Saturday, July 4, 2009

All in a day's work....



The daily joys and blessings were countless





Medicines administered with smiles

Efrim and Danice



Grace under pressure





Sit still and wait...



The FBA Ethiopia Medical team (Efrim Moore, Danice Mariney, Diana Evans, Kayenda Johnson, Dottie Eleazer, Dawn-Marie Headley and Ingrid Forbes) returned to Atlanta on July 1 exhausted and elated (Chika Oraka, Rahel and Hasim returned seperately on different dates) - God was glorified and proved Himself faithful beyond anything that they could ahve anticipated.  As is to be expected on the mission field, things do not always go as planned.  This trip certainly proved that the ability to be flexible is faith walked out as stated in Hebrews 11:1 "Assurance of things hoped for and conviction of things not seen!"  The team HAD no choice but to trust God for each and every step each day...

Each day presented its own special challenges and the team spent evenings after dinner on their knees before God praising Him for providing and asking for moment-by-moment guidance for the next day.  By the end of the second day the team saw and treated close to 600 patients...this was equivalent to the total number of patients seen in December 2008 in four and a half days. By the end of the third day, Thursday, June 25, the team was completely out of prescription medications except for over the counter products like Tylenol, Motrin, and allergy medicines.

On the Tuesday, the first day at the Dukem Health Clinic when the team arrived there were approximately 200 patients waiting to be seen.  By mid-morning on Wednesday the crowd was approximated at 700 and missionary Haile Teferra had to employ a local police officer to assist with crown control.  So without suffcient prescription medications to treat more than 300 patients after Thursday the team prayerfully decided to end the week.  They were faced with five days remaining in country and no ministry to work in...BUT, since their commitment from the beginning of the project was to seek God for His plan and wait for His direction, the team settled in prayer on Thursday night and by Friday evening God orchestrated through Ethiopian gospel singer, Sammy, a ministry opportunity with Freedom House in Addis Ababa!

But a few very comforting events took place on the way to Freedom House...on Sunday, the team worshiped in an English service at Beza International Church.  When introduced there was a small pocket of VERY enthusiastic cheerleaders somewhere in the congregation - a pleasant mystery?!  After the service the team was passionaltely greeted and embraced by a mission team from Andy Stanley's North Point Community Church!  What a great joy and delight it was for these two teams to meet so far away from "home."  A few of the North Point team members had been sick and had little or no medicines, so the FBA team humbly did the best they could to assemble "care packages" of comfort snacks and over the counter meds for them.  It certainly was not the FBA team's plan to provded medical care for a few of  "our own"  but the joy of being of service to whomever God sent took on new meaning and purose for the FBA team.  God pointedly reminded this medical team that HE would select the patients as HE saw fit and whenever and wherever HE chose.  As a team, the FBA members collectively said, "Here we are LORD send US!" and to their great astonishment, God took them at their word and pledge...LITERALLY!

Coming July 5 - more details and pictures from the amazing missionary journey the Ethiopia June 2009 team took with their Father in heaven!