Sacrifice - Not Really!

This week I was feeling a little bit sorry for myself. On Sunday we will miss the dedication of our godson, Joshua. Knowing that many of our friends will be joined together and we should really be there, I feel I am missing out again. Just as I have missed out on my sisters 30th birthday, my dad's 60th birthday, Cindy and Martin's wedding, birth's of friends children, St. Mirren's promotion to the SPL and we could go and on and on. I was also sad that our family have missed out on so much of this special time with Heidie's pregnancy. I was upset. I admit I started thinking about some of the sacrifies I have made and asking whether it was worth it and then I read the words of David Livingstone;

"People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can that be called a sacrifice which is simply acknowledging a great debt we owe to our God, which we can never repay? Is that a sacrifice which brings its own reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny? It is emphatically no sacrifice. Rather it is a privilege.

Anxiety, sickness, suffering, danger, foregoing the common conveniences of this life--these may make us pause, and cause the spirit to waver, and the soul to sink; but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing compared with the glory which shall later be revealed in and through us. I never made a sacrifice. Of this we ought not to talk, when we remember the great sacrifice which He made who left His Father's throne on high to give Himself for us."

So that was me put in my place and reminded that the debt we owe is far greater than the sacrifices we make. And besides, me mate Dave (Livingstone) was able to speak these words after enduring and living through great hardships that we can't even begin to imagine. I was reminded that our calling to seek justice and mercy with those in poverty and in greatest need, while at the same time tell them about Christ is a real privilige that has been afforded to us. And indeed it is!

ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN

Our Orphan and Vulnerable Children's (OVC) programme goes from strength to strength here at Chikankata. It's a great project and yesterday we received the good news that funding will be forthcoming for the next year from UNICEF. I have been so touched at some of the places I have visited with regard these activities. It really forward thinking and majors on the idea of community. All the community members are taking responsibility for the most vulnerable of children and I wish some of the spirit of community could be captured in the West. What a difference place the world would be.

Last week with the group from Lurgan we visited our second OVC camp. Deep in the hills of Mabetubwa, there were 90 children camping under the stars (literally). In the morning they undergo some intensive counselling (both individual and group) with our expert team here and then in the afternoon they play games together. The idea is that orphans rarely get time to greive and rarely get time to be children and just play. When their parents die the children usually go and stay with family members, often grandparents. The family are often unable to send them to school so they are quickly sent out into the fields to work. Note this -Every single person that is Zambian and living in the Mission has at least one orphan living with them. In some cases it is as many as 6-8. It's a huge issue in Zambia and a whole parenting generation are being wiped out by HIV/AIDS leaving behind innocent young children.

The day I was at the camp, I played football barefooted - which I regretted the next day when I could hardly walk. Not one of the young football players had shoes and I felt it was a bit much playing in my Timberland boots. Besides it would have been a bit sore on the kids if my big size 11 came thumping on their toes (as if they didn't have enough to worry about!) We played for nearly an hour and no one scored. The centre back trio of The Big Man, Big Ian and wee Chipo kept a very tight ship.

Yesterday, we were asked to do a comprehensive write up of our activites (monograph) which will be published. We are grateful to the many people who sponsor this programme both directly and through corps. It really does make a difference to children's lives. Hopefully we have a good document which will send out the details of this programme so you can read for yourselves the full extent of the programme.

God is good!

Well it's been quite a couple of weeks.

Firstly we had a group of young people here from Lurgan in the UK. We enjoyed their company immensely and hopefully they benefitted from their experiences here at Chikankata. We have a hard job over the last two years convincing people that Mission Team visits are not always about doing stuff. Some groups have got it, others haven't. This one did. Sometimes its ok just being with people. Like playing football with people, like visiting them, like sharing with them and like praying with them. I had a few conversations about how its important that when people visit we don't just come with the intention of just 'doing unto' but it is far more valuable to be with people. The old Salvation Army and colonial spirit is sometimes hard to break down. The craic with the Irish was also great and we had some real enjoyable and moving moments.

Sadly, I missed their departure as I spent one night sampling the services and medical care we provide in Chikankata Hospital before being transferred to Lusaka to another hospital for two nights. I had a problem with muscle spasms in my esophogus and this meant I wasn't able to swallow anything, not even the pills and was rushed (in a Zambian way) to Hospital. I got a huge lecture from a scary Bulgarian doctor in Lusaka about stress and making sure I ate my food properly. I sat with my head bowed as the whole ward could hear. I was cannulated for the first time, receiving 5 days worth of IV anti-biotics and some night time sedation which meant great nights sleep.

This was my first experience of staying overnight in hospital in my life. Most people around the village thought I had been either bewitched or poisoned and I had a few offers of witchdoctors, which I politely declined. Safe to say, that if I was bewitched - which I have come to the conclusion is a serious psychological condition which people do not pay enough attention to (file under "don't get me started on that" - then the power of medication and prayer is stronger as I feel great now. We were really touched by people's concern and on Saturday we received some very special visits from the Chieftainess, the Headman from Chikankata and Kooma village and The Widows Club, who came and sang to us in our living room. It was a very special day for us.

Back to work now and I have been sent an e-mail which had this quote on it -

"I can please only one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow isn't looking good either!"

It's how I feel alot of the time but we feel that that light at end of tunnel is getting nearer and just a few more obstacles to over come, including an external audit on all our account next month. The first full audit in nearly 10 years. That will be interesting!

CHAANGA

So not last week but the week before I took another trip to Chaanga. It's not a journey I like doing particularly but I always enjoy when I get there. The Clinic there is run by the Hospital. Situated deep in the Gwembe Valley the 30 mile journey and takes about 3 hours to get there. There is something about Chaanga that epitomises the Salvation Army and the Chikankata spirit.

Originally opened by the Army as a Dispensary in July 1954, the Clinic now has a small in patients unit and a maternity wing. It is staffed by a nurse, a three health care assistants and a HIV Medic. It is apparently one of the most rural clinics in Zambia due to the poor access and it is a very busy place.

It was recently renovated and painted thanks to a donation from the good folks of Exeter Temple. Above is my mum presenting one of the staff with a mini Exeter the Lion (the daddy is in the Hospital), when we visited in April. While we were there we also visited the school, which was originally built by The Salvation Army but as with all Primary Schools in Zambia it is now run by the Government. Sadly the school buildings are now in need of much repair. However we were intrigued by the rules in one of the classrooms.

Over the rain seasons the road becomes impassable and during the dry season it is also quite dangerous. Alot of the time you are just driving on rocks but there are some stunning views to be had.

However not quite as dangerous as during the Rhodesian struggles, when this part of the country was embroiled in some of the difficultues and became heavily landmined. As we still do today, if one of the mobile clinic vehicles does not return in time from the Gwembe Valley, we send out another vehicle to look for it. In October 1979, a mobile clinic did not return and so a vehicle was dispatched to look for them (this is the abridged version of the story!). On finding the mobile clinic still at Channga, they returned home but unfortunately on the way home, one of the vehicles drove over a landmine and the consequences for the vehicle were disastrous. Fortunately the occupants of the vehicle escaped unscathed apart from blown eardrums. The story goes that on their safe return the staff gather together for a prayer meeting in the chapel where they sang together "I know he cares for me".

This week we have finally ordered the new Ambulance. Despite raising all the money earlier this year, the Salvation Army administrative system is a little cumbersome sometimes. One of the people who logged on to the justgiving website and gave generously was none other than Alan Slator from Worthing Corps in the UK, the driver of the vehicle above (pictured) and great supporter of Chikankata!

We have been become increasingly aware of the fine heritage and service Chikankata has given over the years. I struggled for a long time with the whole idea of The Salvation Army being involved in institutional health care due to the financial implications and pressures it puts on people. However this week I read a passage of the bible where Jesus is sending out 72 evangelists. He tells them to heal the sick and then tell them that their God is near. It's taking a while but it does make sense.

Chikankata Hospital - To serve God and the people

LIVINGSTONE (one of only two African places to have kept its colonial name)

So I have spent two highly contrasting weekends in Livingstone in the last month. The first was a flying visit from Kev F-H, where we were so privileged to spend a weekend at the 5 star Royal Livingstone Hotel. What a fantastic hotel. We were spoilt and lived in a different world for just a couple of days. No having to pour buckets of water over your head to wash, you could flush the toilet every time and stay in the shower for as long as you like. We ate like kings and queens (I ate like the kings before Shrimper Gazza writes any rude comments!) and Heidie enjoyed a very colonial type afternoon tea in particular.

This weekend we took a youth group from Lurgan (will blog about them later) down to Livingstone and stayed in a backpackers. Well I know you can't expect much for $8 a night but it was not the best and I was blooming freezing the whole time. Here's a sentence I never thought I see myself write: In the end I was looking forward to getting back to the home comforts of Chikankata - at least its warm there and I can control the volume of the flaming music.

It doesn't matter how many times you see the Victoria Falls or what season you see it in, it is truly magnificant and lives us to its billing as one of the seven natural wonders of the world. All those who accompanied us on both occassions wholeheartedly agreed.

"Scenes so lovely they must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight"

David Livingstone (who "discovered" the Falls on 16 November 1855)

ps. Blantyre is the other

pps Blantyre is the birth place of David Livingstone

(It's just one big history lesson)