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Woke up early to hear the rumble of Victorial Falls behind the hotel. Got dressed and walked outside to see monkeys swinging in the trees, playing in the grass and a mommy monkey with her baby monkey finding bugs in the grass for breakfast. Only in Africa!! Then the Zebras came!! What a morning so far and it was only 630am!!! Had a nice breakfast before we gathered to go on our game drive in Botswana. We will be spending the day at Chobe National Park.
Some of the team are battling GI upset. Please pray for healing and comfort. Thanks, Melissa and Team Africa PS Two days until we touch down in America!!!
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Well as team leader my "words of wisdom,” be flexible have a sense of humor and be adaptable have come back to be a stark reality!! We arrived at the airport for our 630am flight only to find the airlines made an error and didn't book us!!! Despite our paperwork and confirmation numbers AND proof of purchase, the flight was full!! After I had a major meltdown and received lots of encouragement and prayer from my wonderful team, we are booked on a 1230 flight (reminds me of Africa by TOTO) and just need to wait. keep praying for us and have a blessed Thanksgiving!! I know in spite of this inconvenience I have SO MUCH to be thankful for.  (Day #11 continuation) Stuck in the Airport Saga We did manage a flight out of Ndola to Lusaka then Lusaka to Livingston. As we were taking off the Ndola pilot said "conditions are not favorable to fly...so buckle up... and we took off!! We made it safely and had a special treat of an elementary school group taking a tour in the airport!  We landed at Livingston, raced to our airport transfer bus and they rushed us to the sunset cruise boat that was delaying for us!! We made our grand entrance (of course!) by running to the boat : then had a wonderful time seeing many hippos, elephants, and a very large CROC!! Met some wonderful people from all over the world...many who want to get involved in the mission of Tiny People Matter on some level!
We then checked into our hotel, Zambezi Sun and enjoyed a meal together in the Squires Pub. An exciting day of adventures! Happy Thanksgiving! Melissa and Team Africa Today was again such a blessing. We were able to sleep in a bit. It was a raining but cleared off just in time for us to venture into the bush. We spent the day at a village school and Christ-centered training center. We learned a great deal from them and were able to help them as well. As I write this, we are currently on our way back to King’s Highway to get cleaned up and pack for our early departure tomorrow at O dark thirty.
Thank you for your prayers, Melissa and Team Africa  Today was a day for celebrating the fruits of our labor and celebrating the students who took the HBB class. Today was GRADUATION DAY! We arranged to hold it in the Mayor's conference hall. As expected we needed flexibility, a sense of humor and adaptability. First example...Leonard said, "Melissa you need to write the Mayor's speech." This was on the way in the van to the graduation!!! Karen and I put our heads together and wrote the BEST SPEECH EVER! And guess what??? They broadcasted it on Zambia National News. No kidding!!!  To throw an even bigger wrench into the mix, the Mayor was called out of town and the Deputy Mayor had to stop in...He was more nervous that I was...kind of funny I was in his office giving him a pep talk!! The graduation was amazing and such a day of celebration for everyone. Matt took pictures of every person receiving their certificate and shaking the Deputy Mayor’s hand. We printed the pictures during the ceremony and gave each graduate a picture, certificate and brand new stethoscope!  From there we had lunch back at Ann's home (the lady who is helping rescue young girls from prostitution). From there we went to the home of Dick Jarvis. He is a missionary from Georgia. He and his wife have been running a home for deaf children from various villages...truly amazing day!!!
Thank you for your prayers, Melissa and Team Africa  I have told my team quite often... "You must have flexibility, have a sense of humor and be adaptable!" We needed all three characteristics today! We were supposed to travel to Fwale today but things there made it impossible for us today but when one door closes God opens an arena of greater blessings.
We traveled to town to purchase drugs for the school clinic and orphanages. I helped a young lady who went to culinary school help get some items to set up a bakery business :) Tiny People are my first passion and baking is my second! How perfect!! We also were able to do some office work to get some needed materials for the areas we thought of to supplement the materials in the packet. We then were blessed to have the lady at the orphanage that is going to start a baking business make us samosas. We all decided we would buy dozens if we could ship them home!!! The children at the orphanage gave all of us handmade Christmas cards and sang for us as we left. We are now on our way to do a clinic at the Encounter Revival Farm. It is 4pm our time Monday as I am writing this and has been a busy but joyous day!! Addendum -- - - Well we made it to the Encounter Revival Farm and toured the clinic. Matt helped assist the nurse who runs the clinic with several infant assessments and diagnoses. The nurse that runs the clinic makes Dr. Quinm <edicine Woman look like a goof-off sloucher! This wonderful nurse cares for a village of about 2500 people all alone!! She is amazing! About 2-3 births per week in addition to every other medical issue you can imagine and many you can't imagine!! We had hundreds of children literally run from all corners of this village to see us. Quite a day. A quote from Jen as we left the village with about 75 children running after the van, " When this day started, i didn't see this coming!!" :) Keep reading the blogs. We send pics when we can. We have had difficulty in getting data in and out... Thank you for your prayers and support, Melissa and Team Africa  The rainy season has begun and it rained all night so our plans of visiting a church deep in the bush had to be changed due to impassable roads. But that offered us the blessing of attending Leonard's church. We were able to hear some amazing music and spirit-filled preaching.
Leonard's daughter sang a deeply moving solo. I was asked to speak on behalf of Tiny People Matter and then the church sang Happy Birthday to Matt!!! :) It was a wonderful morning We then had the privilege of having lunch at Leonard's home and a few of the team tried caterpillars and kapitas (dried sardines)...yea Matt and Gina!! We then came back to relax and enjoy a wonderfully prepared African Birthday dinner complete with a Chocolate Mint Cake - all in honor of Matt! A great day! Tomorrow will bring more mobile clinics and medication deliveries to local orphanages. Thank you for your prayers, Melissa and Team Africa Gosh! Where to begin!
After having the luxury and much needed opportunity to sleep in a bit we all gathered for breakfast at 9am - our time of course. Leonard was picking us up at 10:15 for a "tea" given by the Ladies of Encounter Revival Ministries (Leonard's group) in which we were honored guests. They hold these meetings for women to be encouraged and empowered to become not only Godly women but also use their gifts to become business-women and make money to help support themselves and their families. The Bishop of the area churches gave a powerful message and we heard many groups of women as well as the Encounter Africa Team perform beautiful songs. Our team was asked to speak and the things that each of us shared collectively and individually was so empowering and encouraging to these ladies. Leonard said that what we shared was EXACTLY what they needed to hear. Then the Bishop had me come up and offer a closing benediction (don't get any ideas Pastor Bryan and Pat :) I will stick with singing). We were asked to sing though and we closed our time with Amazing Grace. Following the tea we were prayed for by the Bishop and leaders of the church. We then held a mobile clinic under a tree for those moms who brought children that needed medical attention. Abby was surrounded by children who she read to and played with and one little boy wouldn't leave her side or let go of her hand. Soooo sweet! Then we were off to the VM Home. An orphanage that an amazing woman named Violet started in her home.. This woman is perhaps the most selfless, Godliest woman I have ever met. The children are so very happy and well-loved in this home. They sang for us and we had a clinic and the neighborhood children and moms came. We bought them beads and the children began to make jewelry to sell in the market and to enjoy themselves. What a treat! We then headed for home to have a wonderful surprise - an authentic African meal was being prepared us over a fire and we would be dining out under the Africa sky. What a treat!!! So exhausted but so energized. Tomorrow (Sunday) we will attend a church service "in the bush." Today I was asked to give the benediction...I hope I’m not delivering the sermon tomorrow! But who knows! Thank you for your prayers and support... Melissa How can this be? 5 days have gone by and we've accomplished so much!
Today was a very rough start for me (Melissa). I wasn't able to fall asleep until 2AM and woke up at 4:30AM with a migraine. I made it half way through breakfast and had to leave to lie down. I kept thinking today was such a big day with 60 students to teach! The team met under the gazebo and Jen led the team in prayer as they all prayed for me. Leonard came and prayed for the team and me. With Linda massaging my neck and Leonard praying for me all the way to our teaching site I was much better when we arrived. Thanks team! Thanks Leonard! And THANK GOD! We had a brief tour of ROAN Hospital and then our morning class of 19 people. Some were doctors and midwives, TBA's and even an anesthesiologist! They were eager to learn and very grateful. Our afternoon class was a complete joy! We taught 2nd year midwife students. They were eager, sharp and exceptional students with such a drive to learn. We laughed and had the best tie ever teaching and bonding with these young and bright Zambian students. One young woman who took the class stood up at the end and said, "Thank you for coming to teach us this Golden Minute. Our pledge to you as no baby will die in our hands!" I think that says it all. Thank you for your prayers, Melissa and Team Africa What a full and productive day! We began by paying a visit to the District Commissioner, The Minister of Health and The Mayor. It is very customary to pay a visit to these individuals and make sure they are aware of what we are doing and ask their permission to teach in their hospitals. Then we were off to Tompson Hospital to teach a Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) class of 15 students. It was a remarkable group of nurses, midwives and Traditional Birthing Assistants (TBA's). They were very receptive, excited and grateful that we were teaching them this course.
We then ate lunch on the patio of a woman who has taken it upon herself to rescue girls from the life of prostitution. Some of these girls are only 10 years old! What a remarkable woman! After lunch, Karen and Nancy went back to Arthur Davison Children's Hospital to do some teaching with the staff regarding the new supplies we bought them. Linda and I visited a local chemist and ordered meds for the school clinic and orphanages to have so the children could receive medical care. We then visited Ndola's version of Wal-Mart. Very impressive. Ironically all the clothes were MADE in the USA! We wanted AFRICAN CLOTHES!!! LOL!! Then we were off to our Zambian home, King's Highway. Always a good to come back to the same place!! Tomorrow will be a big day. A morning and afternoon class at Roan General Hospital. We expect 60 - 70 students. I better get some rest! Thank you again for all your prayer and support for this team. It has gone a long way in serving the needy. Melissa So hard to believe what God had in store for the team today. As I remind my team daily, FLEXIBILITY is a must!!! And today we needed both!
Our schedule changed and we started by visiting Child Life Touch Orphanage. I was excited to see how the team jumped right in and seemed as if the children and house mothers were dear friends. Karen, a member of our team presented the children with notes of hope (mentioned earlier) that her daughter’s school sent and the children cherished them. Leonard and I went on a shopping spree to fill their home’s wish list while the rest of the team did physicals and played with the kids and cared for them. Leonard and I returned with much needed groceries to sustain them for THREE MONTHS! In addition we purchased a BRAND NEW STOVE because theirs was broken. The sincere gratitude and joy was immeasurable. True tears of joy! The morning was full and amazing! We were gearing up for our first day of Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) training at Arthur Davison Hospital - a government run pediatric hospital. Our class size was 18 and ranged from midwives, tradition birthing assistants and nurses. The Clinical Director of the hospital, The Hospital CEO and some other very important men offered me and the TPM team their sincerest welcome and gratitude for coming to teach and encouraged the class to embrace the teaching and opportunity. I felt very validated and encouraged by his support of the program. The class went better than I could have anticipated with great excitement and energy by the “learners.” We had 9 people agree to be master HBB trainers and teach other classes throughout the year. We then toured the NICU (neo-natal intensive care unit) and PICU (pediatric intensive care unit) and exhausted as we all were, we were just as energized by the response we received from our first class. God is good! We are trying to get pictures out as often as we can. We have limited connection where we are but are working through cell phones with global chips to send you what we can. This, so far, has been an amazing trip and trust me, the people here are overly appreciative of what your gifts and donations have provided for them. Again we thank you so much for your support. YOU ARE HERE WITH US!!! Until tomorrow, Melissa |
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November 2018
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