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This newsletter is also available as an MSWord document, which might be preferable for printing: 2003q2.doc

Report from Richard & Linda Benskin with Joanna & Daniel

Dear friends,

It has been far too long since our last newsletter. However, we have been able to visit with many of you personally during our furlough in the mean-time, which was really great. We are back in Yendi now, where there is a lot going on and even more planned for the near future. We hope to use this newsletter to share with you a little about the current work here in Yendi as well as telling you a bit about our time in the USA.

God gives the increase

We often report on various patients receiving wound care at the clinic. These reports include a number of impressive recoveries with pretty low-tech medical interventions. We are convinced that God is at work answering prayers in these cases. In fact, probably far more prayers are being answered than we know. Recently God gave us a lot of encouragement by allowing us a glimpse of how He is working to expand His kingdom through our wound care. Samson Laar, one of the Ghanaian evangelists, shared this story with us. Some men from a village not too far to the northeast of Yendi came asking Samson to come to their village to preach and help establish the Church. He was of course quite happy to comply, but a little puzzled as to what had prompted this request. Upon further discussion with the men, he learned that someone from their village had been receiving wound care at the clinic. They were so impressed with the compassionate care given to their fellow villager that this led to a serious interest in bringing Christianity to their community. May Christ's compassion and His redemption continue to propagate to and through these villagers.

McVeys moving to USA

Our dear friends and fellow laborers, Dan and Brenda McVey, with their children Kyle and Tessa, are moving to Abilene this summer. They have worked in Ghana for 20 years, and moved north to Yendi four years ago, just before we arrived here. The move to the USA has been planned for some time, but still they will be greatly missed, not only by the Benskins, but also by many other Christians all over Ghana. Dan will be taking a position at Abilene Christian University with particular focus on outreach to Africa and the Islamic world. The McVeys are pictured here as a family and with the Yendi Church in garments given to them as going away gifts. Please pray for them as they make the transition to life in the 'States and into a new role in missions.

LTC in the USA and Ghana

One of the most important things we are trying to do in Ghana is to create systems which the Ghanaians can use after we are gone to continue teaching about Christ. Leadership Training for Christ emphasizes learning a particular section of the Bible each year, making it adaptable to cultures anywhere in the world. When we left on furlough two of our Ghanaian church members, Kojo and Nichole, were willing and able to continue coaching the LTC students. The students had already done some of their events, but they continued studying Matthew for Bible Quiz and performed as a chorus and a drama group with no help from Americans. We were so thrilled!

Furlough

Arriving in Austin at the end of February, we hoped we would get a taste of cold weather, since we had not experienced winter in four years. These hopes were realized to a far greater extent than we ever anticipated when an ice storm hit Austin just a few days after we arrived. Furlough was a great time of reconnecting with both physical and spiritual family members on that side. Joanna and Daniel really enjoyed spending time with old and new friends and participating together with them in Leadership Training for Christ and other church activities. We were able to meet with about 15 different groups, mostly Westover small groups, visiting and reporting on the work in Ghana. We also managed to squeeze in a canoe camping trip in the Ozarks - a big family favorite. Spring in the hills was gorgeous and we had a great time.

Wound Care Conference: learning, supplies

One of our goals for our furlough was to get some additional training that would be helpful upon our return to Ghana. We learned about a large international symposium on wound care taking place in the USA during that time and made arrangements to attend. The symposium was very enriching, not only to our minds, but also to the clinic supply cupboard, as many of the exhibitors generously gave us the leftover samples of their products. Linda was asked to speak briefly about the Yendi clinic during the International session, which led to a lot of interest among the participants. Several researchers we met at the symposium encouraged us to email them with problem cases we encounter, and some of the wound-care nurses have already begun sending their "leftover" dressing materials. In addition, we are in email contact with manufacturers of the specialty dressings that are especially useful in Ghana. We pray that some of them will be able to donate supplies.

Upcoming Plans

Our schedule for this summer is quite ambitious. Only a week after our return to Yendi, Joanna and Daniel were back into school full-time. The kids are hoping to be able to take off a few months in the summer of 2004 to participate in various church youth events in the USA. To carve out the time, they have to complete the next two full school-years only about 7 months each.

Our niece, Rachel, is helping us out for about six weeks. She is a professional Paramedic, but here in Yendi she is graciously doing anything that needs to be done, from unpacking supplies and setting up the lab equipment, to cooking meals, to secretarial-type work. Macy Kelly, our nurse-educator friend from California, landed in Ghana shortly after we did. We are very pleased that after her difficult battle with cancer she is well enough to be able to be here. She and Linda are already busy teaching the PHCWs who graduated last year some advanced concepts.

As soon as the PHCW class is over, we will be joined by Janice Bingham with a group of six nursing students from Harding University. Peter (the clinic director) is busy making arrangements with the local schools for the nursing students to do some health teaching, particularly about HIV/AIDS. Frank Black, the director of IHCF, is planning to come with his wife, Lou Ann, during this same time. Dr. Black's visits always include seeing patients at the clinic, which helps him stay in touch with how the clinic work is going, as well as providing opportunities for teaching the staff through example. Lou Ann always helps with organizing supplies, and she coordinates meal preparations when they come with a large group. Sixteen people may not be a large group in some places, but in Yendi, where all the meal supplies must be brought in from elsewhere, feeding that many Americans day after day can be a bit overwhelming!

By mid-July we expect to again be the only Americans in the Yendi area, but in late August we plan to attend the annual West African Missionaries' Retreat, which is being hosted by American missionaries from Togo. The week before the retreat, Linda is to teach an elective on health care to the Ghana Bible College students in Kumasi. Originally we expected about 20 students to take the class, but at last count, 38 have signed up!

Prayer Requests

• Fran & Jerry Thornton are in the United States due to Jerry's heart trouble. Please pray for a full recovery.
• Please pray for the McVeys as they transition to the USA and a new role in missions..
• Hamidu, the little boy with burns across his chest, back and left arm, continues to gradually heal. Praise the LORD!
• Please continue to pray for peace and a lasting resolution to the conflicts here in Yendi.
• We appreciate your many prayers for healing for our clinic patients, especially the many with wounds.
• We ask for special prayers for our family: for our health and for joy as we serve our final 18 months in Yendi.

In the Service of Our King,

The Benskin Family