THE SPARKS FLY!

Christmas 2011

It's the most wonderful time of the year! And not just because of the kids' jingle-belling and everyone telling you about good cheer (etc.), either. The fact that the Word allowed himself to be wrapped in flesh and deposited in a manger, just so he could suffer through 33 years of earth-life and then be killed in a horrific manner, only to defy death and ascend back to his rightful place at God's right hand, all in order to accomplish the restoration of man's relationship with the Creator, is rather mind-blowing. But that is, in fact, what we're celebrating at this time of year. And while the tree and the presents under it and the Christmas ham are all very enjoyable, you'll no doubt agree with me that they're not really the point. So, as they say around here, Happy Christ-mas!

Three of the senior PAACS surgery residents, below, were in Lusaka, Zambia for oral exams so that they can apply for fellowship into the College of Surgery of Eastern, Central, and Southern Africa (COSECSA). This boarding is recognized by the governments of most African countries as surgeons with outstanding training.

Two of our three residents passed the exam (PTL!) and the third will re-take it next year. The hospital continues to grow in staff and personnel as well as hospital beds. Prayers by the residents and staff continually lift up the patients for salvation and physical health. The discipleship program and Bible study are continually challenging all involved to grow in Christ and give more to people in need.

Steve traveled to the US during the first two weeks of November to attend a World Health Organization (WHO) meeting about training residents in Africa. The WHO paid for part of his ticket, and some kind people from the Mayo Clinic and from southern California covered the balance. He spent two days with Maddie in Waco, Texas, then traveled to Rochester, Minnesota. He spent some time in meetings with doctors and administrators at the Mayo Clinic, and enjoyed visiting with friends. From there he went to San Diego for the WHO meeting. His good friend Glen Holder lent him a car, which was particularly kind since Glen had to arrange for his own transportation during the next few days! For three days Steve was in meetings from morning till night. The third night he drove north and stayed with friends in Orange County. He enjoyed spending some time with them and attending their home church, which is one of our supporting churches; he had a small part in the Saturday evening service and the two Sunday services. They are looking for ways to get more involved at Mbingo. On Monday morning he drove to San Diego to return the car to Glen and go to the airport, then off to Dallas to pick up bags full of supplies and Christmas presents from Maddie. They spent a nice evening together, then she headed back to Baylor and he left for the airport the next morning. Fifty-two hours later, he arrived back at Mbingo and was very glad to be home.
Whew, what a trip! It was exhausting, but he had a great and really productive time. He particularly enjoyed strengthening his relationships at the Mayo Clinic, where he's been very impressed with the caliber of the Christian doctors that he's met, both by their visiting Mbingo and his visiting Rochester. He also enjoyed his time at the WHO conference, where he challenged them to re-think some of their ideas about teaching surgery in Africa. And of course, he had a marvelous time with our number-one daughter, and really enjoyed seeing her little apartment and meeting some of her friends.
As for the rest of us, God is as gracious as always. Annie and Cory are doing well at RFIS and are looking forward to Christmas break. They both gave fabulous performances in the school's production of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night", and I'm sure you'll forgive us if Dad and I were just a tiny bit proud. Joe and I are especially looking forward to the break, since then we'll be joined in the house by ALL the Sparks kids, including Maddie! We're so grateful that she's able to come "home for the holidays", and we can't wait to see her.
Thanks so much for your prayer support for our family and ministry. We really can't emphasize enough the importance of prayer, without which all the financial support in the world would be useless. The fact is that your prayers have resulted in some increases in our financial support, of which we are little behind. God is good!
We'd ask you to keep praying for us:
for God's Word and work to continue at Mbingo Baptist Hospital;
that the surgery residents would continue to grow spiritually and professionally;
that God would continue to provide safety for our family, particularly during our holiday travel;
that Steve's recent trip would continue to see positive results, even now;
and we'd like to particularly ask for prayer regarding our car. It's a sad, old thing (born in 1990), and even though we've replaced practically everything in it that can be replaced, it still finds ways to break down. Traveling on the roads in Cameroon is undoubtedly the most dangerous thing that we do, and a reliable vehicle is a great help. We don't know what God has in mind, but we're praying that He'll provide us with a new vehicle, in spite of the large expense (after all, what's money to God?).

Thanks so much, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Steve, Suzanne, Maddie, Annie, Cory, and Jolly Joe Sparks

p.s. We’d love to hear from you – our direct email address is missionsparks@aol.com.