Day 8

It’s Monday. Morning report at the end of chapel service brought news that the premie baby died over the weekend. The news came especially hard for nurse Ann who had spent quite a bit of time caring for the baby last week, trying to get nourishment into it, and trying to get it to nurse. In the end, the challenge was too great. It was another reminder how fragile life is -- how much we depend on the grace of God for our very existence.

Today, the construction team planned to repair the sagging water tower platform. We had built a beam from four 2 x 6’s to span the metal cross-members of the tower below the sag in the platform, another beam to be positioned directly under the sag, two more that would serve as support posts between the ends of the other two beams, and another shorter post for the center. The center post was to be positioned midway along the lower beam and jacked up against the upper support beam to jack the sag out of the platform, raising it enough to position the posts at the ends of the beams.

Glen had figured out the plan for the repair, but the whole team worked together to get the improvised support structure in place. The hard part was finding a jack to raise the center post. Raising the center post to take the sag out of the platform required also lifting the water tank resting on top of the platform. Bud wanted a hydraulic jack for this purpose but we had difficulty locating one. When we finally found a source, the person in possession of the jack wanted a $100 to borrow the jack. We all agreed that was way too much for the roughly one hour we thought it would take. We said no deal. Then we had to come up with another solution.

After rummaging through several vehicles at the mission house, Glen and Bud found two automobile jacks we thought were worth trying. In fact, they worked great. By early afternoon, we had the platform sag repaired at least temporarily. We (Glen and Bud) also managed to improve the seal on the water line leading into the water tank, greatly reducing the leak that had corroded the metal platform leading to the sag in the first place.

If the sag and leak had not been repaired, it seemed highly likely that the sag would worsen and eventually lead to the collapse of the tower and the primary water tank supplying water to the whole hospital. It wasn’t a very glamorous task but it was absolutely critical.

While we worked on the water tanks, we had two younger men dig a trench about a foot deep and 3-4 inches wide from the well pump house to the water tanks. The trench would be used to lay conduit in which to run electrical lines from the pump start mechanism from a float based switch we will insert in the water tanks. This will turn on the pump when the water in the tank gets too low and automatically shut off the pump when the tanks are full. There is no such automatic switch in place currently and the tanks occasionally get drained of all their water before someone notices (enabling back pressure induced contamination of the water in the water lines to the hospital) or the tanks get overfilled, spilling gallons and gallons of good water onto the ground where it is wasted. We had decided to hire the two young men to dig the trench, which would be about 300 feet long. It was a very difficult task but they did a great job and managed to finish about two-thirds of the trench by the end of the day. They’ll finish the rest tomorrow.

In mid-afternoon the construction team had a chance to watch several of the local workers try to chase a green mamba out of a bush. Green mambas are the even deadlier cousin of the black mamba which are known as a “two step” snake, two steps representing the number of steps you are likely to be able to run before the venom of a bite would kill you. We’re told that is an exaggeration, but the locals were being very cautious as they tried to scare it out where they could kill it. When it did come out, we were totally amazed at how quickly it moved. It was very fast and ultimately escaped. We were quite impressed – and much more cautious wherever we walk.

The medical team had a fairly calm day, at least until late evening. Since there weren’t any surgeries scheduled, anesthetist Barb and Dr. Kari got a chance to see patients on the wards. Ann gradually recovered from the news of the premie’s death and then worked on the wards with the other nurses. Diane helped out on the wards and then helped Janet (missionary from Tennessee overseeing the construction of the new nurses’ quarters) for the rest of the afternoon.

In the early evening, three representatives from World Hope, the Wesleyan affiliated mission organization, stopped by as planned to talk with us about their activities in Zimba. We were especially interested in the efforts to relieve the plight of orphans. They spent about an hour with us describing their various programs: some economic development, some legal aid, some home based care, some literacy, some community health, etc. They also described how individuals or churches can arrange sponsorships or support efforts for individuals, trusts within a community, or the overall World Hope program generally. They suggested we visit the headquarters of World Hope: Zambia up in Choma. Glen and Dr. Kari may do that on Friday.

Late in the evening after the team had gone to bed, several missionaries from South Africa arrived at the gate to the mission compound looking for a doctor. They had been traveling toward Livingstone from Tezi Tezi in the distant north. About 3 kilometers from Zimba, they hit a man walking a bicycle who had had too much to drink and was in the middle of the road. They hadn’t seen him at all. Away from the street lights, the night is very dark. Almost no one wears light colored clothing, and we never see anyone other than us using a flashlight or reflectors. The driver said he’d been briefly unable to see because of the bright headlights of a passing truck.

Dr. Kari and anesthetist Barb (accompanied by Larry) went down to the hospital to see the patient. They gave him an IV and stabilized him then decided it would be best to transfer him to Livingstone. He was moving all his limbs, was breathing OK and his pulse and blood pressure were good. He had several bad cuts on his face, some bleeding from elsewhere on his head, and was mumbling in a way that neither Dr. Kari nor the Tonga speaking nurse could interpret. Not being able to tell if the mumbling was the result of the head trauma or the drunkenness, they decided he would be better served in Livingstone. So they arranged to have him transferred and transported to Livingstone along with a young boy who had been brought in earlier in the day with an increasingly bad infection that wasn’t responding to treatment.

The South African mission team of about 16 in four vehicles had been traveling and camping for about two weeks taking the Jesus film to show in remote villages in the bush. The night before last while they were setting up in one village, a man who was walking to the village to see the movie was attacked by an elephant within eyesight (about 100 meters) of the mission team. The elephant trampled the man, breaking his leg and then goring him under his arm with a tusk. The mission team had spent much of the previous night at the hospital with that man, then they had the car-bicyclist accident to deal with. They had a tough couple of days – not nearly as bad as the two victims’, but a tough couple of days nonetheless.

When Dr. Kari and Barb finished with the accident victim, a nurse let them know that a laboring woman wasn’t progressing and that a C-section was probably needed. They stayed at the hospital to do the C-section, returning to the mission house around 3 AM.

Day 7

Today is Sunday, a day of church activities. Dr. Kari checked on her patients and returned in time for breakfast. Afterwards, we walked together to the Nakowa Wesleyan Church about a half mile or so from the mission house.

The church service started at 10 and ended about 1:30. As we arrived, Sunday School classes were still in session, several meeting on the lawn around the church. At 10, everyone filed into the church to find seats. The little church made of concrete covered brick with bare rafters and metal roof is smaller than the mission house but they manage to pack 200-300 adults and children in for the service. There is lots of very loud, animated, spirited singing. Some singing is in English and some in Tonga. The announcements, the testimonies, the preaching is all done in both. The translators are amazing, translating on the fly and managing to capture the cadence, emphasis and emotion of the speaker as well as the words. The preaching part of the service itself lasted about two hours.

At the conclusion of the service, all file out and form a receiving line to shake hands and greet one another. Today the minister indicated that he wanted all the men to remain seated for a special meeting. They want to start a men’s ministry at the church. They’d heard that this is being done quite commonly at churches in the U.S. and they thought it would be good for their church in Zimba also. Larry, Mark and Glen stayed after as well. We let them know that we are all involved in a men’s ministry at First Wes and would be pleased to describe the purpose, structure, routine and impact of that ministry on each of us, the other men we know, and on the church. They said they would welcome our comments and suggestions. As the meeting began, it became clear that they saw the men’s group as a way to fund-raise for the building of the new larger church they’ve started. They are looking for commitments from the men to mold or pay for 10,000 bricks to build the new church. There was a tepid response from those attending. Then they asked us to share our experience. Larry provided the overview of Monday Night Men with its primary focus on building godly men, who then become better husbands, fathers, workers, and witnesses. He described the small group study approach used to better understand God’s teaching, to share each other’s struggles and successes, and to encourage each other and hold each other accountable. Collectively, we also described the men’s ministry’s involvement in service projects. We each talked about the impact involvement in Monday Night Men has had on us personally. They seemed very appreciative of our comments and took notes for further discussion.

The whole team gathered for a wonderful Sunday dinner. Everyone pitched in to clean up after the meal and then some studied, others rested, and others chatted.
A 4 pm, the mission house is the host site of a vespers services. So just before 4, people began to arrive. Altogether, about 60 people packed into the mission house for teaching and discussion. Perhaps 90% of those attending were under 18 years of age. The pastor (Pastor Sichongwe) led the discussion. Those attending were much more engaged and participative than we’ve seen in most other settings. It was an interesting discussion about talents, spiritual gifts, working hard, and using the gifts God has given each of us.

After vespers concluded, Dr. Kari and Larry chatted briefly with Pastor Sichongwe about his vision for addressing the problems of orphans and about the challenges of building the larger church. It was another interesting, helpful discussion. It generated several ideas for us as to how we might help this community and this church. It also generated a couple of ideas for Pastor Schongwe for which he seemed thankful.

To conclude the day, we shared a wonderful lemon meringue pie Ann and Diane made together from fresh squeezed lemons. Baking the pie may not be a spiritual gift, but it was definitely a developed talent – and thoroughly appreciated.

Day 6

Today is Saturday. The schedule called for recreation instead of work. There were two items on the agenda, visit Victoria Falls and go for a horseback ride in an area near the falls where we might see African wildlife. Both events are near Livingstone. Getting there involved the long ride over and around the pothole marred highway from Zimba to Livingstone. Since there are eight of us, it takes two vehicles and two drivers – a total of ten. The company offering the horseback rides could handle only five riders at a time so we divided up into two groups. One went to Victoria Falls while the other went for the two hour horseback ride. After lunch, we switched.

The rides were pleasant (a little tough on some parts of our anatomy) and both groups saw giraffes, impala, and monkeys. One group saw zebra and a sleeping hippo as well.

There was an unusually large rainfall during the rainy season (November-February) this year so there was a lot of water in the Zambezi River coming over the falls. We walked along the path on the ridge in front of the falls. So much water was coming over the falls producing updrafts and spray that it would be like walking in a downpour of a rainstorm in one stretch of the path and be virtually dry in another. It would be impossible to walk the path without becoming completely soaked if not for a poncho. The mist was so heavy in many places that you actually couldn’t see the falls. This mist rises hundreds of feet in the air above the falls and we could see it in the distance when we were still about five miles on the other side of Livingstone.

Later in the afternoon, the two groups met in Livingstone to have dinner together at an outdoor restaurant serving traditional African meals. It was a very pleasant, relaxing day.

On the way home over the same bad road, away from the lights of Livingstone and Zimba, you could look at an unfamiliar sky (southern hemisphere) in which the milky way is so prominent as to appear almost like clouds while hundreds of brighter, closer stars jump out at you against a black backdrop. Pretty awesome.

Day 5

This was the day to take down the wall. After chapel, the construction team hurried to the operating theater to begin sealing off the doors with plastic and duct tape (the universal tool) to keep the dust out of the surgical areas. That done, the four of us worked together to chip out the large window frame covering the entire width of the 8’ area. We managed to get it out safely without breaking any of the glass panes. Then we began cracking the concrete veneer covering the double rows of bricks that formed the five foot high wall. Once we got it started and some of brick and mortar removed, Bud and Glen went off to examine the water storage tanks to see if they could devise a repair to the water tower’s sagging platform. It is sagging under the weight of the nearly 1,700 gallons of water in the tank (roughly 6.75 tons) and weakened metal bracing of the platform as a result of persistent leaking water from a valve on the tank. Meanwhile, Mark and Larry, using hammers, chisels and a sledge, broke down the brick and concrete wall. Bud and Glen returned triumphantly with a repair solution mapped out for the water tower just in time to help cart away the rubble from the wall. We managed to get the wall out just in time for lunch.

The seal on the doors provided a sufficiently good dust barrier that Dr. Kari, anesthetist Barb and the local members of the surgical team were able to perform surgeries in the adjacent operating room after all. The noise from the hammering seemed not to be the problem we expected either.

In the afternoon, the surgical team did one or two more surgeries. These went quite smoothly.
Again, Ann spent much of the day providing patient care with the other nurses. A particular focus was the care and feeding of the very tiny premature baby. The baby has not been feeding well and the mom has been somewhat frustrated. This morning, Ann was able to get a good quantity of formula into the baby and to get the baby to nurse some at the mom’s breast. Ann clearly appeared to feel relieved, thankful, and successful when she reported this to the rest of the team.

Diane worked alongside the other nurses again this morning, helping change/make beds, deliver orders to pharmacy, and other helpful tasks. In the afternoon, she accompanied Joan on yet another trip to Livingstone to pick up supplies and to take volunteer medical workers at the nearby eye clinic to the airport.

In the afternoon, the construction team built the wood structures we will use to jackup and provide structural support to the sagging water tower platform. We can’t finish the job until we are able to borrow a hydraulic jack which should be available Monday. We also made plans and checked supplies for the installation of a float-based automatic on/off switch to the water pump that fills the water storage tanks. This will involve digging a shallow trench roughly 250 feet long between the well house and the storage tanks, laying conduit and pulling wire to connect the pump switch to the float we’ll put in the tank. This will help eliminate overflow and water loss problems and lack of water from being too late in turning on the water pump manually. It should stabilize the water supply and reduce waste. The work on this will begin Monday as well.

Today was a pretty good day all around.

Day 4

The new operating theater building is connected to the old operating room building but they are separated by a brick and concrete wall (what was the outside wall of the old operating room building). The construction team has been trying to find a good time to take down that wall so that it opens up a hallway between the two buildings. The trick has been trying to do the demolition without disturbing surgeries going on in the old operating room or creating a dust cloud that would contaminate the surgical areas.

Today was the day we had picked for this job. Dr. Kari had multiple surgeries scheduled throughout each of the previous days so we didn’t want to do the job then. But, today she had four procedures schedule for the morning, hoping to be finished by 2 pm because today was the day the hospital had schedule their semi-annual meeting to discuss issues and plan for the future. That meeting was to begin at 2 pm and all of the hospital staff was supposed to attend. We expected that we would be able to start when the last surgery ended and work on into the evening until it was done so we wouldn’t have to continue working on it tomorrow and disrupt the tomorrow’s surgeries. That didn’t work out.

Anesthetist Barb encountered a couple more mechanical challenges with some of the anesthesia equipment which Bud was help to help work around – but lengthened one of the surgeries. Then one of the other surgeries started by the local staff ran into an unexpected problem which took a while to figure out. Since the patient was a male, Dr. Kari (an OB-Gyn) was challenged to figure out how best to solve the problem. (Last evening she was able to use SKYPE to call an urologist colleague in Battle Creek who assured her that she had done exactly the right thing – having colleagues willing to consult and the technology to reach them is a real blessing). Nevertheless, addressing these took extra time. The surgical team finished the planned surgeries by about 3:30. As we began preparations to start the demolition, Dr. Kari found out there were two more emergency surgeries to do.

The surgical team didn’t finish until about 6 or 6:30. By this time, the construction team had decided to wait and start the demolition first thing in the morning.

Nurse Ann had worked with local nurses again and had an opportunity, now that she had built rapport with several of the nurses, to ask questions about why they do things certain ways or don’t do other things. Both what she has been told and what she has observed have been very helpful in understanding the nursing staff better and appreciating the skill level and training. The cultural differences are considerable.

Diane also continued to help around the hospital during the morning. In the afternoon, she accompanied Missionary Joan to Kaloma, a bigger town about 30 miles north of Zimba. They had errands to run. Since Zimba is very small, rural and remote, almost every need generates the a road trip somewhere. It takes considerable effort, time, and resources to sustain normal life let alone the special needs of breakdowns or construction.

Our days have a certain rhythm to them. Most of us begin rising around 6 or 6:30, brace ourselves with coffee and personal Bible study, then gather for breakfast at 7 or 7:10. We leave for the hospital by about 7:50 to attend the morning chapel services at 8 am which attended by perhaps half the hospital staff who will be working that day. The morning service starts with one or two songs familiar to us but in the Tonga language. When a hymnal is available, we can sing along, otherwise we can hum. One of the hospital staff has been asked to prepare the morning’s message and they have almost always been quite good. After the message, the head nurse reports on the census of patients in the hospital for the day. Following this, the hospital administrator makes comments or announcements. Then everyone is dismissed to do their work. We make our way to the construction projects or the patients to be seen.

We try to break for lunch at noon, although the medical team rarely gets back to the mission house for lunch until later, and then return to projects around 1. The mid-day break for locals typically lasts until at least 2 so we sometimes have difficulty getting things going after lunch because the person we need to get assistance from isn’t yet available. We usually wrap up work by 5, although the medical team may keep seeing patients or wrapping up surgeries later than that (occasionally 6 or 7).

We nearly always eat dinner together as a team. Our meals are prepared for us by Missionary Joan and Edy, the Zambian woman who works at the mission as the cook and housekeeper. The menu is filled with common American dishes, albeit with a North Carolina twist, reflecting Joan’s background. Typically, one dinner meal during our visits is a Zambian meal, a pasty grits-like dumpling (Ensema), cooked cabagge, and a stewed chicken eaten together with your right hand. That was our meal this evening. When the Drs. Jones are here, they usually eat with us along with Joan.

After cleaning up after the meal and doing the dishes (we take turns), we gather for an evening devotional. We take turns being responsible for the evening’s devotional. Ann led the devotional Monday, Barb on Tuesday, Larry on Wednesday, Mark today. It’s a minor miracle negotiating shower time among the eight of us in the one shower, but we’re a pretty agreeable, accommodating group of people. Some of us didn’t know each other very well before we came. Getting to know each other better is one of the fruits of the mission trip.

Day 3

Today went better for the construction team. Mark and Larry repaired a broken water pipe and spigot. Glen and Bud finished some rewiring in the new operating room including connecting the outlets for 110 current from the backup generator. Mark and Larry spent much of the day trying to install lockers in what will be the medical team changing/locker room of the new operating theater.

Toward the end of the day, Bud figured out that one of the electrical transformers we brought to finish powering the new surgical lights was the wrong model. He was pretty down and frustrated. He was anxious that it might be months before the correct model could be sent and arrive and then be installed to make the new O.R. useable. When we got back to the mission house in the evening, Missionary Joan helped Bud use SKYPE (the internet phone system) to call the electrical supply house in Michigan where he had purchased the transformer. Bud was able to speak with the owner with whom he has worked for about 20 years. They talked through the problems, the owner said he needed to check on some of the transformer’s specs and that Bud should call back in half an hour. Bud did and the owner of the electrical supply house said he would try to get the right transformer shipped out by DHL (like FedEx, but operates in Africa, too) the next morning. Bud was almost relieved and optimistic about being able to finish the job. We hope the new, correct transformer will get here by next Thursday so it can be installed before we leave. The technology is incredibly helpful, but the incongruity is mind-boggling: we can carry on a conversation we people on the other side of the planet (literally) and download instruction manuals for equipment, but are struggling to meet the basic needs for water, sanitation, food, education and health care.

Dr. Kari and anesthetist Barb performed two big surgeries. The afternoon surgery lasted more than 3 hours. It was expected to be a difficult surgery beforehand. It got more difficult once surgery started because the equipment for the preferred anesthesia wasn’t working, the internal health issues were greater than could be determined from the outside examination and, as a result the prognosis less good. You could see the stress on the faces of the doctor and the rest of the team. It’s difficult encountering the limits of your ability to help, perhaps especially here when you know that the technology available at home would make helping easier and more probable.

Nurse Ann continued working with the local nurses and got a chance to help care for the very tiny premature baby (roughly 2 pounds) that is being kept in the incubator. The incubator that is keeping the baby alive is the same one Ray fixed last October when we were here. Ray was the other electrician on that trip accompanying Bud. Dr. Kari told him at the time that infants can die from cold when they can’t sustain their body temperature and that in fixing the warmer of the incubator he had probably saved more lives than the rest of the medical team. We’ve taken a picture of at least this one his repair job helped to save.

Day 2

The day began at 1 am with a knock on the mission house bedroom window with an urgent call for Dr. Kari. The six month old son of Edy the woman who cooks for the mission house had collapsed and his body had gone completely limp. Edy thought her son had just died or was about to. She called Missionary Joan who rushed to help while Nurse Ann knocked on Dr. Kari’s window. Edy cried aloud, praying for and thanking God for her son. But almost as quickly as baby Jeremiah had collapsed, he revived. Edy’s anguish turned to relief and thanksgiving as the baby began looking about and jabbering.

After a couple more hours of sleep, the team awoke to the second day’s challenges. Dr. Kari and Anesthetist Barb joined two of the Zambian operating room team to complete successfully two surgeries. They tended to other patients the rest of the day, scheduling additional surgeries and preparing for those scheduled for tomorrow. Ann continued to work with other local nurses, getting to know their routines, but also providing key pre-op information and a good role model for other nurses.

Diane spent much of the day helping two of the office staff learn more about Excel spreadsheets to help with their accounting workload. Glen made the bone-jarring, dust eating trip back to Livingstone again, this time to meet with prospective suppliers and contractors for the planned water and sewer renovation project. His meeting yesterday with Mr. Khondowe in which he reviewed the ‘final’ plans for the new water and sewer distribution system and new water treatment plant had gone well and he was eager to find supply sources – preferably in Zambia if possible – and a contractor who could assemble and manage local labor for the project. Glen was pleased to find a supplier in Livingstone who is also an engineer who will double check his plans and who assured him we can get all the materials necessary locally, except for the water treatment plant we knew would have to be shipped. He also met with a contractor with an excellent reputation for getting work done on schedule who seems like a good candidate to manage the project, although Glen still thinks it will be prudent to have one of our own people on site for the duration of the project. While in Livingstone, he picked up a few other supplies we need for the work ahead. He had a good day.

Bud, Mark and Larry worked primarily on trying to finish the wiring in the new operating theater. They had some successes and a few set backs. Bud and Larry had both brought walkee-talkees to facilitate communication when people are scattered about the hospital site and these worked very well. But the electrical work was of the ‘two steps forward, one step back’ variety. But they got somethings accomplished while also developing plans to wire and install a float based auto start/shutoff for the pump that fills the water storage tanks and to remove the brick wall separating the old and new operating rooms.

Early this evening, Pastor Chikobela stopped by to greet us and visit. While introducing newer members of the team, Larry chatted with Pastor Chikobela for quite awhile, particularly about the plight of AIDS related orphans in the Zimba area and approaches being tried or that might be tried to help them. Mark wisely asked Mr. Chikobela if he might videotape the conversation and Mr. Chikobela agree. The discussion was very fruitful. Mr. Chikobela is directly involved in several activities to not only reach these youth for Christ, but also to provide them with healthy opportunities to earn food, resources needed to continue their education, and to main their self-respect. It was a very promising meeting.

First Day

We were greeted this morning by the cool, crisp air of the Zambian winter morning. “Cool” was the low 50’s. It warmed to the low 80’s, but the sky was cloudless and bright all day with a light breeze that refreshed. We thought it to be nearly ideal weather. The locals thought it was too cold.

Nearly everyone slept well and certainly looked better today after showering and resting than we did when we arrived after the long flights.

As always, the day started with a chapel service at the hospital. Wedon, the Zimba anesthetist spoke on fellowship and relationships. The message was foundational and articulate. We’re almost always impressed with the depth of Biblical understanding and insightfulness of the Zambian hospital staff asked to present at morning chapel. The administrator, Mr. Khondowe, welcomed us warmly as did the other staff, many of whom recognized most of us from earlier trips.

Nurse Ann went off to shadow one of the local nurses for the day. Anesthetist Barb assisted another nurse part of the day and then assess things in the operating room to prepare for surgeries that will begin tomorrow. Dr. Kari met up with Anna, a now retired local nurse who has translated for Dr. Kari each of the past two trips. Together they settled in to see the dozens of patients that showed up for care, several of which had been told a week or two ago to come back today when Dr. Kari would be available for a possible surgery. By noon, they had scheduled at least three surgeries – possibly four -- for the next three days. By 7 this evening when Dr. Kari and Nurse Ann finally called it a day, several more surgeries had been scheduled.

The construction team had a mixed day. Early in the day, we toured the hospital grounds to orient Diane and Mark as well as to assess progress on the new operating theater and the new nurses’ quarters. The walls of the new operating theater have been painted and, somewhat to our surprise, the window panes have been installed in the window frames. The new nurses’ quarters are getting close to being ready for people to move in. Janet will be going home for a short visit at the end of July and really wants people to be living in the apartments by the time she has to leave. There has been a lot of progress since October but not quite as much as she’d hoped.

Bud and Mark put some finishing touches on the wiring and adjustments to the overhead lights in the new operating room. Diane worked with one of the nurses for awhile and then worked with one of the guys in pharmacy to refine a couple of excel spreadsheets they use to keep track of inventory that Andy had helped them build last October. In the afternoon, Bud, Mark and Larry continued work on some of the electrical in the new operating room and began preparing to knock out a brick wall separating the old and new O.R.s that will be a hallway between the two.

The big news of the day was that the airline located our missing luggage and had it for us in Livingstone. Missionary Joan, Diane and Glen braved the pothole and crater filled road back to Livingstone to retrieve all ten bags. They arrived about 7:30 this evening with a car full of luggage and it was like arriving anew for the second night in a row.

Ann led the devotional this evening. Today was her son’s 18th birthday. She led us through scripture and prayer about sons. We could all relate.

Arrival in Zambia

Friday, the First Wes Team gathered at the church at 4:30 pm to begin the trip to Zimba, Zambia. We shuffled materials around among the 16 suitcases and 8-9 carry-on items trying to keep all the bags under the 50 pound limit while still taking as many medications, and medical and construction supplies as possible. Getting checked-in at Detroit Metro wasn’t completely uneventful. We were spread across several different check-in stations and some tried to check our luggage through to Livingstone, Zambia (correct) and some tried to check our luggage only as far as Johannesburg, South Africa. Although we managed to get everyone on the same final destination page, it did mean the Lufthansa check-in staff did have to track down three bags they had already put on the conveyer belt to load on the plane and change their destination tags. This wasn’t a particularly good omen.

The flight to Frankfurt was uneventful, but no one slept that well (the usual). With a ten hour lay-over in Frankfurt, we took a brief subway ride into the city to walk through a couple of street festivals in the downtown area. We returned to the airport, went through security, and boarded our plane for departure to Johannesburg – another 8.5 hours on the plane. That was also an uneventful flight although a couple, Dr. Kari, Barb and Bud slept less than on the previous night’s flight. The lay-over in Jo’burg was only about 3 hours and, with changes in the airport as they expand to host the World Cup, more complicated than on past trips. We had to go through passport control/immigration, customs, check-in for our flights and go through security again. We had about a half hour to spare but re-newed concerns about our luggage.

We arrived in Livingstone, Zambia shortly after noon local time. The lines were long and slow going through immigration/passport control. We could see Missionary Joan ahead through the double doors. We waved and she, recognizing us half a football field away, waved back. We then spent the next hour trying to gather up our luggage. It turned out that a little less than half our bags made the full trip with us. Only Glen got all his bags. His wife Diane was missing both of hers. Missing one bag each were Dr. Kari, Larry, Ann, and Mark. Missing all four of their bags were Bud and Barb. We’re hoping the bags catch up with us in the next couple of days.

We finally loaded the cars to begin the 48 mile drive to Zimba. This has usually been an hour drive. There has been an interesting convergence of circumstances that turned this into a two hour drive today. This year, the rainy season was much rainier than usual. The paving of the highway from Livingstone to Zimba seemed to use a sub-optimal strategy of a thin (2-3”) veneer of blacktop over top of sand and gravel – the sort of road surface that wouldn’t hold up very well with lots of rain and lots of heavy truck traffic. And then there has been lots of heavy truck traffic hauling copper and cobalt from the mining area of Zambia in the north to South Africa. The convergence has resulted in a highway full of pot holes and badly worn shoulders. The cars and trucks crisscross the roadway, swerving and braking to avoid each other and the pot holes. It added an extra hour to the trip.

BUT, we arrived safely, minus a few clothes, meds, and supplies, but we expected them to catch up. We unloaded, and spent time eating and renewing our friendships with Missionary Joan, Drs. Dan and Joan, with Janet and Zimba generally. We were all worn out, but dinner was great and the showers beckon. Its good to be in place. Now we get to see what God has planned for us – it's always a bit different from what we thought. We already know it will be. We’re happy to do what we can. – Larry

First Wes Team Prepares for 4th Trip to Zambia

For months now, we've been preparing for the next trip to Zimba, Zambia. There will be eight of us going this time. As in the three previous trips, the group is a combination of medical and construction personnel. Six of the people going this time have been to Zimba on at least one of the previous trips. This will be the fourth trip for Dr. Kari and Larry, the third trip for Barb (nurse anesthetist) and Ann (nurse), the second trip for Bud and Glen, and the first trip for Mark and Diane. The group includes three married couples, one of which will celebrate a wedding anniversary in the middle of the trip.

We try to make plans as to what we'll work on or accomplish while we're there and we gather supplies accordingly, but in the end, what we really do is what God is ready to have us do -- sometimes its quite different from what we planned. But we make plans nonetheless. Tonight we met to divide up the medical supplies among the eight of us so we each can carry a share of all we're taking. Now we just have to get it all packed in the suitcases -- we hope it all fits.

This time, the medical team plans to do patient care much as it has previously, although nurse Ann will likely spend more time shadowing some of the other nurses to get a better feel for what and how they manage patients. We hope she is able through this to get a better sense of their needs, protocols, training and challenges.

The construction team plans to install glass panes in the window frames of the new operating theater, finish installation of some of the electrical fixtures, install a float-based auto start/shutoff for the water pump in the storage tanks, complete a number of other repairs, and continue work on the larger water project. The water project involves building a new water and sewer distribution system for the hospital and installation of a new water treatment plant. Glen has been working with information Larry sent/brought back from previous trips to design the new systems and has been working with an engineer on the water treatment facility. We'll be bringing 'final' blue prints and plans to get approval from the hospital administration. Then we can proceed with finding sources of the materials, a contractor, labor and equipment and coordination of schedules to get this done. We think it could be completed in a year.

We also hope to make progress on planning for adding toileting and wash facilities in each of the patient wards.

During the last trip, several people we talked to indicated that one of the most serious problems facing the community was the numbers of AIDS orphans. A number of people have spoken to us about the magnitude and severity of the problem. Some of us have visited Sons of Thunder which is a mission orphanage near Livingstone, but we still lack information and a good idea as to how we might help. That's another issue we intend to explore.

The team is getting excited about going. We leave Friday evening. This trip, we'll fly through Frankfurt, Germany, to Johannesburg, South Africa, and then on to Livingstone, Zambia -- half a planet away, the other side of the globe, the other hemisphere, a whole different night sky, about as far away from life in the U.S. as you can imagine in many ways. And at the same time, the locals we work with believe in the same Bible, the same God, Son and Holy Ghost, the same salvation, they sing some of the same songs (different language), and they too are trying to reach out to the lost and broken.

We're trying to help brothers and sisters, trying share some of the many blessing we've been given with some of those in need. Its what Jesus said we were to do. Its the same as doing it for Christ (Matthew 25:31-46).

The team would great appreciate your prayers that

• We have safe travel to and from Zambia
• Each of the team members is protected from illness, disease and injury on the trip
• All the supplies get to Zimba with us, that they are things that are needed to be most helpful
• The team functions well together and gets along under close and challenging circumstances
• We each grow in our personal walk with Christ and represent him in a way that honors and glorifies Him
• The people of Zambia we go to serve are open to our assistance
• We communicate in ways that are not offensive or overbearing, but rather demonstrate our intent to come alongside the Zambians to reduce their struggle and help them move forward
• The families and businesses we leave behind at home thrive even in our absences
• Our sons leaving or possibly leaving for military service are kept safe and healthy

There are lots of other things to pray for, but this would be a good start for this trip.