10 pm, May 16, KMH

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility, consider others better than yourself. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Philippians 2:3-4

Today was another good day in peds ward. I gave a lot of IM and IVP meds, as well as nebulizer treatments. I got to watch a 7 year old girl, Martha Mosi, with osteomyelitis, get her dressing changed. No fainting. We also reconstituted quite a few meds, went to the pharmacy and central supply, and cleaned/reorganized the drug cart.

Gijimani and I talked a lot, comparing programs and hobbies. We both like to bake, so she gave me her pumpkin bread recipe. and I'm giving her my mac n' cheese, as well as a lemon bar recipe. Tomorrow after lunch, we're giving out toys and candy to the kids and nurses in peds ward. So excited!

Pumpkin bread recipe in metric

After work, Steph and I went to see Talent. I actually got to see his dressing change, and was totally fine. Proud of myself. He asked us to be there next time, if possible. We ended up leaving partway through to take care of a man with hematuria who was vomiting. Strangely, I felt like a real, capable nurse then.

We talked with Talent for a while. He seems bored and discouraged. his accident was January 22nd. That's a long time to not be well and he's worried about not being able to walk again. He used to love to read, but he's tired of it now.

Made chicken stir-fry tonight. Yum. Had prayer meeting with the senior staff, which was pretty awesome. Had some good laugh about a father picking up lobola (bride price) in Dubai, instead of down in the valley.

Dinner with Kristy, Naomi, Sarah,
Steph and Jenny

Chicken stir-fry...mmmmm

8:40 pm, May 15, KMH

Blood draw for a rapid HIV test
(no worries, no HIPAA in Africa)

Today has been a pretty cool day. I started in male ward "with" Muchaya but not really. I was placed in charge of Male Ward B, as well as blood draws and dressing changes for the entire unit. I didn't know where to start. Thankfully, Naomi showed up and helped me do blood draws. She took me off dressing changes and I ended up taking BPs for the entire unit instead. One thing that was rather sobering was the fact that the large adult BP cuff was much too big for most of the men's arms. Sometimes it wrapped around twice. We ended up getting one from peds.




I was able to see Dzindza again. He asked how I was doing and said he had been worrying about me. He also asked why my face was long and told me that I was too big for being 21 years old.

After tea time (a standard here. Dzingdza was shocked that we do not have it in the States.) Naomi reassigned me to peds ward. I worked with Gijimani, who was also in her first day of peds. You could hardly tell, she is so on top of things. I was able to give meds IM and IVP, as well as PO and per nebulizer. I reconstituted and diluted. I saw a couple of hydrocephalus babies as well as one with myelomeningocele ("meningomyelocele"), a baby who was HIV+ and two who probably have TB. One kid who we gave an IM shot to had kwashiorkor so bad that he looked like a burn victim because his skin was peeling off. The hardest thing was making kids cry.

Melita (center) and Judy (right) having a traditional Zimbabwe meal 

Tonight we went over to Melita's for dinner. Her stew and Judy's homemade bread were delicious. Then I went over to Kiersten's for her nursing student Bible study. Gijimani had invited me and Muchaya was there. Because some of the girls are going to Harare for psych, we ended up talking about demons, and the difference between oppression and suppression, and schizophrenia and depression, and whether a Christian can be possessed, and what being bought by the blood of Christ means, and neurotransmitters. Its cool how Christ and medicine can be common denominators. I felt like I learned so much tonight.

May 14, KMH

The thing that ought to make the heart beat is a new way of manifesting the Son of God. 
-Oswald Chambers

Walkway through the hospital compound

Today is the day I looked forward to and dreaded, at the same time. We worked in the hospital today 7:30am-4pm. 7am was chapel, with Shona singing and a message from Judy. Then we all gathered in the duty room to get report. I could only pick up snatches here and there.

Medicine cabinet where all drugs are stored

The day was very full. I gave quite a few meds with Muchaya, plus made beds, brought a patient back from the theatre, did post-op vitals and watched a dressing change. It was very interesting. I do not feel super helpful yet, but I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of things.PCM is paracetamol, or tylenol. I recognized the TB meds and a new NSAID. I know how rounding works, vitals are taken, and meds are passed out. Its still hard to understand people and to know who to direct questions to and when to step in. And when to wear gloves. Haha. They don't wear them nearly as much here as we were taught to at school.

Gentamycin (an antibiotic) ampule
and the syringe used to draw it up

I had two bad incidents today. First, I crushed an ampule cap in my hand, cutting both my thumb and index finger. I think that the thumb was rather deep; both bled a lot. I had to scramble for my bandaids.

Supply cupboard in one of the hospital wards

I also basically passed out in Ward D. Muzhmata was doing a dressing change. Talent (Dzingdza) has osteomyelitis (a bone infection) from a tibia-fibula fracture caused by a car accident. He returned after developing the infection during his time at home following his previous two-month stay. His wound was deep, to the bone. We had just had a friendly conversation and then there he was, groaning in pain. I suddenly felt hot and almost passed out. I barely remember it. I felt much better soon after, but took a break to rest before lunch.

Had taco salad for lunch (didn't exactly know how to explain that to the nurse I was working with) and ramen for dinner. Spent some good time talking tonight, and then went an info meeting for teh half-marathon this Saturday. I'll be manning one of the check off stations , trying to keep track of runners. Now I'm going to go write an email or as much of one as I can. I'm wiped. Another early morning tomorrow!

6:30 pm, May 13, Karanda Mission Hospital (KMH)

What a day! Its been so exciting, sobering, humbling and interesting. This morning we woke up to the sound of Shona worship songs. I love the sound of their language and their singing style. We got up and ready by 8:30 for our tour of the hospital. We saw the OPD (outpatient department), antenatal, maternity, peds, female and male wards. This place is amazing in how they make the best of what they have.

The guesthouse and gazebo

Maternity had a little baby in the incubator. Apparently in December, they had a baby born at 800 grams that survived.

Peds was such a sad, yet happy place. Its cool to see all those kids getting treatments, but sad that they need them in the first place. We saw a hydrocephalus baby ("hydrokef," as they write) with a manual pump. There was a kid with a femur fracture who was in Gallows' traction, and another with an open reduction.

I will be working in the male ward tomorrow. It is very new, only two-three weeks old. It is split up into four sections: surgical, medical, HIV+ and I'm not sure what the other is. We will be with Chumaya, a senior nursing student in the three year RGN program here. More about that later. In the male ward, the patients are more likely to speak English. We also saw a chaplain lead a service in D Ward. It was quite loud, with singing from a group of three women dressed in blue.

The compound also has a chapel where outpatients meet in the early morning for a devotional, and are then assigned numbers in line (the "queue"). That way, it benefits them to come to devotionals and hear the gospel message.

There is an opportunistic infection clinic for HIV+ patients to receive government-funded ARVs, education and checkups. Mr. Christiansen, Julie's dad, runs a shop fixing things up, next to the new building which will be half bike shop, half oxygen concentration. The hospital has a laboratory and an xray room, as well as the "theatre" or operating room. I will be in theatre next Wednesday.

They do so much work here, with peds immunizations, male circumcision, malaria, TB, HIV, fractures, infections, malnourishment... The old male ward is being turned into a new peds ward, with isolation rooms for TB and Kwashiorkor (these rooms also have a heater for the malnourished kwashiorkor kids.) People come from all over Africa for their low rates and quality care.

Their nursing school is also in high demand. Over 1000 people apply each year and only 10-12 are accepted into the nursing program and the post-graduate midwifery program. It is a three year program that will end in their gaining a Registered General Nursing diploma. Its a very intense program. Many hours of dedication and high standards. Only one month off a year, with 3 month rotations between class and in the hospital. They even have to take physics and pass a national written exam.

The hospital is mainly staffed by students but most of them don't stay once they graduate because Karanda is too rural for them. They run on a British system here, so the nurses wear white uniforms. The females wear skirts and pantyhose. The head of each ward wears green. All nurses are called "Sister ___" or "Brother ___." They wear epaulets on their shoulder signifying their rank. One to three bars for students, indicating their year in school, and certain other symbols for RGNs and post-graduate work.

Mrs. Chim, head of female ward

There is more to do here than just at the hospital (haha..."just.") There is a kids Bible club which meets Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Nursing student Bible studies are held Wednesday nights. April and Kirstin each lead one. Awana meets on Saturday. There is also a half-marathon this Saturday, headed up by Dr. Dan Stephens, who we met tonight. We might be helping and Steph might be running.

Then there is just playing with the kids. Last night, we met many of them when playing "flag-flag." Patricia is the seventh grade leader, tall and able to translate for us. Praise is a little girl, deaf, mute and possibly autistic. Her siblings brought her along with a leash on her ankle.

Some of our fellow soccer enthusiasts

Tonight the boys came over and asked us to play soccer. This was my first time playing in a skirt and flipflops. Innocent, or Ino, is obviously their leader. He is tall for a seven year old, even in the States, and stands above his older comrades. He was abandoned at the hospital and adopted by one of the missionary families, who fed him on goat milk, which is what gave him the nutrition needed to grow as much as he has. He and the other boys, Lyle, Tipenda, Twonga and others, are especially good at soccer.  We started out
just kicking it around, then played "chumama", some game where you can only touch the ball once and never let it stop. Finally, our game morphed into the classic "keep away." I am glad to say that I was able to steal the ball a few times. the night ended when Lyle and Tipenda had a scuffle. Ino and Twonga remembered my name from yesterday, which was exciting. My legs still hurt from these past two nights.

Jenny in the rehab building
having fun with the
equipment!

It was fun working together with the other girls to make tacos for dinner tonight. We work really well as a team. Plus , its my favorite dinner.

It was great to hear Jenny's stories of her first day at work with Charity, the therapist. She got to work with our little friend in Gallows' traction, who managed to wiggle around and even break one of the strings holding her legs up. Karanda rehab is very improvisation focused.

Steph and I in front of male ward

I'm somewhat nervous about tomorrow. I hope the sights and sounds and smells do not bother me. I want to be a help and not a burden, but perhaps that is the humility I need to learn. The men's ward is not where I planned to end up but I know You can use me there. Please Lord, help me be prepared, alert and teachable.

8:30pm May 12, Karanda

We're at Karanda! What a day. We are finally here.
Its early afternoon back home, the family is done with church, Bethany should finally be starting summer vacation and Sarah is graduating. I hope she knows that I am thinking of her.

Our trusty load-bearers

On the other hand, my day has been almost too busy to think. We packed up and headed out this morning. It took us about two and a half hours to make it to Karanda in our two loaded up vehicles. I was lucky enough to fall asleep along the way.

Traveling out into the country

Our passing view of a popular animist cult. They often
dress in all white when at worship.

The drive was beautiful. The land looked more like Africa the farther we drove. Lots of scrubby trees. Brown and green mountains. We saw Mount Darwin. Thatched huts sat in clumps beside the road. We had to pass through several police roadblocks on the way, but were merely waved through (probably because of the Karanda sign on the side of the truck). The last seven kilometers consisted of graded dirt path between and through fields, and then crossing a river and climbing a steep hill.

The supplies I brought over in my extra suitcase. Friends from
my church and school donated everything
from toys to medical supplies to coffee.

There is quite a big compound here. I'm not sure what to think of it. So many houses, and of course, the hospital and the school. We're sharing the guest house with the McQuillens, Paul and April (both doctors) and their two kids. Sarah and I are staying in the dorm. We had six beds and four closets to choose from! I like the quiet of this room. My ability to spread out and not be cluttered.




Tonight we played "flag-flag" or capture the flag with the kids. They were disappointed when we weren't here Friday to play, so we made up for it today. The kids haven't played in six or seven months, so theur grasp of the rules was a little off. We played as the Zambian and Zimbabwe teams. I was on Zimbabwe, the winning team. I made myself a little friend, Rutenda, or Ruru, in the process.

The dorms of the nursing school within the hospital compound

Poor Kristy twisted her ankle, so she spent the rest of the night elevating and icing it. We made some delicious grilled cheese for dinner, had some more info given by Naomi, and now have the rest of the evening to ourselves. Tour tomorrow at 8:30 am.

Tonight, I switched from Philippians to 2 Timothy for devotionals. Dr. Russell said it is a good book for the mission-minded. 2 Timothy 1:7 "For the Lord did not give you a spirit of fear, but of power and loves and self-discipline."

May 11

Today was certainly an eye opener. We got to see the westernized side of Zim culture while grocery shopping, which was not at all what I expected. They played American music in the store (Fun., Pink, T-Swift and JBiebs) and even at the craft fair (Michael Jackson, anyone?)

Kapenta: basically dried anchovies

The orange Sunny D-like drink is Mazoe. It comes in several flavors,
but the classic orange is most popular,

But they sold mealy meal, oxtail soup and chakalaka in the stores. They also sold the fried caterpillars and dried fish (I forget the names...) which look gross but are more for nutrient intake than taste (62% of your protein...)

Bags of rice: the staple food of native Zimbabweans

Vegetables from the open market

It was a very cool experience, as was eating Chinese (yes, Chinese in Zim) with the town missionaries tonight.
So excited to go to Karanda tomorrow!

8:45 pm, May 10, Marlborough, Harare

Today was a good day. I'm so tired, I hardly remember any of it. Cold shower this morning, breakfast at the guest house, orientation this morning at the town office. We had a "proper" cup of tea at the orientation, where we learned about the history of Rhodesia/Zimbabwe, the Shona culture, finances, bartering, religion, and language mistakes. We also had sadza and muriwo (meat) for lunch. It was delicious! And filling. We tried the cherry plum soda, which was yummy. And fried caterpillars. Gross.

Sadza, muriwo, and rape (a kale-like vegetable)

Madora, fried caterpillars, a cheap source of protein

This afternoon, we went to Billy's for a month's worth of meat (30 kgs!!!) Dinner was at an American Style dinner, with pictures of Elvis and Marilyn Monroe on the walls. I had a Deano's Cheeseburger, which was a 200g (~1/2 lb) cheeseburger with cheese cooked into the middle. I even managed to eat it after picking off onions and tomatoes.

Deano's Diner

When we returned, we saw the Southern Cross. After a long ended sessions, during which we all almost fell asleep, its time for bed.

Hmmm...

This semester, I am taking African, Asian and Latin American Literature online as my literature elective and last gen ed. Its been a great experience, both because I've been able to read some African books that told stories of a people near and dear to my heart, and because of the unique insights of my fellow classmates.

In this module, we are reading Paulo Coelho's Veronika Decides to Die. Its been a thought-inspiring read so far, exploring the meaning of sanity from the inside perspective of a mental hospital patient admitted for a suicide attempt.

Author Paulo Coelho, from his website:
 www.paulocoelho.com

While this is a serious subject which I appreciate the gravity of, especially after my psychiatric nursing clinical rotation last year, I need to take a moment to appreciate the humor of the picture on the left.

This picture is on the opening page of the current module, with a caption notifying students of the class that this image is "available as a free wallpaper download" from the author's website.

Am I the only one that: A-is not sure why the author created a wallpaper image of himself, B-would find it creepy if someone actually had this picture on their laptop? People these days...

8 pm, May 9, Harare, Zimbabwe

We made it. =) After a bit of nerve-wracking time getting through immigration/customs (questions asked like such as "are you leaving anything in Zimbabwe?"), we met Nancy Everswick, our ministry supervisor, Dave Jereb, one of the new missionaries in Harare, and John Christiansen, whose daughter graduated from Cedarville this year. We packed our belongings into the cars and headed out. We saw some giraffes along the way. Nancy explained a lot of things.

The name Zimbabwe is derived from the Shona word "dzimba-dza-mabwe", which means "large houses of stone." This term is in reference to Great Zimbabwe, an ancient city whose ruins are now a protected site. This tower at the Harare airport is a modern structure built in a style reminiscent of the structures once found in the city.

We got to the mission house alright. Its a lovely place. Roomy and welcoming. We met Baba and Amai Perfect, who work at the house. Shared our testimonies, expectations, and fears. Unpacked and reorganized. Ate Zim pizza (peri peri chicken!). Experienced our first power outage, and got to use our headlamps. =) We just wrapped up our food planning. Now I'm wiped out. Orientation tomorrow!

Scenery on the road from the airport into Harare.

9:30 am, May 9, Ethiopian Airspace

We're on our way! Its crazy to think...we're in Africa! Slept in Ethiopia last night. Got up this AM for breakfast (with Ethiopian coffee and mango juice to drink) and headed off to the airport with few problems. Those few problems being: A-Steph and Sarah blew the fuse in their hall last night. B-returning to the hotel twice. The first time for a man who missed the bus. The second was for a man's wallet, but really, we think he was feeling bad for the first man's companion, who also missed the bus, and wanted to help him out. :P The second missing man turned out to be my "seat buddy" from the flight before, aka the guy who had his seat wayyy far back and didn't put it up when we landed. :P

Ethiopian coffee is da bomb.

 The bus ride was fun. We were able to hear from a recent speech therapy grad who is going to work with kids in Cameroon. We also talked to a woman who is returning to Zimbabwe after 20 years in the US. After one month there, she started on the path from CNA to LPN to RN. She now runs her own personal care home in the US, but is returning home to Zimbabwe to start a clinic.

Sudoku-one way I pass the time during flights

I'm enjoying this plane. Its a Boeing 787 Dreamliner (?). More leg room, a USB charger for my itouch, and touchscreen tvs. Woah. =) Oh, and an Ethiopian country music mix? Win.

Our touchscreen computer/tvs that welcomed us in multiple languages!

Father, thank you for all you are showing me in your Word. I don't want this to be merely a mountaintop experience. 

5:16 pm, May 8, Addis Ababa

Well, we are stranded in Ethiopia for a night. Our flight unexpectedly rerouted to Rome, where our 2 hour delay made us miss our connecting flight from Addis to Harare. Only one flight per day, so they paid our bus fare and put us up in a hotel for the night. We have beds, three meals from the restaurant, and a shower. We had to check our carry-ons at Washington when we switched airlines (and the weight limit dropped from 40 to 15 lbs) so no extra change of clothes, among other things. But honestly, after brushing my teeth and taking a shower, I feel like a new person.

Ethiopian Airlines

The flight honestly did not seem as long as it was. We spent 15-16 hours on the plane, including the 2 hours stop in Rome, but it wasn't too bad. God definitely blessed me with the ability to sleep. I alternated between sleep and waking about every hour. The meals were pretty good, but those grape things in the crepes were rather sketchy. I surgically removed them and soldiered on. I didn't even finish my Ted Dekker book (Thr3e) or kill my itouch, so there is hope for tomorrow, as well as the flight home.

Tri-lingual Bible found in my room. The Gideons are everywhere!

The airport felt pretty crazy. After flying over the plateaus and scrubby farmland of Sudan, and then the mountains, canyons, and patchwork farmland of North Ethiopia, it was fascinating to see the city. The construction projects are a mixture of concrete and wooden poles. The streets are filled with buses and their ceaseless honking. The colorful signs are written in both English and Ethiopian Arabic. We saw an outside winding staircase with no railing leading up to "Kitchen World".  But before we saw all these things, we had to get new boarding passes. We had to go through immigration individually, and I had no idea what the agent was asking me. I just handed him all of my papers. He started asking "hotel voucher?" which I did not have (since there was one voucher for the five of us) and I did not know how to explain why. He saw Kristy with the voucher and said "friend?" "Yes, friend!" I exclaimed gratefully. We got the voucher from her, and with some work, he explained that I needed to stand and look at a camera. "Finished." he stated finally. Then I was free. The next adventure was the bus.

We all piled into this little bus and drove through Addis' crowded streets to our hotel. We passed people selling shoes while sitting on mats and donkeys being led on the sidewalk.
The hotel is nice. We have two people per room, a bed each, and a decent shower. The food here is good too. The meat was very tasty, although some of the vegetables were unrecognizable.

Zimbabwe Diary, May 7

Since many of my emails were lost due to the uncertainty of the internet in Zimbabwe, much of my records of my trip are gone. However, I do have my notes from my journal, which I will be typing out here for the enjoyment of the general public. ;)

On the place to Ethiopia. It seems unreal to say that. I remember filling out that application last semester. So much has happened since then. Getting to know the girls in my group, reading about Zimbabwe, packing supplies of the hospital, learning the meds, and everything related to those giving support. I feel like so much has happened in the past two weeks, and even two days.

Steph, Kristy, Me, and Sarah-shot at the Bean in Chicago

TEAM Orientation in Chicago, February 2013

Thank you Father for for allowing us to gather practically everything on the last minute list of needs that we were emailed. Thank you for the random steak dinner with the Maytermers at Dr. Hartman's. Thank you for Steph's good humor and Campus Safety's willingness to let me into the BTS to rescue my passport. Thank you for Amy's group and Steph's brother Tim, who were willing to let us crash at their places.

The supplies I had packed in my suitcase-everything from stuffed bears to bandages to gloves to coffee.

Its been such a blessing to meet new people, and a big adventure. I can already cross DC off of my list of places visited. Now I'm crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Soon I'll be landing in Europe. Then to Africa. Craziness! The thirteen hours on the plane aren't too unbearable yet. We've made some good progress. Not halfway though. Its 5 pm? Not sure what time zone... Honestly, I'm not too nervous except for getting through customs.

Diagnosis Delirium

Its been a while since I've written. I've got a lot of new thoughts in my mind, and with those new thoughts come a new name for the blog. Why "Diagnosis Delirium"? Well, according to Merriam-Webster, delirium is "an acute mental disturbance characterized by confused thinking and disrupted attention usually accompanied by disordered speech and hallucinations" or "frenzied excitement". I laughed when I read these definitions recently, and thought of how they both apply to nursing. The life of a nursing student is full of its ups and downs.
There are those times that we've spent more hours in class than we have sleeping, when we talk about disturbing things we've seen at clinicals over the dinner table, when we're up late at night memorizing the signs and symptoms of acute coronary syndrome. During those times, we become strangers to any friends outside of the nursing program. We drink copious amounts of coffee and other caffeinated beverages. We ignore everything we ever learned about good sleep habits, healthy eating, and exercising regularly. We carry textbooks that weigh more that dictionaries. We use silly phrases like "King K lives in the castle of the cell while Sir Sodium circulates outside" to remember electrolyte concentrations.
These things we do in order to pass our tests, to avoid failing out of the nursing program, and to one day graduate with our Bachelor of Science in Nursing. But behind all those things, what truly drives us is a desire to help others. In the end, a diploma is just a piece of paper, but the satisfaction one gets from serving someone in need is what makes all the work and the late nights worth it. However, when I do receive that piece of paper one day, less than I year from now, I expect that I shall experience the second definition of delirium. :)

In the future,the blog shall be a recording of the life of your average senior nursing student. I also hope to get some more of my notes from Zimbabwe up. Until then, cheerio!

Zim Update #4

Manheru! Good evening!

After a nice night out, having Chinese with the town missionaries (yes, they have Chinese restaurants in Zimbabwe!), I had some time and energy on my hands, so I thought I would tell you all some more about the people on my team here in Zim. I'm not sure when you will get this email, since the Internet is down (probably due to the three power outages we've had in the past two days), but I'll send it when I can.

The TEAM (The Evangelical Alliance Mission) 2013 Zimbabwe team consists of 6 people. This is one of the larger teams hosted at Karanda. Four of us are going into our senior year in the School of Nursing at Cedarville University. 

Kristy Rizzardi is from a small town near Lansing, Michigan. She has a passion for the hurting, which is seen through her work with the International Justice Misson chapter on campus. IJM helps fight against human trafficking, violence towards women and children, and poverty in other countries.

Sarah Pelletier is the only member of our group to actually live in Ohio. She and Kristy were both in the other junior nursing clinical rotation this past year, so I did not know them that well before we started preparing for this trip, but it has been a blessing to have them both as a part of my life. 

Stephanie Swanson is from Connecticut, so she lives even farther from school than I do. Steph has a vibrant and unpredictable personality. Time spent with her is never boring. Out of everyone in our group, she has the most desire and passion for learning about the culture. Steph is always practicing her Shona, and never shies away from a challenge. In fact, she was the one who convinced us all to try fried caterpillars and bought a tub of aloe vera flavored yogurt because it was the most popular flavor in the Zim grocery store. 

Jenny Webb is the only student in our group who is not from Cedarville. Jenny, who lives in a suburb of Chicago, graduated from a college in Illinois with a degree in Rehab Services. She now works as a rehab tech, and is wrapping up her year off before attending grad school in August to become an occupational therapist. Jenny's sister Katie came to Zim as a short termer 7 years ago, so many of the missionaries know her name. She will be working with the therapist in the hospital. I've really enjoyed getting to know Jenny and appreciated the flawless transition she made into the team.

Finally, Naomi Reddington is our team leader. She has been to Zimbabwe multiple times, first as a short termer through Cedarville nursing, and eventually came to stay long term for about eight years before returning to the states last year due to health issues. During her time at Karanda, Naomi not only worked as a nurse, but she also helped run some of the wards, managed Home Based Care (a program helping to care for HIV/AIDS orphans in the Karanda area), and taught some of the classes in the hospital's nursing school. We are all grateful to have such a knowledgeable and experienced person as our leader.

After telling you about my team, I would be remiss if I did not mention the town missionaries who ministered to us so much while we've been here. The Everswick family, Doug and Nancy, and their youngest daughter Rachelle, help to run the guest house and the town office, as well as provide orientation for short termers. Kirstin, Malita, and Judy have been instrumental in introducing us to Harare and Shona culture. The Jerubs are new missionaries to Zimbabwe, still taking their language classes in Harare. They plan to help with construction and nursing classes when they move out to Karanda. Please pray for these missionaries, who have such a heart for the people of Zimbabwe, and who do so much for so little.

I read a quote today, by Oswald Chambers from "My Utmost for His Highest" that seemed very pertinent. "The knowledge that God has loved me to the uttermost will send me forth into the world to love in the same way." This is certainly the attitude of the missionaries in Zim. I am humbled an blessed by my chance to work alongside them.

In His Service,

Mary

Zim Update #3

Hello friends!

I wanted to get another update to you all before I head out to Karanda tomorrow morning. The internet will be less reliable than it already is here in Harare, and I will be much busier once I am out at the hospital, so I'm not sure when you will hear from me next.  

The past few days have been spent in orientation and preparation for our stay at the hospital. We learned about the history of Rhodesia, and how it became the Zimbabwe it is today, as well as how TEAM became involved here originally. Interesting fact: the name Zimbabwe comes from a tribal word referring to large, conical stone structures built by an ancient civilization in the southwestern part of the country.

Another, more continual aspect of our training, has been becoming more versed in the intricacies of showing respect in Zimbabwe. Respect and family are the two pillars of Shona culture. You are given respect based on your place in the family tree. The line of respect starts with Sekuru, or the grandfather, and then Ambuya, or grandmother. Respect is then extended to your Baba and Amai, or father and mother. At the end of the line of respect are married men, married women, single men, single women, and then children. All of Shona culture, from greetings and handshakes to posture and titles, are dictated by respect. Our team members' place in the line of respect is complicated because, while we re single women, we are also considered professionals, which affords us a higher level of respect.

Family is viewed very highly in Zimbabwe. Your aunts and uncles are considered mothers and fathers, while your cousins are siblings. Members of the family are expected to care for each other, without question. One part of the family that I found rather funny was the role of the "tetè", or the aunt (from the father's side) in choosing a husband for her nieces. The tetè is in charge of the entire process, while the father does not even learn anyone is interested in his daughter until the potential son-in-law shows up at his house to arrange the bride price. I'm not exactly sure that my dad would be pleased with such an arrangement but apparently it works in Zimbabwe.

Another interesting part of our training is trying to comprehend the dichotomy of Zimbabwe culture. One side of the culture is more Westernized. These Zimbabweans typically dress much like we do in the states, carry cell phones and other electronics, and are most likely employed and living in an urban setting. They are also almost exclusively from the Shona tribe, which makes up approximately 75% of the country's population. So far in our trip, we have mostly come into contact with this side of the culture. In fact, during our shopping trip today, we heard American music at both the grocery store and the craft fair. Everything from Taylor Swift to Michael Jackson was playing.

The great majority of people living in Zimbabwe are from the more traditional side of the culture. They live in rural areas and typically are subsistence farmers or peddlers. They live on a much less varied diet than their urban counterparts, eating sadza, a form of cornmeal, at every meal, with occasional vegetables, and meats, on special occasions. The traditional Shona also observe more conservative dress, which is why we are required to wear flowy skirts that extend beyond the knee.

Orientation has been fascinating. I have certainly learned a lot, about the Shona people, the country of Zimbabwe, and the hard working missionaries here at TEAM. Today was our last day of preparation in Harare. We bought a month's worth of food for six people without spending our entire food budget, which I found impressive. It was sometimes difficult to figure out amounts of food since they use the metric system, but we learned to rely on certain people in our group as mental calculators. We also learned that it is socially acceptable to openly laugh at people, even if you don't know them. I was on the receiving side of quite a bit of laughter as I pushed around my cart full of 8 KGs of milk, 8 KGs of juice, and 20 loaves of bread.

Tomorrow we leave for Karanda early in the morning. Prayers are appreciated for travel, as we need to transport 9 people and a month's worth of food and supplies out to rural northern Zimbabwe. I would also ask that you keep in mind our health. Most of the team is still feeling under the weather, due to allergies, remaining jet lag, and continued lack of sleep.

Thank you all for you prayers and support!

In His Service,

Mary

Zimbabwe Update #2 May 9

Hello friends!

Just wanted to send out a brief email letting you all know that my team and I are now in Zimbabwe. It took slightly longer to arrive here than we originally planned. Our flight from DC yesterday decided to refuel and change the crew while in Rome, which took hours longer than expected, causing us to miss our connecting flight to Zimbabwe. We stayed in Addis Ababa last night, where Ethiopian Airlines kindly put us up in a hotel, provided meals, and gave us transportation to and from the airport. Our delay was a blessing in disguise, allowing us to rest and adjust to the jet lag, even if we were forced to check our carry ons at the last airport, leaving us without a change of clothes for the night.

Our flight from Ethiopia to Zimbabwe today was largely uneventful, except for another unexpected detour-this time to Lusaka, Zambia, However, this stop only lasted an hour. We arrived in  Harare in the early afternoon, and made it through immigration and customs relatively quickly and without hassle.

The rest of the day has been spent moving into the guest house, sharing our testimonies with our fellow group members, learning how to make a "proper cup of tea" and being introduced to Zim pizza. We also experienced our first blackout, losing electricity after dinner. Thankfully, we all brought the headlamps our host missionaries suggested, and were able to carry on with our work during what is a normal life occurrence for Zimbabweans.

Tomorrow we start our orientation and will get a chance to travel around Harare before we start our work here. Prayers are appreciated for rest for the group. Most of us have slept very little, and poorly over the last few days, and we want to make the most of our orientation time.

Thank you again for all of your prayers already! They have been such an encouragement and a blessing.

In His Service,

Mary

Zimbabwe Update #1 May 7

Dear friends,

You are receiving this update because you have supported me in some way, whether financially, through prayer, by giving gifts, or through your friendship. Thank you for being there for me and partnering with me in this ministry.

I will try to keep this email brief because I am up much too late and running on adrenaline right now. Just a summary of what I will be doing and where I am going. I am leaving for Zimbabwe, Africa tomorrow. I plan to spend the next 3 weeks there working as a nursing student in the Karanda Mission Hospital. On the weekends, I will have the opportunity to work with the AWANA club in a local village, as well as to explore the area.

Tomorrow I will covet your prayers as I am flying out of Columbus at 6:10 am. This means I am leaving the house I am staying at in Fairborne, OH at 3:15 am (a time when no one should be awake, in my opinion). I will spend approximately 23 hours in flight, hopping continents from Columbus to DC to Rome to Ethiopia, and finally Harare, Zimbabwe.

As little as I look forward to waking up in such a short time, I am just so excited to share with you how God is already working in this trip, even though we have not even left year. First, God has provided several generous people in my life, including the members of the Grace Baptist Church of London, and my lovely future roommate Bethany Teixeira, who donated items that were specifically requested by the missionaries at Karanda. I hope to go into this more in future emails, but let it suffice to say that at least half of the suitcase space is filled with things I will be leaving at the hospital for the missionaries and patients to use.

Secondly, God has provided 2 great houses for me to stay (and eat!) for free over this weekend. Since Cedarville students are booted out on Saturday, I needed to find someone to live with for Saturday night through Tuesday morning. Some gracious sophomore nursing students staying for Mayterm adopted me into their household for the last 2 days, and tonight, Steph (another one of the girls on the trip) and I are staying with her brother, who kindly agreed to drive us to the airport at the unearthly hour of 3 am.

My third story is slightly amusing (more so looking back on it than when I lived through it) and a good testimony of my absentminded nature. This evening was spent shopping for items requested in a last minute email from the missionaries, and unpacking and repacking our suitcases in order to make everything fit and under the weight limit. Late into the night, I discovered my cell phone had gone missing. While I won't be using it in Harare, I wanted to be able to communicate with my family before I left, so I commenced an in-depth search of the room and all my bags. While looking through my carry on backpack, I discovered to my horror that my passport was missing. Thankfully, after some thought, I remembered leaving it in a scanner on campus, where I had been making copies of it (and had gotten distracted). Steph and I looked online and found the 24/7 campus safety life. The CS officer was very kind and let us into the building, even though it was almost midnight. On top of that, as Steph reminded me, I would not have even thought to look for my passport if I had not been looking for my missing phone. In the end, I found my phone (in my jacket pocket), my passport is safely tucked away, our flight is confirmed for tomorrow at 6:10am.

Thank you all again for how you have come around me, showing such love and support. I hope that you enjoy these updates, and that they are able to show how God is working through my life and in the country of Zimbabwe.

In His Service,

~Mary 

Musing from Lil Bro

His love never fails and never gives up. It never runs out on me. He works in ways invisible to us, but the results of His works are anything but invisible. 

To see His work is to witness the perfection only the perfect Creator can produce. To push it aside as coincidence is not just the action of a fool, but it is blasphemy against the all powerful God of the universe.

He works ALL things together for the good of those who love Him. Not some things, not most things, but ALL THINGS.  To deny that it all is part of perfect plan engineered by a perfect being is beyond logical boundaries, yet we manage to rationalize it to ourselves every day.

Thank God today for His blessings small and large. Thank God today for His perfection. Thank God today for His love that never fails, and never gives up. His plan is perfect. We see a portion, He sees the picture. The choice is yours: Will you run your own life with your limited foresight and human judgement? Or will you turn it all over to the One who sees, knows, loves, and protects you through all things?

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

St. Patrick's Day

As the great-granddaughter of an Irish immigrant who moved to the United States in hopes of a better life, St. Patrick's Day has always had a special place in my heart.
As a hopeful future missionary, a day celebrating a great missionary to the Irish people (however misguided the holiday may be) is special to me as well.

While we may spend this day wearing green, pinching those who are not, and watching big St. Patty's Day parades on TV, I hope we also remember the life's work of the man whose life we are celebrating.

These words, called "St. Patrick's Breastplate", were written in his honor three centuries after his death. I only can hope that I can live MY life daily with these words as my goal.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, 

Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, 

Christ on my right, Christ on my left, 

Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, 

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,  

Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me, 

Christ in the eye that sees me, 

Christ in the ear that hears me. 

Beginning again

For the first time, what's past is past...