Water, what a precious commodity

Water is such an amazing element. It can bring misery and death in the form of floods, droughts or disease. Or it can be a life-giving force. Through out the developing world clean drinking water is often scarce. Worldwide, over 1 billion people do not have access to clean water which ultimately results in approximately 3.5 million deaths per year.

Our friend Dan is currently in Sierra Leone helping their situation. He arrived in February with a well drilling rig with the goal of staying a few months and digging a few wells. This is what he is trying to remedy: The first picture is

just a small example of where many people in the world get their water. This picture was taken in Moribatown, Sierra Leone, a village about 20 miles south of Mokanji hospital (where we hope to be next year). The first well was dug in Moribatown on the grounds of one of the schools that Global Outreach Missions helps support. You can see the radiant smiles full of hope on the school children enjoying the flow of clean water. Dan is in the process of digging a well at the hospital site.

In addition to helping deliver clean water to Sierra Leone the goal is also to tell them of the living water.

John 4:13-15 Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

How do they do it?

How do the moms and dads in Sierra Leone do it? How to they cope when their kids are sick?

This past weekend Josiah was sick with a fever and stomach flu and Lydia is getting multiple teeth in which makes her cranky and gives her rank diarrhea (i.e. both her mouth and butt hurt). Thankfully with our medical background and a Walgreens on every corner we knew what to do for them and had no problem getting Tylenol, Motrin, diaper cream, pedialyte and whatever food Josiah would try to eat. Yet, still the way that Josiah just quietly laid around (far from his usual energizer bunny talkative self) and Lydia's pitiful cry when her teeth started to hurt or when you changed her diaper was just heartbreaking. While I'm sure that the Mom's in Sierra Leone are quite resourceful with natural remedies there must be times when they feel completely helpless.

This is where faith in Christ and Mokanji hospital can make a difference. While us going to Sierra Leone is not going to cure every illness and ailment, we CAN make a difference. We can show and share the love of Christ and the knowledge that He is the great physician. The radical transformation that Christ can make in their lives. That He can work miracles and that He has also sent us to share with the people of Sierra Leone our medical knowledge and medicines.

Just a little thought from this weekend.

Sierra Leone Update

So, just a little update on how things are progressing in Sierra Leone and at Mokanji hospital. Since the end of 2009 Global Outreach Mission (GOM) and a partner, Let Them Laugh Out Loud (LTLOL) have been working on a clean water project in Sierra Leone. In mid-February the drilling rig arrived in Sierra Leone and the end of February a short-term team from the States arrived and dug the first well at a school in Moribatown. This well can deliver up to 10 gallons of clean water a minute!! What an amazing blessing. The school children and surrounding villagers now have access to clean water and with further education on sanitation and hand washing it is expected that the indence of diarrhea and waterborne illnesses will decrease.

Work on Mokanji hospital is also progressing. During the construction the two nurses and community health worker currently at Mokanji are doing what they can with minimal supplies and support out of a local house. A well is also being dug on the hospital grounds. We are continuing to pray that the work continues without any issues and are looking forward to working with these dedicated workers.

Spring 2010 support letter

Spring 2010 Support Letter

Dear Friends,


How has God been working in your life lately? There has been no shortage of God working in our lives. Over the past several months God has been slowly revealing His amazing plan for our future. It has also included many steps of faith. The first development is that we are expecting baby #3 the first week in August. So far, Sandy has been feeling fine except for tired from running after a very active Josiah and increasingly active Lydia. Also, this past month we put our condo on the market and trust that if God wants us to sell, He will bring the right buyer at the right time. Selling would give us a lot of financial and locational flexibility and would be necessary before we can go to Sierra Leone. Where would we live if we sell? Just another step of faith. One option would be New Orleans. Jeneson was recently accepted to the Diploma program in Tropical Medicine at Tulane University. This is one of the few Tropical Medicine programs in the country and a great opportunity for Jeneson to take first-rate courses in tropical medicine and public health as we prepare for Sierra Leone. He will be a full-time student from the end of August to mid-December.


God has also been at work through Global Outreach Mission (GOM). GOM has recently been working on a water project in Sierra Leone. The beginning of February saw the delivery of a well drilling rig to Freetown, Sierra Leone. In fact, our good friend Dan, after hearing us talk so much about GOM and their work in Sierra Leone, decided to partner with GOM and is currently there until July working with the well drilling rig and digging wells at the hospital site and some of the local schools and churches. Recently a short-term team from the States helped dig the first well at a school in Moribatown. The pictures of the children enjoying the fresh water are priceless. The work on Mokanji hospital has also begun.


So, what is the next step for us? While we continue to patiently wait for God’s next work in our lives we continue to faithfully seek out support. In addition to the situations mentioned above, we are asking for prayer for the people of Sierra Leone, that God would make their hearts fertile to hear the amazing story of the Gospel. We are also praying for Dan and his work with the water project and financial and material provisions for the construction work on Mokanji hospital. Additionally, we are still in need of people to step out in faith with us and support us financially. A big THANK YOU to those who have already given and to those who have partnered with us regularly. We need to obtain 100% support before we can go to minister to the people of Sierra Leone. One-time financial gifts are greatly appreciated, but we are asking for people to share our vision for the people of Sierra Leone and pledge $50-$100/month. Will you partner with us?


Please use the enclosed prayer card to indicate your willingness to support us and mail it back to GOM. If you have any questions or want to know more about how God is leading us, please do not hesitate to contact us. Sandy is going to try to update our blog (http://abrahamadventures.blogspot.com) more frequently so you can keep up with us in between our prayer letters. You can find more information and pictures from the most recent trip to Sierra Leone there.


Proverbs 16:3 Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.


Blessed,
Jeneson and Sandy Abraham
Josiah and Lydia

Christmas 2009

Christmas 2009

Well, it’s that time of the year again. Once again we find ourselves busy with decorating, family visits, and shopping for gifts while trying to keep the focus on the reason for it all – the birth of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

This year has just flown by. My how time flies when you are having fun and boy have we had some fun and adventure this year. Here is a quick recap. We spent the first 5 months of the year living with Jeneson’s parents in India. We left the frigid Illinois weather for the warmth of Mumbai the beginning of January and really were not sad to miss the bone chilling weather that those in the Midwest experienced during this past winter. We had a great time living with Jeneson’s parents and the kids got to know their Appachan & Ammachi (Grandpa & Grandma), Minie Aunty and cousins Jenny & Jonnathan. Jeneson also had a wonderful time spending time and catching up with his family; he hadn’t spent this much time with them in more than 20 years. While there were some difficult times, overall it was an amazing experience. We got to do a little travelling while in India. We spent some time in Kerala, which is in southwest India where Jeneson’s parents are originally from and where Jeneson was born. Despite all four of us sleeping in a double bed and lots of time driving, we enjoyed meeting all the relatives and the beautiful scenery and backwaters of Kerala. We also took a family vacation, just the four of us, to Goa, a sunny beach tourist area. It was incredibly relaxing playing in the sand and taking sunset walks on the beach every day.

We returned to reality the end of May. God is awesome and provided in every way for us. When Jeneson left for India, he had told his practice that he was quitting, but they value him and wanted to treat January – May as a leave of absence. He restarted working for Metro Infectious Disease Consultants on June 1st. He was very grateful to not have to start a job search and has been quite busy at work recently.

June also brought us more clarity to what God has for our future. Jeneson and I spent a couple of days in Buffalo, NY with the staff of Global Outreach Mission (www.missiongo.org) and were officially accepted as missionary candidates to Sierra Leone. We are excited about where God is taking us and are currently support raising with a goal to be there in about a year. Hopefully, you have received a support letter that details where we are going and why, but if you haven’t please let us know and we will be happy to get one to you.

The rest of this year has been fairly uneventful. The kids are growing like weeds; Josiah celebrated his 3rd birthday and Lydia had her 1st birthday in September. We had a cozy party at my parent’s house on what seemed to be the last 70 degree day of the year. Josiah talks nonstop and has more questions in a day than I can answer. Lydia runs and climbs all over the place and is trying to keep up with her big brother in the talking category. My goal for this winter is to keep my sanity while staying warm inside with 2 very active kids. We might have to start Josiah in Awana and see what classes the park district offers as a way to burn off some of their abundant energy.

We know that God will show Himself faithful in the upcoming year and are anxious to see what He will reveal for our future as we know there are many more adventures ahead. We pray as this year comes to a close that all is well with everybody and would love to hear from you all.

Blessed,
Jeneson, Sandy, Josiah, & Lydia Abraham
missionpa@sbcglobal.net missionnp@sbcglobal.net
708-214-3643 708-214-3655
7449 Washington St #307
Forest Park, IL 60130
http://abrahamadventures.blogspot.com

Missions

OK, so I will try not to ramble or switch topics too much since it has been almost a month since I last blogged. God is really working in our lives here in some great and anxiety-provoking ways.

As I have mentioned before, we are in the process of support raising to go over to Sierra Leone, West Africa to help start a hospital. While Jeneson and I have gone on several short-term medical mission trips, we have felt God leading us toward long-term missions. God has amazingly orchestrated connecting us to a great organization (Global Outreach Mission; www.missiongo.org) who is starting a hospital in the middle of Sierra Leone. We are excited to say that the first construction team will be going out the end of this year. They will be working on a small corner of the existing hospital building to make a clinic work area. Prayerfully, by the end of the year a well digger will also be on the ground in Sierra Leone!

One thing we have learned is patience (and God is still working on us also!). In the past it was relatively easy to support raise for our short-term trips. However, we have discovered that raising money for long-term missions is a totally different beast. God has been showing his sovereignty here also. Just when I am getting down and depressed about the pace of the support-raising, He gives me a glimmer of hope and confirmation that this IS what He has for our future. God could have us in Sierra Leone in the next week if that were His plan, however, He wants to make sure that we are prepared for our next adventure.

I am trying to learn to TOTALLY trust God for safety and provisions for our family as I know that is I will have to do that in Africa. If you have received a support letter and have some questions, please contact us. If you did not receive a letter and are interested in learn more, let me know and I will gladly get a letter in your hands. In the meanwhile, seeking and praying..........

180/182

180th out of 182 countries.
That is where Sierra Leone is situated on the United Nations Development Programme’s 2009 Human Development Report (http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/); Afghanistan and Niger are the only countries ranked lower than Sierra Leone. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN’s global development network; they advocate for change and connect countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people better their lives. The Human Development Report comes out annually and is commonly viewed as listing the best and worst places to live. In fact, the most recent headline involving this report was that the US had dropped and is now ranked the 13th best country to live in.

I looked at this list with great interest as to where our future home country falls in the rankings. As most who read this blog know, Jeneson and I (and yes, the kids too) are currently support raising to go to Sierra Leone, Africa to help start a hospital. We are extremely excited about this newest chapter in our lives and have a great burden for the people of Africa in general and specifically Sierra Leone. So, life in Sierra Leone is rough, people are still struggling 7 years after the end of the civil war. The infrastructure of the country is still in shambles, jobs are scarce, clean water is hard to find, people are struggling to rebuild their lives, their homes and provide for their families. But, with Christ, there is hope.
Global Outreach Mission (www.missiongo.org) oversees over 50 churches and 14 Christian schools. Now, they are reaching out to help provide means for clean water and health care. Prayerfully, in the next month a well digger will be put on a container ship destined for Sierra Leone and in December the first work team will depart for Sierra Leone to start work on rebuilding the hospital. Lord willing, our personal goal is to be in Sierra Leone next fall, but that is dependent on our level of support raised. We recently mailed out support letters and prayer cards and are praying that God works in the hearts of those who received them. This is hard for us, we don’t like asking for money, but are convinced that this is what God has planned for us.

Please do us a favor? If you have received a letter and card, prayerfully consider supporting us. And, if you have not received one, but are interested in support the Lord’s work in Sierra Leone, contact us and we will gladly send one out. As always, if you have any questions about us or the work in Sierra Leone let us know and we will surely talk your ear off as we are passionate about this new endeavor.