Sunday Cook with her Great Grandmother, Lila Koerner.

Pictured here are two women who are very important to me.  They are the oldest and the youngest members of our family.  My mother will be 95 in  December and my youngest granddaughter is not yet three.  As I spend this evening catching up some blog posts,  I am thinking about the long travel which will soon be upon me and the days I  invest yearly for this ministry the Lord has given.  Days with these two and all of our family are very precious and fleeting. Please pray for me as I seek the best balance among all the needs  of others in my life and the simple pleasures of sharing their lives. 

Medical Clinics in Nepal 2014

As I write this entry,  I am preparing to return to Nepal, less than a month since  the trip to  Burundi, Africa.  I am feeling a significant sense of urgency.  In actual fact, everything is on schedule, but  the departure day rushes towards me.  The medical clinics are a very important part of our ministry. It is perhaps the most effective, focused evangelism that we do.    As the people wait to see the doctor, our team has teachers telling the gospel  story with a flip chart of  Bible pictures.  Pastors move through the people-- meeting them, talking with them, building relationships that will bring them back  to the church later on. They pray with those who are open to that-- and many are.  At night,  the big screen goes up and the  Jesus video is shown over and over to people who  sit fully  focused on the story. We bring medical care to people who might-- because of distance and inability to pay-- never see a doctor.  Their  spiritual needs are just as great as the physical needs and for those who are ready to receive it-- the need is filled. The churches  grow after the medical clinics have some to their  village. Seeing the doctor, gives  a Hindu a reason to step into the church.  He meets the pastor and he gets some needed care and medicine from the doctor. At the end of the day, we have distributed a lot of vitamins, acetaminophen, antibiotic ointments and antacids. Most of the complaints are not life threatening-- but we usually do screen some  conditions that need  serious or ongoing treatment and we refer them to places where they can receive help with at least the first step in the process done.  Medical clinics are busy and tiring, but very satisfying to know that the Lord will multiply and use the investment  for His glory. 

Allow Ministry in Burundi, Africa

Burundi is a small and very poor country in southern  Africa. It has been a part of  Allow ministry for many years, but it is time now for  Michael and me to step up our involvement.   We sponsor children in a school for the  deaf and a school for the blind. We fund individual teaching sessions for Timothy  Bible  School in order to invest training in pastors.  And-- there is a delightful ministry called, "Rainbow Center," that  looks for foster grandmothers to care for orphaned and abandoned babies.  We sponsor the babies which greatly enhances the chances of a woman accepting them for care.
The weather in  Burundi was cool and very comfortable during our visit in  September 2014.  We enjoyed getting to know the  Burundi partners and the  American missionaries live and serve on the compound. We saw all of the  schools and other ministries in  progress  and updated our sponsorship records.  A member of our team  taught a session in the Timothy Bible School and three men  traveled to a more remote village area  to teach and preach for three days. Many  needs were apparent, yet the partners made good use of the resources they had.  It was a joy to see and learn of the growth over recent years and the vision for the future. Please pray for this little nation.  It has suffered war and poverty. It is land locked and surrounded by all kinds of threats-- but the  Lord is drawing out a people for His Name from  Burundi.

Sharing the Word with Guatemala

Guatemala is a regular destination for  Allow.  In June 2014, a team  traveled to the Central  American country and invested another week to serving and discipling.  After making trips to  Africa and  Asia, it is amazing to think about how close this country is to the United  States.  We built a kitchen to be used by the  Elder Home on the mission compound and also for preparing meals for the feeding centers.  We helped care for handicapped children. We taught God's Word in the orphanage and in churches and in the villages. 

Children of Ghana

Allow  The  Children has expanded to the west African nation of Ghana.  We made the initial trips in  January  to see whether there was something compatible with  Allow.  There WAS.  We found a  school ministry, managed and funded under a local  church. Like  our other ministries, there are strong believers  working who know how to reach and minister to their own people. Allow stepped in and funded  some remodeling of the small kitchen to enable better nutrition. Better food means better attendance.  We  provided uniforms for the children who  were not able to buy them.  We  provided books and consumable materials.  And-- we have set up a  sponsorship program to give some ongoing  financial help to this  school.  In return, we are expecting to see some educated and  gospel grounded Ghananian believers rising up from among  beggars and street venders and vegetable sellers.   

One of our board members and two members from his church traveled to Ghana in  June 2014.  They  taught and preached, worked on a building project, visited in homes and distributed gifts and school supplies to the children.