May 17, 2007

  • May 8, 2007

     

    Well, guess who came to the guest house today….today is Wednesday and the clinic was closed so the vehicle pulled up into the driveway.  Out of the vehicle and into the house came the Chief of our area and his whole family including his elderly auntie. It felt like the President was here….how inadequate I felt with protocol.  I wasn’t sure how to address them or what exactly I was supposed to do, so I just offered them a drink and a seat while we waited for Sal to return from town.  When Sal arrived, we treated three members of the family for different complaints.  We had an opportunity to get acquainted with the royal family and make relationships.  They will be back for reviews in ten days.  The Chief offered us more land if ever we want it and timber if ever we need it for making furniture. I told him we needed clinic and orphanage furniture and he told us just to let our carpenter come and get it.

                Speaking of carpenters….We are starting to get some skilled workers on the farm.  Godfrey is a carpenter, bricklayer and painter.  He has Pathias and Chrispin who also lay

    block and do cement work. They just finished blocking in one of the outside showers….should be very nice when work teams start arriving.  Terry has been made the official mechanic of the farm…doing scheduled maintenance on all the vehicles and fixing problems as they arise.  Ochrist is Abson and Terry’s older brother and he does plumbing I hear.  Chanda wants to attend electrical school…he already has helped me in the guest house with lights, fans and the washer/dryer.  And then there is Pastor George who can do a little of everything. I don’t know what God is up to, but he continues to bring the right people, just when needed.

                Speaking of bringing the right people, that makes me think about Julius.  Julius knocked on the door months ago and told me he felt he was supposed to do something more and maybe we could use him with praying for the patients at the clinic.  We hired him as our Chaplain and he worked alongside Vundukai with HIV classes and counseling.  Since Vundukai was let go, Julius had been inactive in the clinic.  He was the gardener for the orphanage and work team gardens and he became the assistant pastor here at the Sons of Thunder church on the farm.  Well, he came to the door again to tell me that the Holy Spirit “keeps telling me to pray for these patients….what do you think?”

    Talking further, he told me he wanted to preach a short message in the morning and then counsel and pray with patients the entire time Sal is also working….prayers for salvation and healing.  He felt he was supposed to give up his gardening job and come on full time at the clinic.  God’s timing is always perfect and both Sal and I felt a peace about him and the proposed plan.  Travet has taken over his job with the gardens and Julius is now officially full time at the clinic. Julius is preaching and praying and handing out scriptures.  “I want to make sure these people know Jesus.”  People have responded positively to the addition.  “Feed a nation”…that’s what God told us to do and man does not live on bread alone, right?  Julius is a very humble and God-fearing Zambian man…Sal and I are honored to have him as part of the team.  God is so faithful to light those stones and provide

    all we need in His perfect time.

     

     

    .  Copy (3) of Julius 003

                                           Julius