EWS

of the
ICHOLS
Mike & Julie
Sarah
Jason
Samantha
ZAIRE
AFRICA
AFRKAM CHRISTIAN MISSION /ZAIRE
VOLUME 20
SAMANTHA JOY
We want to give you an
update on little Samantha Joy
as some of you have yet to
hear about her hip condition.
On March 18th she was diag
nosed with bilateral congeni
tal dislocated hips. "Bilat
eral" means both hips and
"congenital" means she was
born with this problem. The
treatment for Samantha is six
months in an armpits-to-toes
fiberglass body cast. She
will need to wear a total of
four casts, and each cast will
be on for six weeks. We
praise the Lord that this
problem was caught early. If
it had gone on undetected she
could have been permanently
crippled. The Doctor feels
fairly confident the casts
will do the job and further
casts, braces, or surgery
won't be necessary.
SUMMER. 1993
Samantha in her body cast
with Daddy
It was quite an experi
ence on March 31st when we
went in for Samantha's out
patient surgery to put on her
first cast at Sarah Bush
Lincoin Hospital in Mattoon,
Illinois. We had been told
that they would put her to
sleep to do the reduct,ion
(this is the process of
putting the top of the femur
into the hip socket) because
it is painful. They told us
she would not feel any pain
once the bones were actually
set in place. They said they
would also inject her hips
with purple dye to do further
x-rays. The part that made us
cringe was the possibility
that they might have to make
incisions to snip the muscles
in her inner thighs to be able
to stretch the legs into the
proper position. We THOUGHT
this procedure would take a
couple of hours and we'd be
back home--boy, were we wrong!
While taking a prelimi
nary chest x-ray because
Samantha had a cold, they
found out she had pneumonia!
A later test showed she had a
respiratory virus as well.
Our family Doctor admitted her
to the hospital for a week of
intravenous antibiotics,
breathing treatments, and an
croup tent. The orthopedic
surgeon decided to use this
week of hospitalization to get
her legs better prepared for
the cast, so he put both her
little legs in traction.
Samantha was quite a sight
laying on her back in her crib
covered by a big plastic croup
tent
and
This
love
days
her
in traction,
r left arm!
ek we would
The first two
mehow pulled
ice. so we
both legs in ti
an I-V in her ie:
was one week w(
to forget. The f.
Samantha somehow
I-V out twice,
finally got permission to give
her oral antibiotics. Julie
and I stayed with her around
the clock exchanging shifts in
the hospital and shifts at
home with Sarah and Jason.
One week later, Saman
tha's first cast was put on.
It took a few days for Saman
tha and us to get used to it.
The first week we affection
ately called her "Princess
Froglegs." I know what you
are all wondering (smile), how
does she go to the bathroom in
a body cast? There is an
opening which we cover with a
disposable diaper, but we had
to get pretty creative with
Q-tips, wash cloths, etc. in
order to keep the cast clean.
The fourth week into
first cast she did something
that made our mouths drop
open. While in Dallas, Texas,
at a mission seminar, we put
her on the floor and SHE
STARTED CRAWLING! She began
to pull herself, cast and all,
across the floor by use of her
forearms. We were amazed, we
assumed she would be immobile
for the duration of the cast,
but she proved us wrong. Her
latest accomplishment is
pushing herself up (push-up
style) with her arras fully
extended. This movement makes
her look like a turtle on its
tippy-toes. Our newest term
of endearment for her is the
"Turtle Princess."
The second cast was put
on May 20th. We thank the
Lord there were no other
complications at that time.
The doctor told us that her
skin was in perfect condition
when they took off the first
cast. He also told us that
the bones remained in the
sockets when he manipulated
her legs. The doctor said he
was very pleased with her
progress, but warned us that
it would still take a long
time for the shallow hin
that
long
hip
its
socket to mature into its
proper shape.
Samantha's first cast was
white, which soon turned into
a dingy gray after scooting
around the floor and dropping
food on it. The second cast
was a bright pink color.
Julie keeps trying to find
clothes that match the color.
Sarah, Jason and Samantha
It's nice to have the pink
color because she won't be
wearing many clothes over it
in the hot weather this sum
mer. Praise the Lord we have
air-conditioning both in our
house and van so we can keep
her cool.
While in Canada this
month, Samantha got the chick
en pox! We praise the Lord it
was only a light case. We
could only see the pockmarks
on her fingers, toes, and
mouth, we had no way of know
ing what was under her cast.
This morning (June 29) Saman
tha had her third cast put on.
We praise the Lord that the
Doctor saw no evidence of
chicken pox under the cast.
He was again happy with her
progress.
I wish you all could see
Samantha right now. When I
explain to people what she has
been through, it illicits very
sad expressions. I want to
assure you that most of the
time Samantha is a very joy
ful, bouncy (as much bounce as
the cast will allow), energet
ic little girl who loves to
smile, clap her hands, kiss,
and wave. She is truly living
up to her middle name, being
full of Joy and passing it on
to those around her.
We've said so much about
Samantha in this article, I
want to add a few comments
about Sarah and Jason. They
finished school in flying
colors. Sarah completed
second grade with nothing but
A's all year on her report
card. She also was able to be
in a gifted program called
Creative and Talented Stu
dents. Jason's Kindergarden
report card was filled mostly
with S+'s and E's (satisfac
tory plus and excellent). He
is just full of nervous excit-
ment that he is beginning to
read. Their highlight of our
recent Canada trip was stay
ing overnight at Grandpa
Barber's farm and visiting the
Toronto Zoo. Other summer
highlights include Charlie
Brown church camp, Vacation
Bible School, swimming les
sons, and seeing the horses in
Kentucky on vacation. They
are looking forward to being
in first and third grade this
fall and to our upcoming trip
to Zaire in December.
Sarah's 8th Birthday Party
THE BIG DECISION
many
coun-
have
ACM,
1 993.
We need to share with you
the difficult decision we have
recently made. After many
struggles, prayers, and coun
sel from others, we have
decided to resign from ACM,
effective December 31, 1993.
This has been the hardest
decision we can ever remember
making. ACM has been our
family for ten years and it
has been extremely painful to
think of breaking ties. We
joined ACM in 1983 as new-
lyweds with no kids, and we
leave with three children and
ten years of memories.
Many of you know that
Julie and I came home from
Zaire last year in pretty bad
shape. We were both physical
ly and emotionally exhausted
due to the events of our last
new-
that
f rom
bad
due to the events of our last
term. We are doing some
better now, but we have been
surprised at how slow our
recovery has been. We sought
the advice of a Christian
Counselor these past few
months and he has helped us
work through the various
issues related to our life and
work in Zaire that led to this
decision. These issues in
clude: physical living condi
tions (having to move several
times in Bukavu, inconsistent
water and electricity, etc.),
constant poor health condi
tions and limited medical
facilities (resistant malaria,
intestinal parasites, etc.),
the closing of the M.K. school
due to no replacement teacher,
and the ever present serious
political tension.
There have been a number
of stress factors that have
accumulated over our last four
years, but the one that pushed
us over the limit was having
to completely evacuate Zaire
twice in the fall of 199!. We
had hoped that being home a
year would see some change for
the good in the Zairean polit
ical climate, but things
continue at a stalemate polit
ically and the Zairean economy
continues to deteriorate. We
keep wondering how long the
stalemate can last and how
things can get any worse than
they already are economically.
We have become convinced that
it would not be wise to put
ourselves back into a situa
tion of daily intense politi
cal tension and the very real
possibility of future evacua
tions .
Ve will continue to work
for ACM through the end of the
year. We just returned from
speaking to six of our sup
porting churches in Ontario,
Canada. The summer will
include helping with Vacation
Bible Schools, the NACC,
speaking at supporting church
es, the annual ACM Trustee
Meeting in Fairfield, II. and
a family vacation to Kentucky.
We will also be helping with a
family camp over Labor Day
weekend. Besides speaking,
there are several projects we
will be able to help ACM
complete here in the States
between now and December. As
usual, there is more work than
time to complete It.
We are planning to make
one last trip to Zaire as a
family. It will be a 3 to 4
week visit during the month of
December. We want to facili
tate both the closure of our
ministry and physical property
as well as emotional closure
for our entire family. We are
hoping that some of the
projects we initiated will be
able to continue through the
help of other missionaries
and/or Zairean Nationals. One
project we would love to see
underwritten and completed is
the four-year repeatab le-cycle
youth curriculum. Mike began
writing this curriculum his
first term. Lwahira has
continued writing the lessons
and it is time to finally have
all four-years-worth of les
sons printed in book form.
This will be a costly project,
but one that is important to
Writing Youth Curriculum
complete after all the effort
that has been poured into it
in the last seven years.
Please pray that our support
will remain steady through the
end of the year to complete
these responsibilities.
We have something very
important we want to challenge
you with in this article.
Many of you have been support
ing our family's work in Zaire
since 1983. We praise God for
your faithful partnership.
Literally, we could not have
served without you. We are
praying that many of you will
decide to continue supporting
the two areas of ministry we
have been involved in for the
past ten years (i.e. ministry
to Zairean youth and coordina
tion of ACM missionaries).
A LETTER FROM LWAHIRA TO MIKE AND JULIE
Many greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Me and
my family we received sadness when we received your letter which
told of your resignation from ACM. You said that the mission
aries of ACM and the Christians of CECA are really your family
and that is completely true.
Your resignation reminded me of how we worked together the
work of God, and the good fellowship I had together with your
family. We held teaching seminars in different places, youth
camps, visited Kadutu (slum section of Bukavu), and we talked
together as brothers. Your home was like my home because I could
enter any place without any problem.
Please, I ask if you can, to explain to me by letter your
thoughts about the Youth work (here) before you come here to
Zaire to visit. Because your ideas can help us when we meet in
our Youth Program committee meeting. If it is possible you can
send a FAX.
I will be happy to see you face to face during your last
visit to Zaire. I know that you love me greatly. Yes, when you
come we will talk together for a long time. Greetings to the
Buell family, the Ed Nichols family and others. Thank you and
God bless you much!
Your brother in Christ,
Lwahira Ngonga Roger
There are so many needs ACM is
trying to meet. Physically we
won't be present in Zaire, but
we will continue to help ACM
in whatever way possible and
we are hoping you too will
continue your partnership with
ACM. We want to recommend
some missionaries who are
continuing to work in the area
of ACM coordination and Zai
rean youth work. Instead of
dropping your support in
January or switching it to
somewhere else, will you
consider continuing to support
ACM missionaries? These
missionaries are in need of
your faithful support.
THE BUELLS
Ed and Brenda Buell have
been with ACM longer than Mike
and Julie. They have held 2
different positions with the
mission. Ed was the first
missionary to begin Youth work
in Zaire and Brenda helped him
by teaching children's class
es. Their time of field work
came to a sudden end when one
of their sons required medical
attention in the States.
During the years of necessary
observation by specialists, Ed
and Brenda ministered in a
church in Indiana for 4 years.
But the ties to ACM were
strong and we pulled them back
into the mission work as our
Director of U.S. Operations in
our office in Kansas. Ed's
job is vitally important to
preparing missionaries before
they go to the field. He is
Ed and Brenda Buell
also the main center of commu
nication between missionaries
and their families (AND BOY
WAS HE BUSY DURING EVACUA
TIONS! ! ) and missionaries and
the Trustees of our mission.
Brenda is a wonderful
mother of their four children.
John, the oldest, has already
taken a summer mission trip to
the Dominican Republic and is
studying at Lincoln Christian
College. Matt, 15, Scott, 13,
and Jennifer, 9, all keep
Brenda and Ed both on their
toes!
*9 ^
Charlene and Jamey
Stephanie and Elisa
THE RAMEYS
Jamey and Charlene Ramey
have been with ACM for six
years. Charlene came to the
mission with a lifetime of
practical knowledge that makes
her a wonderful missionary.
She grew up in Zaire as an MK
and has a fluent grasp of the
language, customs and inuendos
of the Zairean culture that
the average missionary only
dreams of learning. She is a
wonderful helpmate to her
husband Jamey who is a gradu
ate of St. Louis Christian
College and majored in Youth
Ministry. Jamey had a number
of years experience in the
U.S. before beginning his
ministry in Zaire. During a
shortened first term (due to
evacuations) they accomplished
the enormous Job of building
their home at the Kiddodobo
mission station as well as
ministering to the people in
the areas of Youth work, Bible
Institute, women's Bible
studies, sewing classes and
reading classes. This was all
accomplished while simultane
ously raising two lovely
little girls Elisa, 5, and
Stephanie, 2. They are ex
pecting their third child in
November.
%
Jamey installing the bathtub!
h
THE NICHOLS, SR.
Many of you already know
Ed and Janice Nichols who are
Mike's parents. They have
worked with ACM since 1978.
During two terras in Zaire, Ed
had a fruitful ministry build
ing church buildings and
Janice typed, tirelessly, the
Swahili translation of the Old
Testament. Since 1982, Ed and
Janice have worked stateside,
traveling thousands of miles
to teach, preach and educate
the local church about the
work of missions. Ed's goal
is to help individuals conquer
their self-centered life
styles by becoming involved
with others.
THE FUTURE?
So, what are we going to
do after January? We are not
exactly sure yet what the
future holds. We are looking
at two job options that look
promising, both are stateside
positions in the field of
missions. We have decided to
do what it takes to live here
in Kansas, Illinois, until
next summer. We don't want to
uproot the kids in the middle
of the school year and we'd
like them to have another year
in the same house before we
move again.
When Julie and I cele
brated our ten year anniver
sary last December, we counted
up the number of homes we have
lived in during our married
life. We came up with 12
different homes! We also
counted 14 months of time
during those ten years where
we were living in "limbo" for
one reason or another. We are
earnestly praying that our
next move will allow us to
stay in one place for many
years.
We will be putting out
one more major newsletter
before we close this chapter
of our lives. At that time we
will share more details about
the next adventure for the
Nichols' family. STAY TUNED!
PRAISE AND PETITION
PRAISE FOR . . .
1. the continued safety of ACM missionaries and Christians in
Zaire
2. good progress with Samantha's hip condition
PRAY FOR . . .
1. solutions to Zaire's political crisis
2. revival to take place in the Zairean church
3. complete and speedy healing of Samantha's hip condition
4. the easy completion of our Zaire trip preparations (pass
ports, visas, shots, airline tickets, etc.)
5. guidance in future career decisions
6. our support base to remain strong until December 31, 1993
4
The Buell's have generously cared for the Nichols pony for the
last year. Ed and Rusty with Sarah and Jennifer Buell astride!
Sarah at her Ballet Recital
AFRICAN CHRISTIAN MISSION
KANSAS, ILLINOIS 61933
Address Correction Requested
FORWARDING AGENTS:
U.S. Supporters, please send
funds and packages to:
African Christian Mission
c/o Iva L Speece
P.O. Box 361
Kansas, IL 61933-0381
Canadian Supporters,
please send funds to:
West Lake Church of Christ
Route 1
PIcton, Ontario
KOK 2T0
All donations are tax deductible
and will be receipted. Financial
statements are available upon request
Ncn-Profit Org.
Zip + 4
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 18
KANSAS. IL
61933
MISSION SERVICES
PC BOX 2427
KNOXVILLE TN 37901-2427