Sink or Swim

My girls won't be on the swim team anytime soon or probably ever but swim lessons are going much better then last year.

We made the decision to not do group lessons this year because my children were traumatized by the forcing of jumping off the diving board last year. They want nothing to do with being near the deep end and for right now that's fine with me.
 
This week we are doing private lessons with a high schooler the girls know from church.  It has gone so much better and the girls are becoming more comfortable in the water. 

The girls might be scared of the diving board but put them on all the rides at Arnold's Park and they aren't scared of anything! 

Random facts about my trip in Africa

I showered 2 times in 10 days.

I got zapped both times I showered, electric current I felt to my toes. (It hurt!)

Both showers were very cold!

We lost electricity one night and packed meds in the dark.

The best meal we had was in Susu at the feeding point after we served the kids on kids day. They make some good chicken!

Nothing seems to go as planned while you are in Africa.

The Kwacha is easier now that they dropped 3 zeros, the pound still confuses me!

I dislike London. 

Leading a team is hard yet rewarding.  I had an awesome team!

I am bad about being a back seat driver!  Even 4 rows back, at times you just have to close your eyes!

Spider's eat bugs so don't kill them.

Ant Lion's really bite and it hurts!

I am getting old I was worn out after running one lap of the field with the nursery age kids!

Teaching kids games in a different language is hard. But they did love the hokey pokey :)

When Chipolopolo plays you don't actually have to be watching the game you know when they score by the hollering and cheering.  Plus the adorable little boys running down the dirt road screaming Zambia Zambia!! Football aka Soccer is very exciting :)

Saying goodbye is hard.  I have cried a lot!

I love Zambia! I love Susu! I can't wait to return!

Care Worker appreciation

One of my favorite days of the week is Care Worker appreciation day. The care workers are the leaders in the village they walk the paths daily,  they know exactly who is sick, which children are orphaned,  who the most vulnerable are and what the needs are. They don't get paid to care for their community, there are no rewards,  they just have hearts of gold and really care about the village of Susu.

We get to treat them one day. It's a special day and there is lots of food,  and a fun game of bingo.  They come dressed in there very best and we all have a great time. We build closer relationships with them. We also sing and dance praising God for the work he has done throughout the week.

I love seeing the smiles on their face and how they light up when they win a game of bingo :)

At the end of the day it was hard to say goodbye.  I talked with pastor Sanday and told him to not forget me that if I don't return next year I will be back in Susu some day. I hope I can start supporting Susu more and continue to build relationships.  As far as what next year holds only God knows for sure.

Clinic Day 2

Clinic day 2 went so much smoother and I felt the team was a lot more prepared and we headed straight to work.  I got off the van and headed straight out to a hut with Godwin. We went out to see Esther who Corrie and I saw on Monday during home visit.  Esther had a blood pressure of 202/90 on Monday with a large abcess on the side of her cheek.  Today her blood pressure was down to 150/78 and the abcess was slightly smaller.  We had given her bp medication and an antibiotic that appeared to be working. She said she felt stronger and was very appreciative! Godwin and I made it back into the village by 10:30 and the team was doing great.  I had already walked 6K wow! I got my work outs in this week. 

I again helped assess prenatal women doing blood pressure and glucose test. There were more women today for the class. After the class I went and started assessing Men in the clinic.  I saw a wide variety of symptoms.  A lot of people come in to get medication they may need through out the year. Unfortunately we are the only medical group that comes to Susu, so they haven't seen anyone since August 2012. I can't imagine what it would be like to not have access to things we consider basic such as Tylenol and ibuprofen. 

Yesterday we de-wormed all the School children and today we saw some that couldn't make it or don't attend school that also needed de-wormed. It was a very busy day but I had an awesome team who worked hard to accomplish seeing around 390 patients!  That is a lot for 9 nurses.

The patients also had to have their assessments reviewed by the Zambian nurses. To follow the law in Zambia and since we don't have Zambia nursing licences this is required. Today we had 3 nurses from the St. Pauls clinic about 10 kilometers from Susu. I was surprised that two of the nurses were men. Nursing is becoming a lot more popular in Zambia and there is a very high need for nurses just like in the US. All 3 nurses we're very intelligent and helpful we enjoyed getting to know them and see how they practice medicine in Zambia.

Many of the children we saw today were wearing their sunglasses and new pillow case dresses they received yesterday at kids day. Such a joy to see the children smiling and happy.

The end of the day was hard. It's time to say goodbye to the community of Susu. We take one last ride down the bumpy road and for some we know we will return next year and for others we're still unsure of God's plan. We pray that we left a huge impact on the community and that we will never be forgotten. They may not understand what we said but they will always remember how we made them feel. The love that we showed,  the comfort that they felt and the hope they have for the community.

We ended with one more circle of prayer. Dancing and worshipping God, singing This is The Day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice! As we drive away,  I look out the window to a village I love, tears start to roll down my cheek, I leave a special little girl I think of as my own, friends that I now consider family and I know God has big plans for Susu.  I pray I continue to be apart of that plan! 

Kids Day

Celebrating the Kids! These children may not have a lot, some have lost one or both parents,  but they are still a blessing from God. God chose them, and he knows them, he knows every hair on their head so lets Celebrate God's gifts :)

Luke 12:7. Indeed every hair on your head is numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than sparrows.

Holy Home Visits

We had a wonderful day going on home visits. Hands at Work is changing a little and working towards making their Visits stronger and more faith based and building relationships with those we see in the home, they now call them Holy Home Visits. We spent a lot of time with each family,  listening to their stories, seeing where they live, and assessing their medical needs. We were able to provide antibiotics,  blood pressure medications, wound dressing, tylenol for fevers, cough syrup, and oral rehydration packets.

We also went down to the river and brought back water on our heads. I tried really hard but I think I need to work more on this at home. Maybe I will start doing the chores at home carrying the feed buckets on my head lol. Jk Brandon that's not going to happen ;)

And what everyone has been waiting for...ok maybe you weren't but I totally was....I got to see my sweet Inez today!  She was absolutely beautiful she came around the corner saw me and she came running to my lap and continued to sit with me during the whole visit with her grandparents.  We played, we giggled, we sang, and we snuggled. ..I LOVED every minute with her wish it could be longer!!

Letting Go of Control

When traveling to Africa there are a lot of unknowns, I have to give up a lot of control.  I have to know without a doubt God is in control. 

I was losing this sense of control I thought I had, by Wednesday I knew I had no control and I gave up trying to control it because I was done, it was over, only God has control.  When I finally realized this and I surrendered control I found an overwhelming sense of peace knowing I don't have to worry, I don't have to try to control, He's got this.....God's got this!!

I no longer have to worry is the plane going to land....because guess what? I can't control that. I can't control the weather, I can't control the flight delays, I can't control a lot of things. But I can control me and answering God's call to serve him, to follow him, to listen to his plan, to let him have total control.

So here I sit in London with two old friends and 6 new friends ready to serve,  ready to follow God to Susu and I can't wait!!

Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you" declares the Lord