EVEN A WINDSTORM COULDN’T STOP THE WORK OF OUR GOD AT THE WOLISO, ETHIOPIA, CLINIC.
Before the arrival of our Outreach team, advance staff and crew had prepared for their arrival, including setting up massive white event tents. These enormous tents house our Clinic departments, waiting areas, examination rooms and our worship area. But then, overnight, a windstorm blew many them down – where they lay flattened on the Ethiopian soil.
Outreach partners immediately pitched in to resurrect the tents. By the next day, the whole team was in high gear, stocking supplies and making final preparations for the Clinic to open that afternoon to kick off yet another life-changing Outreach.
Bob Aiken is a Jewish Voice Ministries partner who has volunteered as our photographer on many Medical Outreaches.
This time, as he prepared for Woliso, Bob had packed a new piece of equipment...a drone! (Some of the amazing photos he was able to capture with the drone are included with this article.)
“The people were watching in amazement as the little quadcopter took off from the ground. The children were especially excited to watch the little aircraft almost disappear from sight at 400 feet above the ground.” – Bob Aiken
On this trip, Bob arrived at the Clinic site early each day, taking pictures of the long lines from his drone camera.
One morning, an Outreach partner, a registered nurse named Mala, called Bob to the nursing station. She and her assistants had just prayed for a patient, and she was particularly excited. The patient, Jemel, was a professing Muslim from the area who came to the Clinic on crutches and brought his little boy. Jemel had been injured when a tree limb fell on him resulting in neuritis, a severe nerve inflammation that was affecting both sides of his leg.
Jemel couldn’t walk at all without his crutches. Once he arrived, the nurses in the station not only gave him medical care, but shared the Gospel with him.
As a result, he accepted Yeshua! Mala and the others also prayed for him to be healed.
By the time Bob arrived at the nursing station, he saw Jemel walking without the crutches!
“At first Jemel was afraid to walk without them, but when he left the clinic, he did so with no crutches or assistance!” – Bob Aiken
A few days later, Jemel’s wife came to the Clinic to speak with Mala. She was stunned by the changes she had already begun to see in her husband’s life since he had accepted Yeshua.
As Bob was documenting the story of Jemel, Mala came and told him about another Muslim who had professed Messiah Yeshua, a 75-year-old man named Nasiv who came to be treated for a hearing problem. Before he left the nursing station, Nasiv was proclaiming, “I love Jesus!”
Joy like Nasiv’s was evident throughout the week. Everywhere we went, members of our team were greeted warmly, with hugs and tears of gratitude.
Signs of God’s favor weren’t limited to the Clinic grounds. Lee Weeks, JVMI Spiritual Affairs Manager, led the prayer team up the side of the mountain to visit a Messianic congregation to pray for the Gefat tribe of Woliso.
During the meeting, Lee called the children up front to pray for them and bless them in the name of Yeshua.
“When we arrived at the Gefat congregation, we were met by the sounds of worship as we walked the hill. Once inside, the worship was infectious and there was a profound presence of Adonai.” – Lee Weeks
Lee took the prayer team to a second Messianic congregation of the Gefat, about a 45-minute drive away.
The beautiful Gefat children welcomed the JVMI team in their meeting hall. There were many children, but they were all actively engaged in the service, singing, dancing and praying, very much a part of all the worship.
The children were escorted down to the front for prayer. The team prayed for blessings and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the children.
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of Messiah’s community, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.– James 5:14
Please be in prayer for these congregations. Because of the severe poverty, there is scarcity of basic needs such as water, electricity, and building supplies. Many of the children can’t even go to school.
But their faith in Yeshua is strong. And, thanks to you, we were able to encourage and bless them.
As the JVMI team left the congregation, the children showered them with hugs and kisses as they said goodbye.
A woman named Buzu came to the clinic on a Monday. She had a lump in her breast. She was sick, in pain, and barely able to eat or even drink water. After the doctor examined her he told her that, unfortunately, the treatment she needed isn’t something we’re able to do at the Clinic.
He prayed for her and asked her to come back on Friday for a referral to see a specialist in a hospital.
When she came back to the clinic for the referral, the lump was already gone!
Praise the Lord! Because of your support, Jewish Voiceband our partners were able to treat more than 10,000 patients during the five-day Clinic in Woliso.
Many of them received much needed dental care, eye care, and even free reading glasses.
Doctors performed hundreds of eye surgeries and other minor surgeries as well.
And thousands received LifeStraw® filtration devices, helping their communities understand the importance of clean water and hygiene for preventing disease.
But, most importantly, hundreds of people accepted Yeshua as their Savior! And, because of your partnership in this ministry, thousands of Bibles in their local language were distributed.
We were thrilled to be able to help so many, but the more than 500 patients we had to turn away at the end of the Clinic remind us of the great need and why God keeps sending us to places like Woliso.
Through your support of Jewish Voice Ministries, you made a lasting impact on every single life.
Each one experienced the love of Yeshua as he or she passed through the Clinic and received care. Your support provides the equipment, medical supplies, and other components necessary to meet their needs. And, even more importantly, it provides the means by which we can share the Gospel of Yeshua.
With your continuing support, we can keep taking medical care and the Good News to Jewish people around the world. Together we will watch God move to both physically and eternally transform lives.
