When I look to the Bible for the definition of faith, in Hebrews 11 it says that FAITH is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. So by definition every time that we exercise faith, we are leaping into a territory where we cannot see or imagine what will happen next, yet we are SURE that it will happen! Wow, I don’t think I am sure of anything, and that is what faith requires? But how do I know that what I have faith in, is what God wants to accomplish? What if I just want this to happen for some gain for myself?
As you have already noticed from my emails, I question everything, especially my motives. So when Paul, our administrator at Gimbie Adventist Hospital, asked me to get together funding for 36 goiters surgeries to be done in the middle of June, I said yes, right way, but then started to doubt. We have only a couple of weeks before the surgeon gets here, and $7200 is a lot of money for a missionary in Ethiopia. And on top of that, I hate to ask for money, even for a great cause. But then I looked at the pictures of the women suffering with the goiters. Why wouldn’t God want them to be healed? Of course He would. So as each of these ladies goes to surgery, I will make sure they hear that God sees them as BEAUTIIFUL, and that He sent us to tell them that He loves them so much that He wants to heal their afflictions.
Okay, so now I know that we need to leap out in faith for the goiter patients. It takes my faith a while to get “warmed up”, but now it is HOPEFUL and CERTAIN in something that I cannot see. So let’s leap and jump, and even scream while we do so. For our God is REALLY good, and I think I don’t exercise His will in my life enough. If I did, everyone would know how great He is.
So here is the background on the Goiter Project, see what part God wants you to play in this:
About eight months ago, we started a list of patients needing goiter surgery here at Gimbie Adventist Hospital. To our surprise, the list grew to well over 100 women, with goiters ranging in size and severity of condition. We have found funds for six goiter surgeries, since the women are usually from extremely poor families, are unable to pay for a surgery costing 1800 to 2200 birr (about $180-$220). Here at Gimbie, we have donated funds for emergency surgeries, but goiters are not usually life-threatening, so these surgeries fall between the cracks. Yet if I had a goiter the size of a softball under my chin, I would definitely feel that it was not just a cosmetic surgery that was needed.
Unfortunately, the soil in Gimbie has eroded for thousands of years, washing the precious iodine down to the lower lands. Iodized salt is available, but it is more expensive and the taste is not comparable to the salt that the Oromo people regularly use. So when the girls of the town hit puberty, the goiters start. If caught early enough, treatments can start that can dramatically help these girls, but most of the time the patients do not come to the hospital until the goiters are very large.
Luckily for the hospital, a wonderful surgeon, Dr. Saunders, is volunteering for a short time in June. He is willing to help relieve the suffering of these women with goiters. We just need to raise funds to cover the hospital costs that these women could never afford to pay for. So here at Gimbie, we have decided to let God lead in this project. We feel that God wants to heal these women, so we are booking 36 surgeries for the time that Dr. Sanders will be here. We are leaping out in faith and prayer, that the funds will come in for these women. We have already received $2000 of the $7600 needed from volunteers at the hospital, but we are hoping that some of you will feel led to give to this very worthy cause, too. I know that there are many needing help around the world, so please give only if the Holy Spirit moves you to give.
We here at Gimbie are excited to be part of God’s work helping the poor of Ethiopia, and we are dedicated to doing all we can to promote good health in the people here. And we are excited to exercise our faith. Who knows, we might be pretty “buff”, faith-wise when we are done with this project.