Zimba!

Hi all! On Sunday we arrived at our new home in Zimba and so far we love it here! Our house in smack dab in the middle of everything. The hospital is across the street, the schools are down the road and it is only a three minute walk to the market. We have it made! 

The house is a mission house. It is run by Jesse and Selinda Van Horn of Global Parnters. They have been here for four years now. Here is a website where you can learn about the Van Horns and their mission.

www.twoservingandsharing.blogspot.com

The team is enjoying the simple pleasures too. We are able to drink the water right from the faucet at this house! And eat the ice! Cold drinks was something that we missed terribly in Choma.

We start clinical in the morning! Since we started clinical late because of the issue with indexing ourselves in Zambia, we are behind on clinical hours so we will be going to clinical 3-4 times a week. Prayers for stamina please!

Here are a few photos of Zimba!

Our family room. Nice, huh?!

We watched the sunset as a team tonight!

More to come!

On Tuesday we finally started clinical at Choma General Hospital! Because we are such a big group we divided off into pairs and were assigned a unit. Some girls went to the theater (Aka the operating room), women's clinic, men’s clinic, obstetrics, pediatrics, mental health and outpatient. My partner Lindsey and I were at the cervical cancer screening and male circumcision center. 

Here is a very blurry photo of Lindsey and me...

Since it was our first day at the hospital our professors wanted us to play more of an observer role. At the start of clinical were able to watch and learn the procedure of screening for cervical cancer. One of the nurses who was working was so sweet and talked to us for a long time about cervical cancer, and the prevalence of HIV and AIDS in Zambia.

Something really interesting that we learned was that any and all medications, tests, treatment and doctor visits pertaining to HIV are completely free for the public. This is because HIV is so prevent here in Zambia and this is one way to hopefully educate, prevent the spread and treat the symptoms of HIV.  

A first day of clinical photo was obviously a must!

On Wednesday our team visited Airport Community school.  This school was completely funded and run by the community. There are over 700 of the most amazing children at this school. The school principle gave us a tour and talked about the history of the school and then we were free to hang out with the kids. And let me tell you, it was a blast! The school choir sang us a few songs and then our team got up and sang them one too! 

I have tons of photos and videos from that day but unfortunately due to an issue with the camera’s memory stick, I am not able to upload them. The photos on here now are from some of the other girl's cameras. When I finally am able to I will post them and try to link this post to it so you remember what the photos were from.

Thursday was our second clinical day. I was in pediatrics along with Kristen. It was so hard to see the kids so sick in bed. Many of them were in for severe malnutrition and dehydration. We talked to the nurse and she said that this was mostly caused by lack of parental education. They do not know that giving their kids sweeties (candy) is not going to provide them with the proper nutrients that they need. It was heartbreaking seeing the mothers with their children, not understanding why they were so sick when they feed them what they think is good for them.

On a happier note, I have some great Valor news to share! When Valor was discharged from the NICU the doctor thought that maybe his fontanelles in his skull had closed already which shouldn’t of happened until he was 3 or 4 months. If true, this would negatively effect his brain’s ability to grow. Yesterday Kara and Nick took Valor to see a neuro specialist in downtown Chicago and by the grace of God, Valor’s results came back PERFECT! This has been a great reminder that God cares for and protects each one of his children. Thank you Jesus for being a truly amazing Father.

Praising God today for a beautiful, completely heathy and sweet baby boy. Not that I am wishing the rest of my trip away but I get to see this precious peanut in 53 days!

Well, off to class! Until next time :)

Choma, Zambia

Well, it has been a while since I posted an African blog and that is partially because it has been crazy here! We have gotten to do and experience so much since we got to Choma. 

On our 6 hour drive from Lusaka to Choma we stopped at a market on the side of the road. As soon as our bus pulled in there were dozens, and I mean DOZENS, of people crowded around the bus holding up their items to sell. Talk about overwhelming.

A few days in to our time here in Choma our whole team had to travel to Macha (a town about an hour away) to get ourself indexed into the school of nursing’s records. This needed to be done in order to start our clinicals. While in Macha we were able to go to yet another market (If you haven't noticed, we like markets). This one was not touristy at all so when the locals saw a herd of white people marching into the market, you better believe they gawked. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I heard the word mizungu, the tonga word for white people. Somehow our shopping at the market turned a Zambian dance party! Don’t ask me how that happened! We laughed, sang songs and learned how to dance like a true Zambian!

Later we were able to visit the orphanage here in Choma. Again, the second our bus pulled in the kids started to run to the bus! We had a blast playing, talking and just loving on those sweet kids. 

Also, I took some photos of our Choma home for you all to see!

 

Here is a photo of me in one of my new chitenges. Ignore the ironic model-like wind blowing my chitenge…

The internet here is close to nonexistent so I will try my best to post often!

Oh! And for those wondering, my sister and baby Valor have both been discharged from the hospital and are doing well! Thanks for your prayers!

Here is another for good measure ;) He melts my heart.

Baby Valor

Earlier this Spring my sister Kara came to visit me at college for the weekend and told me that her and her husband of five years was pregnant. That was the good news. The not so good news was that her due date was September 28th, which was while I was going to be in Africa. 

Last week Kara began having intense abdominal pain. Her husband Nick took her to the hospital. After hours of confusion and many tests she was finally diagnosed with appendicitis and was schedule for an appendectomy. Due to her ruptured appendix and complications during surgery, one of her ovaries, fallopian tube and part of her intestine had to be removed. Kara and Nick have spent this last week in the hospital where Kara has been slowly recovering. Yesterday afternoon baby Valor’s heart rate dropped into the 60s three times and an emergency C-section had to be preformed almost four weeks before his due date. Today I am so happy to say that a beautiful and healthy baby boy was brought into the world Tuesday, September 2nd at 2:45pm. Our itsy bitsy baby weighs 4 pounds 14 ounces and is 19 inches long.

While I wish that I could be with my family during this joyful time, I couldn't wish for anything more than a healthy baby and mama. I was able to facetime with Kara, Nick and Valor this morning! Praising God for good internet in Zambia. 

Now, here is the part of my post where I spam you with photos of my precious nephew. I dare you not to smile :)

Mommy and Valor. She's doing well!

Proud daddy 

Papa, Daddy and baby Valor

Grandma and Valor

Happy family

Meeting Valor this morning through FaceTime! 
I was and still am smitten.

Hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I do!

Weekend in Lusaka

This has been an amazing first weekend in Zambia! We have eaten Zambian cuisine, been to an up-scale mall and went to the market. The market was a really awesome but a slightly overwhelming experience. The venders would call you over to their shop and stack numerous items in your hands in hopes that you would purchase at least one of them. And let me tell you, it worked. When the team got back on the bus we all had so many bags full of our new African possessions. 

 The market

 Zambian money - Kwacha. This 150 kwacha is equivalent to about 25 dollars.

One of my favorite buys! Made out of a Zambian coin.

Sunday morning we attended church at Munali Pilgrim Wesleyan Church. This is the church that our school is affiliated with here in Zambia. I cannot even begin to tell you how full this body of Christ was with the Holy Spirit. The worship team had about ten members who were all so musically blessed. They sang, clapped danced and shouted praises to the King. It is so amazing that these people across the globe worship the same God that I do in the States. The Pastor spoke about how God brings showers of blessings out of storms of adversity. He spoke about Paul, Job, Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego to show examples of blessings from storms. The pastor spoke with such passion and love. During the message I was struggling with the fact that these people living Zambia are praising God for their storms that are most likely much more difficult and serious than mine. If they have the faith and trust in God to overcome their storms then shouldn’t I be able to praise Him through mine? After all, adversity is the making of miracles.

Today (Monday) we got the awesome opportunity to tour Beit Cure Hosptial. It is a pediatric hospital that is completely free of charge for the patients. It is such an amazing place full of loving nurses and other staff members. There are many different units including the children's inpatient ward, a children’s clinic, physiotherapy, and X-ray lab, ENT and audiology. My heart broke so many times as I looked at the beautiful of the sick and hurting children, but I guess a lot of that is still to come as our clinicals begin. 

Children's In-Patient Ward

 The Cure Family Tree - Shows different locations of Biet Cure Hospitals around the world. Such an awesome organization!

I thought this mirror in the hospital was so sweet.

One of the precious little girls in the hospital - Don't worry, there aren't any HIPPA laws in Zambia! 

 These are correction device shoes made for children after club foot surgery.

  And here is the man who makes them all.

So to end I thought that I would show you some photos of where we are staying here in Lusaka. We will be here until Thursday and then we are off to Choma!

The compound

 Our meal area and homework spot

 My view every morning. Learning to like mosquito nets!

Until next time!!

Joy