November 1, 2005

  • Another Month

     

    November 1, 2005

     

    Well, today is the start of another month…not that I’m counting or anything mind you.

     

    October was a very busy month with a lot of things accomplished. We saw 526 patients during the month of October. People are coming from all the surrounding villages. Sal has seen the majority of patients while I have been kept busy "finishing what I started." That is the word the Lord gave me…to finish what I started. So I have been busy finishing the apartment and the clinic facilities. The cabinets we had sent on the container for the clinic were being used in our apartment because we didn’t have a pantry or kitchen cabinets. We didn’t have any drawers for clothes, no storage in the bathroom etc. Sal and I have been ordering furniture to be made both for the apartment and the clinic. We already had 2 wardrobes made for the bedroom and 2 bookcases. So yesterday, Terry and Linda in the lorry picked up 2 cabinets for the kitchen, 1 cabinet for the bathroom and 1 cabinet for the computer room here at the apartment along with a table, 2 chairs, a bed and mattress for the clinic. I had curtains made for one room in the clinic along with curtain rods for both places. We purchased a small refrigerator for the clinic for vaccines and lab tests, but the very day we brought it home our refrigerator stopped working. We were blessed that we had this small one in the car and have been able to use it while we wait for the part to fix the large one. A man in town is trying to find the part in Lusaka and we are having one sent over from the States also. In the meantime, the two clinic rooms have been cleaned, grouted, and painted. All the medical supply boxes stored around the farm have been gathered together, waiting for me to unload them this week. Linda has had the outsides of all the buildings painted and the clinic building has just been finished. We have 2 employees now working at the clinic…one is a receptionist and one a clinical assistant. Both Bertha and Anna speak, read and write English. Anna plans on going to Nursing School next year and is working to save up the money. With the newly established patient flow, Sal has been able to see 20-30 patients a day in about 6 hours. I will enclose what pictures I have and will send more later.

     

    We have found out that CARE International is feeding our children in the school…however they are only feeding in one place which is up on the hill. The majority of the 350 school children are located in classrooms up there, but we have 70 down here on the farm proper. They are permitted to go up to the hill for the feeding but it is a 45 minute walk, after they have walked who knows how long to get to school. We have already treated some students for malnutrition and wounds related to malnutrition, so Sal has decided to feed these 70 children in this location as a preventative measure. He has purchased bowls and spoons and is providing a nutritious mealy meal grain mixture referred to as HEPS (High Energy Protein Supplement). He has worked it out with the teachers to be responsible for the feeding and the cleaning up process. The students come every day to the water next to our apartment to clean the bowls…they seem to be enjoying the supplement.

     

    The monthly women’s conference was this past weekend and the ladies asked me to preach again on Sunday. It was in a different church this time with Pastor Alexander. Last month it was in Pastor Terry’s church…both Sons of Thunder planted churches. This time however Sal had to stay for services on the farm and so that meant I had to drive the Defender!!!!! I had only driven it on the farm up to the hill, but this time I had to drive on the Sons of Thunder road that isn’t always there, the main road and then dirt bush roads over RR tracks and a small bridge without any sides. I ended up driving Pastor Alexander, Joann and couple other ladies. We made it in one piece thanks to my copilot Joann who told me what to watch out for and how to maneuver over the different roads. Coming back…I not only had the same passengers as I came with, but probably about 10 more!!! It’s amazing…the Zambians can always fit one more!! Well we made it back to the farm safely but I did stall going over the RR tracks probably because of all the weight in the car. My shoulders have been very sore ever since probably from holding the steering wheel so tight. J Preaching went well. God had given me a message to share on "walking" with God. Walking is definitely something they understand!! When you walk, your eyes are always looking ahead…you are not looking behind and you are always moving forward…that’s the way our walk with God should be. Some of the most difficult times in our lives are times of transition when God is moving us from one level to another. The reason these times are so difficult is because we tend to find our peace and security in our place, not His presence. Just a brief summary for you: "Our security must be in the fact that no matter what the season, He is always there, not that we are always in that season." Nothing stays the same and we can’t move forward where God wants to take us if we are holding onto or looking back at the past.

     

    Well………I think I was preaching to myself!!! I love you all, but I’m moving on with God…I will not hold onto or look back. I will keep my eyes looking forward toward the prize and will advance His Kingdom in Jesus’ name.

     

     

    Clinic Rooms

     

     

    Sal with Anna and Bertha

     

     

    One of the Clinic Rooms with donated medicines