Medical Missionary to Mali, West Africa
Jessica Schaeffer
“Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear….Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” Matthew 6:25a, 27
Dear Friends,
To Worry or to Trust
My friend Denise had a lot of reasons to worry when I first met her in 2006. Her husband was unemployed and her family was barely making ends meet. Her son had recently been injured when hit by a truck. A few months earlier she had given birth to her 9th child; she had lost 4 children as infants or toddlers…would baby Abigail be added to that number? She worked hard to care for the needs of her family, taking any odd jobs she could find, including washing clothes by hand when we had large groups staying at our mission guest house. At first, my communication with Denise was pretty limited since she didn’t speak French and I was just beginning to learn Bambara. She would walk with me to church and the ladies Bible study, and patiently try to explain things. As I got to know her better, she became a living example to me of Paul’s exhortation to the Philippians (4:6): Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Denise didn’t give into worry about the challenges she and her family faced. She trusted God, prayed (with a lot of faith!), and gave thanks. During the first year I knew her, she was praying that God would prepare her husband to go back into ministry, as he had formerly been a pastor. In July 2007, God answered that prayer, and George, Denise, and their 5 children packed all their belongings in a van (with some items on top, and room for all the kids in the van) and headed to a village about 15 miles from Koutiala to start a church with 2 men who had recently put their trust in Christ, the first believers in the village.
Since then, Pastor George has led over 160 people to Christ, some from their village, Ngolonianasso, and many from surrounding villages. I had the privilege to worship with them recently, my first time to be in their new church building which they moved into this past year after a few years of meeting under the shade of a tree or a small shelter. After harvest is done (Nov./Dec.), Denise and a few others plan to start a literacy class to teach new believers how to read. The classes will provide another opportunity for outreach as they’ll invite anyone who wants to learn how to read. George has brought countless people into our hospital, many whom he has led to Christ, and whom we have been able to help medically. Denise continues to be a great supporter and help to her husband in his ministry. They certainly still face challenges in the village, and life hasn’t necessarily gotten easier. But they’ve trusted God and seen Him work in amazing ways! Any worrying they might have done definitely wouldn’t have helped accomplish any of this.
Last year, although I was so eager to get back to Mali, I’ll admit I was concerned, yes, sometimes even a little worried about my new role here. I knew God would help me, and I knew many of you were praying (and still are – thank you!!!)…however, I’ll admit my expectations were low…I thought I would just try to “survive” whatever length of time I would be in this role, and that it would only be a burden since I didn’t feel adequately gifted for the task.
I’m thankful to tell you that God has again showed Himself strong, and that He has blessed and provided in so many ways. I work a lot of hours, I still take some anesthesia calls, little and big issues and problems don’t cease to come up just about everyday, and sometimes my natural reaction is to worry – but I’m continually reminded that if God has taken care of me and this hospital thus far, He is very able to keep doing that! And instead of worrying, I seek to give thanks, and I have much to give thanks for. I am so thankful to be here, I’m very grateful the nursing department hasn’t fallen apart! (and is maybe even continuing to take little steps forward), and I’m so glad I get to be a part of what God is doing through our hospital. I’m grateful for several opportunities over these past few months to encourage various village church plants with my Malian and missionary teammates. I’m thankful for you too, and your prayers and encouragement! Thanks for partnering with what God is doing in Mali!
Joyfully Living the Call Together,
Jessica
Thanks so much to each of you who are making it possible for me to serve here through your generosity to the Great Commission Fund! Contributions can be made through a local Alliance church or on line at http://www.cmalliance.org/give/ or by sending a check to the C&MA, PO Box 35000, Colorado Springs, CO 80935-3500. You may designate your gift to support me by writing “for the support of Jessica Schaeffer” on the memo line. This personalizes your gift and helps me be here and carry out my ministry.
Prayer & Praise:
1. Praise God for providing so much help from my teammates and visitors (special thanks to Jenn, a nurse anesthetist whom God brought at just the right time)…without them, this letter might have had a more desperate tone! Instead, although the challenges are ever present and I could use a little more rest, I thank God for the many ways He is working and helping me, and for the privilege of being here.
2. Pray for Pastor George and Denise, as well as Pastors Levi, André, and Simeon who are all Malian pastor/missionaries starting works in unreached villages. Pray that God will draw people to Himself through their ministry. Pray for opportunities for our hospital staff to encourage and help them. We hope to do a medical evangelism weekend in Pastor Simeon’s village toward the end of the year.
3. Everyday I sense the need for wisdom in my role at the hospital, as I work in a different culture, and as I seek to do what God has for me here (in addition to the obvious tasks). Pray for wisdom and strength for both me and my teammates.
4. Pray that I’ll know how to encourage and mentor our nurses and nurses aides even with my very limited time. Some of them have been able to accompany us on trips to the village which has been an encouragement to them. Pray that God will guide my friendships and use me in their lives.
Photos:
1. Pastor George & Denise with their 5 children
2. Several who are part of the Ngolonianasso church family in front of their new church building
3. Visit to Pastor Levi’s village, where the mayor, chief, and several other important people attended the church service because of our visiting hospital delegation. After lunch provided by the mayor, they put on soccer matches for us. Pastor Levi recently told us that our visit has opened several doors for him and his ministry there.
4. Friday night dinners – a couple times a month I host a group of our nurses and nurses aides for dinner…here’s one of our recent dinner groups after the meal.
Contact info:
Jessica Schaeffer
BP 19
Mission Protestante CMA
Koutiala
Mali, West Africa
