This past March many of you donated money to CCC’s hospital in the city of Koutiala, Mali through our Mission’s Catalog. Those gifts are life-giving for the women and children served at the hospital. Here are some of there stories as told by Dr. Brett MacLean, the leading Pediatrician at the hospital.

First is Abdoulaye who has what we refer to as “wasting illness” which he was infected with years ago while receiving a blood transfusion in Ivory Coast. You can see his remarkable improvement once we were able to diagnose him and start treatment. Donations from CCC are helping children such as Abdoulaye by purchasing the medicines he needs but cannot otherwise afford.

Next is Alou who has a severe kidney illness that did not respond to any initial therapy. Due to the lack of function of his kidneys his body was so swollen with fluid that he could no longer see. He also had a stroke due to this illness. Thankfully we were able to start him on medicine that saved his kidneys and now allowed him to fully recover and lead a normal life while continuing to take his daily medication.

After his stroke, he limped for about 6 months but little by little regained full function of his left side. You can see from his current picture how well he is doing and how happy his father is with his treatment. While in a coma for over a week, we had told Alou’s father that it was not likely that he would survive. What a difference now!

Fatoumata came to us 3 years ago having wasted away and barely conscious. She was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes and improved rapidly once she started her daily insulin shots. She decided to become a follower of Christ during her stay with us in the hospital and asked that we call her Elizabeth now. Having never attended 1 day of school in her life, we were able to help send her to a Christian school for teenage girls to learn how to read and write and follow the Lord. She now can read her Bible every day and better understands what it means to follow Christ. She has grown into a young woman before our eyes.

The medicines provided by CCC recently are helping other young girls and boys by providing the money for insulin shots.

Each month we provide formula to 25 – 30 babies whose mothers have died after their birth. In addition there are always a few more whose mothers can’t produce breast milk or who have a medical condition preventing breastfeeding. Madou is a great example here of a child whose mother passed away during childbirth and who would have certainly joined his mother in the grave if not for the formula we were able to provide. It is so sad to look at how many women continue to die in Mali during childbirth due to delivering at home or at unequipped health centers, but we are thankful to make an impact on the child left behind and bring joy to the grieving family.

CCC’s children’s ministry recently raised money to provide formula for babies such as Madou. Truly a life-giving donation!

Ruthie is one of our over 100 patients with sickle cell disease. In the United States we fail to realize that in Africa sickle cell disease is usually fatal before the age of 5 years. Ruthie has the more severe form of sickle cell and her parents have lost 3 of her older siblings to the illness prior to the opening of our pediatric sickle cell center. Without the current medication that we are able to provide for Ruthie she would not be able to survive either but as you can see from her photo she is doing terrifically well.

Thank you to each and every one of you that has given and prayed for our work at the Koutiala Hospital and for this special donation which remembers these children with chronic, usually lifelong, needs. We are encouraged as well to know that these little ones are not being forgotten and the Christ is receiving the glory for all that is done.

Your fellow servants,

Brett and Sheri MacLean

The medical needs of women and children in Mali are staggering. About 1 out of 15 Malian women dies in pregnancy or childbirth, and 25 percent of the country’s children never see their fifth birthday. Yet God offers a counterpoint to these sobering stats with some heartwarming news from the Koutiala Hospital for Women and Children. CCC helped to build this hospital which opened its doors in 2006.

December 18, 2012

Safiatou arrived at the hospital in southeastern Mali after traveling from another town to deliver her baby girl. Little Mamou weighed just three and one half pounds. This isn’t unusual, since the hospital delivers a lot of preemies.

But then it occurred to the hospital staff — Safiatou’s daughter was the 10,000th baby born at the hospital since its opening in May 2006!

On Sunday the hospital staff had their annual Christmas party, so it worked out well to present Mamou to everyone who attended.

Dr. Dan Nesselroade carried her to the party, just a tiny bundle in his arms. She is so small that someone thought he had brought a rabbit wrapped in cloth!

During the party, Pastor Moise (the hospital chaplain) laid hands on Mamou and prayed for her and all of the babies who have been born through this ministry.

In the midst of the challenges and fatigue that come with a young, growing hospital, we rejoice in everything God has done to help women and children here in Mali.

CCC has been blessed to partner with some amazing missionaries in the country of Mali for the last 9 years. One of our favorite missionaries has been Dr. Dan Nesselroade, the Medical Director and all-around amazing guy at the hospital for women and children that CCC helped build. Here is a latest update from Dan about the current situation in Mali.

Holiday greetings to everyone.

It has been a turbulent 2012 for the country of Mali.  The coup d’état in March and the subsequent fall of the north to salafist groups have thrown the country into disarray.  Mali’s return to territorial integrity seems to be in the hands of international bodies like the UN and the African Union unless a western power would choose to intervene outside of these agencies, or unless Mali could solve the problem ourselves.  There was an interesting article covering potential US involvement in the Washington Post this week.  I have attached a link for those interested.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/pentagon-planning-for-multinational-military-operation-in-mali/2012/12/05/7916ab86-3f0c-11e2-b9a1-7ad17c5c7b86_story.html

Al Qaeda appears to be our northern neighbor for the foreseeable future, as the UN doesn’t forecast troops on the ground here until September of 2013 at the earliest.  Of course everyone is hoping for a peaceful solution, it just seems hard to imagine that any lasting peace could be negotiated.

Life has been pretty normal here in Koutiala.  The hospital has continued to grow despite the unrest.  If my numbers are correct, we should deliver baby number 10,000 this month or next.  We had a record of 189 deliveries in October.  October also saw the addition of over 200 solar panels at the hospital to supplement the power.  This should reduce our electric bill dramatically and free up income for salaries and growth.  Had someone told me back in January all that this year would hold, I could never have thought that it would be a year of sustained growth.

Many of you have been praying for my partner Dr. John Gililland.  He was diagnosed with primary brain cancer in April.  He underwent surgery, radiation and has returned to Koutiala this week still taking chemotherapy yet for another year and a half.  I find it already miraculous that he would come back, given the diagnosis.  Pray that God sustains his strength.  His friendship and camaraderie are priceless.  Any who know John, aren’t surprised that he would bend heaven and earth to get back out here.

Here is a picture of a preemie born last week at 3 and ½ pounds.  She has a malformation of her intestinal tract that leaves her continually vomiting, as her duodenum is atretic and does not allow food to pass.  Tomorrow she will undergo our second attempt to correct the problem.  Last week under anesthesia, she quit breathing and we had to abort the surgery as our capacity to handle emergencies in pediatric anesthesia is still quite limited.  She is one of many pediatric surgeries each month now.

Finishing up rounds this morning I was struck again by the sheer number of tragic and heartbreaking stories that come to the hospital each week.  Into this world, so spectacularly broken and messed up the Creator came as a baby- Emmanuel.  God with us.  Perhaps more puzzling than trying to reconcile the problem of evil with the goodness of God, is the fact that God would choose to enter into it himself when he could have stood  aloof and just watched it all implode from afar.

Only love offers an adequate motive for the Incarnation.  And while we do all, in certain degrees suffer, Christmas reminds me that God did not just choose to watch it all from the safety of heaven.  He chose to enter into the mess explicitly to suffer and bleed and die.  The just for the unjust.  And where would I be had he not?   And so, in our suffering, he is not asking us to do anything he hasn’t already subjected himself to, and in an infinitely greater degree!  God has spoken quite clearly.  His desire is to make each of us like unto Christ.  So could he ask any less of us then?  Is the disciple somehow greater than his master?  So why do I still bellyache all the time?

Many of you ask about our chicken farming project at Bethel Bible school.  We have about 930 chickens that are actively laying over 700 eggs a day.  I do little more than check up on it now, as it is being successfully managed by Malians and I am swamped at the hospital.  But it gives me great joy to watch them succeeding and reaping such a profit from their efforts.  There seems to still always be an egg crisis here in town, so I think enough market is there to easily double our production in years to come, and still not meet the demand.

Tonight, the doctors who work on the Women’s side of the hospital are coming for dinner.  There are eight now.  4 Malians and 4 from the West.   Two new Malian doctors semi-miraculously appeared in October at a time when I thought we were going to collapse from exhaustion.  What a blessing they have been!   I marvel at God’s kindness to us.

There is one pressing medical need now at the hospital and it is for surgical suture.  Because of the unrest, there is absolutely no suture available on the local market, and we obviously use quite a bit.  If any of you have contacts for any……any size, any type, any expiration date……please let me know and we will make arrangements to get it from you.

Marcy and I want to thank you for your continued support of us.  Our journey is going on 10 years now.  Thank you for your prayers, letters and gifts.  We are so humbled by it all.  It is an unmerited privilege to be here, representing the name of Christ.  Have a great Christmas.

Dan and Marcy Nesselroade

As most of you know, CCC partners with with Bridge Church in North Omaha as we focus together on a large neighborhood we call Village One. There continues to be lots of great stuff happening in Village One so I thought I would give you a glimpse in this blog.

Youth Basketball League – Bo & Sarah Buettenback from CCC started a youth basketball league in Ralston this past year called Score4Sports. Now, in the 2nd year of the Score4Sports basketball league, they are partnering with teams from Village One and North Omaha (about 150 boys and girls) to create a super league with games each Saturday in Ralston. Volunteers from CCC and Bridge Church are helping to coach these youth who range from 1st to 6th grade. Most importantly, young people are being exposed to Jesus in a safe and fun environment.

Free Medical Clinic – About 6 months ago a group of doctors and nurses from CCC approached me with an idea to start some sort of medical work in Village One. They started a group called Bridge to Health and in partnership with Bridge Church and CCC have been investigating what God wants them do. The results: a free clinic open on Saturdays at Bridge Church that will provide free STD and pregnancy testing as well as health screening. There are still many details to work out but the goal is to start this clinic in the 1st quarter of 2013.

Fall Festival – On Halloween night CCC and Bridge Church partnered together for our annual Fall Festival. This evening of fun, food, and lots of candy provided a safe place for over 500 children from North Omaha to come experience the love of Jesus. CCC provided over 60 volunteers, food, and all the candy and the evening was a huge success for the Kingdom.

One of the really valuable ways we are able to bless our partners in Mali, West Africa, is to send them supplies and materials they can’t easily get in Africa. This past weekend a group of volunteers from CCC helped load our third sea container over the last two years. Some of the items on this container:

• Tractor and Planter
• Tons & tons of school supplies for Bethel Bible College
• Medical supplies for the Hospital for Women & Children
• Woodworking equipment and tools for Bethel
• Laptop computers for Bethel graduates
• and lots, lots more.

It should take about two months for the container to reach Mali, so what a nice Christmas our friends in Mali will have.

I love this part of our ministry because God has blessed the people of CCC with so much, and this is one of the great ways we can use that blessing to really impact the people of Mali.

Lives will be saved at the hospital, Pastors will be trained at Bethel, and people will find Jesus because of your sacrifices. Thank you CCC.

Each year CCC holds a huge volunteer day and for the 2nd year in a row we will be focusing most of our effort on the Village One neighborhood of North Omaha. We will partner with Bridge Church from Village One to bless this community through our actions.

On Sunday, September 16th, the afternoon is full of work as we mow lawns, paint houses, talk to neighbors, and do special projects for great ministries like Restored Hope, Compass, and more. This all finishes up with a huge neighborhood block party where we expect 1,000 people from Village One.

However, none of this will happen without you!  We need over 700 volunteers to get all of this work done, so please sign yourself up, sign your family up, or even sign your Journey Group up together.

Just click on the link below to get started!

Sign Up for Step Into Village One

In March of 2012 there was a military coup in Mali and the President was kicked out. The northern half of Mali has been largely taken over by Muslim fundamentalists while the south part of Mali remains free. The CCC hospital and other work in Mali is in the south.

Here is a latest update from the Christian & Missionary Alliance Field Director in Mali, Mr. Al Stombaugh:

As far as the political situation here, things continue to move at a snail’s pace.  The biggest change I have seen is the ratcheting up of the pressure for the government to intervene in the north.  As you probably are aware, the MNLA has been run out of Gao and now Ansar Dine and AQUIM control all three major cities.  They are destroying ancient holy sites and imposing charia law with a new vigor and this has provoked an outcry by the population in the south to take action. The international community have made statements over the last two days indicating that there is a new openness and some movement towards possible military intervention, although most agree that it will take some time still to prepare the Malian army and international forces for this.

Other than that, life goes on pretty much as normal here in Bamako and in Koutiala.  Here in Bamako our team is in full ministry mode.  It is so encouraging that in spite of all that is happening the Lord is still opening doors for ministry.  The team in Koutiala (where the hospital and Bethel are located) seem to be doing well. Thanks for upholding each of these in prayer.

On January 12, 2010, everyone still remembers the terrible earthquake that hit the country of Haiti. The Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) responded by raising nearly $1.5 million for relief and development efforts, over $140,000 of which came from people at CCC. So what did the C&MA end up doing with all that money? How did the country of Haiti get blessed by this generosity?  These are the questions asked of me recently by someone here at CCC, so I thought I should go find out.

Here are a few of the highlights of what that money was used for:

• about $60,000 went to initial relief aid
• post-traumatic stress counseling
• 200 temporary shelters (2-3 year durability)
• 12 permanent homes
• assisted in the reconstruction of 5 churches
• partnered with World Relief in providing funds for planting Moringa trees, goat herd development and poultry production
• facilitated the formation of a steering committee for Alliance-related churches in Haiti.  We will work through members of this committee if (when) another disaster strikes.

If you would like to learn about this firsthand, watch this video which tells of the C&MA efforts in Haiti through our relief and development arm called Compassion and Mercy Associates (CAMA).

Video on C&MA relief efforts in Haiti

Blessings

Craig Walter, Missions Pastor

I want to introduce you to Bethany Trueblood, a young college graduate who has been a part of Christ Community for about 16 years. In December she graduated from UNL with a Bachelor’s in Journalism and is now preparing to become an intern with a college ministry called Reformed University Fellowship at the University of Tulsa.

As an intern Bethany will work with a campus minister and a student ministry team to create a welcoming community where students can grow in their Christian faith. Bethany’s primary focus will be connecting with freshmen girls and plugging them into the ministry. As I talked with Bethany I can tell she is very excited to build relationships with these girls through Bible studies, large group meetings, and hanging out with them one-to-one.

Bethany’s internship is a two-year commitment and she would love for people from CCC to be part of her team. If you are interested in praying for her or learning more about her ministry she would love it if you would contact her at beth.trueblood@ruf.org or you can check out her blog at ruftulsa.blogspot.com.

Craig Walter, Missions Pastor

As most of you know, the country of Mali experienced a coup in March that has caused a great deal of instability in the country. This of course applies to the international workers and ministries happening in Mali through the C&MA, such as our hospital for women and children.  Here is a recent update from Albert Stombaugh, the C&MA field director in the country of Mali.

The political wrangling in Bamako (capital city) has led to inaction in dealing with the crisis in the north.  In the north the main radical Islamist players (AQUIM, MNLA and Ansar Dine) have strengthened their position in Gao, Timbuktu and Kidal.  They are trying to come to an accord on how the three can work together to establish a nation-state but due to differences of philosophy and goals they are finding it hard to be unified.  AQUIM is purely terrorist and looking for a base of operations to carry out activity, Ansar Dine is mostly religious and wants to spread charia law over all of Africa and the MNLA (Tauregs) are mainly political and want to establish a secular homeland in Northern Mali.  They needed each other to take over the north but now can’t live with each other.  But the longer this goes on they will become more and more rooted there and harder to get out.

In the south (Bamako) there are several issues that are dividing the country politically.  The main contention is between the political parties who are in support of the junta and the coup that took place (they are united under the umbrella of the name COPAM) and the parties who are pro-ECOWAS intervention and following the political process leading up to eventual elections.  They support the transitional government that has been established and want help from ECOWAS in dealing with the situation in Mali.  The COPAM group are radical, vocal and are the ones behind the recent attack on the transitional president- Diouncounda.  The religious leaders interestingly (Protestant, Catholic and Muslim) seem to be playing a neutral role of mediation between the parties and this has helped keep things from becoming too violent in Bamako over recent days.

The Prime minister of the interim government, Cheick Modibo Diarra, is by all accounts a sharp guy and has surrounded himself with some good people, mostly technocrats and not politicians, to help lead the transitional government.  Many feel if they are allowed to really lead the nation can climb out of this abyss.  Meanwhile the junta, under the name CNDRE has been reluctant to take their hands off of the leadership of the nation.  However, Capt Sanogo, the junta leader, has taken a deal by which he has been declared an ancient chef d’état and given all the benefits of a retire president.  Since then he has stepped back out of the limelight and it seems that maybe the military is slowly pulling back from trying to control things.  The attack on the interim president seems to have given the junta and their supporters in the COPAM a bad public image and since then they have been laying low.

On a daily basis life goes on pretty much as normal, yet people are living under a lot of tension.  Our Bamako team is slowly coming back into Bamako.  Fuel and food are available and banks are mostly open.  The next two-three weeks should be key in showing if the country can turn a corner and begin being led by the interim government.  If not the ECOWAS has again threatened to impose sanctions which this time would be devastating on the economy.

As far as the impact on the Mission, well, Koutiala Hospital has continued as normal with the 7 or so units we maintained there.   But for the most part our ministries have been put on hold.