Uncle David’s August Newsletter
We belong to an evangelical church but we decided to join you for Sabbath worship at the TV station today since my son has been watching your TV station at home,†said the lady as she and her little 11 year old son were leaving. “My husband died a few weeks ago from a long term disease and we are still trying to recover from the shock.â€
I invited them to sit down and talk for a few minutes. I found out that Claudia was a physician but had not practiced for some years because she was caring for her husband. They were renting a small house and have to move out soon. Her husband borrowed a car that had to be returned in a few days. They really were in a difficult position.
I asked if she would consider joining our medical team and living with us on campus and invited her to return later in the week for a visit with my wife, Aunt Becky, who heads up the medical work. A few days later Dr. Claudia did come for a visit and made the decision to join our missionary family here in Bolivia.
Though she is still recovering from the loss of her husband, God is graciously helping her put her household affairs back in order and to grow spiritually.
Two months ago, I was able to visit our Wellness Center project south of Cancun, Mexico. I also accepted a speaking invitation in Tapachula, the very city where years ago I had been placed in prison on false accusations. (You can read the story in the book “Mission Pilotâ€) At those meetings the pastor from the local Pentecostal church was present and asked to speak with me.
“Whenever I hear that the Adventists are holding a meeting, I always make plans to attend because I want to learn more about prophecy and how to prepare my church members for Jesus’ coming. I know that Adventists have a lot of information to share and we appreciate that you broadcast these meetings on radio across the state of Chiapas.â€
Over the weekend, we spent several hours talking together. I was so happy she was able to find an Adventist group that actually preaches the imminent coming of Jesus and uses the Spirit of Prophecy. It is clear to me that God is preparing His children in other churches so they will be ready to come out of Babylon and join the Advent Movement.
The big question is, ARE YOU, AM I, GETTING READY TOO?! Most church members are not ready but have been lulled into spiritual drowsiness, possibly until it is too late. THE TIME IS NOW. PLEASE ASK GOD TO PREPARE YOU TO RECEIVE HIS SEAL! The door of opportunity will soon close!
From the Front Lines,
Uncle David
A year ago my husband Clinton and I, Sheila, began our mission in the town of Ixiamas in the Bolivian Amazon. Before that time, the quarantine shut down everything and money ran out so we prayed for direction from God and He impressed our hearts to go where no one was working; a place far away where the road ends and people need God. By the time the quarantine ended, we found the road to the Amazon and the town where the road ended, Ixiamas. After much prayer we arrived at Ixiamas not knowing anyone, not knowing what it would be like and not even knowing where to start! We began by distributing Heraldo de Esperanza magazines.
As we worked, we saw a very impressive house. It was made of wood and hollow cane and the roof was made of jatata palm leaf. We entered and met an older man who was the local authority of the town. We explained to him that we were missionaries who offer Ozone Therapy and Bible studies. He said that we had to present ourselves to the other authorities.
The next day, he introduced us to the police, the military and the people from the Mayor’s Office. God was opening doors and hearts! We shared our magazines with many people in the town. Some gave us coconuts, bananas and other produce.
Many called us to attend to patients. Of course there were some cases in which Ozone Therapy could not help, such as a child with deformed bones, and we could only pray. But we want to share with you three cases where Ozone Therapy worked miracles!
A 12-year-old girl had a wound on her left leg that did not heal and she walked slowly with a limp. Her mother agreed that she come to receive ozone treatment and after almost two months the wound closed completely! Local people know these wounds as lesmaniasis, a parasite that eats the skin and leaves an open wound where bacteria make their feast.
The local people know that dairy and meat make the problem worse so they make a change in their lifestyle when they have a wound. Most, however, return to their bad lifestyle after getting well.
Another case was a burn infection in a 10-year-old neglected boy from a poor family. Weeks before he had burned his leg on a motorcycle but had not received treatment or even cleaning! The mother had no idea what to do and had many other children to take care of. Every day we cleaned the wound with aloe vera and gave it ozone therapy. In a week he was healed, the wound completely dry and the skin closed and free of infections!
Another case was a burn infection in a 10-year-old neglected boy from a poor family. Weeks before he had burned his leg on a motorcycle but had not received treatment or even cleaning! The mother had no idea what to do and had many other children to take care of. Every day we cleaned the wound with aloe vera and gave it ozone therapy. In a week he was healed, the wound completely dry and the skin closed and free of infections!
The third case was the 18-year-old adopted daughter of an Amish family who live near the village. She also has lesmaniasis. It took about four and a half months of Ozone Therapy and a change in diet for her to recover. Her mother was surprised to see that she was recovering because nothing had helped her before. She had even tried electric treatments. As in the other cases, we prayed and talked about the Bible and the health message and became good friends!
Now we are building a medical clinic in a field outside of town to serve as a health institution as Ellen White advised. People also need access to the Bible and our health books. If God puts it in your heart to help us in this medical missionary project, it will be a great blessing for the people of Ixiamas (and you)!
My husband Jevon and I both had our medical missionary training at the Bethany Medical Missionary College in 2016 and 2017. It was after our training that we both committed our lives to do mission work.
We have been serving at Mashabo Mission for nine months now. Mashabo is an amerindian village located in Essequibo, Guayana. Our major role at this mission is to support, assist, and strengthen the work of the local Seventh-day Adventist Church. We are also course facilitators at BMMC, helping to educate and train more missionaries.
We live in a two-bedroom mission house with a beautiful lake view, an outdoor toilet and water tanks to collect rain water for drinking and washing purposes. We have erected a makeshift structure to function as our bathroom. This environment is much different from our regular living arrangements in many regards but by God’s grace we have adapted.
We work with the local Seventh-day Adventist Church to help organize regular Sabbath programs, train department leaders, preach, and hold health talks. We serve the community throughout the week by regular home visits, children’s story hour, food distribution, glucose checks for diabetics, clothing distribution, marital advice and counseling. We also started a Young Wives’ Ministry.
We are blessed to see the joyful faces as we reach out and help in whatever way we can, as the Lord leads. It gives us joy to know that we are making a positive difference in the lives of others. Being in missions has caused us to see life differently in many ways but mostly we appreciate more the opportunities to serve.
We live and work, by making use of our small savings and also the financial gifts we receive from family and friends. Our future plans include continued training of church personnel and working with diabetics in the village – to help educate them, provide exercise programs, dietary assistance, and teaching the importance of making healthy lifestyle changes.
The Young Wives’ Ministry we began in August 2020 continues to minister to young wives in the community as a means of building and strengthening marriages and homes in the community.
Ultimately we desire to see the members of the church and community grow into a spiritually mature and saving relationship with Jesus Christ.
It was by inspiration of the Holy Spirit that the Young Wives’ Ministry began. The Lord has been doing great things in the lives and marriages of those attending in Mashabo village as a result. The ladies have shared their experiences as wives and read from God’s word about His desires and plans for their lives.
In November the group visited a young wife, who is not a member of the group, and ministered to her. At the end of our visit Vanessa mentioned how happy she was for the visit and that she had learned a lot. We prayed for her and her family and left her the book “Hope for Today’s Family.â€
Another young wife who attends the group, Unessa Williams, testified, “This ministry has been a blessing to me and every time I come I learn something new. I have been putting into practice all that I learn, and I have seen positive results in my marriage!â€
CURRENT NEEDS:
- Cordless Mics for the local church with rechargeable battery pacs.
- Amazing Facts Bible Study Guides.
- Two bikes to make home visits.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
EMAIL: acme.missions@gmail.com
