MALI OUTREACH

LIFE IN MALI

Pastor ( Zak) Zakaria Amidu and his wife, Hannah along with their three children, Josephine, Daniel , Joshua have moved into their new home in Gao, Mali. God has surrounded them with favor. They have met a gentlemen, originally from Gao, who came to our dental clinic here at Bethany Village last year. He had a tooth problem while on business in Tamale, Ghana. He tried to get help at our local hospital and was informed that the doctor was not available. Someone directed him to Bethany Village where he was treated by Pastor Zak! Last Sunday, they had a chance meeting in Gao and the gentleman remembered Pastor Zak. He was very happy to see Pastor Zak in Gao and pledged his assistance to him. Please continue to pray for the Amidu family for God’s continued favor.

Below is a picture of the Amidu family just as they arrive in the city of Gao where the Lord has called us to start a ministry in Mali. The journey was physically challenging and as you can see in the picture they arrived in Gao exhausted but in good spirits.

FIRST SUNDAY SERVICE

This is our first Sunday service in our rented facility in Gao. A Wednesday night service has been started also and (believers and non-believers are invited to come).

EYE CLINIC

DANIEL

Daniel is a member of our discipleship group at Fooshegu. He is a high school student who had dropped out of school due to a vision problem. He could not see the board nor could he see well enough to read his textbooks. He came to the eye clinic and we were able to use our auto refractor to find eyeglasses for him. He has subsequently returned to school and he is hoping to finish his high school education and go on to college.

AUGUSTINE: I SAMUEL 1 REPEATED TODAY

A man came to the eye clinic to be helped with an eye problem. After receiving the service he told me that there is an orphan whom had come from a distant village to live with him. He was so impressed with the service that he wanted that young man to come and live with us and participate in our discipleship program so that he may be taught how to be of service to others. That very same day, he brought Augustine to live with us to be raised him as a Christian. He asked us to train him how to provide the clinical services that we do. We are hoping to get him into high school the next academic year. He now lives with us here at Bethany Village and is training to become a dental assistant.

DENTAL CLINIC

About a week of ago while I was in the eye clinic, Moses came to inform me that the chief of Tamale had come to the dental clinic. After finishing with my patient, I went there to see the chief and to welcome him to our dental clinic. When I got there he had already been anesthetized and his tooth was being extracted. After the extraction we asked him and all his entourage to come into the examination room and we shared the message of salvation with them. He was so happy that he invited me to his palace. I went there and spent some very informative time with him and all his elders. A warm and friendly relationship has been built, thanks be to God. I have been given a standing invitation to come and share with the chief and the elders every week.

GRANTS FOR ALABASTER MINISTRIES

As God expands the borders of the Alabaster Project Ministries from Ghana into Mali, the expenses are increasing. Unfortunately, with the adverse economic times the support for APM is very much less than last year. King and the APM board have been praying that God would identify an individual who would be willing to write grants to help finance the Alabaster Project Ministries. This is a real opportunity for someone whose heart is in missions but is not able to be in the mission field.

This person would need to be familiar with the sources of suitable grants, be able to write the grants and to follow through the grant process to completion. If you know someone who might be interested or you yourself are interested, contact King at the e-mail below. This could be an avenue by which the Lord might continue to bless the ministry of the Alabaster Project.

THE NEED FOR EYE SURGERY

According to a report from the United Nations, the northern region of Ghana has the worst cases of eye diseases and eye problems in the world. This is due to the dry and dusty climate of this sub-Sahara region. In addition to the dust, also for those who live near the rivers, there is a (Tsetse fly) fly that causes river blindness.

While we are able to help people see better through glasses, we are unable to help those who suffer from eye diseases. We are praying that God will bring us one or more ophthalmologists who will help us set up the surgical capability and identify surgeons who would be willing to visit and conduct eye surgery as needed.

PRAYER REQUESTS

Please pray for Alabaster Project National Directors for Ghana and Mali – people who can speak French for Mali.

Pray for additional workers in the areas of:

Administration
Bible Teaching
Farm Managing
Mechanics
Eye care Dental care
Writing grants for Alabaster Project Ministries

Please mail all contributions for Alabaster Project to:
Alabaster Project Ministries
P. O. Box 15008
Fernandina Beach, FL 32035

To contact the Hammonds in Ghana Write to: 
Alabaster Project Ministries
P. O. Box ER324
Tamale, Ghana
West Africa

Or Email: alabasterghana@hotmail.com