December 2024

Partnerships are everywhere in our Christian faith: partnerships with our fellow
believers, partnerships with our home churches, partnerships with the pastors that guide
us, and most ultimately our partnership with God. In Philippians 1: 3-6 we are reminded
by God that partnerships are necessary to share the good news of the gospel. 3  I thank
my God every time I remember you.  4  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with
joy  5  because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,  6  being
confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to
completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

The Central Africa Medical Mission (CAMM) started as a partnership; the Lutheran
missionaries used the Central Africa Medical Mission to provide healthcare to the local
community and because the community’s physical needs were being taken care of,
doors were opened for the missionaries to share God’s spiritual love and healing with
those visiting the clinic.

Today, CAMM operates with many partnerships. We partner with the missionaries
through the Board of World Missions and the One Africa Team, with local national staff,
with local African pastors and with supporters all across the United States and abroad.

The Board of World Missions and the One Africa Team help support CAMM by
providing spiritual support, marketing support and help to lead CAMM’s mission. WELS
Christian Aid & Relief (CAR) provides CAMM with financial grant support. CAMM has
been extremely blessed by CAR with their grants to purchase medicine, fuel and
vaccinations. They are a key financial supporter for the short-term medical camps that
were held in Kenya in 2024 and the camp that is planned for February of 2025.

While today we have all national staff at our clinics, originally CAMM employed an
American Nurse-in-Charge and an American Clinic Administrator in both Zambia and
Malawi. The individuals who held these positions moved far away from their families
and lived in Malawi and Zambia for three years or more. They helped lead the national
staff and relayed communication on clinic operations back to the CAMM Stateside
Committee, even though communication was slow due to limitations in phone and mail
service, especially from our start in 1961 through the late 1990’s. CAMM relied on the
leadership and professional background of the American Nurse-in-Charge and
American Clinic Administrator at each clinic to ensure the clinics ran smoothly, and their
partnership was essential to the success of CAMM, especially in those early years.

In 1994, the Lutheran Rural Health Centre in Zambia was turned over to national staff to
run the clinic. The same followed for the Malawi staff in 2022. Where would CAMM be
now without the knowledge, commitment and integrity of the Malawian and Zambian
staff? CAMM relies on them to ensure devotions are held each morning and to treat
each patient that arrives at our clinics with empathy and professionalism. The staff is
the face of our clinics and through the love and compassion they share with each
patient, they are reflections of God’s compassion to them. The local pastors of the

Lutheran Church of Central Africa are also key partners with CAMM, as they have an
important role to further develop the spiritual welfare of each staff member and patient.

Finally, all of our supporters are key partners with CAMM. Schools, churches, and
women’s groups, including LWMS, help spread the word about the work of CAMM with
even more individuals across the country. And this in turn has caused an outpouring of
support, in the form of prayers, monetary donations, assembling and mailing parcels to
the clinics, and special projects such as a CAMM baby shower, chili potlucks, special
mission Sundays, and school mission projects which help fund building projects and
new vehicles. The CAMM Stateside Committee members are filled with gratitude when
we see photos of these activities or learn of all the assistance that is being provided.
Since CAMM is supported solely by donations, we would not be able to carry out our
work without the partnership of all of you, our supporters.

God has truly blessed the work of the Central Africa Medical Mission for over 60 years,
beyond what we ever could have imagined. May He continue to use all of these
partnerships to guide and bless our work in the future to provide Christ-centered health
care and to share the Gospel with all those who come to the clinics.

Have a blessed Christmas season as we celebrate the joyous birth of our Savior!

Angela Sievert
Central Africa Medical Mission Chair