Our team from Mission Partners for Christ completed a medical mission trip to four remote villages in Benin Africa in November 2021. We partnered with Global Hope Network International, our “boots on the ground” partner, to provide medical treatment and offer spiritual counseling to over 2,100 patients in Benin. Our team of 51 included six physicians, numerous nurses and healthcare professionals, over twenty pastors from Benin and nearby countries, many interpreters, and other support staff.
As some of you may know, Benin is a former French colony and French is the official language in Benin to this day. It is known as the home of voodoo, and many slaves were taken from Benin to Haiti. Benin is a very, very poor country with very limited infrastructure and financial resources. To this day, farming is accomplished through manual labor; not once did we see a tractor or any other mechanized machine during our long travels through the countryside. Once off the limited paved roads, travel is slow and difficult as the country roads are full of ruts and are often soft, without any gravel surface. When it rains, the roads are simply a mess and almost impassable. If a vehicle does get stuck in the muddy road, which happened to two of our three vehicles on our way to a village, the vehicle’s load is lightened, branches and plants are uprooted and placed on the road for traction, and manpower is used for pushing to get unstuck. Using these tactics, our vans were able to get unstuck and we were able to complete the long journey to the village to host our outreach.
Happily, the people we ministered to were overwhelmingly kind and considerate, often waiting hours in line for their first ever visit to see a nurse or doctor. We encountered much malaria, untreated high blood pressure, serious wounds untreated for months or even years, rickets and other deformities among children, and abnormally high rates of blindness. Tragically, some of the cases of blindness were caused by severe trauma, or by acid.
The good news is that the gospel has taken root in this country and there is a growing Christian presence. Unfortunately, many still continue voodoo or other spiritually dark practices in combination with Christianity, similar to some early believers in the New Testament church.
On our last day of visiting villages, we traveled to the village of Takon. We treated 784 patients (the most of any day) and of these 107 gave their hearts to Christ after speaking with one or more of the pastors. Despite the hardships in traveling to the four villages, the medical mission was a tremendous success. Global Hope Network International had already established a presence there, as the first latrine (or outhouse) in Takon was complete. Unfortunately, we discovered that the villagers in Takon did not have access to clean water and it was severely impacting their health. Most were walking hours each day to obtain water for drinking and cooking. In addition, they have to pay for the water from their very scarce resources. From November to December 2021 we were able to raise all of the funds for a clean water well in Dassa (another village we served). You can see their pure joy in finally being able to access clean water in this video:
We would like to encourage the villagers in Takon, and the community at large, by providing $15,270 US Dollars for a new hydraulic well (there is no electricity). We have already raised $4730. The funds will be used by our partner, Global Hope Network International, to oversee the engineering related to, and installation of, a modern well. Global Hope has a good deal of experience concerning such wells in West Africa.
As we approach Easter we think of John 4:14 “But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life. “ Will you join us in this Easter season by making a donation towards clean water in Takon Benin?
You can make a payment on Facebook or send a check to:
Mission Partners for Christ PO Box 203
Manhattan, IL 60442.
Please note that Facebook pays all the processing fees for you, so 100% of your donation goes directly to the nonprofit.
One hundred percent of the funds you give to Mission Partners for Christ will be provided to Global Hope Network International for this project. Your donation is tax-deductible. If we exceed our goal, the money will be used for a well in one of the other villages.
If you are interested in learning more about Mission Partners for Christ or Global Hope Network International, you can learn more by reviewing their respective websites at:
www.missionpartnersforchrist.org and www.globalhopenetwork.org
Thank you for considering a gift for this incredibly important project.
If you would like more information please email Sheri Postma, Founder and CEO of Mission Partners for Christ at: info@missionpartnersforchrist.com
Whether you donate $25 or $500 every little bit helps. Thank you for your support!
Happy Easter!
