April 26, 2008

Hello to Everyone….we have been back on the field since April 11^th and of course there is news to tell.  I wrote in an update on January 20^th that some things were stirring, but I had not been released to share them at that time. Well, I think the time has come…There are three directions God has been moving us toward and one of them actually came to reality last Wednesday.  Let me tell you about it.  There is a settlement about 25 kilometers from the farm, housing about 700 people and has many surrounding areas attached.  This settlement, by the name of Kasiya, is halfway between Livingstone and the farm and falls under the Livingstone Health District, not Kazungula which is the health district we are under..  The people in Kasiya have had to choose between Sons of Thunder Clinic and Livingstone Hospital for any type of medical care.  We have delivered their babies, immunized their children on Under Five day and seen many of their HIV population.  One day, when we had taken a work team to our Sons of Thunder planted church there, Pastor Winfred showed us the building next door which was constructed by the government 18 months prior, earmarked for a new clinic. The building has been standing vacant for all of those 18 months with the Kasiya population left waiting.  Seeing the people of Kasiya walking long distances to our clinic in increasing numbers and seeing this new building right next to our Sons of Thunder planted church was too much of a 'coincidence' for Sal and I to overlook.  After seeking God's direction in prayer, we approached our Director at the Kazungula Health District about the idea of opening up the Kasiya Clinic one day a week. That is when we were informed that the clinic at Kasiya was outside of our district and was in the Livingstone District.   Falling under the authority in place, we then had a meeting with the Director at the Livingstone District.   Both Directors found the idea to be beneficial to the people and had no problem with our assistance.  We selected Wednesdays as our day to travel to Kasiya and we decided not to start until we returned from furlough in April. About a week prior to our getting started, a man by the name of Alex showed up at the Sons of Thunder Clinc asking for a job..…he just happened to be from Kasiya and is an HIV counselor.  Mind you, he knew nothing of our plans. (another 'coincidence?' ) Well, last Wednesday was our first day….we discovered that Livingstone had furnished the clinic for us with 2 exam tables, a privacy screen, a desk and 4 old chairs. So that morning, we packed the vehicle with an old bookshelf, a folding table and 4 chairs.  There were 2 large boxes of medicines and supplies and a Coleman container for water since there is no water or electricity there.  We arrived at 8am and began to unload.  Alex and about 4 other volunteers showed up to offer whatever assistance we needed.  When patients were not coming by 9am, we began to get concerned.  Our fears were unfounded however, when people started coming at 10 o'clock and didn't stop.  At dusk, we had seen 118 patients and had to send about 30 away unseen. The people of Kasiya are a needy people both physically and spiritually…they are physically poor with no shoes and tattered, dirty clothes. The rains this year were so heavy that the maize crop did not produce a good harvest, so they are hungry or will be soon. The lack of water seems to add to their poor health and dirty appearance. Spiritually, they are also in need of Jesus.  They were covered in charms with lots of evidence of traditional healing methods by local witchdoctors.  Since Pastor Winfred is a local pastor and well-known to the people, it only made sense to make him part of our Wednesday team.   He preached the Word and prayed with people.  He cut off charms and taught the Truth.  He counseled those in need and spoke words of hope and encouragement….all similar to Pastor Julius back at Sons of Thunder Clinic. It was a tiring day….seeing all those patients…..packing and unpacking....etc., but when we placed our heads on our pillows that night, there was no question in our minds that we had heard God!    So next week we will do it all over again….and add Under Five Clinic!!!

Oh I almost forgot…..as for the other two things….well, I will tell you about them soon.  Each one should be a separate update though, but be certain God is on the move!

Please keep us in prayer.  Also pray for the expedient arrival of the container filled with medical supplies which is now in Mozambique.  Pray for it to sail through Customs....with no duty or tax.

Love and thanks to our family, friends and supporters,

Sal and Renee 

April 17, 2008

Tomorrow will be a week since we have returned to Zambia.  Things move so fast these days that it’s hard to remember what all has happened over the last 6 weeks.  Our time at home was short but full.  Sal received his treatments, which made him sick for a couple weeks, but all in all went pretty well…..Three series down and one more to go.  Seeing and spending time with family is always something we delight in.  We were ecstatic to have been able to spend Easter Sunday together and actually have a meal all together in the same house.  We haven’t all been together in one house for a holiday since before Gabe went into the hospital…that was Dec 2006. Needless to say it was great to all be together. We had business to take care of for our company “Associates in Emergency Care” namely an accreditation renewal and the request to establish ourselves as a training center under AHA and we had taxes to complete.  We had apartment hunting to do and assisting with the relocation of our youngest son.  We had meetings with friends, a couple welcome home parties, and a wedding.  There were doctor appointments and dental check-ups. At one point, we separated and went to different parts of the country.  Sal  went to Connecticut and I went to Missouri and California. We spoke at churches, dinner meetings, luncheons and even had a television interview.  Sal of course golfed any chance he got which really wasn’t much and he went in 40 degree weather to boot! Most of the clothes we brought home stayed in the suitcases and I had to borrow warmer clothes just to get through the cold month of March.

Now back on African soil, it’s capris and sandals again!!! The clinic ran smoothly while we were gone.  Geoffrey and the staff did a great job!  Now, finally over jet lag, it's time for catching up and seeking God.  

                                        Staff

March 1, 2008

At Sons of Thunder Medical Clinic we see over 1000 patients a month with inpatient and HIV patient numbers climbing.  What draws patients to us?  Why do they pass other health facilities to get to us?  We believe it's because we offer hope to a people without any.  We offer Jesus.  As a team, we show the love of Jesus and witness to the sick and dying.  Our Zambian medical team is now 13 people strong: a chaplain, a clinical officer, 6 clinical assistants, a driver, a cook, a gardener and 2 cleaning staff.  They work hard, not taking lunch and staying late, giving of themselves with the compassion of Christ.  We have been blessed with a team that not only loves Jesus, but shares our passion to demonstrate the love of Jesus with others. Sometimes it's just as important to minister to the servants as it is the multitudes.  It was time to say "well done" and "thank you," so before we left for furlough we all packed in to the Land Rover and one Game Viewer and headed for a day of sightseeing and fun at Victoria Falls.  Some of our staff, although in Zambia all their lives, had never been to the Falls.  It was an exciting day and very rewarding to watch their smiles and hear their laughter as they got soaked from the rainy season "mist" despite the provided raingear. They stood in awe of God's majesty, speechless at the grandeur and magnificence of His creation.   Then they hiked down to the "boiling point" where baboons and monkeys frolic and roam.  Very tired and hungry after the hike back up to the vehicles, we ended up at Funky Monkey where we introduced them all to pizza!!  It was a very special day and one that will be long remembered!

                      The Majestic Victoria Falls

                            Gazing at His Splendor

                  Introducing Pizza at Funky Munky!!

February 24, 2008

It was 5:30am Sunday morning and there was a knock at the bedroom window.  It was Bridget, the weekend Clinic Assistant who works from Friday at 4pm until Sunday at 4pm.  Well, as I opened my eyes I realized that Sal was already up and out in the Land Rover heading to town to pick up Richard, the lab technician, because the machine broke yesterday at General while he was processing the labs and he had to finish them here this morning.  As I laid there I remembered that Geoffrey the other Clinical Officer had also gone into town Saturday to stay overnight and go to his church in Livingstone….so it was my turn so to speak.  “What is it Bridget,” I asked. She said, “Harriet’s having contractions.”  I said, “I’ll be there” proceeding to get out of bed, splash water on my face, brush my teeth quickly and throw on a scrub shirt with a pair of capris.  Now you may be thinking, “What’s the big deal, it’s just another baby…but you don’t understand. I have been there for most of the 60 babies....coaching moms, rubbing backs or legs, pushing on bellies when needed, setting up, cleaning up, handing supplies, weighing and bathing newborns…..but I have never been down front and center catching!  That has always been Sal.  When I went over to the clinic which is just through the door, I found that Bridget already had things set up in the delivery room.  Harriet was indeed in the last stages of labor and pushing was about to commence.  A few pushes and I could see the amniotic sac still intact.  It was visible and then receded. Again visible and then receded.  The third time when it became visible it stayed within sight at which time I made sure I was to the side as I took a sterile blade and “broke her water.” Water gushed and Harriet breathed a sigh of relief…But only for a moment.  The next contraction began and she started pushing.  This time a little head with black hair appeared and proceeded to emerge nice and slow.  Once the head was out, I began suctioning and the rest of the little body twisted out just like God intended.  Once completely out, a cry was heard.  A little girl!!  Turns out mom has three other children at home: one boy and two girls.  This is girl number three!!  She was a pretty girl right from the start.  Mom and baby are both doing fine.  When I went to check on her later….grandma came to find me.  Grandma is “Enelia”….the lady who works at the orphanage with the snake bite to her foot.  I wrote a newsletter article about her but I never get to see the newsletters so I don’t know when or if it was put in.  Anyway Enelia grabbed me and gave me a big hug saying in her broken Tonga/English “Renee is coming” Renee is coming”  I could only laugh as she danced out of the room.  Not understanding what that was all about, Bridget laughed and told me,

“They named the baby Renee.”  J

I want to tell you about Enelia….one of our “grannies” at the orphanage.  She is a dear, sweet, hard-working old woman who gives her love and energy to the children at the orphanage.  She always has a warm Tonga greeting and a big smile.  If I had to imagine the joy of the Lord…she would be my example.  She also loves to dance (kuzyana in Tonga) which if you know me warms my heart to her even more.  Well my story begins over a month ago when Enelia came to the clinic with a problem with her right foot.  With help with translation, she told us she had been bit by a snake a few days before…..clearly it was not a mamba.  Upon inspection, we found her second toe on the right foot to be black with necrotic tissue. In the middle of the toe was an open area obviously infected.  You see, the bite had been a few days prior and Enelia doesn’t wear shoes most of the time.  She lives off the farm and to get to work she has to cross the Maramba River…..you get my drift?  Who knows what she has had her foot in!  Further assessment showed the blackened color (hard to see past her black skin) to be all the way up past her ankle….Clearly she was in danger of losing not only her toe, but her entire foot.  Well, the first thing we did was pray over her foot.  God was definitely going to have to intervene here. A foot soak was then given with Betadine solution for about 10 minutes as we attempted to clean the entire area removing all the necrotic tissue as gently as possible from the toe.  It was very painful to touch.  Next we cleaned the open area with saline and applied triple antibiotic ointment and dressed it with tegaderm and telfa  dressings and gauze wrap securing it over the ankle to hold it in place on this very active bush woman.  Now how were we to keep it dry and clean when she walked without shoes.  Trying to figure out something, I went to the medical supply cabinet and found one cast boot way up on the top shelf (Yeah…I used a chair! J).  That cast boot was the only one we had and it “just happened” to fit perfectly!!.  We also gave her two injections of Penicillin. Well for the next month Enelia came every 2-3 days for prayer, foot soaks, dressing changes, Penicillin shots and oral antibiotics.  She worked at the orphanage with that big ol’ cast boot on…..it went through the river and mud and who knows what else.  The dressing was always filthy on the outside when she came in for her reviews……but I am happy to report that her foot and toe are now completely healed!!!!  No more black….no more infection….no more cast boot or dressings….no more pain.  Last time I saw her hanging clothes in the orphanage yard, she started dancing for me and shouted “hallelujah.”  Thank you God for another miracle healing!

                      40 foot as a matter of fact!!!

I’m not very good with measurements and especially now that I have been in Zambia for three years (miles vs kilometers, feet vs centimeters, kilograms vs pounds)…..well you get my point.  But even in my confusion, I know that 40 feet is pretty big!!  You might ask, “What are you talking about, Renee?”  Well I am excited to share the news!  Friends, we have a very BIG God who continues to amaze me wonder upon wonder.  I recently wrote a newsletter article telling you that we had come to the end of our resources.  I think the article was titled “We Need More.”  It ended with my telling you that if we had faith, it was going to be a time for miracles because only when we are empty-handed can God fill us up. When we decrease, God can increase!  I wrote that article in December even though I think it just “hit the stands” this month.

Let me share with you all that God has done since that declaration of simple truth: 

• First, the Kazungula Ministry of Health gave us a box for the very first time!  The box I am referring to is a large government box of medicines and medical supplies that every rural health center gets once a month or when they have seen approximately 1000 patients.  Standard medicines like Tylenol and Ibuprofen and Penicillin along with supplies that will indeed save us money. 
• The new guidelines are now out for patients on ART medications with new first-line medications added to the mix.  That necessitated a new order book….when we got ours, we were pleased to find not only ARTs on the list but also the prophylactic antibiotic HIV patients are often given as well as the vitamin supplements that they also receive.  Not only were the medicines going to be free for the adult patients, but there were also suspensions for children!!!  Again a very significant savings since we now have over 400 patients in our chronic HIV care program!!!
• With all of those HIV patients, we were bound to have mothers with new babies….babies that we have placed on bottle feeding to help prevent mother-child transmission due to breastfeeding.  Well bottle feeding requires infant formula, so we also have been purchasing cans of formula for a number of infants age one year and under.  We have been spending between $350-500 per month just on formula.  We also have been supplying our malnourished twins Trust and Trywell with not only formula but also vitamin fortified cereals.   Well one of our sponsoring churches gave Sons of Thunder a check in the amount of $2400 to be used for formula…..Hallelujah!!
• The article not only stated a need for more money, but also more beds, more supplies, more medicines, more prayer, more staff and definitely MORE GOD!

Well, one of the clinical officer students that we had last summer called and came from Lusaka to see us.  He told us when he had prayed for God to show him his destiny, be felt God calling him to a place with an orphanage and he had come to see if this was the place. We needed to stay within the old budget if we were to pay him and the apartment we considered still needs work.  After prayer and seeking God’s will, Geoffrey agreed to take a lesser salary and move into the apartment unfinished. I don’t know what God is doing, but just a few days ago a nurse showed up from Livingstone with the same king of story….God speaking to her that she had done all she could do at the place she was working and someone had told her of Sons of Thunder.  She took a taxi from Livingstone and set out to find us.

·        I saved the best for last…..back to the 40 feet of love!  Well, it is amazing to me

how God puts people, ministries and organizations together…..people from

different areas of the country and even the world.  I’m not sure how it happened

but I think one man found an organization in California called S.A.V.E. and told

them about Sons of Thunder, specifically the Medical Ministries.  SAVE stands

for “Save All Valuable Equipment” and they are a group of people who actually

find and store valuable medical equipment in a warehouse and send containers all

around the world!  Sal and I were contacted by them via e-mail and asked to

supply them with a medical wish list which we readily did.  That was just a few

months ago and I am happy….no I am ecstatic to tell you that a 40 foot container

full of love is on the way. I don’t know what God has in mind, but we are going to

receive hospital beds, oxygen concentrators, an ultrasound, portable x-ray

machines, delivery bed, dental chair, incubator, a 110 generator etc…etc…etc. 

There are over 400 items on the manifest!!!!!   Talking about God’s provision!!!!

Even the most skeptical person has to be scratching his head!!!

·        Now if that wasn’t enough……Pastor Jerry has been storing supplies for us since 2005 before we came.  Different things than the medical supplies from SAVE.  Things in Pastor Jerry’s garage are cabinets, a reception desk, exam lights, beautiful inside wood doors.  These are things we didn’t know at the time if we would have a need for, nor did we know if we would be able to get them sent over…..but God knew.  There is a man in Kansas who sends over a brand new tractor once a year to somewhere in Africa and he happens to have half a container empty.  He is willing at no cost to us to let us fill up the other half of his container, so Pastor Jerry is taking stuff to Kansas sometime soon….We will basically completely stock and furnish the clinic (and/or hospital…which by the way is what people already call us).

Mind You….Sal and I are just doing what God puts in front of us day in day out here at the clinic at Sons of Thunder in Zambia working 24/7 bringing hope to many through the love of Jesus.  We had no part whatsoever in any of the above….except to tell God what He already knew: that we had given it all.  We needed Him and still need Him to see His vision fulfilled.

Our God is an awesome God.  He meets all our needs and satisfies all our desires….He is the God of abundance.  Thank you so much Lord for using parts of your body to help the other parts in need.

 Romans 12:4-5 says “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

February 14, 2008

Well. Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone!!

Someone asked me, “What do you and Sal do for Valentine’s Day?”  I chuckled.  J

After almost 32 years of marriage, I really can’t remember the last time we did anything for Valentine’s Day.  Heck, you read what happened when we tried to do something last Christmas…..so Valentine’s Day….honestly I never gave it a thought and I know Sal didn’t either.  Before you start sending me e-mails about our marriage, let me reassure you that we are going out to a buffet dinner tonight at Rhapsody’s with 60s and 70s music.  We are going with three other “older” couples.

That being out of the way, I began to think of Valentine’s Day and all the hearts and references to love.  I didn’t have much time to ponder on that because  the day was about to be the busiest ever. 

Well…we ended up seeing 117 patients!!  That’s the most ever in one day!!

Everything was winding down pretty much on time when at 5pm a mom brought in her very sick 2 month old with what we think was cerebral malaria.  “Adam” had been seen that morning at Katapazi Clinic for what they diagnosed as malaria with convulsions.  They wrote us a small note outlining their diagnosis and treatment and also telling us that he had not been able to pass stool. They had given him adult malaria tablets crushed on a spoon.  When he came to us, he had a fever of 103 and his eyes and breathing just didn’t seem right.  We were unable to test him for malaria since they had already started treatment.  After praying for him with Pastor Julius, we admitted him and started an IV (a difficult task on one so tiny). We gave him an injection for the fever and the proper pediatric malaria medicine.  Mom was able to breastfeed a little and he did indeed poop.  The fever came down and things were looking hopeful.  This little guy was going to have to be monitored closely and it was now 7pm……are you seeing where I am going?  We ended up not going out for Valentine’s Day….instead we spent it together at the clinic.  The night was long…his fever stayed down but his IV came out when mom was trying to breastfeed and he stopped nursing.  Another IV was started after multiple attempts and IV malaria medicine was started.  But alas, little Adam died the following morning despite our efforts.  It is a very helpless feeling to see one so young die…it seems very unfair to be born for such a short period of time on this earth. It is hard to try to figure out one’s purpose and how it could be fulfilled in that couple of months. But that’s why we are just man and God is sovereign.   

This is the entry I wrote December 12^th  for the December newsletter.  Since I don’t usually put the newsletter articles on the blog, I am not sure if you ever read this…..so I have decided to not only send this to you but also to post it on the site. 

This is the background for my Valentine’s Day blog entry.

Medical Ministries

Sal and Renee Marini

WE NEED MORE….

We are finding ourselves in need of more.....more time, more supplies, more medicines, more beds, more rooms, more staff, more help, more prayers and more money.  Most importantly....MORE GOD!!

I have pondered a lot about this walk with God….how the deeper you go with God , the less of yourself there is….God gets you to a breaking point...a point where you have nothing and realize you are nothing without Him.......it is at that point that He can work, that He shows up in power.  It's only then that He gets all the glory and it's obvious to you and everybody else that you had nothing to do with it.  That's the point we are coming to.....

It's a place of faith testing.....if your faith is weak it can be a scary place, a place where you scurry to find an answer, you worry and fret, you talk about quitting, you try to plan things out, you stop following God's leading to do more things because the money is not there....etc

But if your faith is strong and you just trust and believe, then it can be an exciting time, a time of expectation, a time of anticipation, a time of miracles! Your job is to just keep doing what you hear God telling you....keep moving forward despite what you see in the physical or in some cases don't see. It's a time when you can't let doubt enter in.  I often think of the song by Michael Bolton...."What if I give all?"…. The song starts with a little boy giving three birthday dollars (all he had) and asking that very question.  His mother goes on to tell him that “a gift like that could change the world…it could feed a multitude.” The song talks about another little boy who gave all he had (5 loaves and 2 fish) and that gift did indeed feed the multitudes.  It then talks of Jesus giving all He had (Himself) and that gift not only freed the multitudes and continues to set people free, but as the Bread of Life, it continues to feed nations.

I am reminded and encouraged by the story of Elijah and the widow who was told to use the last oil in the jar to feed herself and her son…..but as she used it, the oil didn’t run out.  She just needed to use all she had and when her resources were finished God was able to take over and be the Provider. 

Sal and I have come to the end of our personal and ministry resources.   We have come to the end of ourselves….I am reminded of John the Baptist who said, “I must decrease so He can increase.” We are excited to see what God has planned!  Please pray that we stand strong in faith.....that we do our part….that we keep moving forward as God leads. We will pour out the last oil in our jar soon knowing that we have not yet been released to return home.  On the contrary, we feel God expanding our territory and moving us to take clinic to the people.  That only means that “something good is about to happen!!!!”

Thank you for your prayers and support. 

Hello Everyone.  Hope this finds you all well.  The clinic continues to be a busy place.  Last month, we again saw approximately 1000 patients including 6 babies born, 64 under-five children seen for immunizations and well baby check-ups, and 20 new ART patients (patients placed on HIV meds for the first time).

But today I want to tell you about Moshai.  Moshai is a 31 year old woman who works at the orphanage.  She is married and has children although I do not know how many.  Moshai has high blood pressure and comes to the clinic randomly whenever she is not feeling well.  We have put her on antihypertensive medication but Moshai never comes back for her reviews, so she does not keep taking her medications.  Well she came in on Saturday a week ago with complaint of a severe headache extending over the right side of her face.  She could not hold her head up or answer questions.  When we took her blood pressure, it was 246/150…..yes she was having a stroke.  There are not too many Zambians we have come across with the cardiovascular diseases that we are so use to seeing in the US. We literally only have a couple patients on BP meds, a couple diabetics and we may have seen two or three with congestive heart failure.  So seeing a stroke in a 31 year old is very unusual here….heck, seeing a stroke at all is unusual.  Well 9 days later, after prayer, IV’s, medications and rest, Moshai now has normal vital signs and lab values.  She has a very supportive and attentive husband and family who have constantly been by her bedside. Her left-sided weakness has now diminished and only her face seems to be affected.  Speech, both expressive and receptive, is okay. Just the muscle movement is still sluggish so she will need physical therapy. We will send her to Comweele, the therapist we know at General Hospital for evaluation after discharge…..alot of teaching needed here….

Since I am on a roll at the keyboard, I will tell you about the two patients in the other room.  Rita is a pastor’s wife and the mother of ten children.  She was pregnant with her 11^th child, but came in bleeding.  She proceeded to have a miscarriage that night at the clinic. It was a very emotional time for her as she grieved the loss of her baby, but within 24 hours with Jesus and the help and support of her husband, Rita was accepting and ready to move on. Not wanting to put any more stress on her body especially at her age, Rita and her husband both agreed to go on family planning.  A few days at the clinic for post-evaluation and antibiotic therapy…..and then she was discharged….alot of love and emotional support needed here…

Brenda was Rita’s roommate.  Brenda is 16 years old and we have known her for two years now.  She had and still has an eye problem that limits her vision and does somewhat alter her appearance. We have taken her to Zimba Eye Clinic where they evaluated her and said basically there is nothing they can do.  She uses steroid eye drops off and on when things get too bad.  Well, because of her altered appearance, her family took the first offer they received for her to marry…..she wasn’t even 16!  They married her off to an older man who “is never around” and who very quickly gave her two lifelong presents….a baby yet unborn and HIV.  Her baby was due on the 9^th, so we admitted her for delivery to give her and the baby the proper prophylaxis of ARVs for the HIV.  I have not seen anyone in to visit her since she was admitted… She is a very sweet and quiet girl and was given a lot to handle….alot of love and Jesus needed here…

Three different stories….three different needs beyond the physical.

Jesus…Help us to see past just the physical infirmity.  Help us to recognize the deeper need and continue to be present and equip us to meet those needs.

Help us Jesus to minister to your people as you would…help our ministry like yours to be threefold…..preaching, teaching and healing….In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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!!!