Salibonani Friends!
So great to be able to share with you all once again! The above greeting is Ndebele and used here in Zimbabwe. It has been three months since we were last here, and yes, we are back! We are so very sorry for the delay in our first post, but it’s a great indicator of how busy we have been!
Rachel, our daughter, arrived with us Saturday, July 12, into Bulawayo. The weather here is just amazing – it is rare to see a cloud in the blue sky and the temperature is just perfect during the day. On Sunday July, 13 we welcomed: John and Lyle Illges with their children, John Jr., Anne Lyle, and Mary Grier; Jeri Stewart; Rachel Harp; and Thomas Carroll, all from Columbus, GA. This is Rachel Harp’s 2nd trip and Jeri’s 5th. Most of this team came mainly to assist and work in tennis camps throughout the high-density western suburbs, which is a passion that I (Jane) have had for several years. This is a vast area of the city of Bulawayo with a large, very poor population. The camps lasted Monday-Thursday and were an incredible success. Kids young and old were able to hone their tennis abilities while also hearing about God’s love! Each day was a blessing and all involved were so great to work with! At the same time Steve saw patients and performed surgery at Mater Dei Hospital. This is the sister hospital to St. Francis in Columbus, GA and we are looking forward to having a second team from St. Francis join us in a few days.
Friday brought the first eye camp of our trip! Steve, John Sr, John Jr, and Thomas headed to Maphisa Hospital with a local organization, Council for the Blind, to perform cataract surgeries. There was one other doctor in addition to Steve, and between the two of them they completed 37 cataract extractions! It was a sight to see. This same day the rest of the tennis team headed to visit a local orphanage, loving on and playing with the children! What a beautiful example of God’s love for us.
The first full weekend consisted of great adventures in Matopos National Park where we were able to visit our dear friends Peter and Di. Watching the stars and Milky Way in the African sky must be one of the most amazing things in the world. To see God’s work is truly amazing; each of us was in awe. After some great volleyball and an incredible braai (local term for a cookout), we headed back to Bulawayo Baptist Church Sunday morning for a great service.
Our second team, and first from St. Francis Hospital in Columbus, GA, arrived Sunday afternoon. The team consists of Dr. George McCluskey, his son Milton, Kim Koon, Brooke Aitchison, and Dr. Dominic Salamogna. They have been hard at work in surgery, teaching and lecturing since Monday morning and have thoroughly enjoyed spending time with the people here and learning more about the developing partnership between our cities and hospitals.
On Monday, July 21, the tennis team joined Dr. Steve for an eye camp at Matobo School clinic. We saw over 120 patients before the day ended and gave out over 80 pairs of glasses. The people in the area were amazing. It is difficult to describe in words the joy of a lady who was able to see and read again – all it took was a simple pair of glasses. They may be old or dated to one person, but life changing to another. We are so grateful to all those who have donated glasses and other things in the past – we can always use more so let us know if you have some you would like to send to Zimbabwe!
On Tuesday, July 22, the tennis team headed to Victoria Falls for a few days to enjoy some time together. They enjoyed great meals as well as one of the most beautiful sites in the world – Victoria Falls and the Zambezi River. Steve continued with another day of surgery on Tuesday with eye exams and post-op checkups following on Wednesday.
We continue to be excited about our work here in Zimbabwe and as mentioned earlier, we have partnered with St. Francis Hospital to help build a great relationship with a local hospital, Mater Dei. About two months ago we packed a 20 foot container loaded with eye and hospital equipment to be used here. It is currently in transit and we hope to see it arrive very soon.
We have been here now for a week and a few days and we have only just been able to post a blog – wow it has been busy! While the schedule has been full, each day has been a great blessing and lots of fun. Our time here since arriving has been nothing short of amazing, and we know there is much in store for the two more weeks we have. God is so good, and we are each thankful to be here serving these people. We hope to post a few more blogs before we wrap up this current adventure! Be sure to click on the gallery and check out the pictures!
God bless each of you and until next time!
Comments are closed.