Two Kinds of Antivenin

Download the January issue of The Harvest Times. To watch a video about Oleta Witt's planned ministry, click here.

Farmers in Ghanaian villages walk in bare feet to their fields, and they work the land with a short-handled hoe or machete. This makes them at particular risk of getting bitten by such snakes as the black mamba, vipers, or cobras.

Former missionary Jere Gowin tells about one victim: “Bakuri’s father has three wives. His half-sister by his father’s youngest wife came to church nearly every Sunday. She assisted us in setting up benches and cleaning the area before the people came. She loved to sing and dance.

“When I arrived one Sunday morning, Bakuri sadly told me why his sister was not at church. She had been bitten by a snake, and her father decided to use the traditional way to treat her. She was taken to the witch doctor, and he put a ‘magic’ poultice on the wound along with special sacrifices and incantations. Days later she passed away.

“It broke my heart each time one of our people was bitten by a snake and went to the witch doctor for his, most often unsuccessful, treatment. You see, I had the antivenin in my refrigerator. When the hospital needed some, I sold it to them. We communicated the availability of the antivenin to each of our villages, and yet none ever enlisted our assistance. As a result, Bakuri’s sister, in addition to many others, lost their lives.

“Why? Why didn’t the villagers have confidence in modern medicine? My theory is that someone needs to patiently live among the people and change their thinking with regards to modern medical practices.”

The truth is that the people in the village need spiritual training, as well as medical training and assistance. They need spiritual antivenin to combat their sin problem, and they need physical antivenin and other kinds of medical assistance to combat ailments, wounds, and disease.

As Jere concluded, “Guess what? A very gifted young lady, Oleta Witt, is about to do just that and as a result MANY lives will be saved and the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ will increase. Praise the Lord!”

If you would like to support the ministry of Oleta Witt as a medical nurse, please contact us! Oleta’s ministry is about 50% funded.

We are also raising funds to build the medical clinic that Oleta will administer. We have about 45% raised, with about $85,000 still to go.

For more information, including a video featuring the village and Oleta’s ministry, click here.