January 29, 2007
Dear ones,
    How we praise God for you and your prayers for us.  God has been so gracious in response.   I asked you to pray for our trip here.  We had one of the smoothest trips ever.  Our layovers were just long enough that we didn't feel rushed and when we landed in Brazzaville,  Dave Bill was there to meet us with a truck for all of the extra baggage....now that is a HUGE praise....ALL of our bags arrived with us......as we walked through the airport,  customs officials didn't open one thing!!  In fact they didn't even stop us as we walked through....wow!  After spending the night in Brazzaville and reconnecting with our team there,  we flew to Pointe Noire. There again we didn't have to open anything and we got to enjoy the brand new airport.....including a baggage carrosel that really works....
 
     Even though the goodbyes at home were very hard,  we sensed HIS grace through your prayers.  Thank you.  We surely miss everyone,  but it is good to be back where God wants us.  We have been busy since we arrived,  unpacking,  helping with a vision team that is out here and getting ready to teach.  Kevin started this evening.  So keep praying please.  Living here hasn't gotten any easier,  in fact we haven't had electricity since we returned and the cistern was almost dry so we had to get a truck in to fill it.  Please pray that the transformer that blew will soon be repaired and that the water problem will be resolved.  Another urgent request is for the Cholera epidemic that is going on in Pointe Noire.  I send Stan's letter with his permission, so that you can pray.  
 
     Many of you have prayed for Kevin's back problems.  We praise God that he has felt a real touch on that.  He was able to do some physical therapy and the nerve tests  showed no permanent damage.  He is doing so much better....even with the long trip and handling the baggage Kevin was just praising God that his back was so much better.He just came in from teachingn for the last two hours and said that his legs didn't go numb for even a minute!  Please keep praying about that too and praise God for what He has done.  Thanks so much for being part of our team...we count on you.   Here is Stan's letter.....it is long but worth reading.....    In Him,  Joyce McCabe
 
Tuesday I sent Willy and John (two of our house church planters) into one of our hospitals with medicines to treat 10 cholera patients. The sight they saw shocked and overwhelmed them. Patients were two to a bed with many others on the floor and even out into the hallways. They told the hospital staff that they would like to pray with families who didn’t have money to buy the needed medicines. The staff was at first reluctant to let them into the wards, and refused to let them into the pediatric ward. Willy and John went from family to family, visiting the sick and praying for them. They would then give them a contact card that they could present across the street from the hospital and receive the medicines they needed. They explained to each family that they were doing this just as an expression of the love of Jesus Christ.

That night Willy called me from the hospital and told me that the medicines were well received, but that it was insufficient. So the next day we bought treatments for 20 people and went back to the hospital. Now Willy and John are allowed to move about the hospital freely and they say that the staff just stands back in stunned silence as they go to work. They have never seen anything like this before, where people are willing to not only give medicines to needy families, but also to enter their wards, sit with them and pray for them. Our men entered the pediatrics ward and were shocked to find four children to each bed. They prayed with the families and gave treatments to those who were in need. One elderly woman in the main ward was weak with cholera and her son who had come to care for her had also come down with cholera. Willy and John found them on the floor, both too week to care for themselves and with no-one else to help them. Like so many others they were there, as they would say, "…just waiting to die." After praying with them, John went across the street for them and brought the medicines to them. A nurse came right over and said that he would get their IV’s hooked up right away.

They encountered another young woman who had lost all hope and was just waiting for death to come. In utter disbelief, she told John and Willy, "I was dead! I was dead! I just can’t believe that with all these people in here, you chose to come to me! You chose to help me!" What an awesome thing it is to be chosen! John and Willy were able to share the message of salvation with her and let her know how she could contact them to know more about Jesus. She has since been released from the hospital. Praise the Lord!!

Though Willy ministered to people in the hospitals into the evening, then attended an all night prayer meeting, he came again to my house at 10:30 this morning so that he, John and Celeste could go and purchase 60 more treatments. This week we have distributed medicines in two of our largest hospitals to 160 families. As John and Willy walked out of the hospital today, the staff told them, "Do you know that since you have been coming to our hospital, we have not lost anyone to cholera?" John told me, "Everyone who has received help has left the hospital except for three people and God has left them there so that they could testify to the new cases that are coming in and give them hope." Isn’t that awesome? God is good!

Unfortunately, the number of new cases doesn’t yet seem to be declining, and today we received a desperate call from a hospital in Madingou-Nkayi, a Vili town about thirty five minutes drive from Pointe-Noire. We have ordered 150 treatments for Monday and plan to visit our hospitals and also make a trip to Madingou-Nkayi. Will you please continue to pray for divine protection for Willy and John as they expose themselves daily to this sickness while sharing the love and hope of Jesus with those who have lost all hope? A number of you have given financial gifts that are allowing us to continue to purchase medicines each day. We praise the Lord for you and pray also His divine blessing on you as you partner with us in touching people with the love of Christ.

We are so grateful to the Lord for the call to the Congo at this time and grateful also to each of you who give faithfully to the Great Commission Fund of the Alliance. Your generosity makes it possible for us to serve our Savior in this place. To God be the glory!!

In Christ’s love,

Stan, Connie and Sean Hotalen

Missionaries with the Alliance

In Pointe-Noire, Republic