Timothy and Ruth Albright

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Prayer Letter/Ministry Update

ALBRIGHT'S NEWS
CAMA Services, 06 BP 9049, Ouagadougou 06, Burkina Faso
US Address: PO Box 800954, Toccoa Falls, GA 30598
Email: tjalbright (at) gmail (dot) com
April 2009 Newsletter
CAMA Services Website: http://cama.cmalliance.org

Dear Praying Friends,
We greatly enjoyed reconnecting with many friends at the C&MA Council in Louisville! While we were there, our national partner in Burkina Faso contacted us with a critical need. On the night of May 25, a terrible thunderstorm hit the village of Kankala in the province of Kenedougou. This province is largely unreached by the gospel though there have been a few openings recently including a new church plant in the village of Karangasso due to a food distribution after the terrible floods of 2007. The lightning from that storm struck a fetish house, caught fire and quickly spread throughout two neighborhoods of the village. Because of the thatched roofs 1,110 houses, granaries, and storerooms were destroyed (see attached picture). People lost all their belongings, their money, their animals, and over 50 tons of food was consumed by the fire. Because of faithful CAMA Service supporters, we were able to react quickly and send funds for assistance which is scheduled for this week. Please keep this situation in your prayers.
In the development world it is always encouraging to see things progress even when we are not present. Such has been the case with the Tabitha Center in Ouagadougou this past year during our home assignment. The women have improved a number of their current activities and added new ones. They are currently learning how to use sewing machines instead of just sewing by hand (see attached photo). The women have also added more small business training and begun a micro loan program. In March we were able to add a drilled well and pump that is helping provide clean water to the entire neighborhood as well as providing a good water source for the garden and the Moringa program (see photo). We are thankful that lives are being transformed economically, socially, and spiritually through the Tabitha Center.
On a personal note, our family will be in Fort Myers, Florida for two weeks of training at ECHO and also spending some vacation time. Andrew is looking forward to the district Power Time Camp with the church youth group. Tim completed a Masters of Arts from Columbia International University in May, and we praise God for His help in this. We are also excited about an upcoming Albright family reunion in Helen, GA. later on this month. It has been ten years since all of the Albrights and their families have been together.

Dear Praying Friends,
As we have been speaking about CAMA Services’ ministries in various churches over the past few weeks, we have been challenged to give people practical action steps for getting involved with CAMA’s work. We are therefore sending out this letter with the intent to inform you of an opportunity for giving to one of our new exciting ministries. You will find attached to this newsletter a write-up about the two story maternity ward that we want to open this year in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.
Would you please consider how you might be able to participate with us? We covet your prayers for this new exciting outreach. We would also greatly appreciate you considering how you might get actively involved in giving toward this project. Our prayer is that God will raise up:

* 5 churches to give $ 5,000 each
* 10 people/churches to give $ 1,000 each
* 20 people/churches to give $ 500 each
* 30 people to give $ 250 each
* 100 people to give $ 100 each

If you would like to contribute, please send your gifts to “CAMA Services”

PO Box 35000
Colorado Springs, CO. 80935

In the memo line please specify “Burkina Faso Hospital”

May the Lord richly bless each of you!

Tim, Ruth, Rachelle, and Andrew Albright

Romans 12: 6-8: “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. . . if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously. . ."

CAMA Services funds are raised outside of the Great Commission Fund. Contributions toward the costs of keeping us on the field and gifts for the general support of CAMA Services are tax deductible and can be sent to: CAMA Services, PO Box 35000, Colorado Springs, CO 80935-3500.

Gifts designated specifically for our ministry fund are also tax deductible and can be sent marked "Timothy Albright Work Specials" to CAMA Services, PO Box 35000, Colorado Springs, CO 80935-3500.

WRITE-UP

Expecting a baby is a time of joy and anticipation for most families throughout the world. It is also a time requiring careful monitoring due to the possibility of problems which can occur in mothers and babies during and after pregnancy. Many of us take for granted the excellent health care options available to us at such times. Yet in impoverished countries such as Burkina Faso, many women cannot get to the limited medical facilities to receive treatment or training, which means that many babies and mothers die during or shortly after childbirth.

Burkina Faso, located in the heart of West Africa, is among the world’s poorest countries. More than 80 percent of the population lives under the international poverty line of $2 (US) per day. In terms of quality of life, the 2005 United Nations’ Human Development Index Report classifies Burkina as number 175 out of 177 countries. Women compose more than half of its population, with 60 percent of the overall population under age 20. Most women have little or no income or decision-making power. Husbands often insist that their wives give birth at home because they lack the finances to send them to proper medical facilities. And many who do make the journey must travel long, dangerous, poorly-maintained roads.

According to statistics from Burkina’s Ministry of Health, access to medical care is woefully inadequate, with only one doctor for every 29,000 inhabitants, one nurse for every 8,500 inhabitants, and one midwife for every 28,000 inhabitants. More than 10 percent of children die during childbirth, and out of every 100 live births, 24 children will never reach their fifth birthday. One child in three under age of five is malnourished. Malaria, the number one killer in Burkina Faso, takes the lives of 15,000 children each year. The country also regularly battles meningitis, yellow fever, cholera, and typhoid fever, as well as the ongoing AIDS pandemic.

During the past two decades, Burkina Faso’s Ministry of Health has attempted various strategies to provide adequate health care for its citizens, but due to severely limited resources, has not been able to meet the challenge. It needs outside support, which is where we come in.

ACCEDES (pronounced AX-Say-day), the relief and development arm of the Burkina Faso Alliance Church, is ideally positioned to play a significant role in meeting the ever-increasing demand for medical assistance. A partner organization of CAMA, ACCEDES is based in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina’s second-largest city, which is often overlooked while many of the nation’s resources are concentrated in the capital city, Ouagadougou. At present, Bobo-Dioulasso has only one university hospital and two clinics with small operating facilities. They serve not only the local population, but those living in the surrounding provinces as well.

Already active in the health arena, ACCEDES plans to expand its role by creating a major medical facility in this city. ACCEDES has broadened its health focus to overlap with the top health priorities of the country in the areas of AIDS, maternal and infant health, malaria, and hygiene. A medical center in Bobo-Dioulasso would significantly reinforce the deficient health care access that already exists in this city of 600,000.

In the area of pre- and post-natal care, ACCEDES plans to work to reduce maternal mortality in such practical ways as repairing damage incurred in giving birth; encouraging the use of maternal milk; providing testing, preventive care, and assistance with female cancers; promoting family planning; and preventing/assisting with complications caused by female circumcision. To reduce infant mortality, ACCEDES will address prevention and care of infant diseases; promote the use of certain vaccines during specific disease epidemics; provide training in how to address sexual behavior issues for older children; and teach hygienic practices to benefit individuals and society.
ACCEDES has a clinic and pharmaceutical depository which have provided much-needed experience in the medical field, consulting with approximately 400 patients a month and providing generic medicines at affordable prices.

Medical ministries have long been a key to softening hearts hardened to the Gospel while demonstrating Christ’s love in action to a hurting world. The Christian compassion offered during medical consultations and treatment often stands in stark contrast to the lack of genuine concern expressed elsewhere. In addition, the goal of striving to maintain high quality medical services will serve as a positive testimony, preparing hearts in pre-evangelism. Because of ACCEDES’ positive reputation and involvement in the Bobo- Dioulasso community, government authorities have helped secure land for the medical center. The property has been zoned and simply awaits construction.

ACCEDES has selected the name “Centre Medical Chrétien Maranatha” (or Christian Medical Center Maranatha) for its new health center complex. The vision for this medical facility includes essential health services for both curative and preventive care. The finished complex will feature an administrative building, an obstetrics and gynecological center, pediatrics and internal medicine departments, a surgical bloc, an internal pharmacy, a chapel, a recreation and meeting room for medical personnel, and an incinerator. The blueprints have been drawn, the land cleared, and the wall around the property finished. This summer the maternity ward is to be constructed at a cost of $70,000 (US). CAMA Services already has around $ 7,000 on hand to assist with this.

The first measure of success will be calculated by the number of sick people coming to be treated. ACCEDES currently runs a small clinic that serves approximately 900 people per month. The positive testimony of this center is already having an impact as word has spread of the care and compassion demonstrated at this center. We anticipate that the new center will bring 10,000 visits per year, 2,400 of which will likely be women giving birth.

This medical center will significantly boost access to affordable health care in an often-ignored population center, while providing much-needed specialists to address life-threatening illnesses. It represents an extraordinary opportunity to communicate God’s Word to the infirm through Christian love and compassion. Through this outreach, God can break down resistance and bring salvation to countless people who otherwise would never hear of Jesus and His love. Finally, in a country as impoverished as Burkina Faso, this medical center will provide easy access and quality health care to the poorest of the poor, thereby fulfilling God’s mandate to care for “the least of these.”

Prayer Requests/Answers to Prayer

Praise & Prayer:

# Pray that as we reach out to the village of Kankala this week, that God would soften people's hearts and allow them to hear His voice in their lives.

# Pray for us as we say good-bye to friends and family. This time we will be leaving behind two of our three children. Pray for God's comfort and strength for all of us, as well as for His hand upon Michael and his wife Rachel and our daughter Rachelle.

# Andrew desires to attend Dakar Academy in Senegal when we return instead of staying at the International School of Ouagadougou. This will be a growth experience for him, and a challenge for us as we deal with the "empty nest" during his time at school. Pray that God would use this time in his life to mold him. Andrew travels to Dakar, Senegal on Aug. 11.

# Pray for Ruth as she finishes her masters and makes plans to teach 4th grade at the International School of Ouagadougou beginning Aug. 12.
# Pray for us, over the summer as we pack up, travel, speak, unpack, and get reinstalled in our house back in Ouagadougou. Our return date is July 22.

* Pray for the necessary funds for the construction of the maternity.

Approved Specials

If you wish to contribute to one of our specials (vehicle funds, building projects, etc.) you may select it from the Approved Specials List.

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