THE GAMBIA UPDATES

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night   

Psalm 92:1-2

Dear Prayer Partners,

God has been gracious to the Gambia 2023 GHO team and He deserves all praise, honor and glory for His steadfast love and faithfulness.

God guided and directed the team's service in The Gambia and we give thanks to the Lord and sing praises to His name, O Most High !

The team served extremely well. It was humbling to see the Spirit unify the team and mobilize us to love and serve in Jesus' name.

There were many seen in the clinic who were broken and afflicted. The team was  inundated with special need cases as there was a damaging social media post that went viral. This caused false expectations and increased heartache for those that came to clinic anticipating help we could not deliver. Nonetheless, the Lord in His mercy is possibly opening doors that some may get the help that they need. God's presence is so apparent that it is  impossible to record or describe the power and the movement of the Holy Spirit in His kingdom work.

The team thanks you for your faithfulness, love and prayer support.

You were on this journey with us and any seeds planted or fruit harvested is because the Lord has chosen us all to be His vessels.

Please remain in prayer for the servants who remain in The Gambia and who follow up by watering those seeds  and discipling those the Father has called to Jesus.

1) Pray that the Team's time in Gambia has been one of ongoing transformation despite getting back into the rigors of life in America.

2) Pray for thankful hearts in each of us as we celebrate what God has done in us and through us for His glory.

3) Pray that the Lord would mightily water seeds and  bring a harvest to Himself for those who Jesus touched in The Gambia.

4) Pray for all of the special needs that touched our hearts  throughout the week, especially those we are trying to help in follow up.

5) Pray for Pastor Bidwell and his church (CUCC) as they continue to shine Jesus' light in a dark land.

There are some Stats attached that are estimates of people who came through the clinic, including children.

This hardly reflects the exponential love and care poured out to each and every one of them by each team member

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Romans 15:13

God's peace and love to you all in the name of Jesus.

Frank

4.28.23

Thank you dear prayer partners for your steadfast prayer support, trusting you will remain in prayer until your loved ones reach home.

The team has finished well, although actually, now is just the beginning of how the Lord will use the impact of this week in the lives of the team.

The clinic began and ended with the total team (Gambians and Americans) singing, praying and giving thanksgiving. 

We did need to turn people away today but the national police helped  the team give out tylenol, vitamins and a few other OTC meds to those who were still on the other side of the wall. Some people waited days to get into the clinic and had travelled as far as 6-8 hours away to be seen.

There is a correction on the reason why we saw an absolute deluge of serious diseases and an onslaught of critical cases. It was not the national TV that misinformed the population. It was social media! Posts on Tic-Toc, twitter and FB went viral stating that the Americans would be providing for advanced care and providing access, provision and resources to  travel internationally  for all those cases that could not be taken care of in the country. It was disastrous for us and for the poor people who had their hopes crushed to finally get the care they needed. Their devastating heartache was our opportunity to stand in the gap and share Jesus' love and the promise of eternal life, which Muslims have zero hope for.

The final hour was spent giving God praise , honor and glory for the work He accomplished during the week. He  tilled the soil and prepared the hearts of  those who would hear Jesus proclaimed. May the harvest be to the kingdom advance in The Gambia.

Please pray for our final team meeting in the morning. The team will be commissioned to fully surrender to the call of the Holy Spirit in their lives to be more bold and courageous in their witness and disciple making back home, This week has been a training ground for the more difficult mission field back in America -where witness and discipleship in our families, neighborhoods, churches and communities is desperately needed.

The team has excelled in God's kingdom call to serve in The Gambia. These last 10 days is a testimony to the supernatural  working of the Holy Spirit doing things that  man in his own  volition  would never or could never do or accomplish. All Glory to Jesus - may we all be more in love with Him for His faithfulness to us, allowing us the privilege to serve Him and His people in The Gambia.

The 2023 GHO GAMBIA TEAM

4.28.23

Hello Dear Prayer Partners,

The week is quickly coming to a close and it has been very full in so  many different, wonderful, and hard ways.

This morning began with a visit from the United States Ambassador to the Gambia. She came to the hotel early this morning before we left for the clinic to express her thanks and appreciation for our service. After a brief time of sharing with the Ambassador, we prayed with her and for her.

It was a nice honor to visit with the Ambassador, but we consider our daily call to be  ambassadors for the King of Kings a greater privilege each day proclaiming His name and his gospel of grace.

Each part of the clinic has been excelling and the team is serving extremely well despite significant  challenges and difficulties.

The Gambia has extremely limited healthcare access and resources and the majority of care we take for granted in the USA does not exist here in this country nor does it exist even in this region of Africa. The severity of disease and the vast amount of it is unprecedented on a short term mission trip.

We learned that the national television advertised that the team would care for all those who could not be helped by the Gambian government or the Gambian healthcare system. They advertised  that the team would provide care and resources for international treatment and logistics as well as provide funding and sponsorship for it as well. 

People are coming from all over the country with end stage disease, organ failure, advanced cancers, congenital heart diseases, major orthopedic and neurological diseases and injuries that clearly we have minimal  ability to attend to. However, we do have the power of prayer and the sovereign Lord who is the Great Physician calling those out of darkness and despair. We are thankful this year that we scheduled the trip the week after Ramadan so we are seeing a huge majority of the Muslim population . We are blessed to have Dr. Mariatou Jallow working with us- a national doctor who knows the paucity of care available  and the broken referral system to get people the help they need out of the country. It basically does not exist. She had been the Minister of Heath in the country several years ago. She is a Godly woman and a high profile doctor who serves her people so well.

GHO has started a water filter system outreach and we brought filters this year that if properly used and cared for last a lifetime and will serve several households at a time. We delivered filters today to a prison, school, and market and will continue with these filters as an evangelical tool the church can use to reach people for the true Living Water that is in Jesus Christ.

Pray for our last day on Friday. It tends to be a very difficult, emotional day where the desperation to be seen in the clinic comes to a climax and the need to turn people away is heartbreaking. We pray to have a closing service of praise and thanksgiving for what the Lord has been able to accomplish this week and to celebrate the fruit of His work in and through us. We will commission the local churches to follow up on the souls that have been evangelized, discipled and who have made professions of Faith. The real work for the church  continues when we leave following up on  the work the Holy Spirit has begun in many hearts and souls.

There are a few photos attached and we will send more very soon.

Our work still continues so please be intentional in persistent prayer. 

You are vital team members and we are thankful for your love and support,

The Gambia 2023 GHO Team 

4.26.23

DEAR PRAYER PARTNERS

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!  Psalm 96:3

God has privileged us in His grace and providence with gifts and provisions undeserved of redeemed sinners. There is devastating poverty and despair among the people of  nations in the majority of the world and we are blessed to know God's grace, salvation and abundance through the grace of Jesus Christ.

The crowds remained unmanageable today; in fact, they were so difficult we refused to start the clinic and serve until there was some semblance of order as it was potentially dangerous for the hosts partners and the team. The national police were finally able to control the crowds and we proceeded with a very difficult day.

There was an unusual amount of disease and illness seen today  and  several emergencies that seemed  for a while we were running a mini-triage hospital. We had people laying on the floor as even tables to use for treatment were at a premium.

God brought heartbreaking cases including acute and emergent surgical cases as well as established, known  diseases that needed urgent attention that could not be cared for in the country. We saw a true hermaphrodite Muslim child that was so very difficult to navigate because of  family, cultural, social, medical, surgical, ethical issues at hand and they are in need of full support, love and compassion which they will not receive unless the church comes along side of them and Jesus intervenes. Pray for him and the family.

We are blessed to have ultrasound and physical therapy. Our pediatric dentist and 2 dental hygienists are running a fabulous clinic and are doing remarkable work with high demand that far surpasses their capacity Childrens ministry is touching many young hearts and Muslim moms know the gospel is being presented, although a few safeguard their children from the Truth.

The Eyeglass clinic is very busy  doing exceptional work and the pharmacy is keeping an excellent pace with the high demand of prescriptions.

Most importantly Evangelism, witness and prayer for everyone permeates through the clinic as does the Holy Spirit. Pray for the seeds that are being planted and watered. God gets all glory for any increase to His Kingdom advance.

The few photos are the team roughing at our beachside hotel, emergent cases on the floor and a 4 year old with a massive hernia.

Pray that tomorrow  the team will  continue to serve and labor with joy and that Jesus and His gospel of grace will be proclaimed and received well. 

Good night - thank you all for your partnership, love and support,

The Gambia 2023 GHO Team

4.24.23

Hello Prayer Partners,

We thank the Lord for His steadfast love and goodness. He continues to demonstrate His grace to the team. The last team members have finally arrived today and we are thankful for Ced and Irene , our Physical Therapists, to be on board. They jumped right into service today after arriving this morning at 3 AM.

Yesterday we celebrated worship with the nationals in a national worship celebration which was held at an outdoor arena. Over 3000 people came together to celebrate the unified body of Christ in the Gambia. There is a pastors alliance of 100 churches and a core group of 10 meet every week to pray, and mobilize discipleship and outreach to the 98 % population of Muslims . It was a wonderful service giving praise and honor and glory to Jesus the King

The first day of the clinic today was very busy; not unexpected . There were several hundred people waiting for us when we arrived at 8:30 AM. They began arriving around 4 AM from distant parts of the region. The church mobilized their servants and interpreters well and the community and government came together to help with some logistics , especially crowd control. We had the national police serve with us and they were tested by the crowds.

There were several urgent cases and emergencies that came through the gate early in the morning and praise God we were able to get some guidance and direction in caring for them and properly referring them for emergency care.It is frustrating at times serving in a Third World healthcare system that is resource poor and has a disordered system of healthcare delivery.

The team worked long and hard (11 hours) and witnessed well to hundreds , seeing the Holy Spirit move in mighty ways. We are thankful for God's grace and the joy we have in seeing Jesus proclaimed and the Gospel shared .

We anticipate unmanageable crowds all week. There have been national TV and radio crews on site and the clinic was announced during the National Worship service yesterday. We hope to see a majority of the lost who are in the bondage of Isla*m but delight also in taking care of those who know and love Jesus . We have very little push back or resistance praying with or for the Muslims but we never take for granted the challenge that they have being lost in a culture of lies and darkness.

We thank you team for your love and support. We are confident that the gates of hell will not prevail and that Jesus delights in the glory given to Him by the advance of His gospel. We continue to covet your prayer and we take great comfort knowing that you are back home lifting us up to the throne of grace

God's peace and love in the name of Jesus

The Gambia Team 2023

4.22.23

Dear Prayer Partners

“Oh, that I could spend every moment of my life to God’s glory! ”—David Brainerd

God is good and He is faithful, His love endures forever—we see evidence of His sovereign love and goodness all the time.

The majority of the team arrived last evening and all but one piece of luggage arrived with us. Pray for the missing Dental chair that never left American soil and prayerfully will be here tomorrow. There are 6 team members still in route and 4 will arrive very late tonight ( actually super early Sunday morning (1:30 AM ) Our Physical Therapists, Ced and his wife Irene got held up in Lisbon because security had issues with their supplies , especially trying to get the walkers onto the plane. They missed their connection because of the tedious interruption, inspection and delay Pray they will not be delayed much past that very early flight that arrives at 1:30 AM (–Monday morning for them)

The team is already united in the bond of the Holy Spirit because they prepared well in the Lord . Two team meetings have already been celebrations in the Lord and for the Lord . The team got a great jumpstart on setting up clinic today and we will finish tomorrow setting up dental , medical, pharmacy , eyeglasses , children’s ministry and physical therapy. We are using the Glory Baptist primary school on the grounds of its church which is in the heart of a Muslim neighborhood. The headmaster has arranged for the school to be off all week—we scheduled this week because Ramadan has just finished and the Muslims won’t be restricted in coming to clinic Last year, We were here during Ramadan last year and we saw over 3,000 people. It is not about numbers –it is about touching them with the love of Jesus and proclaiming His Good News of salvation though His redeeming grace

We will have joint worship service in the morning with several churches and will let you know what that looks like on next update ! We are thankful for our national partners—Pastor Mendy has done a good job mobilizing his church servants to come along side of us and serve together as one. Many of them we served with last year—we trust those seeds will continue to grow, be watered and may God yield His elected harvest for His glory.

Thank you for your love and support . We are comforted and strengthened knowing our team back home is standing in the gap. Please be intentional interceding for us as we are confident the Holy Spirit will continue to move mightily as we serve.

The pictures: sunset in the Gambia, a before picture of the clinic/school and pill counting and prep in pharmacy