At the Virtual Christmas Dinner, the Gampela team shared the story of a young mother who learned about Jesus while attending sewing class. She took home a little book that could explain Jesus to her husband and her children in simple terms. At first, her husband resisted. He had no interest in Christianity and even considered keeping her away from the school. But she was drawn to Jesus and gave her heart to the Lord and prayed for her husband and her children. And recently she arrived at school and shared that her whole family has accepted Jesus!

Hope Story is a partner that empowers local leadership – local discipleship leaders – to do better in their own country, in their own context. This is very powerful! And it’s why the Gampela Centre is where it is today: doing the work of Jesus, preaching, healing, feeding, teaching, and more.

John Tandamba

The Gampela Centre is also making a difference in the physical health of the community. The team shared another story of a child in primary school who has a tumour, a little boy. He had been ill, and The Gampela church prayer groups had been praying for him – when someone in the church reached out to the parents to encouraged them to take their son to the hospital for tests. Because of that kind intervention, he has had the first of two surgeries, with one surgery remaining. Having the support and prayer of the church community is proving a powerful testimony to the larger community, as they watch this church, looking for fruits of their faith.

The new ultrasound machine, purchased from funds raised in December 2021 through Giving Tuesday and Windjammers Christmas concert proceeds, was carefully selected, purchased, and finally delivered to the new Gampela Medical Clinic in January 2023. In a country under siege from violent militants, with infrastructure often uncertain, sourcing medical equipment is not a simple task. But it is finally at the clinic now, in use, and has already saved a life!

A young woman who was very far along in her pregnancy came in for an ultrasound within a couple of days of the machine’s arrival, uncertain of her due date. The ultrasound at the Gampela Clinic revealed that both she and the baby were in grave danger, and she was rushed to the hospital. After an emergency C-Section, both mother and baby are fine. Without the ultrasound at the Gampela Clinic, this story would have had a tragic ending. What a dramatic – and awesome – start to the saga of this gift to the Gampela Clinic, donated by generous Hope Story donors in December 2021.