Back to Africa soon!

Hi all, I am heading back to Zambia in just under a month with a new medical team. God does amazing work in creating our teams and we have another great one. We have Joanie, an advanced practice nurse in Geriatrics/oncology, Andrea, an RN in ortho who has been to Baja on mission trips before, Julie, an occupational therapist, and Joe, an RN in ER. We are trying to prepare, get paperwork done, get all our shots, and collect things to bring. I am also trying to collect eyeglasses to bring so some of the villagers can see again! We could always use prayer to get us there safely, and also for strength, wisdom, and discernment to teach and help the people of Zambia. Stay tuned for more posts - we will be there in mid-April. Muleshani

Muleshani,
We are on our way home now, right now on a layover in Johannesburg, South Africa, getting ready to board a 19 hour flight back to Washington DC. I am a little exhausted but at least clean - nice showers here! We had a God-driven team - Paul with a get it done with a little bit of humor kindness, Patty with a gentle touch and a smile, Mary Ann always willing to listen and care, and Dr. Kelly with a caring heart all using the gifts God has given us to try to care for our neighbors across the sea.
See you all soon with a heart a little more enriched.
Lesa omepale,
Mike

Here is Patricia in white,. She is pastor Andrew's wife, a nurse, a teacher, a mom of 6, and an amazing spirit who holds this clinic down in Mpatamato. Here she is with this 84 year old woman and her caregiver, one of the older people I saw in Zambia.
We saw many many people in this clinic, the sickest on our trip - hopefully we helped alleviate just a little of their suffering, God willing.

Here is Pastor Andrew. He is a gentle God-driven spirit who has done remarkable things in this poor area of Mpatamato. Andrew and his wife, Patricia, a dynamo of a woman who is a nurse and raised 6 kids, started the Mpatamato project around 1997, and now they have a great job training program for orphans, teaching them auto mechanics, sewing, cooking, and hospitality, along with a home based care program following about 1500 HIV/AIDs clients in their homes, including 89 homes where kids are caring for kids, 14-18 yr olds caring for younger siblings. He also is a pastor and tries to get other churches in the area working together for the area. They also run a clinic, and that is where we worked for the last 2 days, seeing a lot of their sick home-based care clients and supplying meds here. God has led Pastor Andrew on an amazing journey, and after receiving a book from someone in Global Connections on "If Jesus was Mayor" he ran for mayor of Luanshya and won. We got to visit him in his mayor suite, the coolest place in town, with antelope skulls on the wall, and proudly showed us his mayor medallion. He is trying to use God power in government - prayers needed!

Muleshani, we have been in Ndola just North of the capital, another 8 hour very hot van ride Wed to get here. It is in the 90's hear and sweltering, but we are staying at a great lodge called Kapps lodge with showers and air conditioners! During the day we drive to a city just West of here called Luanshya, a copper mine city, and go to a suburb called Mpatamato - this is a very impoverished area especially lately with one of the coppermines closing - lots of young men roaming the streets and the sex trade is large here. This has one of the highest HIV rates in the world. We spent the last 2 days in a clinic set up by a community center called Mpatamato. Here, if you can see this older woman's neck, traditional healers are big here and do lots of "tattooing" or cutting to relieve evil spirits. But in this case just created a keloid, and very large painful scar, which unfortunately little can be done for. There is still lots of evil spirit talk especially in the older folks and rural areas.

FRANCES

Another major success. Many of you have read in the past about Frances. He was the eldest of 22 children being cared for by his aunt, who was one of the first Samfyans I met 3 years ago. He was also one of the first orphans sponsored by SCCP to go to college. Well, he finished teacher's college this past spring and was waiting patiently for a teaching job from the government, who despite the fact they only have 1/3 of the teachers they need for their schools, still do not have enough funds to hire the new ones they train. He FINALLY got a job and will be starting next month in a small village about 1 hour away from his home in Samfya. He is still looking on somehow in the future furthering his education to become a doctor though. Pray for him and his family!

SUCCESS STORIES

Hey gang, this is Gilgal. I saw her for the first time at her home one year ago. She was recovering at that time with her recent illness with AIDS. She is a widow with 4 kids. At that time she was just given a microloan of $30 for a kitchen farm she was so proud of, making $100 that first year. This past May I saw her again, stronger and making it on her own. This time she is bright and exuberant and healthy. She got a second loan of $100 which she put in to knitting clothes, one of which she is wearing brilliantly. God is great!