You may remember the urgent appeal we made through our e-newsletter on 2 December 2020 – my missionary friends, Grant and Lynne Schaefer, who serve the Lord in Northern Zambia, requested help.
They were praying for a miracle; their “daughter” Maggie had a desperate medical issue that needed immediate attention.
Her condition was gynecological and not appropriate to discuss in a newsletter.
At the time Lynne explained: “Maggie has been a part of our lives for many, many years. She lived with us while we put her through school years ago, and she is now a teacher’s assistant in Lusaka. She is like a daughter to us.”
Maggie’s health was deteriorating, and she could not wait 5 months for a free state-sponsored operation.
Thanks to our ministry partners, and many others, Maggie was blessed to undergo an immediate medical intervention at a private Christian hospital, and Grant and Lynne’s faithful prayers were answered by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Grant, this week, explained that Maggie is doing very well. He went further, “There were no complications at all. The doctor is advising them on having a baby. She is 40 already but there is a good chance that she could still have a baby. They are doing very well. The operation was a life-changer for them.”
Grant further thanked all our ministry partners for their faithful prayers and financial support.
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
At the same time, we appealed, through ITMI, for practical financial support for our ministry medical clinic in Stone Hill, South Africa. The second wave of Covid was taking its toll on our beloved countrymen and again we cannot thank you enough for your commitment to helping the suffering by praying for and blessing our friends with medicines.
Our ministry chairman, and medical doctor, serving our friends in the squatter community, Dr. Bradley, reported the following:
“The reality is that apart from our little clinic, some people cannot readily access healthcare at all.
“The reality is that every person frequenting our clinic benefits from the sacrificial giving of our ministry partners.
“I think of an 8-year-old boy, Sihle, that I saw last week who stepped in glass and had walked with an untreated wound for 5 days. The wound was now floridly septic, and he had developed a fever and a large gland in his groin. He desperately needed a good antibiotic. I was able to see him and provide him with a good antibiotic that his family could not possibly afford – at 10% of the actual cost, thanks to the funds that have been given towards assisting our clinic. He is now doing well.
“I remember Cindy (not her real name) a 21-year-old girl who was experiencing headaches for a while and came in for a consultation because the medicine she had received from other medical practitioners was not helping. On careful examination, it was found that she had diplopia (double vision) that pointed to an underlying infection in her brain, and I was able to urgently refer her to a specialist Neurologist. She spent 3 weeks in hospital but is now back to normal. Were our clinic not there, who knows what would have happened to this young lady?
“I could go on about young children who have come with acute appendicitis, pneumonia, or dehydration and were likewise admitted for urgent care or treated with good medicines thanks to donated funds making such care available to the residents of Stone Hill.
“May God bless our ITMI family and friends; and those who have chosen to support this essential ministry that strives to show the love and compassion of Christ in practical care of the suffering and neglected.”
THANK YOU!
