"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:17-18
At E4, we feel so blessed to be a part of the way that God is moving in Gabon. Through His people, the poor and needy and being taken care of through the Church. This is what Jesus called us to do as followers, over and over again. While our Gabonese friends do not have as much as we do in the States in terms of material possessions, they give freely to help their neighbors in need. They are a beautiful example of what Christ calls all of us to do - love in action. One of the pastors that we serve with, Pastor Hypolite and his wife who is a nurse, have a friend that their church family serves (along with many others through pooling funds together for humanitarian assistance in their community). This brief story shares how we can take care of our neighbors as well as how important our mobile medical ministry (OSPAC) is. This was a medical condition that should have been treatable with the right care. People like Damian are why we do what we do at E4.
"After the service, we ate with Pastor Hypolite, then left to bring insulin to his friend. Damian, who lived up on a hill, was a man in his early 40s stricken with terrible complications of untreated diabetes that forced surgeons to amputate both legs. He has been waiting for many months for prostheses for both legs through a government program that is backed up, and there are many who need this assistance. He lives in a single 10X10 apartment… the size of my son Tyler’s room. He was virtually bedridden, but had an amazing smile and looked great! He expressed his wonderful love for God. He told me that God was the reason he is still alive. Prior to accepting Christ, his life seemed pointless to him and he had even attempted suicide a few times. This transformation was very encouraging to me to see!
There is so much more to say. God is obviously at work here, and it’s through constant prayer and dedication to the ultimate efforts of glorifying God and sharing the Word that make it special. I invite you to all to consider how you can be a part of this effort… through prayer, support, or maybe it’s Gods plan that you be a part of a future mission trip. Thank you for reading a small part of this amazing journey for me."
The above portion was written by Brian Roberts, a PA on our current trip to Gabon from Fellowship Alliance Chapel (FAC) in Medford, NJ.
A side note here that I would like to mention is that we are in the final stage of partnership with Free Wheelchair Mission. We hope to receive an entire crate of wheelchairs for our Rehab Ministry in the next few months. It is such a blessing to connect with other ministries making such a difference around the world, and know that through this partnership, we will be able to provide a wheelchair to Damian and others, who like him, to struggle to just get out of their homes. What a joy to see the Glory of Christ in people dealing with incredible hardships.
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