displaced people in Northern Nigeria. God leads us step by step and not mostly by distance.

I met Iko Ibanga in 2002. It has taken 14 years to make this step with Omolara Adelusi and her team. He orders our every step in the paths of His will...it's only in retrospect we come to this realization that He is the Grand Weaver, orchestrating each step and leading us to the ful llment of His perfect will for us.

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In a Daily Devotion from Pastor Leon Bloder, he said the following “If you are struggling today with a decision you need to make, a change in your life that needs to happen, or a journey you need to take---step out in faith. Don't be afraid where your feet will land, God will guide them. Surrender yourself to this knowledge and allow it to grant you peace”.

May you step forward in faith and courage, knowing that the LORD is with you on the path. May you nd the strength to trust 53

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the LORD fully and completely with your future, even though the way forward is hard to see clearly. And may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you now and always.

∞∞∞

The Man With Rotting Flesh

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grew up in Warri and was very excited to lead a team to my home town. When we got there, the crowd was unbelievable.

It was typical of doing a free health mission in an urban area.

I prayed to God to order our steps to reach out to people that needed help.

On the 2nd day, there was a pungent smell that made people cover their noses and whisper about the origin.

I got to see the gentleman when clutched to his left arm. Apparently, he had an untreated bullet wound. There were speculations that he had been shot when he went for a robbery operation. He refused to go to the hospital for care. He was afraid that the police would be alerted. He stayed home to manage the wound using herbal remedies.

By the time we saw him, it was too late. He needed an amputation. Thankfully the Pro-Health International team had a general surgeon on the team and the orthopedic unit at the local hospital o ered to help.

The operation was going to take extra funds that we had not planned for. There was no going back. We saved a life that day.

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Guide me oh Lord.

God orders the steps of a good man; not only His way in general,

by His written word, but by His particular steps, by the whispers of conscience, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it.’ He does not always show him His way at a distance, but leads him step by step, as children are lead, and so keeps him in a continual dependence upon His guidance.” Did you get it? The steps God orders requires continual dependence upon His guidance.

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Guide me, O my great Redeemer, pilgrim through this barren land; I am weak, but you are mighty; hold me with your powerful hand.

Bread of heaven, bread of heaven, feed me now and evermore, feed me now and evermore.

Open now the crystal fountain, where the healing waters ow.

Let the re and cloudy pillar lead me all my journey through.

Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer, ever be my strength and shield, ever be my strength and shield.

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∞∞∞

Mission to Southern Kaduna

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here are times that tragedies are not avoidable. At such times, the only consolation is for victims of such tragedies to have a shoulder they can lean on for support and com-

fort.

In parts of Southern Kaduna in Kaduna State, a group, Healing Hands Health Society, has been bringing hope to the hopeless and giving many a reason to live again.

On March 16, 2019, herdsmen set 30 homes ablaze in Nandu Village, Sanga Local Government Area of Southern Kaduna, killing ten persons, including children. Mr. Edward Arewa was away at work on that fateful night that his village, Nandu was attacked.

His wife, Tina, who was at home when the attackers came calling, had asked the children to ee. She took a bullet to her chest.

She played dead with her surviving son, Francis but she lost vemonth-old Gloria, ve-year-old Happiness, and nine-year-old Sunday.

By the time the dust settled on the dastardly invasion, Tina and her surviving son had sustained serious injuries and had lost her home. She went into shock and was inconsolable until Healing Hands Health Society solicited funds for their hospital bills and made a commitment towards their rehabilitation.

Another victim, identi ed simply as Baba, was devastated as his house was razed. But he was resilient. He and his surviving family members resorted to sleeping in the open since March until his 58

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home was rebuilt by the #rebuildingkaduna campaign.

For the past six months, Pastor Adamu of the ECWA Church, Nandu, has been without shelter. His home was destroyed. He too is expecting a brand new house over his head soon.

Titi Danjuma, a blind woman whose husband was burnt in their house during the crisis in Nandu, is full of hope, as her home has been rebuilt.

On seeing the pictures of the Nandu devastation, we vowed: “Nandu will rise from the ashes and be strong.”

“I got disturbing images from Nandu Village in Kaduna State.

They showed the havoc perpetrated by angry herdsmen. On hearing of this wanton destruction of lives and property, Healing Hands Health Society swung into action. Since then, we have been working to rebuild 30 homes destroyed in that village.”

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I saw pictures of Nandu people sleeping outside and I was moved.

I got the report of Tina Arewa and I went to look for her and found her nursing a bullet wound. I asked for old photos of the kids. I cried when they said everything went up in ames after the attackers set the house on re with one of the children in it.

“Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

“We want to ensure that those whose homes were destroyed have a roof over their heads. It won’t erase the horror, but they have a chance to start rebuilding their lives again.

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this goal? All we ask is, reach out and make Southern Kaduna a better place.”

To support this project go to www.hhands.org.

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“Healing Hands Health Society is a faith-based organization with the commission of spreading Christ’s love through medical care to all people around the world. Our vision is to reduce health disparities and improve the health-related quality of life of vulnerable populations around the world. We are currently working to rebuild homes destroyed in Southern Kaduna.”

But together with my friends in Nigeria and across the globe, we are rebuilding 30 houses. Each house is estimated to cost $2500.

“The pertinent question is, what part will you play to achieve 62

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Family Legacy of Love

By Linda Denning

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here is nothing like spending time together as a family of 6, 3 boys, 1 girl, serving together, loving together through Missions. Our journey as a family started in 2001, in Tijuana, Mexico. We built homes for families who were a ected by ooding, they basically lost everything. Relationships formed with our new family as we worked hammering nails - long tiring days but with fruitful labor. What a joy to see kids running to us for hugs, love and games. Bible studies with the women - Joyce Meyer books that we used were priceless because they were in Spanish. 13 years in TJ. Tears and hugs as we left each time. Relationships continue.

Serving thousands of people with medical and dental needs. My relationships are the strongest with my Hand of Hope friends, now having served in 9 di erent countries with them.

In 2007 Hand of Hope “30 days of Hope in Cambodia.” I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” My favorite verse in the Bible. As a Nurse, my love for the nations grew. I thought to myself. “Ok Lord, I know, you have called me.. with tears in my eyes I answered the call to go, leaving my family behind to serve.”

It was the beginning of my life being so ful lled. It's hard to describe. I am overwhelmed with incredible JOY because He has shown me His great love that I get to transfer this love to others.

I have never had such joy in the midst of sorrow. I have never sweated so much and worked so hard.

Lydia got down on her hands and knees and started to pray. My husband had tears streaming down his face.

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My husband and daughter have served with me in Panama and Sri Lanka. "I will never forget" states my husband, Paul. A 77 yr old father, was brought in by his Son & prayer with Lydia began. This gentlemen’s hands were always shaking. John, Lydia, and I prayed.

Lydia prayed an extensive prayer over him. Laying hands on this gentlemen.

It’s amazing as he tells me the story. The patient's hands stop shaking. “I cry every time I tell this story, he says.” “at that particular time it was a miracle. We all hugged and gave praise to God.”

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Our daughter Amy served in Uganda for 3 years. Our love for the Nations continues. We get to live out our dreams by helping her serve in Kampala and now Jinja. This little girl of 6 yrs old serving with her family in TJ Mexico until 16 yrs old. Serving with Hand of Hope and her mom in Sri Lanka. At 17 yrs old she wanted to continue to do missions after graduation. We were dreaming, and praying together. She has served in Uganda with Show Mercy and now Amazima Ministries totaling 4 years.

I realized that true discipleship requires missionaries to actually stay. God instilled a boldness in me to leave behind the people I love to do work that would impact eternity for so many.

As a long-term missionary in Uganda, I have learned that God’s heart is for deep relationships that will draw people closer to Him and bring glory to His name. When people see poverty, it’s easy to want to give out material things and help meet basic needs. I have experienced with my own students (that are su ering and starving) that the greatest gift I can give them is staying and building a Christ-centered relationship with them. The poorest of my students that have a relationship with Christ are the most joyful, even though they don’t eat or drink for days at a time. My heart and view of God have been transformed by the example my students have set for me - to praise Him and love Him even when I question His goodness.

Amy Denning Serving as a long-term missionary has completely shaped and transformed my view of God and su ering.

I grew up as a young girl serving on short-term mission trips to Tijuana, Mexico. I was exposed to the reality of poverty at a certain level, but I easily went back to my comfortable lifestyle after serving for 10 days each year. Serving in short term missions gave me a love and desire to actually invest and sacri ce my life for people that don’t have the opportunity to know they’re loved by Jesus Christ. After serving in Africa for the rst time,

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Witchdoctor's Son Surrenders To Christ.

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t seemed like a regular day at the mission eld. We had devotion in the morning as a team and then set out for the site.

A patient showed up early at the clinic complaining of severe pain. The only odd thing I noticed was that he would not look at me straight in the eye. He kept his head bowed as he spoke. The Holy Spirit prompted me that there was more to him. I probed further and I learned he was the witch doctor's son. He was having some crisis in his life.

His wife had abandoned him with their only child ( he claimed she threw the child at him). I sensed he needed Christ as savior. Before long he was saying the sinner's prayer. I informed him of the consequences of coming to Jesus- he needed to take o his amulets and destroy them to signify his conversion before all to see.

He did not hesitate.

The team prayed for this young man.

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It occurred to me that this was conquest: There seems to be an allusion to the conquest of nations, some of the inhabitants of which readily and heartily submit, but others only feignedly, and through fear, and the force of superior power they cannot withstand. He experienced power in the clinic that he could not deny.

As Psalms 18:44 says- As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me,... That is, as soon as they should hear of Christ, through the preaching of the word, by which faith would come, they should readily and at once receive, embrace, and profess the Gospel, and yield a cheerful submission to the ordinances of it; and which has had its accomplishment among the Gentiles, Acts 28:28.

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Taking Territories

A ...the strangers shall submit themselves unto me; meaning either the same persons as before; the Gentiles, who were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenant of promise, who should submit to Christ, to his Gospel, to his righteousness, and to the sceptre of his kingdom.

When you embark on a mission trip, understand you have God's backing and your instruction is to take territories for our Lord and King.

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couple of years ago, I had the opportunity of serving in Igbobini. That mission left an indelible mark on me. When I arrived some weeks before to arrange for accommodation and to inspect the hospital facilities, I could not help but notice a shrine by the gate leading into the town. I pinched myself to be assured I was still in the 21st century.

It was going to be a tough mission as there were no hotel facilities at that time. Our team of 30 volunteers arrived and we set up tents outside. By 2 am that night, I was awakened by an unusual presence. I opened my eyes and there stood a tall gure by the place we had set our tent. Fear did not come in small measure. A few minutes later, there was a heavy downpour, our tents did not make it. So much for sleep.

I knew we prayed before setting out on that mission. I did not doubt that our determination to preach Christ through medical missions would be accomplished. We prayed a little more. I made some inquiries and the villagers con rmed there was a keeper that t the description of the gure I had seen.

When I travel to serve, I do not necessarily go seeking out evil spirits to battle. I rather focus on walking according to God's Spirit (Galatians 5:16). I always put myself in remembrance of the words of 1 John 4:4: "Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." We have already overcome the spiritual forces of evil 71

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as followers of Christ.

When we trust in Christ, His power is su cient for every spiritual battle we face, including any demonic forces we may encounter.

We do not need to be afraid then!

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The word of God, whether the written word (logos) or the spoken or revealed word (Rhema), is so powerful. You just have to believe to exercise the authority you have been given. This reminds me of the story of a mad man who got healed just by staying close to a gathering of believers who were reading through the word of God. The story was narrated by the Chairman of the Bible Society of Nigeria.

He said it was a usual practice for members of the society to gather and just read the Bible through from Genesis to Revelation.

This usually took days. On the rst day, they noticed a mad man just sitting close by, watching what was happening. This continued and on the third day, without anyone praying for him or laying hands on him, he got his healing! Do you see how powerful the word of God is? John 6:63 (KJV): "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the esh pro teth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."

Like I said earlier, always remember to take care of the strongman before you go to do gospel work. How do you do that? You do that in the Secret Place .

Are you planning on going to do gospel work? Always remember to take care of the strongman before you go.

“No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he rst binds the strong man; and then he will spoil his house” (Mark 3:27). Jesus said He gave us “authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19).

If only you could just believe that you have the authority, you are not "trying" to have it. Many believers just have a head knowledge of the power of God but they have not prayed it to their consciousness enough to believe it. If the scriptures say, you have been given authority, then you have!

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The Secret Place is a place of continuous fellowship with God in prayers and the word of God. It is where you build your inner man to be strong enough to face any power of darkness. Remember that "we wrestle not against esh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12).

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The next verse tells us that we are to take on the whole armor of God even before the evil day comes, i.e. you must be prepared.

The preparations you have made before the battle will determine your performance.

Going further in that chapter shows us what we need to actually wrestle. We need righteousness and we know that we are the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21).

We also need the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit (the word of God). Lastly, we are admonished to pray always. All these are targeted towards building our spirit man to be strong and ready for battle.

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So you see the problem? Believers want to exercise authority with a weak spirit man. That is not possible!

If your inner man is weak, you can achieve so little. You can not also haphazardly build your spirit and expect tangible results, it has to be a consistent practice, a lifestyle. You wake up in the morning and you feed your spirit man with the word for growth and prayer for strength! 1Peter 2:2 (KJV):" As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby."

It is more e ective to pray in the Spirit for an hour every day than to pray in the Spirit ve hours once in two weeks.

Go to that secret place now, God is waiting for you. There are a lot of things you can achieve when you are strengthened in your spirit. When you are strong spiritually, fear cannot take hold of you because you know that whatever it is, you are prepared to face it. Build your spirit.

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My Best Me

by Pastor Steve Oboh

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or purposes of this piece, I’d like to highlight three things that I may say characterize me: love for God; an attraction to excellence; and a desire to give my best. Lest I am misunderstood, there is no suggestion here to perfection. The caveat is necessary in a critical public space that has lost its capacity for extending civility and the bene t of the doubt to others.

My wedding was on Saturday, November 2, 1985 at Miracle Centre, Benin City. Miracle Centre wasn’t only the headquarters of Church of God Mission International it hosted the o ces of Archbishop Benson Idahosa. I might add that Archbishop Idahosa would o ciate at the wedding.

The Wednesday before the wedding, I drove with my groomsman – “best man” we used to call them - to Mir acle Centre to see to some arrangements, the speci cs of which I do not remember. I do remember, though, that my circle of friends would, when we were free, drive to Miracle Centre even if there was nothing going on; we simply loved to be in that environment. On this occasion, however, it was, I believe, in connection with my impending wedding three days thence.

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preserve of the Archbishop himself or Bishop Coker to determine what would be read as it would very probably be in line with the message the Archbishop would be delivering at the wedding.

I remember very clearly what happened next. I looked up, took in the reinforced concrete roof beams supporting the steel purlins and the deeply corrugated Nigerite asbestos roo ng sheets and, in what was like a ash of inspiration, said, Genesis 12:1-3.

Though unpremeditated, it came out like a natural choice I’d been thinking of for a long time. I might add that its oddity in relation to a wedding ceremony was completely lost on me.

Let me attempt an explanation for why it was a natural choice.

But, rst, I must preface my explanation by saying that the three characteristics I mentioned in my opening paragraph not only ran deep within me, they provided the framework by which I was going to live my life – regardless what I did, where I lived, or who I was with. They comprised, in broad terms, the canvas upon which I desired to paint the portrait of my life.

For context, it is important also to lay out the passage of Scripture under reference. What does it say?

As I remember it, we were done and were walking away when late Bishop JBS Coker walked into the church building and, in his jovial manner, called out to me. “Steve,” he said, “what passage of Scripture do you want as the Bible reading at your wedding on Saturday?” Having never thought a Bible passage was required in the rst place, much less for me to specify, I was unprepared for Bishop Coker’s question. If anything, I’d presumed it was the 78

Genesis 12:1-3 (NIV): 1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

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As you might observe, this Scripture has nothing to do with love between a man and a woman, much less so with a wedding or marriage! What then was the inspiration in it for me that I would choose it as the reading at my wedding?

The answer is to be found in the underlined phrases in verses 2 and 3 – “you will be a blessing … and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

As I matured through my teens into my early twenties, I always wondered by what to de ne my life.

For some reason, being a blessing had, without conscious thought, embedded in my spirit for several years prior and would ultimately crystallize as a paradigm, for what could be greater than being a blessing to all peoples on earth? With no dreams of great wealth, or global fame, I simply took this to mean I’d give my best and do my utmost to make a positive impact wherever I found myself.

I realized, though, that to give my best, I’d have to be my best.

This was totally natural for me as I’ve always been drawn to and inspired by excellence; not intimated by it. Being my best didn’t mean being the best since I wasn’t in competition with others. It simply meant being the best version of me I could become. This relieved me of the pressure of measuring up to the expectations or accomplishments of others. Instead, it created room for me to grow into my best. Others could be the best them they could be, but I would be the best me I could be.

So, if, today, their best them was better than my best me, it was possible that I could grow into my best me tomorrow and be better than their best them. This was an amazing discovery to me as it would open the doors to a continuing cycle of personal growth and improvement.

In practical terms, this meant I would strive to be my best as a Christian, son, sibling, engineer, husband, father, friend, leader, or 80

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whatever other role life required of me. I didn’t have to be perfect; I just needed to be my best me!

In hindsight, I realize this had become so deeply rooted in me that I had adopted the passage as my Destiny Scripture and make it that of the family with which God would bless me.

Let me speak brie y to the matter of Destiny Scripture. It wasn’t a concept I heard from anyone but something that evolved from my meditations in the account of Jesus’ visit to the synagogue at Nazareth where he had been raised as a child. (Luke 4:16-22).

It struck me that, when the scrolls of Prophet Isaiah were handed to him to read, v. 17 records that he found the place where Isaiah spoke to a key aspect of Messiah’s ministry: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…” (v. 18; cf Isaiah 61). Even more striking, Jesus concludes his reading with these words: “Today this scripture is ful lled in your hearing.”

Taken in whole, it seemed to me that Jesus found and read a portion of Scripture that spoke directly to his destiny as Messiah.

And he was saying to his audience, “This speaks about me; about my destiny; about what I am about!”.

That is how the concept of Destiny Scripture came about.

So, that Wednesday in 1985 at Miracle Centre, Benin City, Genesis 12:1-3 popped into my mind as if I’d prepared for the question. It was its point of crystallization as my Destiny Scripture.

It wasn’t long before or after that when makers of the Crush brand of soft drinks came up with the television advertisement for their orange avor that included the line, “Live life at full crush” with the image of an orange from which all juice had been squeezed out.

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Crush may not have been my thing but the byline (punchline?) resonated very powerfully with me as it spoke to bringing the best in you and of you out.

It is tempting to detail experiences where I may have tried to bring my best out but that would, in my humble opinion, not be necessary. It su ces, however, that being a blessing to all peoples on earth – at least those within my sphere of interaction and in uence – has been a driving motivation in my undertakings. Realistically, I may not be able to reach everyone, but those I reach must feel something of my impact. Hopefully so!

Let me close with a comment on Jesus’ encounter with the g tree that he cursed. In a recent reading, I was struck, more than I had been before, that he must have been quite hungry when he approached the g tree. Sadly, it was rich in foliage but bereft of fruit. In dramatic fashion, Jesus cursed it. It seemed so unfair when we note it was not fruiting season for gs. This remains one of several di cult accounts in the Bible to explain.

For our context, we may say that Jesus is hungry for the best us we can be. Often, we subjectively assign more weight to moral issues like not having divorce than we do to relatively amoral attributes like not treating our spouses with respect and consideration.

By the same token, we presume sexual indiscretions (I get it, you want me to say “sins” - which only reinforces my point) matter more to God than an unwillingness to forgive those who o end us. Similarly, we deem abortion worse than racial prejudice and social injustice. Well, Jesus is hungry. Hungry for the best of us. On all fronts. Do you fail sometimes? I do too. But the good news is we can still grow into the best us there is!

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Do Not Let Down Your Guard.

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learnt valuable lessons on my trip to Ghana. There was a local volunteer at the hospital in Western Region that was really friendly when I entered the room. I could sense she was getting fresh with me. Until then I had not experienced such forwardness in my young life. I thought I was watching a poorly written Nigerian movie. She made an unholy move and I did not wait to be civil. I took o .

I have always known that ministers of God have a greater scrutiny on their conduct. There is no room for carelessness of any sort when in the master's service or in life. Make no room for an uncommon bonding with anyone. Lucifer and his gang will always whisper: just relax and take it easy.

As such times I give heed to this scripture: Nevertheless, God’s rm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord must turn away from iniquity.” A large house contains not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay. Some indeed are for honorable use, but others are for common use. So if anyone cleanses himself of what is un t, he will be a vessel for honor: sancti ed, useful to the Master, and prepared for every good work.

I have seen impropriety in the eld. There is an enemy that seeks to water down our testimony.

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and the rest is history. An epic failure ensued for King David.

May that not be our testimony.

Psalms 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

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Serving alongside my better half in Haiti

Missionary trips are not vacations. It's war. Do not let down your guards. of David it was said: 2 Samuel 11:1 “It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.”

When on the eld and always, we are in a season of war.

To ignore the war and not engage as we should, or minimize it will take us out of position.

David represents Judah. David was supposed to go to war at the proper time, but he did not. Perhaps he felt his reign was secure and he did not need to go. Perhaps he was tired from the past season of war. Whatever the reason was, David was out of position.

This proved to be very dangerous for him. You all know the story, as he stayed home, he was on his rooftop at night, saw Bathsheba 84

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No More Fear

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ne of my earliest memories is that of fear. I was maybe eight or nine and I had just broken the windshield of our neigbor's car. I can still remember the terror that gripped me as I watched the the cracked screen. So many thoughts ran through my little head, what could I possibly do without letting anyone know. My mum and elder siblings were watching television in the sitting room, I was thinking of quietly calling one of my sisters to help me when the unthinkable happened.

My mother called for me! My heart just about jumped out of my chest, I thought for sure she knew what I had done. I couldn't even speak to answer her. Her calls became more insistent and I managed to drag myself to the sitting room. Turns out she just wanted to know where I was. After she dismissed me, I was going back to the room when the helplessness of my situation hit me. I hated the feeling, was I to just wait until she saw it or till my dad came back? My small heart couldn't take such suspense. I went back to her and told her that I wanted to show her something. She was surprised but came with me to the room and I told her what had happened. I think it was one of the bravest things I had ever done.

Courage is not the absence of fear, it is acting despite the fear. If I had let my fear keep me from telling the truth, the results may not have been so favorable. As it was, I got a scolding and that was it.

A few years ago, I led a Pro-Health International team to Bayelsa State, Nigeria to provide free healthcare. We took a one-hour boat ride from Bomadi to get to Ekeremo. It promised to be an exciting trip.

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Sis Lizzy was in charge of Kitchen Africa and had prepared a Banga soup delicacy. As we regrouped for dinner, a band of boys visited our lodging facilities and demanded money, and threatened to rape the ladies in the team. They breached our security and came into the house. They seized an elderly volunteer and were about to take him away against his will.

I stopped them saying I was the leader and that it was better they took me instead. I was terri ed but I couldn't let them take anyone else. They released the gentleman and immediately pounced on me and led me into the bush. I was slapped a couple of times.

I insisted they must wait till the break of day when our manager will bring the money they were demanding. They said they would keep me in their shrine all through the night. My heart was pounding, fear turned my bones to water.

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Guess what the most common command in the Bible is. Yes, it is "Fear not!" Let's take the story of Gideon in Judges 6. Gideon was a simple man in a country ravaged by war, he was struggling to make ends meet for his family when an angel of the Lord appeared to him and called him mighty. He must have been wondering "what is this guy on about?" He did not believe that God was actually sending him to defeat an enemy the entire nation was afraid of. In verse 23, God told him not to be afraid, and then He gave Gideon his mission. When Gideon nally put his trust in God, he went on to win a great victory that brought glory to God.

At that moment I heard a thunderous sound coming from the house. The rest of the team went into violent prayers. The men grabbed me roughly and started leading me to their shrine. Then God sent the help the team was praying for. A lady whose child I had operated on earlier in the day met us on the road, she immediately recognized me.

She had been on her way to see me, her child was bleeding from the operation site. She started begging me to come with her to see the child. I explained the situation to her and she turned to the men and started pleading with them in their local dialect. After a long argument, I was set free. God used that woman to save me.

Paul asked in Romans 8:35 "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Could oppression, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" He went on to assure us that there is absolutely nothing that can do so. No matter the trials we are currently facing, God is there. He loves us and will never let us be consumed.

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Fear can be a hindrance or motivation. It depends on how you react to it. If Gideon had not pushed through his trepidation, maybe his country would have been lost. Do not let fear keep you 89

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from taking the right step, just do it, and trust God. He will de nitely deliver you, just like he did me.

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Saved at Sea

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few weeks before I left for Haiti with HART, I placed this message on my FB page: Setting out for La Gonave. It is 40 miles from the Haitian mainland on the windward side. It is the most remote area of the country. Groundwater there is deep or nonexistent, so water accessibility is a problem and food production is a challenge.

Other major issues on the island of La Gonave are lack of transportation and communication, poor opportunities for education, and a chronic lack of health care. These many problems have adversely a ected the island's industry and economy, limiting 90

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access to services, impoverishing the residents, and resulting in very little development. But Gospel light, hope, and help will visit this Island next week as we embark on the missions. Testimonies will follow.

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over the wind and sea. This wonderful instance of his power brought encouragement to my heart.

His mighty power has been displayed many-a-times.

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It was indeed a life-changing mission trip.

While on a trip back from a nearby village OPAK, we encountered a storm. Really scary! We had no life jackets. The captain lost control of the local vessel. Folks were vomiting as the waves tossed us back and forth.

I remember asking all in the boat to lift their voice and speak to the wind.

When we prayed, calm returned immediately!!! It still gives me the chills to this day.

I will never forget that day. God does not abandon his own.

All I can say is this: what manner of man is this? Even the winds obey him: Surely the One who calls us to serve in missions is not a mere man; he is more than a man; he is truly God and has power

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The Power of God

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y rst missionary outreach was to a village in Benin City.

The ancient city of Benin, Nigeria was home to Archbishop Benson Idahosa, a gospel giant who waged a relentless war against worshipping idols in that city.

Millions of people were ushered into the Kingdom of God through his multifaceted ministries and churches. God used Archbishop Idahosa to destroy the powers of witchcraft and satanic worship in Africa and Nigeria in particular.

I was really surprised at the number of shrines by the side of many homes in the village. Before long, word got to the witchdoctor of the town of our presence.

The man came out and told us that our outreach would not hold.

What e rontery!!

We ignored him and went about setting up for the crusade. In a twinkling an eye, the heavens opened and the ooding rain poured heavily.

We were all drenched and encouraged ourselves that victory was sure even in the face of seeming defeat. We moved the generator inside for safekeeping. Our leader, Bro Seyi Odufejo was vexed. He was the Evangelism Chairman for the Christian Union Fellowship that session.

He rallied us together and we began dancing and singing praises to God in the rain. We danced through the length and breadth of the village. The villagers jeered at us as we danced.

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At midnight, we took our rest. Bro Seyi was adamant. He prayed all night asking the true God to answer by re.

When we woke up, news ltered in that the witchdoctor passed on that night. Phew!!

Nandu- My Adopted Village

The villagers shook with fear on hearing the demise of the witch doctor. They all gathered for our evening crusade and many surrendered to Christ.

Bring back those days oh God Prayer: Habakuk 3:2 LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, LORD. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.

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have traveled to many places for short term mission trips. It is typical for me to serve with all my might and move on to another location/ country.

The Kaduna mission has had me trans xed. I have not been able to turn my eyes away for 10 months now.

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A Christian community, Nandu in Sanga Local Government Area of Kaduna State was sacked in the early hours of March 16, 2019.

The rampage left 8 people dead including children and 30 homes burnt down.

I have not been able to go anywhere ever since. We birthed an audacious dream of rebuilding the lives of the inhabitants of Nandu.

I could not hold myself from weeping when I heard the Arewa family lost 3 children that night.

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If you are reading this, then I need you. We have built 6 of 30 homes. Go to www.hhands.org I did not stop at weeping. I organized my friends and we have adopted Nandu. Healing Hands Ministries has the village as our target community.

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Like Ruth, my heart echoed "your people shall be my people, and your God my God" And Ruth said, Insist not on me forsaking thee: for whither thou goest, I will go. Ruth's mind was made up. Her heart would not be wrenched away from her mother-in-law. The length of the journey, its dangers, and the inevitable fatigue accompanying it, moved not, by so much as a jot, her resolution.

Had not her mother-in-law the same distance to travel, the same fatigue to endure, the same perils to encounter? Might not the aged traveler, moreover, derive some assistance and cheer from the company of a young, ready-handed, and willing-hearted companion? She was resolved. Nothing on earth would separate them.

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Mission To Gulu

By Dr Ambrose Obhade One such need took me to the District of Gulu in Northern Uganda. Historically, Gulu happened to be one of the locations ravaged by war and uncertainties from the tyranny of Joseph Kony, who founded the rebel group, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).

This group was responsible for the displacement of millions of people in Northern Uganda and parts of South Sudan regarded as the Acholi tribe. He and his cronies often abducted young boys to become child soldiers and young girls as sex slaves. His reign of terror started in the mid-80s up to 2009. His forces are currently depleted, but he remains at large.

When the call rst came from Adonai Partners in the summer of 2012, I saw it as an opportunity to be used by God to serve as a ray of hope to the people of Gulu (Psalm 9:18; For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever). Our travel took us to Arut and Dino, two villages in Gulu District. These communities did not have functional health systems. Our team was able to provide routine

exams and treatment for tropical conditions. The dental team provided oral health education, llings, dentures, hygiene, and oral health education along with supplies for the people to maintain dental hygiene. One thing really pulled a string in my heart on one of such trips.

There was a girl who could not smile and was constantly subjected to social ridicule as a result of missing front teeth. Our intervention brought a broad smile to her face after we provided her with a removable partial denture. Some people who had gotten used to the pain of tooth decay were relieved of the same when our team visited.

We saw the need in these communities and it was enough to heed the call to serve (Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10).

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You also can be a vessel that God will use to bring a smile to the many faces of people out there who do not know where the next meal will come from, or have access to basic health care. As you cater to the need of the hungry and underserved, may your needs be met in return.

Awed By The God We Serve

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By Lydia Young

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very trip presents an opportunity to experience the saving arm of God. My mind is completely ooded with the power and the humbling presence of God as I think back to all the times we saw divine intervention.

So many amazing memories ghting their way forward in my mind, it’s overwhelming to create a format to present the impact of each outreach.

The Holy Spirit works on such a high level during these times that we are just along for the ride. Only one ingredient is required of us as volunteers: total, unwavering obedience, and faith. In return, we are stretched, poured out, and blessed beyond measure. Are you ready?

Miracles, signs, and wonders

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pression were there also. Just blocks from the clinic, a man hung himself before church members could get to him.

On this trip, we learned about deliverance. A woman was sent to the clinic because she had decided to end her life of addiction.

As our Father would have it, the same volunteer who performed CPR on the man who took his life, heard this woman’s plan and stepped in with Godly faith. We surrounded the woman with prayer warriors, demanding that satan release her and she was delivered that day from addiction.

Every volunteer wants to witness the miraculous. Our team was in the Philippines working in a small church providing basic medical care when the power fell. When you see a man who has not walked in so long that his knees are contracted into his chest, it is easy to feel powerless. We were, but God chose to use this place and time to show His love for His people. As we prayed for this man, his legs began to straighten. He started to laugh, then kicked his legs out and stood up. He walked out of the clinic praising God.

But, the most powerful of all miracles for me happened in Nepal.

There are many religious practices in this area including Hinduism and Buddhism. I was seeing patients when a 92-year-old gentleman came into the clinic. His heart rate was very slow and irregular. In this setting, we had little to o er but the Holy Spirit had other plans.

He started to laugh, then kicked his legs out and stood up. He walked out of the clinic praising God. In Zimbabwe, a man arrived in a wheelbarrow. The local hospital had sent him home to die from AIDS and a fungal infection in his spine. He too walked back into the community, healed and praising God. In Brazil we found much addiction, working in very poor innercity sites where drugs were visible everywhere. Suicide and de104

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plied that he prayed 4 hours a day. I asked him to whom did he pray and he said, “to all of them.” I asked him if he knew that only One was alive and His name was Jesus. We prayed and he received salvation. I believe he went to be with Jesus soon after.

Love Finds A Way

His ways are higher than our ways. If you feel called to missions then you probably are. Stop planning and start praying and He will make a way.

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ere is how the story goes...

While packing for this trip, it occurred to me to take one soccer ball with me.

Two days after we arrived, a young boy caught my attention. He was about six years old and was selling peanuts. It occurred to me that the ball belonged to him. I beckoned on him to come, that I had a gift for him. He ran away. He did not trust this stranger dentist. He thought I wanted to extract his teeth. Long story made short, I gained his trust and he agreed to come to get the ball.

He dropped his wares at home and returned with some friends. It then occurred to me that the soccer ball was the tool to show the kids about Christ's love. We could not share the gospel openly. I put out a little competition and soon enough every child there was following me.

The girls were not left out. Salisu did not participate in the competition as I had decided the gift was his. He did not need any works to own it. He took the ball and ran home with it. A few minutes later he returned having taken his bath accompanied by some friends. Salisu would come to me every day with more children who wanted a ball. Through him, I reached so many children.

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Thanks to all that continue to make this possible. The Lord reward you abundantly. Our vision is to engage the youth in Nigeria via sports. I pray that the lives we have touched will be impacted for good.

We gave some money to cover all the peanuts that he was selling.

He smiled so big and throttled home.

The next day, he came with 2 packs of peanuts for his favorite dentist. Now that we found love, what am l going to do? Now I want Salisu to go to school and get an education.

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More than A Conqueror

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If we can all keep this in the forefront of our minds there will be little room for o ense or confusion. Stay strong as you prepare.

There may be people who don’t understand what you are doing and may even be outwardly ghting your passions but remember that Jesus Himself was rarely understood and supported by onlookers. Let your lives be a witness to God’s goodness and provision.

he thought of serving in the Amazon in Brazil was too wonderful for me.

I was so expectant to see what God had in store for our

team.

I had received an email from our team lead saying : I know that some of you are having personal challenges as the time is getting closer to leaving. I just want to encourage you that God hasn’t taken you this far to not complete the work. The devil would like nothing more than to steal your joy and create so much anxiety in your lives that you completely lose sight of the goals- both cooperatively and personally.

This trip is not about ourselves, our plans, our wants, or our goals, it is about the Lord’s, so don’t let the devil or your esh make it about anything else. We are all bringing an incredible amount of diversity and many di erent perspectives to this project, and no one perspective is completely right or wrong, just di erent. We all see things through our own eyes of experience and expectation. The one and the most common denominator is the Lord Himself and the desire in all of our hearts to serve Him by serving others. I think that should be our motto for our time in the Amazon.

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I think a great verse to ponder on is 2 Chronicles 32:7-8 “I am strong and courageous; I am not afraid or discouraged because the Lord my God is with me to help me ght my battles.”

I read it and prayed fervently.

The night before my trip. My daughter developed a fever. We had to take her to the Urgent Care close to our home. My wife asked if I was still making the trip seeing that our daughter was not feeling well. I was packing my bags at that time. I prayed for her and assured her that Gabi would be ne. On the way to the airport, Gabi threw up in the car. I cleaned her up while my wife drove. She

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asked me one last time. Are you bent on going?

With tears in my eyes, I looked to God who had led me that far. I kissed my girls goodbye.

The Power Of Partnership

Hymn: O Spirit of the living God “O Spirit of the living God, in all the fullness of your grace, wherever human feet have trod, descend upon our fallen race.

Give tongues of re and hearts of love to preach the reconciling word; anoint with power from heaven above whenever gospel truth is heard.

O Spirit of our God, prepare the whole wide world the Lord to meet; breathe out new life, like morning air, till hearts of stone begin to beat.

Baptize the nations; far and near the triumphs of the cross record; till Christ in glory shall appear and every race declare him Lord! Amen.”

∞∞∞

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n old African proverb says: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

I read about a fearless young lady Olorunfunmi Adebajo Ola mihan who serves the poorest of the poor in a slum settlement in the outskirts of Lagos, Nigeria. I connected her with Omolara Adelusi who champions the cause of the needy and oppressed.

Healing Hands supported her yearly Apollo Christmas outreach with free dental treatment a few years ago.

Makoko, a community of nearly 250,000 people living on the water within Lagos, Nigeria. Makoko, originally established in the 18th century as a shing village.

Most people who live in Makoko share amenities such as toilets, bathrooms, and kitchens due to overcrowding, thus increasing the rate at which diseases spread through the community. It is estimated that the prevalence rate of malaria, diarrhea, and cough in Makoko is 93%, 59%, and 45% respectively. Due to a lack of hospitals, before sick residents get to the land, some lives are often lost.

It is not enough to lament about the situation or wait for the government. There is something you can do!

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to the good people of that locality.

Some years ago I served in Nyeri, Kenya. The trip to Nyeri was planned with Samaritans Feet International, Jubilee Christian Church North Carolina, Prohealth International, and The Anglican Diocese of Kenya.

When planning a trip, pray for an opportunity to work with local groups that can handle logistics and recruitment of local volunteers and more.

Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:18-20, KJV).

Serving dispalced children in Nigeria

God uses partnerships for his glory. Divine connections are his means of producing power in the earth. Together we have much power and potential. Alone, we have little. Even the strongest individuals with the greatest ideas must nd others to connect with within their quest for success.

We were able to make a great impact when we pulled resources together.

Let’s support each other.

No man is an island.

Let’s build each others capacity I learned of a missionary work to the slum of Yenagoa in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. The visionary leader Dr. Okemena Onotume visits the children of the slum every week to o er medical care. We have partnered on several occasions to bring much needed help 114

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Transformed by your Mission Trip Life Will Never Be the Same Again (Thank God)!

by Thomas G. Graves, M.D.

“L

ife-changing,” is the most common answer we hear when people are asked, “How was your mission trip?”

However, re-entry back to your normal routine of life can be challenging and in many cases, you may experience confusion, depression, anger, and even guilt.

When I returned from my rst mission trip to Haiti, I was an emotional wreck upon returning to the USA. I felt a profound sadness that this team I worked with was breaking up. I realized I spent an entire week thinking of others Haitians and my team - and not about myself (and that was lovely)! The need in Haiti was so profound, I kept thinking, “We didn’t make a di erence at all.”

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People in the USA complained about things that would be a treasure in Haiti - where people ate one meal every two to three days (and that was usually rice and one vegetable).

Fortunately for me, I sought out the wisdom from other missionaries who helped me - and after traveling to Haiti, Africa, Ecuador, Honduras, and Guatemala over the last two decades, I have some ideas to help you as you reacclimate after your trip. No formula works the same for everyone, but these are some steps we have found successful.

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do, and the serenity to accept what I can not do. God will give each one of us the ability to help some people. But the most important aspect of what we do is to love well.

Great expectations: Expect to be changed, and expect that change takes some getting used to.

Realize that the mission is not the mission.

This is the single most important thing to remember on mission trips. If your mission is building a home, treating patients medically, or feeding orphans - you must realize that this is not your primary mission.

Your primary mission is LOVE. You will never build enough houses, buy enough food, or have the ability to treat every person in need. When you love well, you are doing exactly what God sent you on a mission to do. St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta lived on the mission eld among the poorest of the poor. She said, in her experience working with people in need, “The hunger for love is much more di cult to remove than the hunger for bread.” She added, “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.”

This helped me so much because the number of people starving in Haiti a few months after the earthquakes was simply overwhelming. I kept looking at the numbers of people we couldn’t help, instead of focusing on those we could. The words of the Serenity Prayer helped us - God, give me the courage to change what I can 118

When we transition back to our home culture after living somewhere else we can expect to experience some personal con icts (like, “Why do I have so much when the people we served were so poor?”) We might also have con icts with others when we notice that other people have not changed as we have.

Allow yourself the freedom to give yourself some time to readjust. We need to process your experiences and emotions and to start to make sense of the di erences between your mission trip and your everyday life. If you understand this is normal, you won’t judge yourself (or others) - readjustment takes time.

Make sure you get good sleep when you get home. Often, we don’t sleep as well on mission trips. You should get exercise as well as this will give you energy (and most people are exhausted after even a short mission trip).

Journaling helps a lot.

Writing down your experiences - either during the trip or shortly afterward helps you process your memories. Write down your emotional response to them. I also like to write a prayer list for the people who need prayer - both the people we are serving and on our team. Your journal is like “an inventory” of what you need to pray about.

Initially, I used a journal on the trip and wrote memories and emotions each night. In these days of social media, I write a post each night of our days’ activities with a few pictures. I like to share my raw emotions to help me process and to help others who read the posts realize their blessings.

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further help you process your emotions and your transformation from your mission trip.

Whether you choose to write a private journal or social media - sharing your experiences blesses many people. Initially, I worried that I would come across as boasting of what I was doing.

However, it was my sincere desire to help others see how the conditions in Haiti were. So I developed a few strategies for posting - I feature “heroes” who I saw rising above and beyond the call of duty on the trip. They get the glory.

Stay In Touch

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our mission team has entered a special part of your heart.

They are your family and it helps to connect with your mission team family.

Don’t be afraid to share your emotions with your team. One of our new missionaries to Haiti was an ironworker. He was strong and tough. But after our trip, he connected with me and asked if we could talk. When we met, he sat next to me and said, “Tom, I knew it was going to be bad in Haiti, but…just not this bad.” And he wept. He hadn’t shared any of these emotions with anyone but he felt safe with me because we shared the experience. What a joy it was speaking with him and reminding him that we didn’t help everyone, but we sure helped many people. He was smiling after our discussion and mentioned that he almost didn’t speak with me - but he was so grateful he did.

Prayer Talking to God about your emotions and memories upon your return is helpful. However, we have found it extra helpful if you get others to pray with you. In Guatemala, there was a small 6-yearold child named Maria who was cooking and her dress caught re. She had signi cant second and third-degree burns over at least half of her body.

We treated her, but she would be left with signi cant scars. What really touched my heart was how brave she was. When I returned home, I couldn’t get Maria out of my thoughts. So I gathered a group and we prayed for her together. It was so calming to know 120

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that this prayer group would continue to pray for this child - and it helped for me to share with them while praying how broken my heart was for her.

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trips I took and stumble upon a photo that strikes me. I love to post these photos on people’s Facebook pages and tell the story.

Keep testifying this way. Again, if you don’t feel comfortable sharing publicly, then email or text the person in your photo or memory.

Sometimes, when we get home from mission trips time has a way of diminishing what we accomplished. We look back and wonder, “Did we really make a di erence?” This is where the small things like a photo of a child’s face as he plays with the soccer ball you gave him help us. Or the mother who received shoes for her child.

3 Mission Fields There are 3 mission elds we serve when we take mission trips.

When you go on a mission trip, the most common notion is thinking you are serving the people you are visiting. However, we learned in Haiti that there are three distinct mission elds and each one is important. One, the people of Haiti - we seek to bring them the hope and love of Jesus.

Realize that transformation is a lifelong process.

A wise man told us at the beginning of our rst Haiti mission trip, “You are going to love this mission trip, but maybe not while you are on the trip…it may be after you return home.” It is true. And sometimes, the real “gift” of a mission trip is unwrapped over and over again through the years.

This is good news. There is no reason to try to push your trip out of your mind and climb right back into the life you lived before your trip. Often, I will comb through photographs of mission 122

The second is our team. Not everyone on your team will have a strong faith life, and being on a mission is a huge opportunity for them to encounter Jesus deeply. Please make sure you are doing everything you can to serve your team - both on the trip and afterward. Sharing memories and photos from time to time will bless them and give them occasion to think about Jesus again.

The third mission eld is your home community. Whether you are aware of it or not, many eyes will be upon you just because you took a mission trip. People are fascinated by mission trips and eager to learn about them. So please testify as to the ways God used you and your team on a mission. I try to focus on “boasting in Jesus” as St. Paul instructs, "Let the one who boasts boast in the 123

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Lord.” We can help other people come to faith through our discussions, sharing stories, posting on social media, emails, etc.

Continue your mission.

Just because we are home doesn’t always mean we can’t still help. On our last Haiti trip, we visited a prison where 150 men were crammed into 8 prison cells, with no bathroom, no running water, and no electricity. This experience was the single most devastating encounter I have ever faced. I couldn’t help but weep for these poor men.

Speaking with a local priest in town, we discovered that we could help these men tremendously. We send resources now to purchase garments, food (when the prison runs out of money, the prisoners don’t eat), and even some games. We do the same thing sending resources to help a struggling orphanage in Haiti.

your trip. They can relay your messages to the people you helped and met during your trip.

In summary, I pray that you are transformed by your mission trip - forever! I pray that you will transform others in the area you serve, on your team, and back home. Not all of us will accomplish huge things on mission trips: but all of us can love others well.

As St. Mother Teresa said, “I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God Who is sending a love letter to the world.”

∞∞∞

Sometimes, this is not possible. In those times, pray for the people. If you are able, let them know you are praying. One priest in Haiti addressed our group at the end of our mission. He broke down in tears while thanking us for medical and dental care, and purchasing a community water ltering system (they drink water collected from the church roof). But he stopped and told us that beyond these things, the single most important thing we do in Haiti brings them hope. He loved the way we serve in Haiti.

When we meet the people before beginning our medical clinic we tell them that God sends the gift and it is cut in half-half for them, and a half for us. Then we ask the people to pray over our team because we need their prayers. That is always one of the most beautiful moments of our trips.

Because of technological advances, we can also stay in touch with the people you served. Try to collect email addresses, cell phone numbers of the local missionaries you worked with throughout 124

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and help support the family.

Love to all, I'll email when able.

Mar

Marianne’s Journal Day Two

June18th, 2011

Day One Hi my famille We made it to Port au Prince. Unbeknownst to us, we missed our connection ight and boarded with the rest of our group on the second ight going out. At least we made it. Odd that the airlines never said we missed our ight; they just boarded us on the next one. We didn't know we got on the wrong plane till we got to Haiti and there was panic to track us down.

We are at the orphanage tonight. Half of the children are disabled.

One little girl is like a necklace around my neck. It is as devastated here as they say. The sounds and smells are so unfamiliar.

We are in a compound but I haven't felt the slightest bit uneasy…

Ok the drenching sweat and utter craving for water makes me a bit uneasy.

We are going to Mother Theresa’s home of the dying tomorrow.

We don't leave for the island La Gonave until Monday am.

The children are singing on the porch right now. So sweet. There is not room so everyone is within arms distance. There are no toys or American type activities and yet I haven't heard any complaining or ghting from them all day. It's just such a di erent existence.

The Director of the orphanage says that families are too poor to keep their children and will drop them o at the orphanage to ensure their well being and pick them up when old enough to work 126

Ma famille Happy fathers day to all you dads especially my Papa. Thank you for making me who I am, giving me wings to y, and pushing me o the cli . I love you.

Today was packed. I'm tired. We walked to church this am- 30 minutes away. They Speak Creole- a version of French. I'm surprised at how much French has come back to me. The walk to church was interesting. There is rubble everywhere. Goats and chickens wander.

We entered the church to everyone in their Sunday best. The singing was amazing. Why is it that those who have the least worship the most? Mass was two hours I followed some of it but I admit I was antsy to go. I was amazed at their patience. No one leaves after communion and no one sighed when the priest got up for announcements. They do not print bulletins to read later- they read the entire bulletin before everyone is dismissed.

We went to the home for the sick and dying. I wish I had my supplies to do a paracentesis (belly tap) for one gentleman reaching for me saying te mal - it hurts rubbing his uid lled belly. Dying is hard enough to work around but I felt absolutely helpless not having the things I needed to ensure comfort. There were people in cots a foot apart all across the room. Rows and rows- no call lights, no bathrooms. The bare minimum of a place to lay your head. Outside were more people that appeared to be patients 127

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waiting for a bed.

We painted the nails of the girls with TB and they quite enjoyed our teens. I admit I felt helpless there just visiting. Mother Theresa continues to do amazing work thru her sisters. The place was immaculate and peaceful. Our dentist is quite charismatic. In fact the nuns thought he was our priest. Father Muma is here and the same as always telling everyone we have the same parents but he is the favorite.

We are dancing with the kids at the orphanage. We hooked my iPod up and taught them the Cupid shu e. The disabled ones wheeled over to us and we carried them thru the dance. They were all smiles. Did I say it's over 100 degrees here? Dancing was like bakram yoga. I'm going to shower now but am hoping the two cockroaches are not going to join me to shower again. I admit even I'm a bit freaking out. This is de nitely tougher than anything I have done.

I love you all and miss you dearly.

Love up my children. I miss them very much. I'll keep updating cuz it helps me wind down and I'm thinking I'll be max'd out when I get home.

Kares, many people on the street have tried to get me to give them my Jerusalem cross. I just hold it and say ne pas. Ma souer. Ma souer.

A day of travel. I was not of fan of the bus ride and was car sick despite Dramamine. After 4 hours in the bus traveling down some areas that were clearly not roads we got on a sailboat with the mast a carved tree. Dad, you would have loved the boat. It makes the SS minnow look like a carnival cruise ship. Kim and I talked the Haitian workers into letting us dangle our feet o the sides. I don't think they understand a word we say but we have decided that you can always get your way with a smile.

We have spent the day setting up the very dusty clinic. Luckily cholera has passed the area. I'm excited for tomorrow. It should be interesting. We took the cheap seats and are with the boys ocean side in tents. The only bad thing is that there is a lightening storm and Kim has only made it 1/2 a night in a tent in her life.

This should be interesting to say the least.

We have worked hard and laughed alot. We are glad to have interpreters for each of us in the clinic.

Please do not worry about us. We are very safe. The island is quite peaceful there is electricity and WiFi at the rectory. The church is across the road. The view of the water is spectacular. They love us here. The Haitians are great. I am so glad to be on the island and out of Port au Prince.

We are going to venture out to our tent now. I will update after clinic tomorrow.

Love always ,

Be well.

Love always Mar

Mar

Day Four Day Three

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What a day! The clinic was a roaring success. There were 4 treatment rooms I was in one with a med student as my helper and my 129

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translator Eugene. He was amazing and I could not have survived without his graciousness. Especially considering that I got all of the female issues sent to me and did a years worth of gynecological exams. I also got to take a worm out if an abscess on an arm and several o the gentleman's legs. He was so grateful. The children were amazing. They do not whine over anything. A few of mine were so sick. I hope they return tomorrow if not better.

I treated a dozen cholera patients today- it is clearly not out of the area. It's not as scary as I thought. Hydrating them is the key.

The locals would clean up any emesis from patients to reduce our exposure.

Kim rocked the triage area. Bleaching hands n feet to reduce cholera and guring where to send people. She quieted the mini riots, gave out the treats, assessed the issues and directed total ow.

We just got back from a walk through the island. Kim n I and 3 others went to go to the cantina. We got lost...shocker. A man stopped us to ask to see his pregnant wife tomorrow at the clinic.

Kim n I told him to nd kim. He then asked us to pray for his family. Dr Tom, kim , med student Sara n I went to his house and prayed with them. I was a bit overwhelmed at the honesty of it all.

Never fear we veered o the path of righteousness and found our fun. We stumbled on a eld in the mountain where a soccer game / concert was happening. It was surreal as this must be what they do every night. Some playing soccer some singing and dancing.

No lawn chairs, no competition, no snack areas— just life.

We then heading back thru the paths we found another interpreter Chip- he is sitting next to us now having a "God" talk with Kim- he took us to the "cantina" where we found our team wandering looking for us. When I say cantina I mean we were taken to a woman’s house who had an area on dirt that was chicken wire fenced. She brought out drinks in buckets. It was perfectly simple and a nice reminder that this was luxury to them.

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The walk was the best part. The people walked out of their homes and greeted us. It was surreal. I have decided that all people long for is for you to be present and notice that they are in this world....notice me...invest in me even if for a moment I feel in my element. I want a good shower. The heat keeps your hair always damp and your clothes able to be rung out at all times. The food is di cult. There are ies on everything and if they get stuck in the rice they become part of the meal. I am afraid if I ate the food I would be a patient in the clinic. I am eating nothing but protein bars but this is way better than Port au Prince.

I love you always Mar n kim

Day Five Another amazing day. We are discussing that so many things are crazy here. We just broke for a team debrief of the day. The emotions of all of this is overwhelming at times. Each patient is a story. All of these stories are in a world we do not know of. I am amazed that having essentially nothing but the bare necessities has not dampened their spirits. They are grateful for every little thing.

I admit I have cried on and o all day. Partially just tired from not sleeping for days. I'll start with last night. We were in the tent using a ashlight to look for Kims phone when a 6 inch crab crawled toward my head. I bolted from the tent telling Kim to get it out now. I admit I freaked. Our Nigerian Dentist Uvoh came from his tent with Dr Tom and tried to help. They removed one crab. Fr Roosevelt at the rectory we are staying gave us space inside while sending workers out to get all or stu . Unfortunately they squashed the large crab on Kim's pillow. The quote of the day was Kim yelling during the thunderstorm and the crazy scene 131

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"I'm done being a boy. I want to be a girl again. " The day started with protein bars. I love the Haitian co ee- it’s a treasure in the mornings.

We got to the clinic with lines were down the street. I admit I was overwhelmed at many times. The mountain people came down today either walking or taking donkey. Some had not seen white skin before and I could tell.

The rst patient I saw Kim had pushed through 80 yr old woman who rode a donkey from the mountain. She was breathing 52 breaths per minute. She has chest pain all the time and her blood pressure was high. I gave a breathing treatment. Got her drugs for three months and gave her a kiss. She told my interpreter she feels like she is going to live for the rst time in months. Her daughter says she has been begging to die for weeks. So to all if my family that jokes about my mortality rate in hospice - I can cure. :) A few cases later I saw a family of 4 kids with various infections a mom with female issues and then I got to grandma. She had undeniable symptoms of metastatic lung cancer. Mets to liver. Prognosis months. I looked at Eugene, my faithful interpreter asking what people do here.

His look said everything. I tell people everyday that life is limited but is di erent when you are the CAT scan, the oncologist, the radiologist - the only person. I nally told her simply her lungs were very sick. Her other parts were very sick. I could help her pain but she should just go to the mountain and enjoy her family.

I gave her a hug, tears in my eyes, told her I would pray for her. She grabbed and kissed my face saying Jesus is with me. My Eugene interpreter looked at me saying you are ne. We are good. She is happy.

It was nonstop all day. Kim sent "special" people to me. I ended 132

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up being called to the dental o ce after 8 hours and over 100 patients for me, over 400 for the clinic. I was present for a story words will not do justice. Dr Uvoh was seeing a Mountain woman with 2 teeth left that she wanted pulled. Uvoh sent for me to nd what class of antibiotics would work that we had in stock.

I entered to him standing over her eyes closed saying you need Jesus not your tooth pulled. "you need to be freed from the chains of abuse you have su ered. This world has been hard on you. I see the chains" it was as if she could understand his English before the interpreter spoke. The team of 3 of us prayed over her, she cried and was shaking. No teeth were pulled. Uvoh handed her creams for her skin that he states God spoke to him with instructions.

That is all the explanation I can give. She also hugged me and I left with tears again.

I am ne. Please don't mistake these notes. I still laugh and crack jokes. We led the village in a dance again tonight. The children were awesome. We laughed a lot. It is just Sooo very di erent than what I could have imagined. I am glad to be helping. I feel competent in my skills but sorry for a lack if resources.

We packed tonight for Opak, an even more desolate part if the island. We will go to Mass in the morning to celebrate the rst communion for 15 children. Then on a 2 hour boat ride to treat Opak villagers then back at nightfall.

The nal highlight was Father roosevelt made us popcorn. I talked with him this afternoon as he was disappointed we were not eating. I explained that we meant no disrespect for their hard work but our stomachs could not take the di erence in food. I didn't mention we couldn't take the ies all over or the fact that his Main chef collapsed in our clinic with cholera.

He heard my quote " no fricking way- popcorn". He was pleased at my discretion and said he was even more happy I was excited and 133

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eating.

It is late. I have been interrupted many times. I'm going to peak at the full starry night then o to bed. I miss you all. Talked to my kids tonight. God bless them. They are ne.

Be well Love always Bon soir Mar

Day 6 What a beautiful place. We went to church to celebrate rst communion with 15 of fathers children. We had brought the clothes, veils, and rosaries. It was sweet. The kids would get a kick out of the wandering dogs in church. Especially the one who dragged his butt across the alter during the homily. I was taken back by the young boy that walked to the back and pee'd o the steps of the church. Sorry mom- but it just further encompasses life here.

We left for the far side of the island. Kim was all smiles lounging on the boat with head phones on and feet in water. The ride there was serene. The landscape is breathtaking.

When the town saw the boat they began to gather. There were several huts scattered about. Many of the townspeople were not wearing clothes. Oddly though they went and put on Sunday best before lining up to see us. I now know where all of the donated bridesmaid dresses are sent. It made me smile to see the importance they placed on our visit.

We were only there 4-5 hours but we managed to see the hundreds that came. The security gave us a warning with 20 minutes left and we just started going out into the lines that triage had seen and lled out complaint sheets on. I think I covered 20 people 134

in 20 minutes. We had cases of medicine and wanted to get it to the people. At one point I had a mob 5 feet deep around me. My trusted interpreter, Eugene did not leave my side. I yelled into his ear that we should take o on a run and see what happens. He thinks I'm pretty funny.

Seriously though it is a di erent existence. I had a 45 yo in cardiac trouble but again. There is nothing to do. His heart was enlarged with a loud murmur and trouble breathing when in elds. I ended up giving him inhalers hoping to ease his breathing when demand increases. My interpreter talked with him about resting more but chances are he will die working in the eld.

Another mom was holding her 4 yr old who fell many months ago and hit her head. She was clearly disabledfrom the fall. No comprehension. Contractions of feet. Most likely blind. This mom really thought I could cure her. We talked for a few. I showed her how to work her limbs to promote function. Encouraged her to engage her with songs. Showed how to clap with her and the girl tried to clap. Then I said just to remember to love her everyday.

The mom smiled. They will be okay.

Leaving the town was chaos as they did not want us to go and were swarming. Our crew takes great care of us. We loaded the boat to return to La Gonave. About an hour into the trip, the waves came out of nowhere. This sailboat is from the early 1900's style. There were several times I thought we were going to tip and water came to the side as we swayed. I wasn't really worried as we were close enough to swim but there was some screaming and crying by passengers. Uvoh then hopped into the middle and began to preach on the gospel when the disciples woke Jesus to quiet the storm. He had us chanting come Jesus calm the wind. It seemed to work. I still stuggle a little as i am not the charismatic type. Then on a dare, Erik - a med student from Wayne state n I dove in to swim to shore. The children were waiting in the dock with father. He now thinks I'm utterly crazy. He made me pop135

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corn and pudding tonight :) We head for Port au Prince tomorrow. I'm dreading it really. I do not do well with the chaos over there. The island is peaceful.

Prior to that a group gathered at the rectory. Since Eugene was with me, I decided to treat those I could. We still had some meds and supplies. Dr Tim n kim came to assist. One woman had an e usion in her knee. Dr Tom got them to open the clinic just to get the supplies to drain and inject. Father said she is one of the hardest workers in the town. She works hard labor and cares for 5 children. She began to cry and covered her face when I told her what we were going to do. Ugene, who now knows me well after a few days, told her not to worry cuz I was probably going to cry too.

It was bitter sweet to pull away from the dock. It felt like a month there with all of the intense interactions.

The boat ride was unbearable. The waves were bad today. Swells in the water were about 3 ft. Water splashed up on us drenching all for the 3 hour tour. Many were sick.

Here's the view from the rectory. That is the green boat that took 50 of us and supplies.

Miss you all Love always Mar

Day 7 Last real day of mission.

Left la gonave this am. Kim n I were up and showered by 5am. It was oddly sad to not be going to the clinic but we are spent and wanted to be beamed back home.

My translator came by to say goodbye. The little boys from the town sat with me during co ee time. They love my iPhone and enjoyed my pictures. I called one of them a goof last night and they love the word. They chanted bye bye goof when the boat sailed away.

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It is hard being back in Port au prince. The 3 hour bus ride became tense with some of our crew. No food, no sleep , high emotions was a bad combination. Never fear though as I did step and calm the group refocusing on the "mission". I haven't been voted o the island yet. The orphanage welcomed us with open arms and lots of hugs. This is still not my comfort zone. I'm so tired I hope I return functioning.

Amazing adventure. Thx for all the prayers and support. It has been amazing. So absolutely me. Ok...minus the bugs n starvation. The work and people were all me.

Love always Mar

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Acknowledgement I want to appreciate the contribution of Chichi Onoriobe, Lena Beale, Tom Graves, Lydia Young, Linda Denning, Amy Denning, Steve Oboh, Ambrose Obhade and Marianne Vesterfelt.

Without which this work would have been incomplete.

I want to appreciate all those who pray and support us nancially to go on these trips. May God bless you richly.

To the only wise God, the one who sees the end from the beginning. To Him be all the glory forever and ever.

About The Author Dr. Uvoh Onoriobe Uvoh Onoriobe a member of Christian Union Uniben Alumni in the United States .

He serves as Director of Healing Hands Health Society a faith-based organization with the commission of spreading Christ’s love through medical care to all people around the world.

He has worked as a General Dentist/ Missionary for twenty years o ering dental services across various communities around the African continent and around the world. He has had the opportunity to train in various tertiary organizations in the United States. Dr Onoriobe currently serves as an O cer in the United States Army Reserve Dental Corp.

He is married to his lovely wife Chichi and they are blessed with four amazing children Ujiri, Afoke, Evi and Oke.

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