A Place of Hope - Africa » Amp

New Workers Compliment our Team

admin — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:46:10 +0000

Emmanuel, Victoria and the Children of A Place of Hope

Having TEN children to care for is very different than having THREE! Their ages range from two months to one teenager. Keeping them clean, fed, medicated, in school and out of the usual trouble kids can get into keeps us extremely busy. We have received Baby Joy’s HIV results. Her initial test, which tests for antibodies to the virus, was positive. This definitely means her mother was HIV positive. However, infants can carry the mother’s antibodies and not be truly HIV positive. We now know she is positive to the and will care for her accordingly and pray the cure is found real soon.

Two of the girls graduated from one level to the next in their schooling. They are a couple of years behind where a child would be in the USA, but nevertheless they are now steady in school. Mezoma is turning out to be a very intelligent little girl. She was the top child in her class!

Bev continues to treat the villagers for their varying sicknesses as she can. Her bout with Malaria put her down for a week and slowed her pace considerably, but thankfully she is now back to normal. Brittni, a volunteer from Kansas who has spent 4 months here, was able to help carry the load along with Ebuka and myself. We took turns caring for the baby in the night. A week or so later, Brittni also came down with Malaria and was also out of commission for a week. Everyone is doing great now!

We recently had an 11 year old girl, claiming to be from South Africa show up at our house asking to stay for a few days. Her auntie had been in an accident and her uncle had taken the auntie to another city. She said she didn’t want to stay alone at her house in Nsukka. We weren’t comfortable with the whole story, so we pried and she then told us that she had been living on the street and had been trafficked to Nigeria from South Africa. That very evening we got the police involved. They questioned her and we spent several days dealing with various Nigerian police agencies.After a week in the custody of a Nigerian Agency for Trafficked Persons, she disclosed to a social worker there that her mother lived in Nsukka and she had run away! We had been duped by an 11 year old run away. The only consolation was that the police agencies had also been duped! She was reunited with her mother, a widow with 7 children. We will continue to try and work with this child to find out what led her to choose to run away from her home and fabricate a very intricate story.

The University of Nigeria Nsukka has offered their assistance with the medical care of our orphans at their medical center on campus. This will be very beneficial and will reduce the cost of their care. We are grateful for this assistance. Also, the Department of Student Affairs has appointed me to the post of Volunteer Student Advisor and Counselor to help with their load of students facing various problems. This will give us the opportunity to help students in need of advice as many of them face difficult decisions about their future.

We have been joined by some new staff. Originally last August we had asked Emanuel and Victoria about coming to work with A Place of Hope. However, at that time they declined. This year, due to Pastor Williams resignation from our staff, they made the decision to come on board and have marked an incredible difference. They both have just jumped in and are doing marvelous. We are encouraged by their presence and sincere love for the children.

The house plans were finally approved yesterday and we will begin the foundations for the first house on the property next week. We have been waiting for so long and it will be slow this time of year because of the rain, as it is the full fledged rainy season. Hopefully before our return to the USA next month for fund-raising the foundations will be completed and the walls will start to go up. Remember this is third world and there are no spinning cement trucks out in the jungle. Mixing and pouring is all done by hand!

We are busy helping in two church plants with students from the Biblical Training School we have started on Saturdays. Men from this school have asked us to help them to do this and it has been a blessing as we share the good news that Jesus is the way, truth and the life and that God truly cares for the people of Opi!

Our 501(c)(3) status with the US Gov. has been approved and we are now a full-fledged public charity. Our church, Temple Baptist of Fort Worth, TX, helped cover A Place of Hope-Africa with their status and we are grateful to them. Today we can emit our own receipts. This has not been easy nor inexpensive, so we are grateful that it has finally been completed.THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT & PRAYER!

www.aplaceofhopeafrica.org Click here to DONATE TODAY

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“Every body loves Raymond?”

Joey Starling — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:55:47 +0000

While Joey was riding our main mode of transport – a Chinese manufactured motorcycle – down to the work site late one afternoon, an old man stopped him along the way and said he was very sick. Joey told him he could go to our house and perhaps “mum” Beverly could find out what his sickness is and how to treat it.
The next day, the man showed up at the house asking for help. I asked him a myriad of questions regarding his condition and symptoms. I dived into my Special Missionary Medical Books to make sure that my suspicions were correct. The man was around 70 and he just was balling saying that he knew he was dying. His grown daughters and extended family had helped him to pay over 30,000 Naira ($200 US and enormous amount of money for a poor old man) for two different hospital stays and treatment. He said they had told him it was his heart and that there wasn’t much they could do about it and the swelling in all of his lower body & limbs. After my examination and research, I decided all indications were pointing to filariasis as the major cause. This disease is another tropical, mosquito born, disease. The mosquito takes larvae from an infected person and the larvae go through their life cycle inside the mosquito. When the mosquito bites again, much later, the young larvae now are transferred to the new host.
Raymond was so grateful… “Madam, you are so kind” He would say “Thank you” over and over again! He asked us to write down any expenses and he would find a way to pay us later. I consulted the doctor our children have seen about the case and we decided on a course of action and the appropriate medication. Joey purchased it in town and we also decided because of the severity of his case, his age and possible heart condition, and the possible reaction to the medication to keep him overnight! He kept thanking us. He quickly made himself at home…telling all the children, including Jordan and Chase what to do!
We gave him the medication and monitored him during the first 48 hours! The swelling began to reduce some, but it will take weeks to kill all the parasites. Because of an accident combined with the swelling, he has a bladder incontinence problem. There are no depends here and so it complicated matters here. We all had to pitch in to help the Raymond. Beverly had given him a small bell to use whenever he needed anything, since he was sleeping on our small porch. He did not spare using at all! Ring, ring, ring… and soon the nick name “Everybody loves Raymond” began to be an inside joke with our family. We took him to his home and he seems to be doing ok. The swelling is still there, but has reduced some and he is doing much better, however, there may not be a total cure for his condition. So please pray for him!
Anytime we are reminded about the whole bell experience someone will say; “Everybody loves Raymond” and we all chuckle!

Life on the Edge
Sometimes, as we ride down the highway or through the usual traffic in Nsukka on our “machine” (motorcycle), we are reminded of how good most of us have it back in the USA. A vehicle that has 4 wheels and a traffic system and laws help to keep us safe, for the most part. Here, it is amazing how risky it all is. But we are thankful we don’t have to walk everywhere! We really are in need of a small pick-up truck. We have just do not have the funds at this time for this luxury. The most of our funds are being used in the construction and development of the land. Please pray that somehow we can manage to find the funds to purchase a vehicle. ($12,000 USD).
We have gotten our house back into shape and purchased some shelving (Carpenter made them) to be able to put some things up. The place is beginning to feel like a home again. Screens had to be cleaned and new ones installed and general cleaning, cob web removal, and finding a place for everything. We are happy that we are finally having a kind of schedule. The boys are home-schooling and we are forging ahead with plans.
Helping the Community
We have met with the Nsukka Local Government Area Mayor as we had brought Safety Vests donated by our friends at Allied Waste (now Republic) in Fort Worth to the city clean-up workers. The meeting was very productive and a Bull Dozer which will be in the area soon was promised help us clear and level the land. Also we were able to share some disposable bedding/gowns for the pediatric ward in the hospital. These were donated by a manufacturer in the USA. We hope to do more of these types of donations to the communities we will be reaching and involved in.
Bev has been so busy with the locals in Amukpa village. There are so many sick ones. Many of them are basic things she can diagnose and treat. However, some of the problems are quite complex and she has enlisted the help of a Doctor who comes to a nearby hospital several times a week. One of the patients, a young mother, had what looked like intense mastitis and infection. Her child was dying from lack of nutrition and she was in incredible pain. Beverly carried the woman and child to meet this Doctor and he performed a minor surgery (I won’t go into the gory details; suffice it to say that it was a terrible untreated infection). The Dr. indicated that had they not come in, the baby probably would have died and the mother may have lost her breast. Beverly has been teaching the mother (and grandmother) about the care the child needs to survive (including expressing milk – giving vitamins), and making sure the woman continues her treatment.
Due to a particular vitamin deficiency and other particulars, a three-year-old boy who is extremely bowlegged was brought to Beverly. He is need of the proper care, which may be found at Enugu City 1.5 hours from here. We would like to take him to an orthopedic hospital there. The treatment will not be even ¼ of the cost of such treatment in the USA. We are seeking a sponsor for his treatment. We know this is not life-threatening, but in Africa he will be reduced to tremendous discrimination in the future if he does not find a way out. If you are interested in sponsoring his treatment, let us know and as soon as we have the details, we’ll let you know.
Through the experiences of dealing with so much sickness and the lack of education and resources of the people of the village, Beverly has decided that she can enlist some local physicians to donate a day every month or two and will open a weekly clinic. This will be a one-day a week “free” clinic. We are still trying to plan a medical team visit from the USA to help us for a week or two. We will rent a small room for now to see and treat patients. Pray for these plans there is still much to do and think through.
We are not a bank and we know you aren’t either! But please spread the word and if you haven’t joined our financial support team, please join as soon as you can!!! Let your friends and family know that this is a very worthy cause and that the donations are truly benefiting the children! There is so much need and we can’t solve it all, but together we can do something.
We are in the process of retrieving some new additions in our orphan care. Please pray that we are able to negotiate with town leaders and villagers! Sometimes they hide the children, fearing what the white man might do with them!
Thank you for your prayers and financial support. We couldn’t be here and do what we are doing without you!

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Snake! Snake! Snake!

Joey Starling — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 10:49:46 +0000

The sound of people screaming & jumping and most running away was what Jordan & Chase heard as the excitement of seeing a cobra begin to spread. Yes, we have cobras around our village. This one was black and longer than Chase is tall – about 5’2” long.
The shouts were heard around our house and someone came and told Ebuka, our watchman, so he asked Chase and Jordan if they wanted to go and see… they didn’t just see it, they killed the Cobra. The villagers were happy as they are a threat and people have died from their venomous bites.
The boys and Kyrsten (who works for a veterinarian back in the USA) enjoyed dissecting it and later The boys enjoyed cooking it over an open fire… just another day in Africa!

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Welcome to the New Site

admin — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:55:59 +0000

As Joey & Beverly settle in after arriving in Nigeria, I just wanted to give a heads up about the new website that will help in the effort. The reason for the change is to enable Joey & Beverly to easily update us with the latest news from Africa.

One of the greatest parts, is that now you can participate, too. By simply commenting on the news and stories, Joey & Beverly will be able to see that and respond. In addition, this new format allows them to quickly upload pictures and video.

Please keep them in your prayers as they plan this year:

Build Two Homes on the donated property enabling us to rescue and house 20 – 30 orphan children
Raise funds ($12,000) for vehicle to be used at A Place of Hope in Nigeria
Engage more individuals, churches and businesses in the support of our rescue operation
Training & Developing Nigerian Staff
Medical/Health Campaign-Tour in Nsukka Area
Help Area Congregations

Thank you!

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