From the Field
Updates from Luke Society Ministries
Bamenda, Cameroon
Heavy Rains Flood Rivers
Getting to Dr. Paul Atem’s outreach clinic involves crossing a dangerous river in a not-so-stable canoe. The last time Dr. Vogel visited the ministry, he brought life jackets to donate to the ministry. Unfortunately, Dr. Atem sent an email on October 3 saying that heavy rains caused the river to flood and carry away all the canoes that were docked on the river’s banks. “It happened at night so there was no loss of life,” Dr. Atem wrote. “There was massive erosion of the banks of the river. The rains have been particularly heavy this year causing several floods in many areas of Cameroon. We have one more month of rain and then the dry season.” When the dry season comes, Dr. Atem will resume the construction of the new ministry center in Okwala.
Freetown, Sierra Leone
Elections Bring Tension
Luke Society director in Sierra Leone, Paul Kpanabom, is concerned about the political stability of his country, which held elections in early August. “The elections are over, but we still need prayers because the country is not safe,” he wrote. “The outgoing government and the newly elected one are almost at each other’s throats. The next three months will be critical to watch as violence could so easily break out and make us unstable again.”
Orissa, India
Cholera Outbreak Hits Ministry Villages
On August 28, Dr. Pushpa Rout reported devastating news about two young girls who were attending the Luke Society supported Similiguda Tailoring Centre. The school was set up after the tsunami to teach job skills. After attending school all week, the girls left on Friday to bring their rations home to their families. On the way home, they began having severe diarrhea and vomiting. On Saturday, Sarita, who was only 14 years old, collapsed and died in her home. “So the villagers panicked and took the other girl named Radha, 15 years old, to the government hospital, which is nearly 40 miles away,” Dr. Pushpa wrote. Sadly, the girl died on the way to the hospital.
After hearing about these events, Dr. Pushpa and her husband, Rev. Prem, rushed to Similiguda and arrived there Sunday morning. “We found that many more people in the area were suffering from acute diarrhea and vomiting,” wrote Dr. Pushpa. “Soon we heard that an outbreak of a gastrointestinal disorder was prevailing in the area, but read in the newspaper that it was cholera, spreading epidemically in the mountain districts!”
Immediately, they began visiting all the ministry villages, teaching them how to protect themselves and not to be scared. “We purchased bags of bleaching powder and sprayed around their living areas,” she wrote. “We also distributed chlorine tablets to disinfect their drinking water.” Dr. Pushpa lost another friend, a pastor, who was preaching in a neighboring village and became ill with cholera and died.
Please join us in thanking God for Dr. Pushpa’s quick response to the outbreak and pray for those who have lost loved ones and for those who are still ill.
Palawan, Philippines
Ministry Director is Invited to Serve Community
Dr. Susie Cayaon is relieved that a new mayor has been elected in their ministry village of Quezon. The new mayor is eager to support the work of the Luke Society and to revitalize the community. Dr. Susie has been invited to serve on a new town planning council as a representative of the NGOs (non-government organizations). “It is a rare opportunity for me to be involved this way,” she said. “Please pray that Christ will be magnified in my life as I function with the rest of the team.”
On a lighter – but slightly scary – note, an unwelcome visitor came to Dr. Susie’s church service on Sunday. As they were worshipping, a python dropped from the ceiling onto the pulpit! Everyone screamed and ran out of the church while some brave men took care of the situation. Praise God everyone was safe!
N’Dali, Benin
Children’s Newsletter Spreads Gospel
Dr. Martin Luther Osse subscribes to a children’s newsletter that contains plays, evangelistic stories, comic strips and culture stories. “We distribute these newsletters each quarter to the children we work with,” Dr. Osse says. Among these children are some Muslims. “With these children, we go through the newsletters together, helping them with the activities and act out the play. We notice that it is a door which the Lord opens for us to these people who, for a long time, have been closed to the Gospel. We pray that these visits with the children will form a permanent club in which the children will be able to begin their adventure with Jesus.”
Jinotepe, Nicaragua
Nutrition Program Needed in Communities
Drs. Francisco and Reyna Moraga recently visited ten communities to assess the nutritional state of 200 children. Each child was weighed and measured. “Every year, during the months of February to May, the lack of food increases,” Francisco explains. “The children are affected by this, having a low weight. We compared their weight from March to May and found that the percentage of malnourished children rose from 33% to 44%.” They found 43% of the children to be malnourished. Each child within the program was given nutritional supplement to improve their health.
The Moragas are concerned with the rise in malnutrition, but also are concerned about the quality of life of several of their trained health promoters. “There are two promoters who have gone away to work outside of their community like domestic servants due to the conditions of poverty in their families,” Francisco wrote. “In these periods, the community is lacking because the promoters are not teaching preventions of diseases or promotion of health.” Some health promoters have even traveled to other countries to find work. Please pray for the Moragas, that the response to their nutrition program would be positive and that they would have wisdom in knowing how to respond to the needs of the health promoters.
Irian Jaya, Indonesia
Translation Needed for Literacy Program
In order to reach the illiterate in remote ministry villages, Dr. Julius Surjadi and his right-hand-man, Julius Agimbau, are translating material into Wolani. The books are not only translated into Wolani, but Agimbau is also recording his voice. “The purpose for recording the voice is to help them understand how it is written and how to read it well,” Dr. Julius explained. “So, through this program, not only will they be introduced to the Gospel, but they will also improve their reading skills in their own language.”