January 25, 2008

  • Catching Up

    January 20, 2008

     

    Today is Sunday and as I write this we have been without electricity since Wednesday.  An electric pole was knocked down and power still hasn’t been restored!  Prior to Wednesday, one of the Zesco (that’s the electric company) trucks got stuck somewhere on the farm property and had come asking for assistance to get out.  I’m not sure whether the guys were able to get the truck out or not but I have wondered if that impacted the fixing of the pole.   I am thankful however that Sal had the foresight to insist on a generator for the clinic.  Except for the cost of diesel to keep it going, it has been a

    blessing.  There were only two things he insisted on…..the generator and a 10,000 liter water tank! Well both of them have proved beneficial during this outage.  You see, when the Zesco is off, the pumps operating the boreholes do not work to fill the tanks supplying water to the buildings here on the farm proper. The tank supplying the orphanage and tobacco barn ran out first.  They have had to haul water to use for bathing, flushing toilets, washing clothes, cooking etc. since Thursday.  Cooking for them has been in the outdoor kitchen, which was enlarged significantly last year to accommodate all the different families.  The guest house tank has lasted through this time, but they have started hauling water for cleaning. There is a generator at the guest house which has been operating to keep the freezers working.  All the orphanage food, like chickens, has been moved to the guest house freezer. The tank supplying the clinic has also prevailed with water conservation.  Yesterday Sal sent someone up to the water tank to check the level when he noticed that the lid had blown open during one of the storms. God continues to show himself as our Provider….the water tank was full!!!!!  The rain had filled the tank while the lid was dislodged….clean water from heaven.  Thank You Jehovah Jirah!!

     

    You see, the clinic has changed since our return from the States this time…..we have had patients around the clock…24/7.  We have altered staff schedules to include night shifts so now there is always someone working.  Our in charge person is on a 120 day paid  maternity leave since her delivery Christmas day…..but God provided.   Anna, our first in charge person just happens to be on a four month leave from teacher’s college until she starts student teaching in April. (the same four months Janet will be out!!....thank you God).  As I have stated previously in earlier e-mails, we are now feeding inpatients three meals a day…porridge or rice or butternut squash for breakfast and nshima with some kind of relish (side dish) for lunch and supper.   Enoch and Winifredah are doing an amazing job shopping, cooking and gardening!  Our clinic garden should soon be supplying all our relish needs! 

     

    Patients continue to come from all over including pregnant moms…..seems Sons of Thunder is the place to have your baby……and not just Zambian moms are coming.  Early January we had a German couple from town come to the clinic to deliver their third baby. So baby number 50 was a mekua (Tonga for white) baby!!!

     

    We have had people with a multitude of different diseases come through the clinic…..malaria of course during this rainy season, TB, and HIV of course, but also snake bite, burns, hypertension, diabetes, schizophrenia, abcesses along with ear, eye and dental infections.  The most frustrating disease to me however is “African Skin Crud!”  There are rashes of all types….fungal, bacterial, viral….there are draining skin lesions from all sorts of causes including worms!  The worst I have seen so far are pus draining wounds oozing from feet and toes of children caused by worms….ugh!  It remains quite challenging and I specialized in skin and wound care, training at Cleveland Clinic!!!  I can tell you that I saw nothing like some of this stuff…..it would challenge some of our best dermatologists!!  To all you skin specialists out there….rainy season is the time to come!!!

     

    Well, HIV patients continue to increase….I think we now have over 200 patients on ART meds.  We have another 400 or so waiting to be “bad enough” to qualify for the medicines.  The lorry is overflowing every Thursday as it goes up and down the tarmac providing transport for HIV patients to the clinic for their reviews.  There is a special place in my heart for these patients….it’s our special group and one I feel God wants us to focus on.  We all are going to die but when you are told you are HIV positive, your death becomes very real and you start to evaluate your life.  It can be a very open door to repentance and salvation!  It can be a turning point….a turning to Jesus.  We have seen many decisions for Christ and changed lives…..People, after coming to Christ for forgiveness of sin, who want to make a difference with the time they have left.  It is this group that I feel compelled to make sure have Bibles. 

     

    Well, we are still praying about the next step in this adventure. There are some things stirring, but I am not released to share them yet…..I will share as they unfold.

    Stayed tuned!!!