July 20, 2006
Dear Family and Friends,
June and July have been very busy, fruitful months. Praise the Lord for his faithfulness and love for us. He has directed us and strengthened us every step of the way.
Construction of the new hospital building has been primarily completed, except for finish-up electrical, plumbing, and painting work. All seven HIV/AIDS treatment teams, the out-patient department, the pharmacy and the lab are seeing patients in the ground floor of the new building, which is very sparsely furnished. There is no permanent shelving, cabinets, or furniture yet, but a table and a couple of chairs adequately meet the basic needs of each seven person treatment team for now. Counseling, Physiotherapy, Data management, Finances, and Administration are still in the old building. We are thankful for the steady progress that has been accomplished over the past nine months, and are trusting God to provide the resources to complete the finish-up work, furnishing of the building, and opening of the patient wards and surgery center according to his time-table. Your continued prayers during these transitions are appreciated.
Faith Alive Foundation’s Tenth Anniversary Celebration was in June, and was a wonderful time of praising the Lord, remembering the past, envisioning the future, and committing ourselves anew to the work of the Lord. We were blessed to have visitors from around the world join us for this celebration.
We’ve had a number of university and graduate students from California and Wisconsin visiting us over the past two months. They’ve been conducting a couple of research projects, preparing and presenting a systems development training for our heads of departments, visiting an orphanage, and assisting in the lab, counseling department, or social services programs. Their participation has been a joy for all of us.
Dr Chris Isichei, the founder of Faith Alive, left last week to spend about 2 months in London and the USA visiting colleagues and supporters, attending meetings, conferences, and trainings, and sharing the vision and mission of Faith Alive with churches, organizations, and friends. He will be speaking at Fresno First Baptist Church on August 3rd and August 6th. I’d like to encourage you to attend these events to hear the Faith Alive story first hand. You may call the church at 227-8476 for further details.
My son Joshua’s wife Nicole gave birth in Montana to their second little girl on June 26th. Her name is Simone Hope, and from the pictures I’ve received via email she is a cutie. Thank you for your prayers for this growing family. All are healthy and well, and being blessed by the Lord.
May God be with each one of you, and fill you with his love, joy, and peace.
Biana