ZAMBIA MISSION 2012 DAY 8

ChildLife Touch Orphanage

Buying beans at market

Sign on Building

The Adventures continue!! Today began with a visit to Childlife Touch Orphanage ( I told my team that this is truly my "favoritist" day!!!! These sweet children and caring, compassionate ladies are such a joy and are the reasons I return every year !! They welcomed us with their sweet smiles and angelic voices singing their welcome song that rings in my head even as I'm writing this. We introduced our team and they sang more songs. The team set up a health clinic and spent individual time evaluating each child and attending to their medical needs. We even had blood pressure screening and eye glass clinic for the caregivers. 
 
Leonard and I traveled in town to the market to purchase many food, pantry and hygiene items for the ladies and children. I also paid my annual visit to the Chemist/pharmacist to purchase items to provide them with medication for the children. The rainy season is upon them which means many colds and illnesses as well as the constant threat of malaria.

Marina showed the children how she could do back flips! Needless to say, everyone was impressed. This inspired the children to show all the "moves" they had.... Somehow this morphed into us teaching them the chicken dance and hokey pokey!! Soooo fun!!

As hard as it was to say goodbye.... They sent us off with a wonderful prayer and blessing and sent love to all the families in the US. We then traveled further into Ndola to visit Arthur Davison Children's Hospital. This is the ONLY
children's hospital in all of Zambia. Our team did training at this hospital last year and because they are extremely resource limited and deprived we brought 6 suitcases of supplies for their neonatal unit. Smile Train was in the  middle of a program at this hospital and we had an amazing Divine appointment of meeting the director of the program and one of the patients who was operated on  by Smile Train. I see great partnership with this organization and Tiny People Matter!

It was a very full and exciting day!  We always end our day together with each team member sharing their "word of the
day" today some were....Thankful, family, love, grateful, satisfied, content, complete...Sounds like a pretty great day doesn't it!!?? Tomorrow is church and another orphanage and village clinic. Thanks for all the support at home!!!

Melissa and Team Africa

Two local boys carrying cabbage