SERVING WITH A PURPOSE (CHAPTER TWO - "DEFINED.")
As leaders it’s essential to have a purpose in your actions and in this chapter we’ll look at leaders who often have gone unknown but whom have served as the greatest examples of leaders with a purpose. They hold a group of people, a culture, or a problem so closely it drives them to change the world positively through their actions.
Dr. Nathan Barlow – Mossy Foot Project
There is a rampid problem in Ethiopia called Mossy foot, formally known as podoconiosis. The disease, which is easily prevented if the person can afford a pair of shoes and socks, but remains a major problem in poverty-stricken parts of Africa. It is estimated that over one million are effected by mossy foot in Ethiopia alone.
Dr. Nathan Barlow received his education from University of California at Berkeley and arrived in Africa to begin mission work in 1945. He and his wife, as well as his four children served in Wolaita, the southern region of Ethiopia until the Marxist government was established in 1977. During his time in Africa he treated nearly every ailment that came his way gunshots, mossy foot, blindness and spinal meningitis. People who knew him well say he was a legend in southern Ethiopia. Dr. Barlow once suffered from a major toothache, he was flown out only to request that the dentist remove all of his teeth, giving him false teeth so he could never leave his mission field again for a toothache. His work has led to the establishment of fifteen clinics that treat 2,500 patients monthly. When the new Ethiopian government precipitated Dr. Barlow and his family from the country, they were not willing to retire. Instead they continued their work in other African countries including Niger, Kenya and Central African Republic. Dr. Barlow worked continually until he passed away in 2004 however his legacy continues.
His purpose was serving God through helping the people of Ethiopia left a lasting impact not only in curing the people suffering from mossy foot, but more importantly in the global service realm. He was inducted into the Medical Mission Hall of Fame in which recognized his immense service to the people of Ethiopia. Today, the Mossy Foot Project continues in Ethiopia serving thousands, providing care for those who are suffering from physical and social torment brought by podoconiosis. Mossy Foot provides vocational training for the people in the villages as well as spiritual counseling for the people impacted. Learn more about the Mossy Food Project at www.mossyfoot.com and continue to watch how Dr. Barlow’s legacy is continuing.
