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Download the full bundle: DaggaCaseCourtPapers_2017-07-14.zip (109 MB .zip file) or view separately:

1. Pleadings bundle

2017-06-09_Index_to_Pleadings_Bundle_KTvF.DOCX 2017-06-09_Pleadings_BUNDLE.pdf

2. Pre-amendment pleadings bundle

2017-06-09_Index_to_Pre-Amendment_Pleadings_Bundle_KTvF.DOCX 2017-06-09_Pre-amendment_pleadings_BUNDLE.pdf

3. Pre-trial bundle

2017-06-09_Master_Index_to_Pre-trial_Bundle_KTvFv2.DOCX 2017-06-09_pre-trial_BUNDLEv2.PDF

4. Notices bundle

2017-06-09_Master_Index_to_Notices_Bundle_KTvF.DOCX 2017-06-13_notices_BUNDLE_v2.pdf

5. Additional documents bundle

2017-06-09_Additional_Documents_BUNDLE.pdf 2017-06-09_Index_to_Additional_Documents_Bundle_KTvF.DOCX

6. First to Seventh Defendants’ Expert bundle

2017-06-09_Index_to_1-7_Defendants_Experts_KTvF.DOCX 2017-06-09_1st_to_7th_Defs_expert_BUNDLE.pdf

7. Eighth Defendant’s Expert bundle

2017-06-09_Master_Index_to_Eighth_Defendants_Experts_KTvF.DOCX 2017-06-09_8th_Defendants_expert_BUNDLE_for_court_file.pdf

8. Plaintiffs’ Expert bundle

2017-06-09_Master_Index_to_Plaintiffs_Expert_Bundle_KTvF2.DOCX 2017-06-13_Plaintiffs_expert_BUNDLE_v3.pdf

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From the CEO’s Desk Year end is a good time to reflect on the past year. It has been a busy year with many activities taking place. I am thankful for what we as an organisation could do. At first I want to thank all our sponsors and donors, the office staff and other voluntary helpers for their faithful support and help to fulfil our calling. It has been a pleasure to work with you and I want to take this opportunity to wish you a blessed Christmas and a time of rest during the festive season. I am looking forward to 2017 knowing that I have the right people and resources for the challenges that lie ahead. Thank you for all your hard work. I wish you everything of the best for the new year.

Our Legal Corner

Doctors for Life International is still involved as one of the defendants in the cannabis court case in South Africa involving the “Dagga Couple” who are pushing for the legalization of cannabis, both medicinal and recreational. The case is due to be head in the Pretoria high Court at the end of July 2017.

Pornography

A 2008 study on university campuses found that a staggering 87 percent of “emerging” adult men (aged 18-26), and 31 percent of emerging adult women report using porn at some level. Twenty percent of young men report using pornography daily or every other day, and almost half use it at least weekly. But the shock factor of pornography consumption statistics do not stop there. Perhaps the more telling pornography statistic is that slightly over two thirds of young men, and nearly half of young women believe that porn consumption is morally acceptable.[1] This statistic of acceptance is particularly interesting because it is pulled from our generation, which often defines right and wrong in terms of consequences. Consequence-based morality maintains that if something doesn’t hurt yourself or others, it’s not wrong. [1] Healthy sexuality combines emotional, social, intellectual, and physical elements, but pornography separates the mechanized components of sex from real sexuality itself. It leads to decreased sensitivity toward women and increased aggression. It also leads to a decreased ability to build healthy relationships or experience sexual satisfaction; users are increasingly unable to properly link emotional involvement with sex. Indeed, porn fosters incredibly unhealthy views about sexuality and human beings. Most porn portrays women as sex-obsessed, mindless objects, promiscuous and subordinate. As feminist scholar Catharine MacKinnon might propose, the prevalence of pornography begs the question: Are women human? Though that question seems extreme, ask yourself if a good society can intentionally engage in a medium that portrays half of its members in such a derogatory manner. [1] University of Texas-San Antonio’s Dr. Donald L. Hilton, Jr.’s research on porn addiction explains that pleasure chemicals in the brain are gradually overused when a person views pornography; the brain then limits dopamine production, causing the viewer to become starved for dopamine. Despite the personal and social costs of pornography, health services are absurdly silent on the issue of such an exploitative and harmful industry. [1] University of Chicago professor Jean Bethke Elshtain argues in ‘The Social Costs of Pornography’ that we should not dismiss the “moral” in our avoidance of the “moralistic.” Elshtain maintains that in order to be responsible citizens, we must ask ourselves, “What sort of community is this? Is it reasonably decent and kind? Is it a fit place for human habitation, especially for the young? What happens to the most vulnerable among us? [1] We should all be asking ourselves whether pornography is compatible with a respectful and good society.[1] A study published in the Journal of Adolescent Research, v23 n1 p6-30 2008 revealed that roughly two thirds (67{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}) of young men and one half (49{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}) of young women agree that viewing pornography is acceptable, whereas nearly 9 out of 10 (87{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}) young men and nearly one third (31{01b0879e117dd7326006b2e84bcaac7e8fa1509c5c67baf2c9eb498fe06caff4}) of young women reported using pornography. Results also revealed associations between pornography acceptance and use and emerging adults’ risky sexual attitudes and behaviours, substance use patterns, and non-marital cohabitation values. [2] Father Gregory Thompson, Chaplain at Bishop O’Connell High School (USA) is very concerned about the devastating effect of pornography on people, especially the youth. “People don’t know what to do. They fall into it, and do not know how to get out of it. It’s a spiritual cancer on the world right now. [3] 1. http://www.thecrimson.com/column/democracy-of-the-dead/article/2011/3/28/porn-pornography-moral-doeful/ 2. SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://sagepub.com. http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ781137 3. http://www.alexandrianews.org/2016/09/pornography-discussion-at-local-high-school/

Euthanasia

Doctors For Life International is delighted with the outcome of this court case which is a culmination of decades of conferences, educating health professionals and the public, taking part in debates, and finally this legal battle to prevent legislation that would use the South African public as guinea pigs in a tragic social experiment. Legalising physician assisted suicide would have created a legal precedent that would have led to floods of euthanasia contagion. The judgement will serve to protect the sick, the aged and the vulnerable in South Africa who are the ones who would be most harmed through such a law. The Supreme Court of Appeal pointed to several flaws in High Court Judge Fabricius’ ruling: One being that Mr Stransham-Ford passed away prior to Fabricius making his judgement. Circumstantial evidence seems to indicate this information may have been deliberately withheld from the court. DFL first testified as a separate party and later as an amicus (friend of the court) in support of the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, the Minister of Health, the National Director of Public Prosecutions and the Health Professionals Council of South Africa who filed a “Notice of Leave to Appeal” to the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa against the whole of the judgement handed down by Judge Fabricius on the 4th of May 2015. But Judge Wallis upheld the appeal on 6 December, overturning the lower court’s decision that approved the death of Robin Stransham-Ford by active euthanasia or assisted suicide. Other reasons that emerged in the court’s ruling was that the picture of Mr Stransham-Ford’s final illness as depicted in the legal affidavits bore little resemblance to reality as found in his medical records. The applicant’s doctor’s medical records indicate he was wavering in his desire for suicide/euthanasia. The estate of Stransham-Ford apparently had refused to release these medical records until a court order was issued for them. Retracting euthanasia requests are not uncommon with those seeking euthanasia, an argument DFL has often made in the past. DFL was represented by Advocate Reg Willis and Adrian De Oliveria and Arno Bosch from Robin Twaddle Attorney’s and we are very thankful for the hard work and time they devoted to this case. Doctors For Life International is an association of more than 1600 specialists and medical doctors. Doctors For Life endeavours to promote public health by upholding sound science in the medical profession. For more information, please visit www.doctorsforlife.co.za for more information

LifeChild

From Schoemansdal On the 30th September 2016 the LifeChild orphanage in Schoemansdal was uprooted. An intense storm ripped off a large section of the roof, leaving 18 children homeless. Most of their belongings were drenched and there was a lot of damage to the building’s interior. That night the whole orphanage took refuge at Schulzendal Mission, which is some 20 minutes’ drive from the orphanage. The children were shaken and disoriented – but were safe! At the time Schulzendal Mission was preparing for their annual youth conference and so the children settled into temporary accommodation. After the conference, the children were moved into more permanent dormitories and adapted well to their new home environment. They have been enrolled into the Schulzendal Mission School which follows the same ACE (Accelerated Christian Education) curriculum as the children’s previous school. We thank the Lord for these precious children and look forward to His provision of better accommodation. Jeffrim Bernabella – Principal Schulzendal Mission School. From Zavora Recently a young woman came to the Zavora clinic and asked for tablets to bring on her period as it was two months since that she had had them. We were shocked when we realised that was asking for an abortion and so we counselled her. She did not say much but kept on smiling. Somehow I couldn’t forget her, keeping her in my mind. A few weeks later I recognized her sitting in the waiting area of the clinic again. It was a big surprise to see that her belly had grown. She told Miriam that she had decided not to have an abortion after we had talked to her. We were so thankful that our prayer was answered and asked her to come to our maternity ward for the delivery. She gave birth to a little boy who is the first son born into the family of her husband, which was of course a special joy for them. Joy Smith

March for Life – October 2016

March for Life grows every year On the 2nd of October the annual ‘National Alliance for Life (NAL)’ `March For Life’ took place in the vicinity of Gateway in Umhlanga, KwaZulu-Natal. Each year the response of pro-lifers attending the National Alliance for Life organised March, grows substantially. About 30 minutes before the march there were short speeches by a variety of people. Katherine Meek from the USA shared how her mother was warned by gynaecologists that her pregnancy would result in a severely deformed baby because they were certain she had “spina bifida” and advised her that she should abort the baby as soon as possible. Specialists confirmed this a number of times. However, Catherine’s mother chose to give her baby “a chance to live”. The specialists warned her mother that the complications of her baby would “bankrupt” her family. Nevertheless, she chose life. When Catherine was born the delivery room was filled with doctors and there was total silence when she was born. Her mother asked what was wrong and a doctor replied: “Nothing, your baby is perfect”. Today, Catherine is assisting women with HIV/Aids in Gauteng. Mrs Charmaine Stuart-Steer & Ms Luanda Hlela shared how they almost aborted their babies and both were carrying their lovely babies on stage. Pastor Flip Benham from North Carolina also addressed the audience. He was the man who helped Norma McCorvey, the “Roe” in the infamous Roe vs Wade case in 1973 which legalised abortion in the USA, become a Christian and an enthusiastic pro-lifer. The marchers walked 4km around Gateway shopping mall and included many children, teens and even the elderly (including a determined 87 year old granny) of many different races and church backgrounds. The national March For Life is open to all people from various organizations, as well as individuals and churches who demand the right of unborn human persons to have the full protection of the law. The NAL provides a forum for all interested parties to come together and combine their efforts to raise awareness. The March For Life has been taking place for a number of years now and each year sees more interest from organizations and the media.

Aid to Africa (A2A) Outreaches 2016

The medical outreach program of DFL, i.e. Aid to Africa had a tremendous year for which we thank God.  The year was kicked off with a big cataract surgery camp in Botswana with Dr Johann Eloff. The area we targeted was Molepolole at the Scottish Livingston Hospital but patients came from as far as Mahalapye about 200km away. During the first week we totaled 154 cataract surgeries. Although we were not present anymore, DFL sponsored about 115 that were done the second week and a further 100 during the rest of the year. The total came to about 369. Our team also did 2 medical missions in Malawi again and the work there bore much fruit. Dr Carl-Heinz Kruse was the eye specialists that took place in two separate villages. These areas were very neglected and remote. Dr Kruse performed about 109 surgeries of which most was cataract and trachoma, in Chikuluma and Mambala. We also tested and provided about 600 patients with free eye glasses.  DFL is also looking into establish permanence in southern Malawi. Such a clinic would also be useful as a base to reach other needy areas as well.  In September this year we sued our Sihane clinic in Mozambique for such a purpose.  A small team of 2 doctors and supporting staff visited surrounding communities and communities as far as 200km away during this time. The areas included Likulu, Cumbana and Muvamba. We worked form the local government clinics who were thankful for the additional medication and help we provided free of charge. The focus was mostly on general medical and dental care.  Our faithful volunteer and friend, Prof Pat McEwen from the USA also joined us regardless of being receiving chemotherapy up to a day before and after the medical outreach! She assisted with screening patients for acuity and reading glasses that we also provided free Medically, we treated about 23,000 patients over the past year and delivered about 260 babies at our maternity. Its however with sadness that we say goodbye our two doctors, Dr Ronald and Dr Elizabeth Neufeld, a married couple from Germany, who have poured themselves out at Zavora over the last year and a half. Dr Ronald took over the medical work from late Dr Paul Zuidema, but are returning to Germany to specialize in general surgery. His wife handled the worked in the maternity ward while taking care of some of her own children. We would like to thank them, our current staff the many volunteers and supporters, whether in prayer or financially, who helped with this part of DFL’s work in the past year. Advertisement: Wondering what to do in the rain season without an umbrella? Doctors for Life has the answer. You can buy a black umbrella for only R200 each. Contact the office if you would like to purchase one.

Devotion

Mat 2:1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, Mat 2:2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Christians look at the darkness around them, they may be tempted to despair. If I look at the battles DFL has been fighting through the course of this year alone, it appears as if the dam wall has broken and we only have ten fingers to stick into the holes. But here, in the beginning of the New Testament we are taught about His arrival through a star. At the end of the New Testament we read again: Rev 2:28 And I will give him the morning star. In Matthew the star was actually a sign that He had given Himself to the world. And once again in Revelation the star is He Himself: Rev 22:16 ….I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star. In both Matthew and Revelation the star comes in a period of darkness. In Matthew the star was a sign that the morning had come. In Revelation His presence in our hearts is an assurance and inner conviction in the heart of the believer that the morning is coming even in the darkness of the night. A certainty in his heart and a witness in his soul. But it also teaches us that such a person will not just sit down and tolerate darkness in his heart and cannot leave the darkness to have its way in our society. Rev 2:26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end….I will give him the morning star. Let us continue and remain faithful in the battles to which we’ve been called

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Prayer Requests

• God’s blessing on the work
• Labourers to send into the field
• Medical volunteers for Zavora clinic (Mozambique)

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About Doctors For life Non-Profit making Organisation (NPO) established in 1991. We bring together medical professionals to form a united front to uphold the Contact details PO Box 6613 Zimbali 4418 South Africa Phone +27 (32) 4815550 or 1/2/3 Fax +27 (32) 4815554 Email: [email protected] web: www.doctorsforlife.co.za To sign up or donate: Visit our website www.doctorsforlife.co.za  ]]>

Legal Corner

Your Rights and the Law

There is a conflict in the South African Bill of Rights between the rights of women to reproductive health care and to make decisions about their reproductive capacity, and freedom of conscience on the part of the medical profession. The following interpretation of the law expresses the views of senior legal counsel to Doctors for Life International (DFL): RELEVANT CONSTITUTION CLAUSES: Section 15[1]: “Everyone has the right to freedom of conscience, religion, thought, belief and opinion”. Section 16[1][b]: “Everyone has the right to freedom of expression which includes freedom to receive or impart information or ideas”. Section 9: “Everyone is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law. No person may be unfairly discriminated against directly or indirectly on any one or more grounds including amongst other things religion, conscience and belief”. YOUR RIGHTS The Constitution is the ultimate law of the country and entitles you to the following:

• To resist in Court any attempt to refuse employment or to discriminate against you or to intimidate you into participating in induced abortion.
• You have the right to refuse to refer a patient to an abortionist (the clause in the draft abortion law that forced a doctor or nurse, who was unwilling to do an abortion, to refer the patient to another doctor/nurse who would be willing, was scrapped before the bill was voted upon in 1997).
• To inform others of your ideas and views about induced abortion.
• You may not be forced to participate in any part of the abortion procedure; this would include anything from directly taking part in the abortion procedure, to making beds and caring for the patient or even looking at histological specimens in the laboratory.
• You may refuse to take part in any part of the administrative process of arranging abortions at all levels of the health system.
• You may not be refused work, dismissed or victimised in your work place because of your conscientious beliefs and objections concerning induced abortions.

WHAT THE LAW DOES NOT ALLOW

• You may not express your ideas in a threatening or intimidating way, or physically prevent somebody from going for an induced abortion.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

• If you do not wish to participate in induced abortion in terms of your lawful rights, you should make your viewpoint known as soon as possible to your employer in writing so that substitute staff can be arranged. (Contact DFL for the relevant form and advice.)

OTHER STIPULATIONS CONCERNING THE ABORTION LAW

• You have the right to insist that, in a particular Institution, all the conditions stipulated in the Act be adhered to before induced abortion may be performed.(Abortions can only be carried out in an authorised facility).
• There must be access to medical and nursing staff that can perform the procedure. A Health Professional with conscientious objection cannot be counted as an accessible staff member.
• Where the woman is a minor, she must be advised to consult with her parents or her family.
• If you work in a casualty department, and a patient comes in haemorrhaging from Misoprostol/Mifepristone your duty is to stabilize the patient after which you can refer the patient to a health professional who has no conscientious objection to continue to attend to the immediate needs of the patient. Should these “emergencies” become a regular occurrence/part of your routine, you have the right to demand that arrangements be made for pro-abortion staff to be available to receive and stabilize these patients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Contact Doctors for Life for more information or assistance.

Public Opinions on Abortion – A Mind shift

Mexico State Votes to Ban Abortions and “Protect Life from Conception” The Mexican state of Veracruz approved a constitutional amendment that effectively bans abortions by recognizing that unborn babies deserve protection. There is wide opposition to abortion in Mexico. Last year, more than 120,000 people signed a petition asking the nation’s Supreme Court to reaffirm that “abortion is not a right.” http://www.lifenews.com/2016/07/29/mexican-state-votes-to-ban-abortions-and-protect-life-from-conception/ Ireland’s High Court Rules an Unborn Baby Has a Right to Life High Court judge, Mr Justice Richard Humphreys, has ruled that the word ‘unborn’ in the Irish Constitution means an “unborn child” with rights beyond the right to life which “must be taken seriously” by the State. This is an important ruling which provides useful clarity at a time when the media and abortion campaigners are arguing that preborn children should be denied even the most fundamental right – the right to life. Mr Justice Humphreys has ruled that preborn children not only have a right to life, but that the State is obliged to ensure that all the rights accruing to every child are upheld for children before birth. http://www.lifenews.com/2016/08/05/high-court-in-ireland-rules-an-unborn-baby-has-a-right-to-life/

Aids Conference

Doctors for Life International would like to applaud the Deputy Minister of Justice on his address to the conference on Tuesday 18 July. In the Deputy Minister’s address, he stated that decriminalization of prostitution is not likely to happen in South Africa. He listed among other reasons; an increase in sex trafficking victims, increase in the number of women drawn into prostitution and increase in foreign women coming to South Africa for sex work. It is well documented that in countries where prostitution has been decriminalized e.g. Germany and the Netherlands that sex trafficking has gone up, prostitution involving underage girls has increased and the rate of HIV infection has increased, despite condoms being made available. The violence, rape and abuse suffered by prostitutes didn’t go away; it just became an occupational hazard. Pimps became managers and human traffickers became recruitment agencies bringing in girls to be used as sex slaves. Doctors For Life believes that the Deptuty Minister of Justice has sent a clear message and indication on where the government stands regarding prostitution and believes this is a step in the right direction to abolishing prostitution completely.

Student Pro-life Movement

[caption id="attachment_3261" align="aligncenter" width="605"] The Conference in Stanger on Woman’s Day[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3262" align="alignright" width="150"] Vaughan Warren Luck[/caption] For the past 2 months the Student Pro-life Movement has been going out and spreading the pro-life message and getting the youth motivated for the upcoming National March For Life SA which takes place in Umhlanga, Gateway, Durban on 2 October at 14:00pm. We encourage all youth that want to take a stand against abortion to attend the march so we can show the government that there are people in SA who are against the unnecessary killing of innocent unborn babies. SPLM was represented at a number of meetings held around Durban recently. This includes a Woman’s Day Conference in Stanger which saw over 1300 ladies attend as well as a meeting in Verulam also in support Woman’s Month.

LifeChild

Sonosakhe Mmeli Dlamini After Sonosakhe lost both his parents he was left in the care of an uncle who showed little responsibility toward him. The uncle did not care much about what happened to Sonosakhe and he was treated very badly. When he came to one of Doctors for Life International’s orphan centers, he was very ill and undernourished and was taken to the clinic by the caregivers. He immediately started medical treatment. Sonosakhe’s health gradually improved due to the loving care of the caregivers at the orphanage. He was soon able to participate in all activities with the other children at the center. After a year he has developed into a happy well-adjusted young boy, accepted and loved by the other children and the caregivers. Philani Shezi [caption id="attachment_3265" align="alignright" width="197"] Philani Shezi[/caption] Philani was living with his grandmother when she passed away. He was left alone with nobody to take care of him. Some relatives took him into their home but then he left because they were not taking care of him. He was staying in different places with different people, and for a young child that can be very traumatising. In the end he was left with nowhere to call home. Philani was found sleeping under a wheelbarrow by people in the community and they contacted Doctors for Life International for help. When he arrived at one of DFL’s orphan centres, things were very difficult. He was very naughty, used to fight a lot and spoke disrespectfully to the caregivers. He also cried a lot. He was also very defensive and difficult. The caregivers spent time counselling him and after a while he began to change. Things are different now. He has adjusted very well and is much happier. He plays with other children from the centre and his behaviour has changed for the better. Thank you for the good work done at Doctors for Life’s Care centres by the staff.

Personal Testimonies

Tina A. from Nhautse was expecting her first child. She came to the DFL Clinic at Zavora on the 10thof February with contractions. Everything seemed to go well with the labour. We checked the child’s heartbeat, contractions, dilatation, blood pressure, pulse of the mother and her temperature regularly. As the labour was progressing, we realised that something was wrong. The contractions were getting fewer and fewer. It was 03:00 in the morning when we again check the heartbeat of the child. It was only on 60bpm instead of at least 110bpm. We quickly prepared everything for a transferral to Inharrime (hospital) and Joy, our “Ambulance-driver“transferred the lady to the hospital. Finally we arrived at the hospital where she was taken care of and the baby was delivered. The next day we were told that this lady would have had a uterine rapture which means that the mother and child could have died. About 3 weeks after this the lady came for a check-up to our maternity ward. She came with her baby. I was so glad to see mother and child in such a good condition! – Staff from Zavora.

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OneSunday morning an old man came to the house seeking help. During the night he was attacked by his son, who was drunk, with a machete, threatening to kill him. In defence he must have lifted his hands or grabbed for the knife, which resulted in a deep wound in his left hand, just below the thumb. After giving him a local anaesthetic we cleaned the wound to evaluate the extent of the damage. Both the tendon and the muscle were severed by the blade and the joint was visible. In order to fully restore the functionality of the thumb, which is extremely important for the hand, the tendon had to be reconnected. Due to a high risk of an infection occurring and also the difficulty of finding the pulled back tendon we thought it best to transfer the man to hospital as it has an operating theatre. The nurses on duty decided to just suture the skin and sent him home with a few Paracetamol tablets. Without having an operation he will not be able to use his left hand properly. But we took him with us for a Sunday service. He was touched by the message and also by the way he was treated at our clinic. He joined us for another Sunday service some time later and is interested in coming again. –Mirjam Rüttimann

Aid to Africa – Malawi June 2016

In June Doctors for Life undertook an outreach to Malawi. A medical team and assistant personnel visited two very remote areas to do eye operations and hand out reading glasses to people who can read, but due to weak eyesight were not able to read anymore. Malawi has a young population: 66 percent of its 16.2 million people are under age 25; 53 percent are 18 and younger.  16.7 percent of children under 18 are orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). The plight of these orphans is heartbreaking. We did 101 eye procedures and handed out 593 glasses (492 readers and distant viewing glasses and 101 dark glasses after operations) We also gave Bibles to people in need of them. Thank you to our sponsors for making all this possible. [caption id="attachment_3267" align="aligncenter" width="588"] Happiness is being able to see again after many years of blindness[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3268" align="aligncenter" width="605"] The Malawi Team[/caption]

Devotion

Dr. Albu van Eeden Hosea 8:9  Like a wild donkey looking for a mate, they have gone up to Assyria. The people of Israel have sold themselves – sold themselves to many lovers. What are the characteristics of a wild donkey? It wanders around serving itself – going wherever it’s thirst leads it and drinking where it wants to. It has no loyalty to any owner, not obeying anyone but also of no use to anybody. Such is the life of the godless person. When he dies all one can say of his life is that he served himself. He or she married for themselves. He selected an occupation that pleased himself and only has children for his own joy. He sells himself to his “lovers”. Be that money, or what people think of me, or my possessions, or the pleasures of this world, or comfort, or materialism or even something more noble like my job. But ultimately they will possess him. The child of God is not his own boss and is loyal to only one God. A person that pleases himself may be in the company of other people constantly, but in a way, remains lonely – like the seed that never fell into the soil and died. One man of God said that the belief in free will is a doctrine of the antichrist. The child of God is a bondslave to Christ. The I is crucified and dies to himself daily. May this be the trademark of your and my life.]]>