July Prayer Letter

“The best laid plans of mice and men…”

Have you been waiting with baited breath to hear about my recent 2 week trip back to Mafikeng, South Africa?  I’m certainly excited to share our experiences with you!  We had a great time!

Our team, of four vet students from Purdue and myself, arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa eager to spend the week interacting with and ministering to Animal Health Technician students on rotation at the clinic at North-West University.  We picked up our rental car (our Tetris expert successfully fitting in all our luggage) and drove four hours through the North-West Province to my future home of Mafikeng, arriving after only one unplanned detour through the town center taxi depot. 

We met up with Dr. Emery, our host, at a local AWANA program and, after playing with the kids during game time and listening to them recite their verses, we sat down to discuss our schedule for the week.  You can imagine our surprise when we found out the university had recently decided to change this term’s dates so all the students were going to be home for their reading week (a study week between the end of classes and the exams) rather than being on rotation in the clinic. 

Although discouraged by this change in plans, we were excited to still be able to spend time at the outlying village of Lokakeng for an evening worship service on Sunday.  As we followed the pastor out the dirt tracks to the meeting location we passed donkey carts, bottle shops (liquor stores), and an enthusiastic game of football (soccer).  The service is currently held in the open air outside the home of believer so we set up the speakers, microphones, and keyboard and jumped right in to worship.  As our praises to the Lord carried though the village, people gradually wandered over and joined in with joyful singing and dancing.

After a time of worship, Pastor Obakeng and Pastor KG (local Tswana pastors) both gave short messages (in the local Setswana language) and then it was back to worship again.  This time, many of the local kids joined in and quickly warmed up to our team, and we were soon energetically dancing together.  We knew no more than a couple words of Setswana and they knew little English, but the music transcended language.  When it was finally time to leave we could hardly get into our vehicle for all the kids clinging to us for hugs.

During the week, we spent time seeing patients at the small animal clinic, going out to the university farm to observe goat castrations, practicing spay and neuter surgeries, and helping with a cattle health day for rural farmers.  We were also able to organize a vaccine clinic in the village of Lonely Park and vaccinated over 50 local dogs for rabies.  These dogs were also dipped in a product to kill and repel ticks to help protect them from Ehrlichia and Babesia parasites.  We all had to laugh when we saw this tiny car pull up with 6 people and five large dogs inside.  I can’t imagine how they all fit!  It was like a real life circus clown car.

Perhaps our most important ministry for the week was spending time with and pouring into Dr. Emery and his family.  We enjoyed fellowshipping over dinners and braais (BBQ), playing many rousing rounds of Euchre and other card games, and spending time with neighborhood kids.

As our week in Mafikeng closed we all wished the time was longer and leaving was bittersweet. We were reluctant to leave our new friends, but also looked forward to several days of safari and sightseeing. 

For myself, as I continue in deputation (raising support) to return to Mafikeng for three-years, this trip has me even more excited!  I truly feel this is where God has placed me and can’t wait to get started teaching in the clinic and getting to know the students.  I’m also excited about what other opportunities God will bring along to do His work in the outlying villages.  What exactly this will look like is still an exciting mystery, but one I look forward to unraveling.   I’ll make my best laid plans, but I’m eager to see how He exchanges them for His own.

The Team Visits Lokaleng

Well, I mentioned in my last letter that I'd have additional stories on this blog from my recent trip to Mafikeng, but of course never got them posted before the letter came out.  Sorry!

My letter briefly mentions our trip out to Lokaleng, but as that was probably the favorite part of our trip for the vet students I'll tell you a bit more about it.  The Baptist church in Unit 6 in Mafikeng has been working on planting a church in the outlying village of Lokaleng for a while now and we were invited to go along for their Sunday service.  We followed the pastors and worship team out from Mafikeng to the rural areas north of town and were quickly off the paved roads onto dirt and gravel roads, and then simply following trails through the village.  If we hadn't been following someone I would have been totally lost and you may never have heard from me again :)

The village itself is quite spread out and really more like lots of little cement block or dirt houses sporadically placed over a large area.  No real central area or roads although there are a few bottle shops (alcohol stores) and a football (socar) field at one location.  While we were driving in there was a football game in progress with lots of enthusiastic supporters standing around the field.

Once we pulled into a little dirt yard with two small houses we started unloading the vehicles and setting up for the service. As we set up we were entertained by goats, chickens, and scrany little dogs wandering through.  Speakers are used, strange as it seems is such a location, so people around the village can hear the worship music and start making their way over.  In true African fashion there isn't really a start time, but once everything is set up we just go for it.  The worship songs were mostly in the Tswana language, but that didn't stop us joining in to celebrate.

Within 10 minutes we probably had 10-15 people dancing and singing so the pastors gave a message in Tswana (during which most people wandered away) and then the worship started up again.  By this time the football game was over so a good size crowd was drawn by the music including quite a few kids.  It didn't take long for the kids to warm up to our team and soon everyone was dancing and singing and having a blast.

We must have worshiped together for 30-45 minutes before it started getting dark and we had to pack up the gear and head home.  One of the vet students on our team gave a closing prayer and we tore ourselves away from the kids.

I'm really looking forward to getting back to Lokaleng on a weekly basis once I move down and can't wait to see what the Lord does there over the next few years.  For now, I'll leave you with a few more photos of those we met in Lokaleng.

June Prayer Letter

Dumelang! O tsogile jang? (The literal translation is – Hello!  How did you wake up?)  You have probably never heard of Setswana, but it is the language spoken by over 60% of the people in the North West Province of South Africa where I will be living.  About 6 million people in Southern Africa speak Setswana and most are in northern areas of South Africa or in Botswana (where it is the lingua franca).  Although I can get by quite easily with English, I hope to learn a fair amount of Setswana while I’m in Mafikeng. By the time you read these ramblings I’ll just have returned from two weeks in South Africa with four vet students from Purdue University.  As I write this letter, I’m somewhat frantically trying to make sure I have everything I’ll need and that it will all fit in my suitcases.  You should see the pile of bubble wrap I’ve accumulated from work to be able to bring gifts and goodies home to share. A craft stall along the Panorama Route in South Africa There is quite a cottage industry in Southern Africa making and selling traditional crafts and carvings.  Almost every view point or waterfall you visit will have several stalls and the tourist areas all have little shops and venders.  The selection includes many soapstone items painted in lovely colors, wooden carvings of all types and sizes, stone carvings, painted wooden platters, and much more. I can’t wait to tell you more about all the Lord does during our trip so look out for my July prayer letter for all the details! In the meantime, please pray that the Lord would use this short trip to encourage those we will be serving and allow us to be conduits for His love. Learning about aquaculture and hydroponics at ECHO On a different note, in late April I flew down to Florida for a conference on Health, Agriculture, Culture, and Community held at ECHO, an organization that works to find and develop sustainable agriculture options for 3rd world countries.  My favorite sessions were those pertaining to ECHO’s work.  We learned about how to improve soil conditions and crop yields, improve nutrition for subsistence farmers, purify water with easily obtainable objects, build water pumps, and harvest methane from manure to fuel a cook stove. One plant that ECHO works with extensively is Moringa, a shrub/tree from Asia and Africa with amazing nutritional qualities.  The leaves contain almost 10% protein along with very high levels of vitamin C, B vitamins, vitamin A, iron, potassium, and calcium. This plant is easy to grow and a few teaspoons of dried leaf powder can prevent malnutrition in babies and children.  I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to use all this new knowledge in South Africa, but I can’t wait to find out.  Thanks to all of you who are supporting me, I’ve now reached the 50% mark! To give you a better idea of what more is needed, just 27 more supporters giving $50 a month would meet the rest of my budget and send me on my way. Till next month….

May Prayer Letter

It's May!  By the time you receive this letter I'll be deep in preparations for my next trip to South Africa and I can't wait to get back down there. Last May I spent two weeks in South Africa, but was only able to spend a short time in Mafikeng and at North-West University.  This time, I'm going for two weeks again, but will be spending about nine days in Mafikeng.   I'm meeting four vet students from Purdue University in Johannesburg where we are renting a car and then driving the four hours out to Mafikeng.  Thankfully I have plenty of experience driving on the other side of the road from my time in Scotland!  

Once we arrive in Mafikeng we will be staying in an apartment owned by a member of the local Baptist church.  Throughout the nine days we are there we will be spending quite a bit of time at the Dale Beighle Center for Animal Health Studies small animal hospital to get to know the Animal Health Technician students on rotations, teaching, sharing about the Lord, and helping with staff Bible studies.  We also have a great opportunity to participate in a local AWANA program which is just getting started.  Finally, we will be spending time in the outlying village of Lokaleng assisting with the Sunday church service, going door to door, and hopefully showing the Jesus film. 

There is also a chance that we can get out and do a couple vaccine clinics for dogs and cats in the rural villages and maybe host a cattle health day for deworming, vaccines, tick control, and general check-ups.  These types of events not only help control disease in animals, but also help reduce disease risk for the villagers, since many diseases, such as rabies, are spread by animals.

After we finish in Mafikeng, I'll be taking the vet students on safari for a few days so I thought I'd share a few photos from my trip to South Africa last May so you have an idea of what the area is like. 

Please pray for us as we travel that we would all stay healthy, that we would form beneficial relationships with those we meet, and that God would use our hands and our words so share His love and good news to everyone we encounter.

April Prayer Letter

Spring is coming!  In Skagit County the snow geese and swans are heading north and the tulips are on their way.  It always seems, as the seasons change, I’m eager and excited for the next to arrive.  As much as I love all the cozy aspects of winter like hot chai lattes, fragrances of cinnamon and cloves, holiday baking, and sitting in front of the fire, all the emerging daffodils and tulips, warm weather, and budding trees have me longing to get out into the garden and get started on barn/farm projects.  Any special projects you are looking forward to starting this spring?

This spring and summer will also bring many trips and training opportunities related to my move to South Africa.  Over the last two months I’ve had several opportunities to speak including Christian Veterinary Mission (CVM) meetings at the Western Veterinary Conference and a middle school assembly/chapel at Northshore Christian Academy in Mukilteo.  You can probably imagine I was a bit nervous before the talk I gave at Northshore, since middle schoolers are a new demographic for me, but the kids were great and seemed to enjoy the talk I gave on different ways to think about poverty.

This month, I’m attending a Health, Agriculture, Culture, and Community conference put on by ECHO.  Their mission is “to reduce hunger and improve lives through agricultural training and resources” and my attendance at this conference is sponsored by MedSend (the organization who will pay my student loan payments while I’m in Africa).  Then, shortly after I get back from ECHO I’ll be heading down to South Africa for 2 weeks with a team of vet students from Purdue on a short term mission trip.  A week after we return I’m off to a Training of Trainers course put on by CVM and then there is one more conference (Orientation for Medical Missions: Preparing the Medical Missionary) to attend in August to finish off my crazy spring and summer.

Please pray that the Lord would watch over me through all these trips and keep me energized and open to learning new things.

If you happen to be in the Fort Myers, FL area April 27-May 2 or near Abingdon, VA during Aug 14-17 it would be great to get together while I’m in town.  Please let me know if you will be around then and would like to meet up!

March Prayer Letter

First, on an exciting note, last month I received an additional 10% of the monthly support needed before I can head to South Africa so now just $250 more a month will get me to the half-way point! 

Over the past few months I’ve shared with you my vision to serve the Lord in South Africa and wanted to take a moment to tell you a bit more about the sending agency who is helping me with all the details. 

Christian Veterinary Mission (CVM) was founded in 1976 to help organize and support veterinarians wanting to serve the Lord overseas.  At that time, most mission boards didn’t understand the valuable role that veterinary medicine could play in missions and so Dr. Dorminy, a Christian veterinarian from Georgia, decided to found CVM.  With the help of many other veterinarians around the county CVM quickly got off and running to help veterinarians find places and positions to serve throughout the world. They understood that veterinary clinical skills could help foster relationships, gain entrance to many otherwise closed countries, and improve the animal husbandry skills of those living in 3^rd world countries.

Shortly thereafter, CVM joined the Crista Family of Ministries, a large non-profit organization based in Lynwood, WA.  Crista’s ministries reach nearly 8 million people in over 30 countries worldwide and include World Concern, CVM, several Christian radio stations, two kid’s camps in WA, senior living programs, and several schools.  With Crista’s support, CVM has grown to include not only overseas missions, but also Veterinary Christian Fellowship groups at vet schools, fellowship opportunities at veterinary continuing education conferences, Real Life Real Impact vet student conferences, workplace ministry tools, the Loveline pet memorial program, the Animal Impact gift guide, and the yearly ShortCourse conference for veterinarians.

               

This is my favorite description of CVM’s mission - “The mission of CVM is to equip workers in over 30 countries to be instruments of Christ’s love and to express that love through their skill in veterinary medicine. Every year, thousands of people around the world struggle to survive because they don't have the right knowledge, skills and resources to care for their animals.  CVM veterinarians live and work alongside these people in 30 countries to encourage and provide them with not only much needed veterinary expertise, but also the hope that is only found in Christ. Christian veterinarians also serve through the profession here at home, demonstrating Christ's love in word and deed.”

Through CVM:

·         23,855 people heard the gospel message.

·         3,969 people accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

·         6,130 people have been involved in discipleship relationships.

·         229,726 people were challenged to live lives of worship.

·         28,999 hours were spent training individuals in animal health.

·         571,510 livestock were treated

If you are like me, you always wonder about the money.  Where is it going and how wisely is it being used?  Because CVM is non-profit and deals with many donations, they participate in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability and in Charity Navigator, who gives them a 4 star rating in finances and accountability/transparency. Over 85% of the money donated to CVM goes directly to its relief and development and only 1% goes to management of the organization.

I’m so excited to partner with CVM over the next few years and be involved in the many ways they are helping to change lives through the combination of Christ and veterinary medicine.

Also, I’ve started making and selling paracord collars, leashes, and survival bracelets to help raise funds to meet my one-time expenses.  Over 14 sold so far!  The favorites are those made in Seahawks’ green and

blue, but I also have WSU and UW colors as well as many others. To check them out or order one for your pet please visit www.etsy.com/shop/gospeakliveboldly. 

February Prayer Letter

Dear friends and family, What a joy it is to have fellowship with other believers and worship together! As I write this, I am attending and speaking at a Real Life Real Impact conference for veterinary students. These events are put on by Christian Veterinary Mission all across the county. Ours was held at Miracle Ranch in WA and drew students from WSU, OSU, Western in CA, and UC Davis. We had a wonderful time of worship, prayer, talks focused on our calling in Christ, vaccinating/deworming the camp’s horses, and roasting s’mores by the campfire. Now I smell thoroughly of smoke!

I had the privilege, again, of giving one of the seminars and focused on every Christian’s calling to missions. Many of the vet students here are looking forward to participating in either short-term or long-term missions in the future so it was great to give them a bit more inspiration. One vet student came up to me afterwards mentioning that she had never realized that she could combine her passions for veterinary medicine and teaching together overseas so now she is excited about the possibilities.

You can probably imagine that the students’ favorite part of the weekend was the equine clinic. They did physical exams, vaccinated, and dewormed all 35 or so horses at Miracle Ranch and then the students had a chance to practice taking several different leg and head x-rays on the horses. Thankfully, this year was much warmer than last year when it snowed!

It never ceases to amaze me how refreshing it is to be surrounded by other Christian vets and vet students; to hear the inspiring stories of how faith can be combined with our practice of medicine. I was also encouraged in my support raising efforts by several former overseas CVM workers and feel excited to continue on towards the goal. Currently, about 30% of my monthly need is covered so only 70% more to go till I can leave for South Africa and start teaching! If you would like to join with me in reaching out to the students at North-West University in South Africa through monthly or yearly reoccurring gifts, please go to www.cvmusa.org/quam and click on the green “donate” button or just get in touch with me.