New visitors, Area Conference and Abbey left

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On late Friday night a new visitor, Makayla Hunt arrived from Seattle, WA.  She is a student at Seattle Pacific University majoring in Global Outreach.  She brought us a new machine that has been made by our friends at PATH in Seattle that makes bleach from table salt.  We trailed a machine for them 3 years ago and this saves us so much money and transport for all the bleach we use for the hospital.

Makayla went to work starting the machine working and taking notes for PATH.  She has been busy on helping us with our research project following kids on ART drugs by doing some computer work on this for us.

On Tuesday we were joined by Kristen Guthrie.  Kristen's grandfather Rusty Clark and his wife Jackie served with us from 1986-1988.  Jackie died about 4 years ago and Rusty is still alive and well at 94 1/2 years young!  She is working on her MPH and decided to be here to do her clinical experience and see where her grandparents served and enjoyed so much.

Not many of us are left who were here during that time, but one of the maintenance men that Rusty worked with was Tapson Chikunichawa and so Rusty sent him a pair of shoes with Kristen to say hi!  He was very surprised and happy!

On Thursday our church Area Conference started.  This is an annual event that we have for our 62 churches we oversee.  This year we sent our lorry to bring people from our further churches in Mola--48 people came from there.  They speak the Tonga language so it is fun for us to hear their singing.  

We have had many more people than we even expected for the conference and we have counted over 700 people that are attending.  We have been rushing around to find food to feed everyone.  The service at night there are people standing--all areas are used for seating and kids are sitting on the stage and people are outside hanging inside from windows!  The church is packed!

This morning Kennedy, Makayla and Abbey took off to Harare.  We have 3 visitors from University of Washington Physical Therapy Department arriving tonight.  Kennedy is going to Vic Falls tomorrow and abbey leaves for the UK and home on Tuesday and Makayla will come back tomorrow with the group from WA.  So I have Kristen only for a day--a nice rest for me.

Kristen went off on a Road Traffic Accident about an hour from here this morning to put her EMT training into use.  Luckily, the accident wasn't too bad but one boy was brought back with some head lacerations and a broken leg after being thrown out of an open truck that lost brakes on the way down a hill.

I was called for a C/Section this morning (19 in the past month) and had to say a quick goodbye to Abbey before they took off for Harare.  I came home at lunch to take a nap--made me feel so much better!  

Kennedy and Abbey working filing green cards--ART records


 Makayla and the bleach machine

Kristen and Tapson


 Church Conference at Chidamoyo


Saying goodbye to Abbey




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