Report from Richard & Linda Benskin with Joanna & Daniel

Dear Friends,

The seasons have changed in Yendi once again. The dry and hot seasons have passed and the rains have come to bring life to the land again. The transition from dusty red to green was almost instantaneous. Access to villages is becoming more limited and the people are now quite focused on working their farms. The dry time is naturally the busiest time for the church projects here and God has blessed our efforts and those of the other projects this year. Last year we spent the rainy season working with campaigners and other visitors and getting Linda's nursing license in Accra. This year we are anxious to take our first trip back to the States since moving here. We are scheduled to land in Austin on June 8th.

Summary of Recent Work

The clinic has been very well attended this year, and each staff member seems more aware of his role in showing Christ's love to the patients. Village clinic work, which had stalled out before we came, is back on track. Peter Bombande, our Ghanaian nurse, is one of the best wound care providers in the country. He and Linda have been studying books and experimenting with slightly new techniques, making our care even better. A Christian construction worker who has had a wound on his ankle and leg for 27 years is now seeing tremendous progress. We joke (and pray) that his Muslim wife and children will begin visiting the church when it heals completely.

The Primary Health Care Worker program is going well. The students from the classes in Kumasi in Sept. and in Yendi in March are currently getting a review and learning more about chronic diseases from Macy Kelly, a nursing instructor visiting from the USA. Before this, Macy and Linda held two day "refresher" courses and invited all previous graduates of our program. We had a very good turnout and were able to make contact with a good number of PHCWs from years past, many of whom are now well respected health care providers in their areas. They were able to review the first few chapters of the adapted handbook we are preparing for them, and were pleased with the tone and content so far.

The distribution of Bibles to the general public came to an end when our supply ran out - the evangelists were giving out about 200 each Saturday, so it did not take long. When we received a smaller supply, we began limiting our distribution to WBS students whose teachers requested a Bible for them. Even so, a year after our campaigners jump-started the program, Yendi has so many WBS students that we are down to our last box of Bibles. A Dagomba Christian brother hopes to open a bookshop in town to sell study Bibles and distribute WBS lessons. When more of the free Bibles arrive, we hope he can distribute them from his kiosk.

Other Church Projects at Yendi

Several of the evangelists living on our compound work with the church of Christ water well drilling project, teaching the village people about the "Living Water" as their wells are drilled. Most of the diseases in this area are related to poor water supply, so water wells are critical. Last year the equipment failed soon after we arrived in Yendi, so the drillers had a very disappointing season. During last rainy season they got new equipment, so they were ready when the dry season came again. This year they were able to drill over 40 wells here in the Northern Region.

An important joint effort of the church here in Yendi and Nationwide Bible Institute in Accra is called "Project Timothy." Christians (not always young) are chosen from village churches to attend this training program. The students continue to support themselves and their families by farming, coming to our compound three times a year for three to four weeks of intensive Bible study. The second group to go through the three-year program graduated in April, and we were honored to be among the many guests at the ceremony. The next session, which is to begin in November, already has many more applicants than the last - a tribute to the growth of the church in this region. Expansion of the program necessitates expansion of the facilities, which are shared by the Primary Health Care Workers' program. New dorm rooms are being constructed now.

Farming and Snakes

he rains signal the beginning of the farming season, and the snake bite season as well. Last year we had no anti-venom, so we were helpless when people were bitten. Many died. This year we were able to get a good supply of medicine that deactivates carpet viper, cobra and many other snake venoms. The hospital has occasionally had some as well. The need is very great: we have people coming for anti-venom almost daily. A few weeks ago, when the farmers were hoeing yam mounds, we had three in one day. The integrity of the villagers is remarkable. The anti-venom costs almost a whole years' wages, but most eventually pay off their debt by appealing to friends, relatives and neighbors, allowing us to recycle the money by buying more anti-venom. Getting them to accept such a huge debt in the first place is difficult. Quite often, particularly if the victim is not an adult, we have to beg them to take and use the anti-venom rather than letting their relative die. We do not like to charge these poor people for the lifesaving vials, but the black market for anti-venom would rapidly deplete our supply if we routinely subsidized the cost.

Bits and Pieces

The more sudden onset of the rains this year frustrated our showing of the film in Yendi on the life of Christ. We have had numerous rain-outs. However, we finally were able to show the film last night. We had a huge and very attentive crowd. Please pray that hearts will be opened to further exploration of Christ's message.

Our Leadership Training for Christ (international) program had a great first year, climaxed by the performance of our chorus and drama before a small, but eager, audience. Some of the participants cannot read, and few of them have ever been asked to lead anything, so it was a challenge to coach them and a real joy to see them succeed.

The kids have done very well in school with no full-time teacher. We were trying to have all their assignments completed before our furlough so that they could have a "real" vacation, but we realized an exception is in order. Gathering data from good sources for those research papers will be much easier in the USA!

Please Pray For

We thank the Lord that we have been spared bouts of typhoid, giardia, and malaria, which plague so many people here. We are also grateful that our supply of anti snake medicine has been adequate this year. Please pray for safe travels and that God may bless our time in the States. Also, please pray for the work here in Yendi in our absence.

In the Service of the King,
The Benskin Family

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