November 10, 2005

  • It Rained!

    November 7, 2005

     

     

     

    It Rained!

     

    Well, it’s Monday morning. Last night, we were awakened by lightning and thunder.  It rained a steady rain all night long.  Praise the Lord! I know that I wrote you before and told you that October was the hot time of year….but even October had been nothing compared to the last week.  We were told that the humidity builds up right before the rains come. Believe me, it was very hot and humid….cold cream was not cold, the cold water coming out of the faucet was warm and the Neosporin out of the tube in the clinic was pouring out like water!!  I slept with a bottle of water that had been frozen…(not to drink mind you)…but just to hold onto to get cool! (J Remember my age!)  Mike and Linda have filled up the pool on the farm so Sal and I have been using it from time to time to cool off, especially after working at the Clinic.  That’s enough about the weather….shall I tell you about the economy? 

     

    Eighty percent of Zambia’s debt has been forgiven and that is very nice….however that means that they don’t need American currency as much anymore so the value of the dollar is decreasing and is expected to fall the rest of the year.  That means that we will be paying $6.50 per gallon of diesel….so whatever you are paying in the States, it is considerably less than it costs us here!!!   Right now there is a very limited selection of vegetables in the stores in town…lettuce is no where to be found.  The diesel shortage seems to be easing but we still fill up any chance we get and keep a couple containers on hand.  The electric company was out on the farm the other day…they are having some difficulty with fluctuating current.  Mike tested both our apartment and the main house and they were at 270 instead of 220.

     

    The church on the farm here is in need of prayer…they need the Holy Spirit as much as we all do!  Please pray as the Lord leads you.

     

    The clinic is coming along…almost completely furnished, decorated and organized.  I should have it done by the end of the week.  The apartment should also be completed soon.  I am trying to be obedient to what I heard…”Finish what you started.”

     

    Once I have completed both locations, I will spend the bulk of my time soaking in the presence of the Lord as He is calling me to the Secret Place.  I really feel the power of this ministry is going to come from time spent in the secret place…so I am going to do my part.  As Sal is seeing patients, which is where he is finding God’s leading and favor right now, I am going to sit at the Lord’s feet, which is where I feel the Lord calling me at this moment.  I will also fit in some time for study for the nursing exam the first of December.  Sal and I plan on making it a three day trip to Lusaka…a little work, a little shopping and a little fun!

     

                Tomorrow, Sal will be taking two moms and their 12 and 13 month old infants into town to a place called the Cheshire House, a Catholic run organization that tests children for Cerebral Palsy and other neurological deficits.  These two moms brought their children with the chief complaint of them not being able to sit up. Upon exam, they were unable to hold their heads up, they had no control of their eye movements, and very limited hand grasps. The testing is free of charge, so Sal told them he would take them in and wait with them.  It remains to be seen what will follow the testing…we were able to pray with these distressed moms and lay hands on the babies for healing.  With God, nothing is impossible!  Please lift your voices in prayer with ours that they are healed in Jesus’ name and that the testing will only serve as a testimony to the glory of God.

     

                A man who works on the farm for Mike by the name of Julius brought his sister to us last Thursday in order that she could ask for employment.  She handed us a certificate stating she was a “Community Health Worker.”  She ran a health post in her village voluntarily for the government, giving medications, doing vaccines for the under five program and assisting with childbirth in and around the village.  Although we were not looking for another employee, we need to pray because both of our workers right now are planning on going back to school...Anna to nursing school in June and Bertha to finish secondary school sometime soon.  Did God bring Rona to us as He did Anna and Bertha?  How does she fit in?  Will she help us get our under five program up and running?  Will she be instrumental with all these anticipated deliveries coming up?  We are still in prayer.  We had a meeting with the Kazangula Health District last Thursday to get vaccines and the required recordkeeping for the under five program and also for an HIV counseling class required in order to do HIV testing.  When we got there however they were getting ready to go out on site visits and would not meet with us.  They said they had to reschedule for later on in the month.  Although disappointed, we have come to accept delay as part of God’s plan…He knows the best timetable.  Perhaps we need to have Rona in place first to open a door.  We will take another step as He lights another stone!!

     

                On a lighter note as the day is approaching….The big 50 is in two days and Sal is taking me to the Zambezi Sun Hotel for their buffet dinner and an overnight (in Air Condition!!)  I know that I’ve been celebrating this birthday for over a year now, (I haven’t forgotten the Surprise Party!), but I am excited to just get away for 24 hours or so to just relax and do nothing!!!!

     

     

    Talk with you next week…..