Thank you for your prayers. I am home - 5:00 AM typing to you all -- Now that I have slept for several hours, I wanted to let you know I am well and at home now and praising God for you all.
At this point, I wanted to tell you what God did over the 2 week period.
1) provided medical check-ups(Team made up of 3 medical docs, 1 nurse, 2 therapists and 5 counselors in training) and treatment, prescription medication, x-rays ultrasounds etc for more than 500 patients and beneficiaries of ACT. Most people have very limited income -- less than $5 per day is earned by most people in the project and some a lot less than that - so medical care is very difficult to afford.
2) provided Prayer and talk therapy for more than 500 people at length - including many widows, fatherless children and muslims and non-believers.
3) wireless internet device for faster internet for Ethiopian staff member
4) money for mother to see her son several hours away that she has not seen since being rejected and kicked out of her home by her family when she became a believer in Jesus.
5) gift items, shoes and toothpaste and other items to Ethiopia pastors who translated for us and who became dear friends -- they will follow-up with the people who called on Christ with home visits and bible studies. They have limited financial resources and are paid a small amount by their congregations.
6) money gifts to Ethiopia ACT staff, drivers, translators etc.
7) money gift for one pastor for his wedding anniversary that he celebrated while there.
8) shoes to staff worker who only had dress shoes and no sneakers for walking around
9) Balloons, candies and other items to fatherless children after we prayed for them.
10) Extra income for AID /HIV Beneficiaries of ACT - when we ordered our coffee through them -- They roasted and packaged our coffee for you all. 25 1/2 Kilos for you all ($3 a pound compared to $12 to 20 per pound at Starbucks for Sodama Coffee).
11) lunch and fun day for sons of ACT staff member
12) medication and gifts to MTW missionary and family etc.
Finally, we took several photos of families and beneficiaries in Addis with ACT -- We would like to send them photos with the next team going to Addis in February -- Please pray for this -- many home visits revealed their heart for photos of family and friends -- They love to put them on their walls and display them for all to see. For the most part, friends and family are the only things they have -- some homes are 5 feet by 5 feet with a few blankets and a bed -- So sending photos to them is a big Blessing -- If you would like to help with this -- you may mail a check made out to MTW - #16626 -photos on the memo line and I will apply this to the development and handling costs of the photos back to Ethiopia next month. 5744 Bartmer, St. Louis, MO 63112. You can forward this to friends if you want.
Items to donate -- Sunglasses -- at the altitude of 10,000 feet and being near the equator -sunglasses are needed to protect eyes -- many have eye damage --any unwanted sunglasses for children or adults would be appreciated as well. We will send them with the Baltimore Team going in Feb. or later team when they arrive. Send them to same address or give them to me when you see me.
Thank you again for your prayers and support.
By His Grace,
Skip Ritchie.
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