Medical Outreach Breaks Spiritual Ground in Mali

By Alliance workers, serving at Koutiala Hospital for Women and Children, Mali

The following is an adapted excerpt of a recent report from Alliance workers. They are partnering with like-minded Alliance people to spread the aroma of Christ in word and deed—in one of poorest countries in the world.

We just had the joy of conducting outreaches in two Malian villages. One had had no known Jesus followers. In the other village we knew of just one believer—the village chief’s son, who renamed himself Emmanuel (“God with us”). He came to the Lord a few months ago.

Medical Outreach in MaliOutreach Partnership

Our outreach team included seven doctors and nurses from Christ Community Church C&MA in Omaha, Nebraska. Alliance workers, Malian medical personnel, Alliance pastors, and others were also involved.

We drove in a convoy of six heavily loaded vans and SUVs to our first stop—Emmanuel’s village. After we unpacked we put up tarps to provide some shade. We then tried to organize the 500-plus men, women, and children waiting to see the doctors. Others were there to have our dentist pull rotted teeth.

New Believers in Soun

Consultations slowed by late afternoon, but during the day one of the men asked the pastors how he could become a believer. Praise!

A meal was provided on large metal pans (five people shared each pan, using their hands to eat). We then set up the projection equipment in the chief’s courtyard and showed an evangelistic film.

At the end, Emmanuel stood with the pastor when the invitation was given to the villagers to become believers. More than 20 children and youth responded to the call.

Dream Fulfilled

We learned later that before our team visited the village, he had had a dream in which Jesus appeared to him and asked him to take care of His lambs. He realized when the children came forward that this is what Jesus was asking him to do.

The following Sunday, the man who had accepted Christ was in church in a nearby village. Not all of the children who professed their new faith were allowed to go. So nationals are having weekly discipleship meetings with them in their own village.

A group of patients awaits care“Many Will Put their Faith in Jesus”

The next Saturday found us once again on the road at 7 a.m. In the village of Pogosso we found an even larger crowd waiting for medical care. The team worked until about 5 p.m. and saw approximately 800 people.

One case of meningitis and two malnourished preemies were evacuated to the hospital. The pharmacy stayed busy, giving out medications, while the doctors examined a seemingly never-ending line of people.

At the evening evangelistic meeting in the town square, three women and two children came forward to give their lives to the Lord—the first-ever believers in this village! Pray for them and for the pastor who will travel from a nearby village to disciple them.

As we were packing up, a man came up and said: “In the days ahead, many others will come to put their faith in Jesus.” May he be one of the first!

We arrived home the following morning at 1 a.m., worn out in body but rejoicing in spirit.

All of this was made possible because of gifts to the Great Commission Fund. Think what a difference your faithful giving has made for two villages in the third-poorest country in the world!

What You Can Do

Donate to theGreat Commission Fund to help ensure that the good news is spread in spiritually dark communities in the United States and across the world.

Pray for the new believers in Soun and Pogosso to grow strong in their faith. Pray for Alliance workers the world over to have godly wisdom as they seek to share about Jesus.

Read about another team from Christ Community Church C&MA in Omaha that took part in a previous outreach in Mali.

*Read Emmanuel’s miraculous story in the March 2012 alife article, “A Power All its Own .”

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