mercy4africa: Newsletter June 2018

The winter wind visits us more often these days, taking with it the last bits of green, leaving behind a very brown world- the Africa you see on post cards. Part of me knows that it is good that we go through this season, so that we can be newly excited when the green returns next rainy season.

Our friend wrote an article on our lives recently, and put all the exciting things that she experienced here in one day. It sounded like we live an extraordinary adventure. Unfortunately, mostly the excitement is spread out, and many days can pass without too much to tell. I will try to find a few stories for you.

This morning I had a lady come as she’s been doing every day; she was in a taxi (10 seat minibus) that tried to take on a full-size bus, unsuccessfully. She was one of the long list of injured, who did survive. She must have flown into something head first, and really messed up the top of her skull- tissue, not bone. The rough stitches did not do much for fixing the whole messy area. We’ve been dressing the wound daily, and watching the healing take place. Completely amazing how the body can heal. When she came this morning, she had a sad look in her eyes: “we are not so OK, this morning, Madame.” Her son’s girlfriend (a schoolgirl) had a little baby two days ago, who then passed away yesterday in the incubator in the hospital. They believe the baby was cooked to death in that warm box. This girl will for the next few weeks, walk around with something tied to her back – a bottle, or rolled up clothes, anything that will resemble the shape of her loss. This will be her way to work through her pain. What do we do in a part of the world where death is so close by? We live in the Rest that takes away our fear of death. And we cry with them, just like Jesus cried with His friends when we knew He would bring Lazarus back.

Introduction:

Pastor Justin is one of the Hope Builders Ministries Zambia pastor’s that we work with, and he has started to come our direction more often. Currently he is our liaison with the local authorities, trying to establish where we can best be involved in supporting vulnerable individuals. He is talking to the headmasters, to make sure that we help out the true orphans and less privileged. After our holiday we hope to make him a room that he can use as ‘counselling room’- to have private conversations with people with marriage problems, or other less discussed problems. Hopefully there will also be a corner for some off the record nursing;)

Pastor Justin on the right

We are hoping to take a break in June. So, you won’t hear from me next month. We will travel to South Africa, and visit family and friends, and just relax. We sometimes feel the weight of living in our workplace. I will do some training trying to keep up my nursing skills and registration. And then we’ll get to see our friends who recently left. So, lots of plans- will come back with picturesJ

Some more stories.....

The other day Carl was rat hunting, currently a daily pastime. He put his hand in a hole, trying to catch the tail of one. He retracted his hand, and the next moment more rats/mice came running out. All in all they killed 16 from that hole.

Rashelle is now 9, and a very compassionate young girl. She has had quite a bad run with animals- had a hamster, that died; loved the dog that died; had a rabbit that died. So, when our most faithful rabbit (which just means the one that didn’t run away) got sick, she was very distressed. On the day she was trying to nurse the rabbit, she came to me crying and said she had a dream the previous night that Tim entered the house and said that Ashleigha had died. So, we prayed about it, and she had peace. She went to sleep and the next morning the rabbit had indeed died. But when Tim came inside to tell her, he wore the exact clothes he wore in her dream. To her it was a complete comfort- she had been prepared. And so we all learnt (again) that God cares about every tear we cry, He is our comforter. (Her friends drew some pictures to make her feel better.)