Ninth Mission Trip to Nigeria for Woodbury Family from Christ Episcopal

Article by Christ Episcopal Church, Woodbury

She’s not just working hard to prepare schedules and plans for her trip to eastern Nigeria, her ninth annual trip to bring medical care to the communities where she grew up.

She’s literally working overtime at Allina Hospitals to raise thousands of dollars to pay for shipping and customs for medicines, walkers, wheelchairs and a donated ambulance.

“We are stepping out on faith that we will raise the money we need,” she said.

The ambulance and medicines are already in transit, being taken across the Atlantic right now. It will cost $7,000 for shipping and customs charges, as well as transporting all supplies to eastern Nigeria.

The ambulance was donated by Allina Health, and will be used to transport critical patients to the hospital.

Obasi and her team of health professionals will arrive in Nigeria at the end of July. Queen and dozens of others will test villagers for diabetes, hypertension, AIDS and other diseases. Her organization, the African Community Health Initiative, has tested and treated thousands of people since it began

Queen and Cyprian Obasi started the African Community Health Initiative nine years ago, to help treat chronic diseases in Nigeria, where they grew up. Each summer, they take a group of health care professionals to Nigeria to set up clinics in various villages. They bring medicines from the United States to ensure the best quality for the people there.

Queen has raised $3,700 so far—more than half of that from her son, Chima Obasi, who is serving  as an instructor in the U.S. Air Force in Japan.

Chima sent $2,000 to his mom for a variety of reasons, he said through a Facebook message. First, he has missed opportunities to go to Nigeria, like his sisters Vivian and Lisa, because of Air Force training and deployments.

He sent the money to his mom in April, to commemorate her birthday.

“She’s also doing God’s work,” he said, finally finishing with: “And I did it because she’s my mom.”

To learn more about ACHI, read previous stories. To donate to ACHI, checks can be sent to ACHI, 2318 Kings Circle, Woodbury MN 55125. Donations can also be sent through the ACHI website, although they will be received in August and won’t be able to be used for customs and shipping costs for the supplies in transit now.