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Gregory & Hannah
August 1990
ABOUT LIFE AND DEATH
One day while I was in Lodwar
buying supplies a man came to our
house and told Debbie that his wife
was sick. It didn't seem all that differ
ent from a hundred other cases of peo
ple that come to our house every day.
The woman was pregnant, due to have
the baby any day; she had pain and
lost a lot of blood three days before.
DAN & DEBBIE
BADER
P.O. Box 38)
Lodwar, Kenya
AFRICA
Turkana Tribesman
CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP Prayer Newsletter
She lived across the river which Nakaale clinic building-the first permanent building
happened to be flowing those days, so mthis valley.
we couldn't go get her with the truck.
Debbie told them to bring her to our side of the river and we'd take her to a hospital in
Lodwar (three hours one way over some rough country, the same place I had gone and was
coming back from that very day).
The people here aren't too "wild" about going to the hospital in Lodwar. Many times
people have gone there and died alone. They must have dawdled quite a bit, waiting to
see if she'd get better or if the baby would come, because they didn't bring her until a day
and a half later.
When we saw the man's wife, she didn't look all that sick; she was even able to walk
around. But what they told us soxmded very serious, and we wanted to take her to Lod
war.
The men talked about it for a while, deciding to wait again till morning. They wouldn't
budge. Later we found out they wanted to consult some old men who threw sandals for
divination. From throwing the sandals, they decided that if she went to Lodwar she would
die on the way. The next morning they refused to let her go.
What a dilemma! We went to pray with the woman again that morning only to find her
breathing her last. I actually
watched someone die . .. someone
who could have recovered in differ
ent circumstances. My heart ached
for days.
A few weeks later my Turkana
brother, Lodeiya, came sa3ringhis
wife, Kanuay was very sick after hav
ing her baby. She lost a lot of blood
during the delivery. Luckily Bob
Chapman (our Christian Missionary
Fellowship co-worker and team doc
tor) was coming the next day for his
regular monthly mobile clinic. He
gave her a shot of iron and some oth
er medicines, but said she was in
very serious condition. He said the
chances were likely Kanua wouldn't
make the rough trip to Lodwar
where a blood transfusion could
make all the difference (if they could
even find a donor with the right
blood type). It didn't matter anyway,
the family didn't want her to go.
This time the situation was espe
cially personal since she was my
brother's wife. We went out to see
Kanua twice a day to pray with her
and check on her medicine, but she
just wasn't getting any better. It
looked like everyone already had giv
en her up for dead and were just
waiting for it to happen. Kanua her
self seemed to have given up; she
had absolutely no interest in the
baby who was being given goat's
milk since Kanua wasn't nursing.
Debbie started taking food out to
Kanua each time we went and that
seemed to help a little. What
seemed to help the most was Deb
bie's interest in her: One day she
took a bracelet for the baby and one
of her necklaces for Kanua as gifts.
She gave the baby gift, then before
Debbie could give the necklace to Ka
nua she said, "Where's mineV
Queen Hannah sitting on her throne, Dan's ekechalong.
Does she look like a little Turkana, or what"?
Hannah and our friend, Pele, supervising some work
on our new house at Kangarisay.
Our closest neighbors, the family ofAnapa.
We praised God! Begging was a sme sign this Turkana wanted to live. From then on
she steadily got better. It's a much better feeling to help save a Hfe than to helplessly
watch one snuffed out.
From these two examples, pulled from many such experiences, you can rejoice with us
in the permanent clinic building we've just finished. We're staffing it with a nurse and
providing the medicines for one year, after which the government agreed to take over.
Even though this clinic took a lot of time to build, we expect it to actually save time in the
long run and relieve xis of a great burden, not to mention the help it will be for the Turka-
na.
PRAYER
*In the last newsletter we asked youto pray every day for certain things. Weknow, by
your letters, that many of you have labored in prayer on our behalf all these months even
without knowing fhe results of those prayers. We apologize for not reporting sooner; the
only excuse being that it has probably been the most difficult six months of our lives.
Without your prayers I'm sure we would never have made it.
Let me first teUyou about the prayers that were clearly answered. Even though it's
not nomadic, a churchhas begunto meet here in Kangarisay. There is a small groupof
more or less permanent families here which swell to quite a large population during cer
tain times of the year. All of the Turkana missionaries came and joined in a two-day cele
bration for over a himdred Turkana men, culminating on Simday morning in a church ser
vice!
Since then, we've been averaging about sixty peopleeach Sunday. Twenty of those are
usually men. The services are exciting, and everybody really enjoys them. Tliis is not
something brandnew. RalphandCheri Brune, former CMF teammates, originally start
edfhis church before fhey had togo back tothe Statesfor medical reasons. We just got it
going again.
All this assumes I'min the area. If I'm gone, very fewif anymeet; so you can see
there's a long way to go. Even then it's only the beginning. A permanent church like this
one only meetsthe needsofa few people in a small area. Themajority ofthe people need
a church that is more mobile to fit their nomadic lifestyle. But at least we've made a first
step with our church here at Kangarisay and for that we praise Gk)d. Keep pra3dng!
*We asked for nothing less than a miracle in the area of language learning; I believe
God granted that miracle. It's exciting to converse at a much higher level all of a sudden.
Now instead of talking like a five-year-old I feel more like a ten-year-old. Obviously, I
want to progress beyond this level, so I'd appreciate your continued prayers in this sJl-
important area.
*We asked you to pray for rain ... God answered that one also. He sent the rains a
month early, and they were plentifiil. Unfortimately, the rain came the very day a major
diviner was prajdng for it, too. Sometimes I get the feeling that Grod is arranging a con
frontation with that diviner, who also happens to be my fiiend. Whether it's tomorrow or
two years from now I don't Imow; but I'm afraid it's going to revolve around the rain. We'll
see where God leads. Please keep praying.
*The people have been quick to accept us here at Kangarisay. We are developing some
good relationships, God has answered your prayers in that. But the most important thing
I asked you to pray for was God helping me to be out in the villages a lot. With all my
heart I want to be out there with people talking and sharing almost every day, but it just
hasn't been humanly possible. I don't believe it was a lack of willpower or desire. There
was just too much to do with a large men's course to prepare for, a church to get started, a
This is why the last six months have been so difficult. We've been so busy that we're worn
to a frazzle, yet I haven't been able to do the one thing I wanted more than anything.
Please pray fervently that God will help me get out more into the villages, as I know He
also wants.
I'd like to share the following prayer with you. It came in the mail from one of my old
est and best friends, Greg Lokie, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Greg deserves a lot of the credit for
the spiritual life I have today. He's still helping me, because this prayer came at a time I
needed it very much; and still do.
God,
Grant me wisdom,
discernment for my days . . .
to cast off that which profits nothing,
and pursue just weights and measures,
unconsumed by the trivial,
yet never passing over the small only because of
apparent insignificance. -
Teach me,
your ways-
ways unapplauded, unrewarded, under attack,
unknown to the scheming pursuits of men
who know nothing of prayer-
who care nothing for the likes of us. Lord.
Bear with me, Sovereign.
I'm dizzy with it all-
giddy, trying to maintain balance,
to walk upright,
to preserve Your valor;
falling so short, falling so fast.
Teach me,
the wisdom from above, your love . ..
Teach me.
Dan and Debbie Bader
8/90
CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP
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