Christian Veterinary Missions of Canada

June 2012

Dear Moses Project supporter:

Almost six  months has past since our last update; I trust 2012 has been going well for you.  As you are aware, here in the Middle East things have not been stable recently – not any more so than for any of the past several hundred years!  Uprisings and brutal repression and unusual weather – all signs that we are indeed living in the end times.

At Moses project we are struggling with issues that we trust God will use in our lives for His glory.  Some are struggles related to growth in the work we have in the clinic – for this we are truly grateful!  Some are struggles related to economic challenges (I understand that though this is on a different scale here than in North America, we all have challenges in this regard!) and some are health related challenges.

Regarding work opportunities, growth in the clinic leads to more opportunity to reach out to more people with the good news, and also helps legitimize our presence here.  Thanks be to God, the 2008 pickup truck we were able to purchase works very well and meets our needs wonderfully.  We are now able to reach some of the poorest of the poor in areas inaccessible by car.  Our operating expenses for vehicle have gone up somewhat but with money saved from not having to rent a car month by month, we are able to cover those expenses; driving along the highway is now more safe (and more comfortable too!).  We are able to reach clients that in the past would need to give us rides to their farms.  Some still choose to give us rides as it is a little cheaper for them to do that than to pay the small amount we ask for mileage costs with our truck.  Either way is fine with me – riding in their own vehicle actually gives more time for meaningful discussion, in a safe environment.

Though work here is quite seasonal, depending on the rains, there has been an upward trend both in number of examinations and amount of medication administered and dispensed.  We are quite limited in the type of medication we can get here but are able to obtain all basic types of medication and supplements for livestock.  The small amount of companion animal work we do is limited by equipment and medication availability but with the lack of service availability in our area, clients essentially need to choose between our clinic or nothing at all.  Having said that, the number of small animal cases per month can be counted on two hands.  Still, fees for such work help support the outreach among large animal clients.

Health related concerns have to do with Dr. Joe, who has recently been diagnosed with spinal disc disease, a condition which causes considerable pain at times.  Please pray for healing there.

Your brothers and sisters in Christian churches have been very much affected by the ‘Arab spring’ of recent years, mostly in the form of increased oppression.  We ask not that you pray for freedom nor new government nor overthrow of regimes but that in all that is happening, God will work His will for His honor, and that His children (we) will prove faithful in tribulation and act in ways that are in line with His calling and bring Him glory, no matter what the cost is to us.  Do pray for us though please – we need your prayers. 

Recently it has become clear that we need to be able to raise more funds to continue the work here.  This has been a prayer concern for some time, and in response to what we believe to be God’s leading, after much prayer we have taken the step of hiring another Christian veterinarian to work in the clinic.  That might not sound like the typical response to insufficient support, but we are thrilled to have Dr. Mark join us.  Dr. Mark is a new graduate and is learning a lot from in-the-field training with Dr. Joe.  The plan is that having Dr. Mark with us as a full time worker in the clinic will free Dr. Joe up to spend more time in direct evangelism and fundraising.  This transition will take place over the next half year or so, as Dr. Mark becomes more familiar with the practice and more competent and confident in his work. 

The support we have been able to raise through CVM, together with the limited income from the clinic, will hopefully be able to continue to support Dr. Mark and related expenses.  Meantime, believing that God is calling him to more of an outreach and fundraising emphasis, Dr. Joe has declined ongoing support and is moving out in faith that God will provide.  As He always does, even though it may not always appear how that will happen moving forward.

Please pray for Drs. Joe and Mark and for Sam, the assistant, as they seek to be faithful kingdom workers.  If possible to also give to the Moses project, please do so – we need your prayer support and are also very thankful for financial support.

In the name of our King,

Your brothers in Christ

I have great memories of my first trip to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in October 2009.   I had applied to work in Mongolia as a shuttle veterinarian for Christian Veterinary Mission.

After dropping off my luggage at my apartment my Mongolian guide took me to the small animal clinic where I was immediately put to work.  Within an hour I was assisting a young Mongolian veterinarian with surgery  for a foreign body blockage using multiple enterotomies to retrieve a cloth bag that a dog had eaten two days before.  It was a great start!

I loved my time in Mongolia that first year and every October for the past 2 years I have returned to Ulaanbaatar. 

This past October my job description was a little bit different from my first two years.  This year I was asked to teach 20 hours of small animal medicine in the Masters Program,  I also taught two surgery classes at the Mongolian veterinary college and worked  at the Enerekh Caring small animal hospital and training center. 

The Masters Program is coordinated by V.E.T Net and is offered in conjunction with the Mongolian veterinary college and 4 veterinary schools in the U.S.A.  It is a graduate degree program for Mongolian veterinarians.  At the present only V.E.T. Net veterinarians are registered in the program but starting next year upper year students from the veterinary college will also be accepted.   The Masters Program is a significant collabrative relationship between the Mongolian veterinary school and V.E.T. Net. 

Mongolia is a country bordered by Russia on the north and China on the south.  It became a communist country, aligning itself with the Soviet Union after breaking away from China in 1921.  In 1992 it became a parliamentary republic with the introduction of perestroika and glasnost in the U.S.S.R.

Over 1 million people live in the capital city, Ulaanbaatar. The remaining 1.7 million people are herder families who live a semi-nomadic existence in the countryside as they move their sheep, goats, cattle and horses over large areas of unfenced hill country.  When an area becomes overgrazed the herders move their gers, a round tent house made of layers of felt and canvas, and move to a new area.