June 2004- Dr. James Schulenberg

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully
administering God’s grace in various forms." I Peter 4:10

With this text in mind, I wanted to share with you the wonderful ways that the Lord has worked through CVM in spreading his grace around the globe.  This summer, together with four other volunteers, I had the opportunity to participate in a two week mission trip to Tanzania. Our group consisted of two veterinarians and three veterinary students sent by CVM. As a group, we partnered with a locally trained pastor and a missionary couple, who used the opportunity to preach to the people with the goal of establishing a church in the area; while our role was to provide the villagers with seminars on common livestock diseases and prevention techniques. With a style reminiscent of Bible times, we were given permission to stand in the town square to speak, where the colour of our skin and foreign status served to attract the villagers to listen. After our information seminars, we then toured local farms to administer treatment, and provide further disease prevention education. This also gave the pastor a chance to build personal relationships with the different villagers.

In an effort to make the people more invested in the treatments for their animals, we donated our locally purchased medication to the pastor, who in turn sold it at cost to the villagers. This fee provided them with a personal responsibility in making good decisions about their animals’ healthcare. They became very interested and eager to learn how they themselves could continue to treat their animals. It was so exciting to see their sense of accomplishment when they learned a simple task such as how to fill a syringe! We were also encouraged to hear that the pastor had raised enough money to begin work on establishing a church in that community.

Another wonderful outcome of our trip was that we were able to spend time to educating four Christian men on how to purchase and administer basic preventative medicine. Most of the diseases we dealt with could be solved by spraying for ticks and de-worming the animals. However small, these treatments were often neglected due to the days walk to purchase medication, or the inability to afford a whole bottle of medication. By teaching these men how to do these two procedures, we are hopeful that our work might have lasting results. Also, in this way, we had given these men a chance to make a second income.

In so many ways this trip was truly blessed by God. It is exciting to be able to serve him in such a wonderful way. I would like to thank the many people that have supported both me and CVMCanada through their prayers, encouragement, and their financial gifts.