This past Monday we met in the ICU at 6:30 a.m., checked on our sick patients, then loaded up in Dr. David’s four-wheel drive vehicle and headed north from Chitokoloki toward the Angolan border. For most of the trip the roads were soft sand, often nothing more than a narrow path through the high grass that brushed the sides of the vehicle as we drove through. We rarely passed a vehicle; most of the traffic was ox drawn wagons. We went north past the town of Zambezi to within 12 kilometers of the Angolan border to the Chavuma Mission Hospital.

This is a small hospital (probably 50 in-patient beds) that services a wide area of this part of Zambia. Two young Japanese nurses who felt that God has called them to this part of Africa and now work full-time at Chavuma run the hospital. The hospital is very clean, efficiently run and has male, female and pediatric wards, an active maternity service and one very well equipped operating theatre. Dr. David makes the trip once a week to Chavuma to see patients and do surgery. During the week, if they have an emergency at Chavuma, they quickly transport the patient to Chitokoloki.

The nurses took us on rounds through the wards and then we began a busy day of surgery. We took a few minutes for a great lunch they had prepared for us (grilled perch, rice, carrots, cookies and coffee) then started back with our surgeries in the afternoon. We operated until well after dark—I think we did 14 surgeries in all. After checking to make sure our post op patients were doing well, we said our good-byes and loaded up the vehicle for the 3-hour trek home.

When we arrived back at Chitokoloki at 10 p.m., we checked on our ICU patients again. I walked back to my cottage in the pitch-black African night with what looked like a million stars in the sky above. I was so grateful to have been able to share in one day of ministry at Chavuma. I was so thankful to have met the two missionary nurses who are so courageous in their faith and faithful in their ministry. [tweetability]Needless to say, it was a satisfying day and I slept very well that night.[/tweetability]

Paul

Earlier in the week I had the opportunity to meet two very special ladies. Eva and Emily are 85 and 90 years old and have been working together as missionaries in this area (eastern Angola and western Zambia) since 1948 and 1954 respectively! They live and work in a very remote and isolated area of Zambia where they are still active in their nursing and evangelistic work. They flew in to Chitokoloki on the little airplane (piloted by my friend Phil) for an overnight stay to see some friends. They flew out the next morning, hopped in their Land Rover and drove themselves back to their mission station and to their ministry.

I had the opportunity to have a brief lunch with them and it was really incredible to listen to these dear ladies tell a few of the stories of their time here in Africa. The thing that impressed me about them both was they were so alert and bright and energetic. Their minds were sharp and their memories (even for small details) very clear. And they were full of a contagious joy.

As the meal was ending, I asked them, “Were you afraid during the years you were in Angola during the war?” Eva answered without hesitation, with a broad confident smile on her face, “Oh, no!” she said. “You see Jesus promises to never leave us or forsake us. He holds our hand as we walk along the way. He goes before us and leads us and guides us. His presence overshadows us. His strong arms are beneath us. His goodness and mercy always follows us. Why should we be afraid?”

As the meal ended, I thought about how Eva and Emily really distilled the Christian faith down to the very basics—just trust Jesus. We are in the palm of His hand. He is well able to take care of us. Just like He had been taking care of Eva and Emily for the last 60 years here in the remote hills of central Africa.

It is just after noon on Sunday, I am sitting in a small courtyard beside my cottage overlooking the Zambezi River below. Chitokoloki Mission Hospital is built on a high embankment on the eastern side of the river. Looking westward I see the Zambezi River and beyond a line of trees that stretches all the way toward Angola (30 miles beyond). I hear the wind rustling in the tops of the trees all around me and bees flying above beautiful red and pink and yellow flowers. Ants scurry at my feet and I can hear children playing in their homes in a nearby village. I can smell the smoke from a fire in the distance. It is a beautiful and serene scene.

It has been a very busy week at the hospital. We not only take care of surgical patients but medical, pediatric and obstetrical patients. Dr. David is the only full-time physician here but is assisted by very capable nurse practitioners as well as various visitors that come to help. So I see the usual surgical patients—patients with huge thyroid glands that need surgery, burns, snakebites, hernias and infections, to mention a few. But we also take care of meningitis, malnutrition, diabetes, malaria, typhoid and the like. I saw my first patient with leprosy earlier in the week. The hospital has 100 beds and most of the time all the beds are occupied, with many additional patients being cared for on mattresses on the floor! There is no electricity in the area so all of our power comes from generators or solar power.

We are very busy during the day, but because of the remote location (miles from the nearest roads) patients cannot travel at night. That means we can usually sleep at night!

I have so enjoyed the community of believers here—the full-time missionaries that have made me feel so welcome. Many have been here at Chitokoloki for 20 or more years. They are a group of dedicated, faithful, godly men and women who live out what it means to live in unity and community. They have very intentional, regular times of fellowship, devotions and prayer. They have been so kind in welcoming to me into their community.

One thing that makes this hospital very special is that a group of people donated an airplane to the ministry. They built an airstrip right beside the hospital. Because the roads are nearly impassable during the rainy season, it would be impossible for patients to come to the hospital. But with the airplane, sick patients can quickly be transported here. What a blessing it is to have the little Cessna 206!

Overall, I have had a great first few weeks here in Zambia. I have been able to work alongside a team of wonderful brothers and sisters to touch and help and minister to many people. I look forward to the next 3 weeks of doing the same.

I’ll close with the scripture from our church service this morning:

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose confidence (hope) is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes, its leaves are always green. It has no worries in the year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8

For all the fathers, Happy Father’s Day! And to my 5 incredible children, you are the BEST gift this father could ever be given.

Thanks for your prayers.

Blessings from Zambia,
Paul

Wow, what a journey! Houston to Amsterdam (9 hours), Amsterdam to Nairobi (9 hours), arrived late, slept for a few hours then back to the airport for a flight to Lilongwe, Malawi, then to Lusaka, Zambia (4 hours), then I hopped on a small Cessna 206 for a 3 ½ hour flight to Chitokoloki! Needless to say, I was glad to finally be “here”! Even though the journey was long, every segment was enjoyable, all my bags arrived with me (!) and I am excited to be here in far western Zambia.

The hospital is almost 100 years old! It was founded and is still run by Brethren missionaries, many from Ireland and Canada. It is very remote so people must travel great distances to receive care here. Each and every one of the missionaries has been so kind and helpful to me. It is so obvious that they have created a warm, caring, close, welcoming community of believers here at the mission compound.

My first day (Thursday) started with a bang. Dr. McAdams (the only missionary surgeon here) informed me that he was going to an outlying clinic to do surgery and left me “in charge” for the day. Quite a surprise! I did round on almost 100 patients that first day. We started early and finished late but it was a great orientation and “immersion” into where I will be working for then next month. There are no other full time doctors here, so Dr. McAdams and his team of nurses care for of all types of patients—obstetrics, pediatric and medical—in addition to taking care of all the surgical patients. So that first day I saw moms in labor, moms who had recently delivered babies, probably 20 children and adults with measles (outbreak recently), patients with malaria and typhoid and leprosy, just to name a few.

I so enjoyed rounding that first day with an Irish nurse named J.R. J.R. is an experienced midwife, an excellent surgical nurse and has great clinical skill in managing the patients she takes care of here in Africa. But her Irish accent, and the little phrases she uses can be SO difficult for this south Texas brain to understand. On rounds that first day, we came to a premature baby and were in the process of assessing why the child wasn’t gaining weight. J.R. picked up the little one, felt his tummy, looked at mum (mom) and said (in her Irish brogue), “I think he has wind and needs to spew”. I was totally clueless to what J.R. had just said to the mom. After a few minutes of difficult translation, I realized she had said, “I think he has gas and needs to burp”!

I did several cases, Friday including surgery on a man with a huge thyroid gland. All went well. Saturday was rounds most of the day and late in the afternoon a walk down to the beautiful Zambezi river (about ¼ mile from the cottage where I am staying). Special care was taken to avoid crocodiles (not kidding). And Sunday after rounds I attended the local church here at the mission where we took communion. As the single loaf was broken and distributed, as we passed around the juice and all drank from the same glass, it was a special moment to “remember the Lord Jesus” with my brothers and sisters here in Zambia.

Just a quick update on my first few days here. Thanks for prayers for “journey mercies”, thanks for prayers for safety and health. God is faithful and I appreciate you.

Paul