February 5, 2006


  • February 3, 2006


    It's February..hard to believe we have been here for only 5 months. Somehow it seems much longer. The rain has not stopped and people are very concerned about the condition of their crops.so I guess it's safe to stop praying for rain!! I also lifted up my prayers for rain right along with yours. I recall that during the first Sons of Thunder prayer meeting we had with the Jones and Byrums back in September, I was led to sing "Send Your Rain" out loud now you know if I sang out, I must have felt led by the Holy Spirit because you all know how well I sing!! Needless to say, it has been raining ever since!!! J The tarmac (paved road) is polluted with potholes from the rain, but out of necessity I have been forced to drive. The patient load at the clinic has prevented Sal from leaving, so on Fridays I have been driving the Zimba run?..the first couple of weeks with JoAnne driving one way. I am proud to announce however that Monday I drove with Pastor Jerry in the passenger seat (just a little pressure J) to pick up discharged patients and today I drove alone picking up and dropping off patients along the way!!!! I want you to know it's no longer about driving on the left or the fact that I?m driving a tank on wheels with a left handed stick shift?..the difficulty is the road itself! There is only one tarmac road from Lusaka to Livingstone and from Livingstone to Zimba, the road is poorly paved without any defined edges along the side. Sometimes there is not enough room for two vehicles. Now imagine big trucks coming in the opposite direction with what road there is polluted with potholes. Don't forget the people walking on the side of the road, bicycles in both directions and the occasional baboon family!!! There is also the street vendor holding out a large mushroom or fish...it is quite different. Pastor Jerry even said, "You can't just go for a leisurely drive here, can you?" The rain has also caused the grass to grow...and grow. Everywhere you go you see men and boys cutting the grass, but not how you probably have pictured it. Here, there are no electric or gas lawn mowers, no riders, here it's done by hand with metal blades and it's called "slashing." Sometimes if it's a small area, they just pull out the grass by hand!! The rains have not only brought out the mosquitoes, but the snakes as well!! Terry has killed two and just the other night at about midnight, Sal and I heard a knocking at our bedroom window! It was the night watchman, Lemison!. The doorbell either didn't work or we just didn't hear it, so he came around to our bedroom window determined to wake us up. We jumped at the sound of rapping right at our window, only 2 feet from where we were sound asleep. Lemison had just been bitten by a snake and was somewhat panicked. He had no idea what kind of snake it was, nor had he seen it in the dark of the night. We don't have anti-venom so even if we did know what kind of snake, we still couldn?t have done anything to counteract the poison. So we put our trust in God's Word and prayed. It says in God's Word that we can "trample on snakes and scorpions and that nothing will harm us" (paraphrased from Luke 10:19). We did develop a protocol for non venomous snake bites, so we initiated that next and kept him for 30 minutes. When there were no ill effects witnessed, we went back to our apartment and Lemison returned to finish his shift.


    Last Monday, we had Children's Under Five Clinic for the month of January giving immunizations, Vitamin A and de-worming pills. Rona, Bertha and I worked with the children and Anna, Janet and Sal saw the regular clinic patients. We even had the proper registration book from the Kazangula Health District in addition to the Children?s Clinic Cards so we could keep official records. What a day!!! Between us, we saw a total of 134 patients all in one day!!! The month of January concluded with 963 clinic patients being treated. That figure does not include the HIV patients to Livingstone nor the surgical and TB patients to Zimba. It was quite a month!! Speaking of the Kazangula Health District...there seems to have been a change in attitude. We made an appointment and met with the Director and two other official titles to request immunizations, malaria tests, family planning, and all supporting documentation cards and registers. We also discussed our HIV growing numbers and requested to be considered as an ART medication site. When we presented documentation on our numbers etc., I think they finally realized we were not going way, especially when they found out we had a work permit already. After that meeting, we received vaccines, an initial supply of family planning (for married couples only), 100 malaria tests, all the registers and cards and the authorization to receive replacements whenever necessary. Hallelujah God!!! You know God's timing is perfect, don't you?


    Well just a few days after that meeting, the work team from Damascus Wesleyan Church in Maryland arrived bringing in 5 bags of medical supplies and donated medications. For whatever reason, the team was stopped at Livingstone airport and the bags confiscated. When Sal and I went with paperwork to retrieve the bags, we were told to go to Customs. Customs told us we needed a clearing agent and directed us to one. The clearing agent came to the airport and the bags were all inspected. Then we were told that an expert was coming and had to inspect the bags again. When the so-called expert arrived, she looked through all the bags again with specific attention to the medications. They then released the bags and the clearing agent was to complete the paperwork. We were very happy to have walked out with those bags...the medical stuff is very much needed but I have to admit I was most concerned about the home video of our grandchildren!!!! J The elation, however, was short-lived. They called us three hours later to tell us that we had to bring the bags back they were concerned about the medications. Seems we did not have the proper "permit." Turns out there is a permit you must have from the Poison Control Board in Lusaka in order to bring medications into the country. Well we left everything in God?s hands because truthfully we have been too busy to handle anything and as He always does when you get your hands off, He's been at work. The Kazangula District pharmacist and Director have both written letters to the Poison Board in Lusaka and the paperwork was to go to the pharmacist of the entire Southern Province to be faxed to Lusaka. When we were at the HIV Clinic in Livingstone, we discovered the pharmacist that we have been dealing with for the last two months had our paperwork in hand. He personally is taking care of it and attempting to get us a permanent permit. Now does anyone think that was a coincidence?


    There have been so many patients I could tell you about...There was Doreen, a 33 year old woman with HIV and TB who came to us on another oxcart. She is now in Livingstone hospital for TB treatment first. It took 7 days for them to start treatment because they were waiting on sputum tests. In the meantime she just laid in a bed without even an IV. Then there was her 1 year old daughter who grandma brought to the clinic with severe dehydration from diarrhea. She is also HIV positive. When I say severe dehydration, I?m not talking about needing a little Gatorade. I mean totally limp with a high fever and almost unconscious?.. if left a few more hours would be dead. Sal and I immediately prayed as we worked to start an IV. After no success at an IV, we inserted a nasogastric tube (NG tube) and began feedings with ORS(Oral Rehydration Solution) We also gave medications through the tube for her fever and diarrhea and kept her overnight. The next morning found her dramatically revived although still a concern. When Sal decided she could be discharged Grandma asked if JoAnne would take her in the orphanage because she was unable to care for her by herself. JoAnne met with the woman and assessed the family situation. Grandma was sent home with baby Joy and HEPS for five days. She was told to find the father so things could be discussed with him and to return to the clinic in 5 days.


    There were two people who have had minor eye surgery at the Zimba Eye Clinic...smiles on their faces have been priceless. A 75 year old man who walks to church here at Sons of Thunder every Sunday is almost blind and needs to be escorted. Well we took him to Zimba Eye Clinic and found out that he had undergone surgery in the past on his right eye and had a lens implant. The implant has shifted and they think surgery can be done on that eye to improve his sight. When we gave out Bibles in September he was one of the first in line to get one. I wondered how he was going to read it, but I gave it to him thinking he has faith to believe! I want to see him reading that Bible.


    Two little girls are our overnight patients tonight; one 13 month old named Judith who weighs only 12 pounds, very malnourished. She also received an NG tube for feedings. The other little girl, Mary, is a three year old with what we think is polio...eye pain, fever, diarrhea, stiff neck, difficulty walking, and leg pains (when you touch them she yells out). At first we thought possible meningitis because we aren?t used to seeing polio...but we have to remember where we are, don't we? We were able to get an IV into her and gave her medications via that route. Prayer is always a priority part of treatment because without God, we can?t do anything. Judith was in the bed in the first exam room. Mary was on the army cot in the second exam room and clinic patients were still being seen around them!!! When darkness came, two parents stayed with Mary and three people stayed with Judith. All the visitors slept on the cement floor without blankets or pillows. Some had walked 5-6 hours to get here, so it wasn?t that easy to just run home. A bigger facility is definitely on the horizon....you know the saying "You build it and they will come." Well I think "they are coming and we will build it" is more appropriate here!


    In the midst of all the medical work, Sal has been teaching the Undercover series by John Bevere on authority during Sunday School at the church on the farm. I have held train the trainer classes for the new group of Sunday School teachers in the Firm Foundations course that we will begin in mid- February. We have divided into four groups: Adult, Teen (10-15), School Age (6-9) and Tots (3-5). Hopefully by the time the classes start, we will have been to Lusaka and purchased more Bibles. The hope is for a Bible to be in every pair of hands!!! After all, how can we know Jesus if we are not spending time in the Word? Feeding on Sundays only is just not enough...we need our daily bread, Amen?


    The work team with Pastor Jerry brought such a breath of fresh air for us...we thoroughly enjoyed their presence even though we were so busy and did without some much needed sleep....we will play catch up the next few days.


    Enough for now?.



    P. S. Oh I almost forgot!...We have a praise: All the Outpatient registrations...all the   labwork...and all the x-rays are now free for the HIV patients at Livingstone Hospital. The only thing we pay for now is the actual visit (K50,000) which is approximately $15.00. I can't answer why all of a sudden they are free except that our God is a God of the suddenlies. J



             Little Mary


     



                                             Baby Judith