Wrapping Up Zambia 2019

Looking back on our time in Zambia, my favorite part was definitely working in the clinic and getting to know the physiotherapists and patients in Macha. We saw a wide variety of injuries from strokes and SCI to fractures and soccer injuries. A lot of our time was spent analyzing x-rays and casting. We were even able to assist with two fracture reductions in the operating theatre. Each of us worked with different patients and had different experiences.

Hannah and I spent a lot of time with one patient in particular. He is a 28-year-old that had a hip replacement in September after a fracture while playing soccer. Nine months after surgery he was still using crutches for mobility and was barely able to get up on the treatment table due to weakness and pain. The first time we saw him he was less than enthusiastic about coming to physical therapy. We spent a lot of time working on hip strengthening and eventually progressed to weight shifting and stepping in the parallel bars. By our last day he was adding reps to each exercise. Every time I told him two more, he would say, “No, five”. Once he started in the parallel bars it was hard to get him to stop. Every time I asked him if he wanted to take a break, he said, “No, I want to walk.” On our last day he tried to convince us to stay another week to finish up his physical therapy. It was encouraging to see the progress he made in such a short time. I really enjoyed getting to know him and seeing his attitude toward physical therapy change.

In between treating patients, we spent our time with the Macha physiotherapists reviewing and discussing different topics such as special tests, PNF, and NDT. It was interesting to see the similarities and differences in treatment. I enjoyed getting to know the physiotherapists and learning from their experience. We also got to spend some time with them outside of the clinic, watching the sun set from the top of a water tower, playing card games, and doing aerobics. By the end of our time at Macha it was hard to say goodbye. It is amazing how much of an impact people can have on your life in just two weeks. I hope to someday get to see my friends in Zambia again, but until then we all plan to continue exchanging resources and knowledge.
 -Mallory


On Wednesday morning, we joined the team from new day orphanage and headed back to Livingstone for our excursion. Our first stop was an early lunch at a local restaurant where we ordered pizza. Afterwards we headed to Victoria Falls- one of the seven natural wonders of the world! When we arrived, baboons were waiting for us to see if they could snatch some food or drinks. They roam freely around the falls and are known to take snacks or other food items from tourists. Once we got into the park we hiked around the falls.

After hiking we went to the Big Air Bungee experience. Jamie, Mallory, Brandon, and I bungee jumped off the Victoria falls bridge at the Zimbabwe/Zambia border. Hannah signed up for the swing, thinking she was in for a luxurious and relaxing swing over Victoria falls- but ended up unexpectedly free falling 111 meters off the bridge before the swinging part actually happened. This bungee jump is the second tallest jump in the world right over the river at the base of Victoria Falls. After the bungee jumping we went to the local market for some souvenir shopping. We spent the evening at a candlelit dinner joined with the New Day team.

The next morning we woke up super early and headed to Botswana for a safari. On the way in we had to go through border control and took a ferry (with local truck divers) over the Zambezi River to get to Botswana. We were able to enjoy some coffee and sandwiches before beginning the first bit of the safari. We headed to a small river in Chobe national park and took a boat for the morning safari. On the river we saw crocodiles, hippos, various birds, water buffalo and other animals going to the river to drink water. After the boat tour we headed to a nice lodge for lunch and went back out for part two on a safari jeep. We saw some more elephants closer in person, kudu, impala, a python, and some more hippos and crocodiles. Such a cool experience!! I think everyone on the trip enjoyed these last two days. It was a nice way to close out our time in Africa together.

-Morgan

NEW DAY ORPHANAGE

Our trip to New Day Friday evening required another trip on the wild ride that is Macha road. With a new twist, this trip was done in a very African safari looking range rover jeep with all 8 of us squished together in the back, the bags thrown on top, and George once again behind the wheel flashing his big smile as always. It was our first time on the road in the day time, so we had the opportunity to see what was beyond the hospital grounds (while also periodically screening for rogue luggage after bumps into the road). Many people walk Macha road and would readily wave to passing cars. Along the road there were various shapes and sizes of living quarters made out of all sorts of materials- the sturdiest being brick and cement. More common housing was composed of grass covered huts with branches, mud or bricks making up the walls. Chickens, cows, goats and quail-looking things that we dont know the name of strolled around people's land and in the roads as well. After getting to cuddle with each other in the back of the rover for about 40 minutes, we saw the gates for the New Day Orphanage campus.

Once we were ushered in by a security guard and a cute dog, George took us right up to our bunkhouse for the weekend. We didn't realize that there was a group of kiddos waiting to greet us on the other end of the road, so we walked over and heard the cutest group of kiddos singing to welcome us. Then, the sweetest little faces walked up and each shook each of our hands to greet us- which is the custom in their culture (you can’t just greet a whole group at once, each person greets everyone). After the wonderfully warm welcome, we settled in at the bunkhouse and got ourselves cleaned up in our first real showers of the journey. I think I speak for everyone when I say that getting to shower, wash our hands with running water, and use flushing toilets was a much-needed refreshment!! You dont realize how dirty you are until you get a real washin'. The refreshing continued when we were offered a wonderful meal and a cold beverage. I'm not sure if it was the fact that the coke was so tasty in that moment or the fact that it was carbonated, but my eyes watered a little bit.

The next morning, we explored the grounds of the orphanage with a tour from Wes himself. The orphanage is set up to where his house and the teachers live at one end while the children and their house mothers live at the other end in different houses. In between the two is where the school buildings are situated. We toured a computer lab, the library, the cafeteria and peeked in a few classrooms. Each building was vibrantly painted within, giving each room a welcoming atmosphere. The grounds also included a playground next to the children's houses, a basketball court, a volleyball net, and a soccer field (which we quickly took advantage of when the tour was over). As far as the way the school is run, Wes and Lori have designed the campus to keep the children in their own culture and have designed the education to make sure they know English and their native language (Tonga) to be as successful as possible. At the heart of their school is biblical education that gives the children the opportunity to choose to accept Jesus as their savior and live their life for Him. Spending any amount of time with the children showed evidence of God's presence and love. It was an honor to hear Wes and Lori's testimony of how God has used them to spread so much hope and love to a community in need.

When we reached the playground at the end of the tour, we played with some of the younger children. I had the pleasure to meet little Laston who enjoyed anything truck-related- especially drawing them in the dirt! Then while I was kneeling to observe the truck drawing, a little boy came over and sat on my knee and snuggled up. Talk about absolutely melting your heart. It was the sweetest 20 minute snuggle I had ever gotten- the little guy put his little cheek right in the crook of my neck and didn’t move a muscle besides the little hand I felt periodically tugging on my braid. The very social Laston informed me that the little boy's name was Bleston. The rest of the group found snuggles of their own, and we were all in love with our new friends!

To get some quality time with the older children, Kailyn challenged them to a soccer game. No one knew what we were getting ourselves into when we saw who we were playing. Thinking our size and life experience would help us, we confidently took the field- only to see ourselves down 8-0 at the first water break. Soccer is a big part of the culture in Zambia, which was very evident in the skills the children displayed. 14 year old Mesheck and his buddies Joseph and Emanuel were some of the boys that stood out as great players. Disappointed with the lack of competition, the kids decided to lend us a couple of their players to make the game worth their time (it was only at this point that we scored 2 goals). After getting slaughtered in soccer, we decided to try some Volleyball. I am happy to report that once the rule was made that they could not kick the volleyball like a soccer ball, we were able to scrape up a win after losing the first set. Although our dignity took a beating, we seriously enjoyed getting to spend time with the older kids of the orphanage!

Later in the evening, we had the chance to play with the little ones again before their dinner and got them all riled up and hyper! The newest adopted child at the orphanage was a little guy named Luke who would throw his arms out and run up to everyone and anyone who would hold him. He had big dimples and adorable chubby cheeks and adored the slide. I could go on and on about each of the kiddos we met, but I realize this blog is already out of hand as it is… so you can go to the website about new day orphanage where you can donate or become a sponsor of a child to get them to school and help provide for their care. Wes and his wife run off of donations and would love to answer any questions with the contact info on the website!

The next morning we experienced the New Day church. We carried our chairs from the bunkhouse to the church and got to see all the children attending. There were multiple speakers, with some church discussion over scripture. Multiple members would pray, and different people would read scripture for the pastors. Everyone seemed so involved and passionate. In the middle of the service, different groups of women danced up to the front of the church in a line while worshipping, then they would sing a couple songs and dance back to the back of the church. Their music was beautiful, and their dancing made the whole experience mesmerizing! The best part for me was when one of the orphanage residents, Steven, snuck away from his house mom and came and sat on my lap for a little while during the service. He didn’t say anything, but just let me snuggle him for a little while and then got down and walked back where he was supposed to be. There’s nothing like a precious little person wanting some snuggles in church, and it made my day. Once church was over, we had the privilege to be cheerleaders at the baptisms of some the orphanage residents! Watching Wes baptize children that God had enabled him to help save was a special moment for everyone to see the fruit of God’s work in the orphanage. It was a meaningful send off to put things into perspective before we headed back to Macha for the remainder of our clinic time.

-Hannah

Pictures from the Z-Team's Week #1

Three Perspectives of Zambia Week #1

From Paul: 
Our journey started in Springfield where Dr. K Jones and Nate drove us to begin our journey to Africa. We were ready to begin our journey and Brittany had bought an iced lavender latté for the journey. Our first flight intended for Chicago was delayed an hour seemingly at the last second. Little did we know this was a bit of foreshadowing for what laid ahead. Our flight was making great time until our plane was put in a holding pattern due to inclement weather over Chicago. Our flight to London was scheduled to leave in 3 minutes by the time we got off the plane and B-rabbit (Brandon) took off in an act of heroism to try to hold the plane. Great effort by b rabbit but it was too late. We missed our flight. Uncertainty started to set in and morale was low during the following hours in Chicago. Morgan and Mallory were negotiating with American Airlines customer service for what seemed like hours with a nice gentleman named Khalil. The rest of the Zambia team waited in anticipation. Finally from afar we could see the Khalil stapling something together and Morgan and Mallory returned with our tickets. We were headed to Barcelona. Upon arrival in Barcelona, B rabbit thought he heard his name called over the intercom and was flying around the airport trying to find an airport employee to help him. Unfortunately, It was around 2pm in Europe and there were no employees in sight. After going through security where Brandon was searched extensively including a mouth swab. Tough day for B rabbit, but we made it to our gate to where Morgan and Hannah had to fight tooth and nail at the front desk to get their boarding pass printed because Khalil had trouble printing their boarding passes.... we could feel the line of Europeans growing restless as the boarding passes were sorted out. Once aboard our plane to London things were starting to look up. In London, the Z-team was on top of the world. After going through security where Brandon’s prescription shampoo was confiscated, The Z-team treated themselves to a nice dinner in a sit down restaurant at the airport. Mallory got a 21-ounce porter house steak and a pomegranate Tea which looked incredible. The team was having a little bit too much fun and quickly lost track of time. Just like that we were in a mad dash to gate 42 which we had to take a shuttle to get too. We would be lying if we said we weren’t scared. We made it to the gate 42 for our flight to Johannesburg in the nick of time to find that 4 out of the 6 team members had boarding passes that wouldn’t scan correctly. For the second city in a row we were faced with a crowd of Europeans who were beginning to grow restless... Our flight to Johannesburg was 11 hours and it was pretty crazy. Upon arrival in Johannesburg, the Z team was glad to be on the homestretch. After going through security where poor Brittany wasn’t able to scan her boarding pass and was separated from the group for a few anxiety provoking minutes. We would finally board our flight to Zambia! Touching down in Zambia was an incredible feeling. A memory we’ll never forget is seeing Brandon crying his eyes out in sheer joy. The Z team had finally made it. We arrived at the airport in Livingstone, Zambia to find that none of the checked luggage had made it to our final destination... Gracious. We were greeted at the airport by a taxi driver that took us to a local grocery store to exchange our US dollars to Zambian Kwacha. We arrived at our hotel named Jollyboys Camp. This was a pretty happening place equipped with a jacuzzi and swimming pool. That night we ate dinner from a local takeout place in Livingstone where an unnamed member of the Zambia team ate 1 kilo of crocodile ribs... that’s the equivalent of 2.2 Lbs.... gracious. Anyways the Z team conversed with some other travelers and retired to their living quarters to recuperate from the traveling. The next morning the Z team went to pick up there long lost team member Jamie who had also had her fair share of traveling difficulties. We greeted Jamie at the airport. This was a great moment as the Zambia team was nearly complete and things were really coming together and we had gained a valuable member. The Zambia team was loaded onto a bus where we met some of the physiotherapists from the Macha Hospital where we would be working. Our journey to Macha Hospital was a long but entertaining trip. We talked with the therapists and enjoyed each other’s company. We finally turned on the final road to Macha which is a long bumpy dirt road. The Z team had no idea they were in for the ride of their life. The Zambia team found themselves flying down this dirt road going what seemed like 60 mph... Our top heavy passenger Van was rocking like a ship on the ocean but our driver George, an employee of Macha Hospital, was not scared and finessed every turn with skill that could only be compared to Jeff Gordon himself. The team arrived at our quaint guest house on the hospital property with the team frozen in fear but glad to be home. The Zambia team members were finally assembled as we finally met up with our fearless team leader Kailyn Dearing.

From Brandon: 
The theme of this trip so far has been “We don’t know what will happen, but God is in control.” We have found ourselves trusting God with several things and over and over again we have been amazed by God’s way of getting us through any bump in the road... sometimes literal bumps in the road (the dirt road rides have been very trusting times). It has been this same trust in God with our experiences in the physiotherapy clinic. Most of the team came on this trip with barely any real clinic experience, but each day we have prayed about God working through us and in our interactions with the locals of Macha. We have witnessed his power over us as we have treated patients together along with the therapists who work at the clinic. We have also been able to share our knowledge and techniques with the therapists as they share their ways of treating in Macha. The main difference between our styles of treatment are the availability of resources. The lack of medicine and medical equipment makes treatment much simpler, but also less sufficient in most cases that we have seen in Macha. Being able to supply some medical devices has already made a difference as we have found much use for them in many of the ortho cases that we have treated. One of my experiences in the clinic has been with an older gentleman who came to be treated for osteoarthritis in his knees. This man was an absolute joy to work with as we made each other laugh and told each other about our families and spiritual beliefs. He told me about his 14 children and how he became a Jehovah’s Witness. Although we don’t share the exact same beliefs, he still allowed me to pray for him before he left and was happy to had let me pray with him. Although I may never see him again, I still felt God’s presence as I prayed over him and can trust God to work through his life.

From Brittany:
 Macha is a rural community situated in the southern part of Zambia. Many of the locals survive off of farming or work within the Macha Mission Hospital system. The primary language spoken within the region is Tonga. However, many speak some English as well. The women often wrap a colorful, patterned cloth around their waists to wear as as a skirt called a chitengi. It is also utilized to secure babies and toddlers to their backs as they go about their daily routine.

The road (Macha Road) leading to the community is bumpy and full of pot holes. Due to this, the ride into town is not easy. Once in Macha, everything seems to smooth out, however. This is due to the hospitality that we have been met with. The people light up while exchanging the morning greeting. They are friendly and willing to alter their plans in order to help. We experienced this when the team decided to walk to a local football (soccer) game. When we stopped to ask for directions, a local boy ditched his ride to the game to walk 2 miles to the field with us. All along the way, he remained interested in our stories and freely shared information about himself and the town.

While here, we have sadly experienced the loss of a 17 year old from the village. This loss showed us the importance of community within this culture and town. Off and on throughout the day, a large procession of people could be heard singing and playing the drums as they mourned over and celebrated the life of their loved one.

The greatest lesson learned from our friends in Macha thus far is how to love without restriction and how to cherish each moment.

Made it to Macha!

We have word that all members of the Z Team are now in Zambia and safely at Macha Mission Hospital. Finally! They are missing a few pieces of checked luggage, but they are all in good spirits and doing well. They will be without internet the rest of this week, so a summary of the week’s work will be posted over the weekend. Thanks for holding them up in prayer!