The NHMI 2011 Annual Report

Gift to the Nations

Update from NHMI President, Nathaniel Adawonu

Dear Prayer Partners and Friends,

  I have just returned from my trip to four West African countries. The trip consisted of two groups, U.S. and local. The U.S team was comprised of 13 medical personnel, including doctors, a physician assistant, a dentist, nurses and volunteers. We were also blessed with 1local doctor, 2 nurses, 1 pharmacist and 13 interpreters. In addition, 38 local church members and leaders volunteered during the clinic. We traveled together to Kpalime where the clinic was held. On Sunday the team attended worship service and were able to visit the clinic site to  set up their medical supplies for the following day. I was with the team during the 5-day clinic, organizing and coordinating activities on the ground.

Each day we began registering and doing triage of patients at 8 am and gave out the last prescriptions at 6:30pm. About 250 patients were seen and treated daily, although there were more than 3,000 who each morning were flooding to the gate of the church where the clinic was taking place to be seeing by the doctors. While the clinic was starting at 8 am, some patients came to the clinic site as early as 3:30 am in order to have opportunity to be treated.  The medical team and local volunteers tried to provide the best medical care possible to all patients. In the five days 1,200 patients were treated. More than 500 people received   public health education, while 1,500 received parasitic worm medication.  We also dispensed 111 pairs of reading glasses. The medical team worked to give patients thorough physical exams and address any concerns the patients had through one-on-one consultations. Each day, approximately 20 patients received dental treatment, mostly extraction, fillings and cleaning.

The 13 suitcases of medication that were brought were not enough, but we were able to purchase some local medications. Lab testing was done daily to help in diagnosis of diseases. The most common non-dental medical problems were: abdominal pain, diarrhea, eye infections, headache, malaria, typhoid, musculoskeletal complaints, skin rashes, sickle cell anemia, sinus and allergy problems, anemia, asthma, coughs, gerd, vision problems, chronic diabetes, chronic hypertension, arthritis, malnutrition, gynecological conditions, urinary tract infections, malnutrition and parasites.

Spiritual Side of the Clinic

-  Our church leaders shared the gospel with all the patients, including Muslims and the imam of the largest mosque of the town. 70 of patients who benefited from clinic treatment professed a saving faith in Christ.

-   Each morning, church leaders were able to preach the gospel to the crowd.

-  Church leaders gave counseling to 20 people, including couples and some individuals diagnosed with HIV.

A look at what the Lord did through the medical team

-      A young woman with an open sore, badly infected, on her jaw probably would have died if the team was not in Kpalime. She was rushed to a hospital for surgery and recovered with the help of antibiotics given to her by the team.

-      An elderly man with a badly swollen leg, originally thought to be cancerous, showed drastic improvement with antibiotics.

-      An elderly woman, ill for more than 30 years, was unable to have normal bowel movement, but was treated and started having a regular bowel movements. She vowed to give her life to Christ and to worship Him for the rest of her life.

-      More than 20 new believers joined the local church after the clinic, including 1 Muslim.

-      The imam of the area came to the clinic and was treated by our doctors. He was amazed at the love shown by Christians in treating all who were ill. 

Remarks and Evaluations

Despite of lack of hospital facilities at the clinic, medical team members, interpreters, the local organizational team and church leaders worked collaboratively to provide the best possible care for the patients. The clinic used  triage prior to patients being seen by medical personnel based on severity of their medical problems. Medications were dispensed to patients. The doctors also prayed for the patients. 

At the end of the clinic, the team visited the local hospital and a tour was given to them showing them the level of medical care available to the population in the area. The team left Kpalime very glad that their presence had brought joy, hope and the Glory of Christ to the town and its people.

We gladly confess that the success of this clinic could not have been possible without the help and prayers of our supporters. I'm so thankful to many individuals who provided generous financial support, as well as prayers during the trip. We also give thanks to many organizations, foundations and churches for their financial contributions, including medical supplies. Further more, the clinic would not have been successful without the collaboration of U.S. and local teams. To God be the Glory for the great things He has done!

Our Trip To Mali-

 Purpose: Building Relationships in the Kingdom of God

The purpose of the vision trip was for New Harvest Missions International (NHMI) and Mission to the World (MTW) to meet with and initiate a relationship with church leaders in the district of Kimparana as we jointly consider the possibility of partnership for the training of church leaders and church planting among people of Muslim background.

The team was composed of: Mamadou D. & Nathaniel A., representing NHMI, and Frank S. & David T., representing MTW. We flew to Bamako, the capital city, and spent one night there. The next morning we left Bamako, squeezing into a beat-up SUV with our luggage on the roof, and traveled 8 hours to Kimparana to meet an MTW medical team who had arrived there two days previously. We rejoiced to meet them as well as the local leadership. That evening we had dinner together and retired to sleep. The next morning, we drove about 1 hour to a village called San, accompanied by Dr. Elysee and Dr. Kuhn, to meet the District leadership team. Our meeting with them was cordial as we discussed strategic goals. The District leadership team consisted of Pastor Daniel, Chairman,  Josue Coulibaly, Vice-Chairman, and Jude Dembele, Zakary Konate, Abel Coulibaly, and Pierre Goita. 

Summation of the results of our meeting

The Lord is at work with His people in the district of San, as He is bringing thousands of people to Himself who previously were Muslims and ancestor worshippers (animists). Although Islam is gaining ground in the region, the church in San believes the Lord is on their side. Pastor Daniel reported to us: 

• There are 49 churches in the district with about 4,000 total membership.
• There are 41 ordained pastors and two Bible schools, one French and the other in the local language.
• The district has two radio stations, established Christian Missionary Alliance (CMA) missionaries many years ago, that facilitates sharing the Gospel in the district.
• The district also owns a well-respected Christian elementary school where more than 500 children are taught the Bible. Additionally there is a literacy program.

Challenges facing the church in Kimparana

The team learned of the great challenges facing the church in Kimparana, Mali, in reaching the people with the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Some of the challenges are:

• A strong need for leadership development and the training and equipping of current and future leaders for the church in Mali; most of the current leaders have little or no Bible or pastoral training.
• Help the leadership and the church with discipleship and evangelism; establish a literacy program to grow the church in spiritual maturity as well as to facilitate reaching the lost with the Word of God. 
• Provide transportation and sound systems for pastors and church planters for their outreach activities.
• Provide new equipment for the two radio stations.

Recommendations for future actions

NHMI and MTW team are in agreement that there is a good potential for a  working partnership with the church of the San district in Mali.

• A strategic plan must be developed by the interested parties in order to create a solid partnership with realistic goals.
• NHMI can help with pastoral training and leadership development through the West Africa Theological Institute (WATI).
• A leadership seminar should be organized on the topics of witnessing to Muslims and how to use chronological Bible storytelling.
• Continue to encourage mobile medical clinics in the district
• Organize another vision trip with a broader group of leaders, including agricultural experts, pastors, and micro-enterprise/micro-loan lenders in the region.

We finished our meeting with prayers and a meal, as the culture in Mali requires. We drove the next day to Bamako, including 12 hours on the road fixing our vehicle. We left Mali the next day hoping the Lord will bring us back soon to pursue a fruitful partnership in the Gospel.

Our trip to Burkina-Faso

In Burkina Faso I met with church leaders and discussed with theological professors the work they are already engaged in at a grace-oriented Bible School. We agreed that these professors can help teach in our established Francophone West African Theological Institute in Togo and Senegal.

In October of this year we will begin to work with some Reformed Francophone professors from France, Switzerland, and other parts of Africa to teach our students in Togo and Senegal. I was happy to see many old friends and colleagues whom I had not seen for over 15 years. I celebrated Easter Sunday with them and was given the opportunity to deliver the Easter Sunday message.

Our Trip to Ghana

On April 25 I left Burkina Faso for Ghana where I met with Global Evangelical  Church (GEC) leaders about our partnership relationship and renewed our Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). We prayed together and asked the Lord to bless His work in bringing His elect into the kingdom and making His invisible kingdom visible in West Africa.

 Our Gratitude

We all returned to the States with a sense that the Lord is blessing our NHMI ministry through unity of vision – built on relationships first, not institutions. We are aware of His blessing in using each one of us, with our individual gifts, to accomplish his purposes in West Africa in our generation. We are amazed at what He is doing through us for the sake of His kingdom and acknowledge daily that He is the only source of our wisdom, motivation, and leadership to do His work. We thank Him and give him praise. We also daily aware of and thankful for those He has led to help us financially in realizing our ministry vision and goals for the church in West Africa.

We thank all of you whose financial contributions and prayers made this trip a huge success. A special thanks goes to the medical clinic teams who worked in Togo and Mali. We thank as well the organizations and foundations whose names I'm not allowed to mention for their financial contributions and medical supplies. We are especially grateful to Westminster Reformed Presbyterian Church and Church of the Redeemer. Finally we thank all the church leaders in Togo, Senegal, Burkina-Faso, Mali, and Ghana who worked tirelessly to make this trip a success.

We thank all of you whose financial contributions and prayers made this trip a huge success. A special thanks goes to the medical clinic teams who worked in Togo and Mali. We thank as well the organizations and foundations whose names I'm not allowed to mention for their financial contributions and medical supplies. We are especially grateful to Westminster Reformed Presbyterian Church and Church of the Redeemer. Finally we thank all the church leaders in Togo, Senegal, Burkina-Faso, Mali, and Ghana who worked tirelessly to make this trip a success.

To God be the glory for the great things He has done!

Prayer requests:

1- Please Pray for all the churches and their Leaders in West Africa for Clear Vision, boldness and Wisdom as they are working in a very difficult environment.

2- Ivory Coast: Please continue to pray for the leadership and members of our denomination “People of the Book” for peace in the land due to unrest with regards to recent election results.

3- Gambia: For our church planting Leader Abou Camara who is now working among Fulani tribes with Muslim Background. Abou is going from village to village sharing the gospel with these people. Pray for Safety.

4- Senegal: Pray for our Leader Mamadou and the Leadership team as they are also preparing for Evangelism and church planting activities in four villages. As well as the upcoming West Africa Theological courses in the month on July.

5- Togo:

-Moses our Presbytery Chairman in Togo with four leaders will be traveling for a week for outreach and church planting among Kotokoli tribe with Muslim Background in the district of Anie. Please pray for discernment, Wisdom and safety for the team.

- Pray for the Upcoming West Africa Theological Institute Courses in the Month of July.

6- Please Continue to Pray: for the Ongoing Need of NHMI Pastors, church planters, Evangelists Support as well as Ministerial Expenses we currently in need of $ 8,000  to take care of the monthly support of all the 85 workers in the countries we are involved in.

May God use you to bring these needs before His throne for the sake of His kingdom in West Africa.

If led to contribute, please make check out to NHMI and send it to:

NHMI

9230 Ridge Road

New Port Richey, FL 34654

Please specify where you want your contribution to go on the memo of your check

Nathaniel Adawonu

President NHMI

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