Urgent Prayer Request

Many of you have heard me speak of our good friend, Asfaw Bedeche in Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia in conjunction with with Dairy Cow Project.  He is one of the most amazing people I know, and he has a heart for God like none other.  I am writing to ask for your prayers for Asfaw.  He has been extremely sick for the past 4 weeks, and we have recently had him transported to Addis Ababa to be admitted to the Korean Hospital for tests and treatment.

Asfaw has been serving the church for over 30 years, recently passing the baton of day to day church leadership to the next generation of leaders.  I have been working closely with him to launch the dairy business to help support local pastors as they retire.   But now, not only has Asfaw been hit by this life-threatening illness, but the first cow we purchased for him just died.  Their family is devastated, and asks for your prayers and support.  

I flew to Ethiopia last week and was able to check on him and to spend some time praying, encouraging, and empathizing with him and his family.  We are not sure what is wrong, but he has had blood in stool and has been throwing up blood.  The local doctors haven't been able to help him, so we sent him to Addis, 12 hours away (due to the current road conditions).  

Please pray for healing and for encouragement for Asfaw and his family.  Pray that we can raise all the funds needed to cover his transportation costs, his stay in Addis, and his medical treatments.  He is one of Senai’s most strategic and longstanding indigenous partners.  Asfaw and I had just been dreaming of all the things we were going to do together to serve the local church going forward.  My prayer is that this godly man will be restored to health.  May God bless Asfaw and his family, and allow him to fulfill his desire to serve local pastors in his work with the Dairy Cow Project.