Dear Friends,

Greetings from the Big Easy! For those who are hearing from us for the first time: starting next year we will be serving in health ministry as an OB/GYN physician and nurse-midwife couple at Good Shepherd Hospital in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire). In August, we moved from Ohio to an apartment building in New Orleans on St. Charles Avenue that Nancy rented sight unseen over the Internet. She must have been on the www.please let God protect us site because it is a very nice and safe place in what is called the Garden District. The trolley line carries tourists by the front of our building where they can view the world's largest collection of pre-Civil War southern mansions. The rear view from our apartment; however, is quite the opposite.

We are currently enrolled in the Tropical Medicine Diploma Program at Tulane University’s College of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. In order to provide health care in the tropics, it is important to start with an good understanding of how the climate as well as the socio-economics affect the sufferings of our brothers and sisters living in that part of God’s Kingdom. Needless to say, our noses have been buried in our textbooks every day since we arrived in New Orleans. What a wonderful educational opportunity this is, and we feel so blessed to have the privilege of studying at Tulane. The tropical medicine faculty are extremely dedicated and down-to-earth folks. Many of our instructors have worked in what we call "Third World" or developing countries. This fine group of physicians is deeply committed to finding mechanisms to prevent, control, and treat disease without the usual concerns for personal income or status. They are inspirational in their instruction, reminding us that although God has given us dominion over all living creatures, to properly steward his creation, we must learn how to live in harmony with all of nature. It is in failing to do this that so many devastating diseases afflict mankind.

In our studies at Tulane we have learned of the terrible suffering of little children under 5 years of age in the developing world. The unspeakable reality is this: In the five minutes it takes to read this newsletter, 60 of God’s precious children will starve to death or die from a hunger-related illness. Children in poor nations suffer and die from diseases as a result of lack of prevention (immunizations) or the unavailability of simple and inexpensive treatments. In our world there exists a vast disparity between wealthy nations that can afford adequate health care and preventive services for their infants and children, and the desperately poor nations that can do nothing more than stand by and watch their children suffer and die. This crucial issue of social justice and compassion must be addressed by Christians and all communities of faith with greater awareness, greater understanding, greater love, and increasing resources.

We have been extremely blessed with finding a wonderful church home while we are here. St. Charles Ave. Presbyterian Church is right down the trolley line from our apartment. The pastor, the Reverend Donald Framptom, preaches a message very dear to us: mission. In a recent sermon, he used the relationship of the Sea of Galilee via the Jordan River to the Dead Sea to illustrate his message. The Sea of Galilee is very alive, receiving water from all directions and pouring out all that it receives to the Jordan River, hoarding nothing. The Dead Sea receives the fresh, life-giving water from the Jordan but from there, it has nowhere to go. The Dead Sea has no outflow and is "dead". Likewise, it is in giving that we live. The life of the church is through mission without which it has no purpose and will die.

Soon after moving to New Orleans, God opened our eyes and hearts to the many faces of poverty living very close (the "rear view") to our apartment. It is not uncommon to meet street people begging for food and money as we step outside of our building. At first, we tried to be of some small benefit to those asking for our help by providing food, money, a smile, and a warm touch, but we felt a strong yearning to do more. Our associate pastor, the Reverend Bobby Stalcup, directed us to the New Orleans Mission, a shelter and "soup kitchen" serving the homeless from the neighborhood behind our apartment building. We now have been volunteering there for several weeks. The work God has given us is not medical, but it is quite physical! It is just a plain labor of love. We have been asked by the kind folks at the mission to help renovate a circa Civil War home on the Mission’s property that will soon replace the old women’s shelter (condemned due to termite infestation). We have been sanding, scraping paint, caulking doors and windows, and have rebuilt a bannister railing on the staircase. The "refuge" shelter will serve as a loving and safe residence and source of hope for 24 lonely women who have no one who cares for them and no place to go other than to the streets. As we work, we are inspired by the scripture, "God makes a home for the lonely"(Psalm 68:6).

We thank you for your love, prayers, and support. Please pray for the little children of the world.

God’s Peace,

Michael and Nancy Haninger