– a song springing from the joy of what is to come.
We like to quote Job in times of trouble - “The Lord has given and the Lord has taken away,” but we often forget the second part of the verse, “May the name of the Lord be praised!” Job 1:21b I find, in some situations, such a phrase may only be uttered through my tears, but there is a healing power in praising the Lord in all things. It keeps things in their proper perspective by acknowledging that His ways are higher than mine, and that there will come a day when all tears will be wiped away and we will know only joy.
“Oh come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant! O come, ye! O come, ye! O come let us adore Him!”
It’s a BOY!
After taking care of more than 20 children in my home over the past three and a half years, I have taken the steps to make one my own. On November 26, I was granted legal custody of Thomas Emmanuel through the process of adoption here in Nigeria, and on November 30, I, as his parent, dedicated him to the Lord before our local assembly. Tom has been in my care since July 26, 2007. Please be in prayer that things will work out with the US Embassy to allow Tom to travel with me when I plan to come home on furlough in 2009.
It’s a BOY and a GIRL!!
The day after being granted official motherhood of Tom, a set of twins came into my life. Hassan (4.5 lbs.) and Husseina (3.3 lbs.) Abdul were brought to MoM by their father, despite all his family’s attempts to prevent him from doing so. A staunch Muslim family, they tried everything in their power, including deception (telling him that we were no longer in existence, that when the children get older we take them away somewhere, etc.) to keep him from bringing the babies to a Christian home. Realizing that their malnutrition and dehydration, after 10 days, was getting to the point of being fatal, he came anyway with his first-born children, whose mother died, never having woken up after undergoing a C-section. A visiting nurse and her daughter from the States helped us with the twins, who both had to be put on feeding tubes, the first two days, but on Saturday when they returned to the States, the babies were moved to my house. Sadly, the stress of her first ten days of life was too hard on little Husseina’s body, and although she had appeared to be improving steadily, on December 3, she died of necrosis of the bowel. Hassan, however, has not shown any signs of a similar problem, and is now off of the feeding tube, eating greedily, and gaining weight and strength daily (He’s over 7 lbs. now). The father is very involved, and seems to have a softness of heart. Please pray that through this whole ordeal, he will see the truth of Jesus Christ.
It’s a BOX OFFICE HIT!
A Christian Igala film company recently produced a story of a boy who spends a part of his childhood in an orphanage. And guess where they chose to do their on-site filming? That’s right, MoM – Otutulu! Our children and staff (including yours truly) were used as actors and extras in the film, which recently went on sale in Anyigba. Pray that God will continue to provide the finances for this group as they seek to provide quality films that spread the Word of God.
In the same vein, we are planning to record a CD with Christian, Igala recording artist, Joe Ifah in early February of our children singing. Please pray for wisdom for me in preparing them for this project and that God will be glorified as we boast in Christ alone.
It’s PECULIAR!
Albino Peculiarity is the name of a new group started by a young albino man in Anyigba. His vision is to educate albinos, parents of albino children, and the general public on the condition of albinism, how to properly care for their peculiar health issues regarding skin and eyes, and to dispel myths about their condition (i.e. that cooking with salt will cause skin ulcers, that albinism is a curse, etc.). I was recently asked to speak at one of their meetings, and I took our 8 albino children with me. They were so excited by the end of the meeting that they were begging me to get membership forms so that they could join; our 4 albino aunties have signed up as well. What impresses me most about this young man, apart from his ability to dream big is his practicality and initiative. He’s not looking for hand-outs, he wants to educate. He doesn’t want free resources given to them, he wants necessary resources made available on the market so that they can learn to provide for and care for themselves. Please pray for this young man (Shedrach – a half-brother to three of our children), that God will strengthen and sustain him as he seeks to change cultural perceptions. This group has already been an encouragement to our children as they see affirmed the truth of Psalm 139:14 - that they are wonderfully made, marvelous works of God.
It’s BACK TO SCHOOL!
There are several staffing issues facing our school in the next term. One of our teachers has recently gained admission to university for further studies and will be leaving us in January. Three other teachers have applied for positions with the government and are awaiting the results of their interviews. That means that we may have as many as four vacancies next term with no potential candidates to fill them. In addition, our volunteer school supervisor has left to pursue his master’s degree. All of this, with my furlough pending in less than 6 months, is not a comfortable situation for me to be in, as I face the prospect of leaving the school understaffed and with no administration. Pray that the Lord will raise up workers for these specific staffing needs.
The progress of the new nursery school building is amazing! The walls are up and iron access doors are in place. If we can get a roof on the building, we can start using it, even though there will still be a lot of work to be done (doors and windows, flooring, plastering, painting, ceiling, etc.). We would like to have the building roofed before the rains come again. Please pray that God will provide the resources needed so that the work can continue.
It’s an EPIDEMIC!
Recently 11 of our 23 babies at our Lokoja branch were hospitalized with diarrhea and vomiting. We are not sure what caused this recent outbreak, but we are looking into alternative water sources for drinking water to eliminate contaminated water as a possible cause. All but one have been released from the hospital. Please pray for Umi, who is still on admission.
Other health concerns:
A number of our children at Otutulu have been suffering from undernourishment, but they are responding well to special diets and intensified care.
Eneojo has suffered a multiple fracture in his thigh after falling from his caretaker’s grip after being bathed. Due to his multiple handicaps and general physical condition, treatment has been difficult.
Spencer, one of our 2-year-olds, recently suffered a serious fall and had to have some teeth removed.
Taking our children to hospital is sometimes as much of a gamble as keeping them on the compound for treatment. We recently lost one of our new arrivals in such a situation. She was taken to the hospital because of diarrhea and vomiting. She was there for almost a week and seemed to be improving, when the doctor determined that she was anemic and prescribed a blood transfusion. As her biological father was there, they took blood from him. Shortly after receiving the transfusion, the baby died. We suspect that they did not check the father’s blood type but just assumed it was the same and killed the baby by giving her the wrong blood type. Please pray that we will have wisdom in each situation as to what the correct course of action should be.
Boniface, a 38-year-old man in a nearby village experienced partial paralysis below the waist in September 2006. By January 2008 he could not walk at all. Although there is every indication he may be permanently handicapped, his situation should not be fatal. However, his condition is treated by his people as a terminal one, and with lack of exercise his arm muscles have atrophied to the point that he cannot feed himself. He has also developed two large, deep bed sores. The family has wasted a lot of money on local “cures” and traditional medicines. We are trying now to get him proper medical help and to train the family on how to manage his condition and reintegrate him as a functioning member of the community despite his changed physical status.
Praise for:
- a new car for the ministry provided by one of our supporter’s churches.
- admission to higher institutions for three of our staff.
- my son!
- co-workers in the Lord’s vineyard who love
- and to the Joy of the world!
Pray for:
- our recent secondary school and community college graduates who are seeking admission to higher institutions and employment
- adequate finances – with lots of unexpected medical bills and rising costs it is sometimes difficult to afford to pay staff salaries and to buy food and formula
- God to provide called and committed servants to join us in the work here
- patience with technology. We have been having a lot of trouble with our cameras, computers and printers, and without internet access and computer experts, even the simplest dilemmas can seriously interfere with our ability to communicate and carry out our administrative duties.
Random Funny Driving Experience: Twice in the past month, I’ve been in vehicles whose drivers suddenly and seemingly for no reason stopped and reversed quickly before zooming forward and veering erratically. At first I was a little concerned, until I realized that they had seen a large, good-for-eating snake crossing the bush road and were trying to kill it with the car to take it back for dinner. The first driver was successful. The second only managed to crush a few cassava plants J
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Find out more at www.faithsheartnigeria.blogspot.com. See pictures at http://s215.photobucket.com/albums/cc304/gosnell_c .
E-mail me at gosnell_c@yahoo.com
