Saturday, June 21, 2008.
Over the last couple of days, our group from The University Church has been busy here at the Kafakumba Training Center in Ndola, Zambia.
Several of us went to visit the nearby village of Baluba where the folks at Kafakumba have been trying to build a clinic for the last few years. The building is finished and since our last visit a year ago they have managed to get the electric company to run power line across the main road and into the village. Now they need to get electricity from the pole in to the building, which requires new permits and permissions and will cost around $4,000. When electricity is in place it will be possible to start thinking about equipping the clinic and staffing it in ways that train local people to assume leadership roles. Maybe we can help with this….
Mary Kay and Bobby have been conducting surveys among the local pastors about the health conditions in their villages and the extent of local knowledge about HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Every now and again we encounter a worldview conflict face-to-face: Bobby saw the lead missionary, John Enright, ask a group of pastors if they believed that a witch could call down lightening and kill a person. Almost every pastor – around 120 – raised their hand to say “yes”.
Anna and Hollis are now friends with nearly every child in the compound and have been doing great work in the children’s ministry. Yesterday, one of the local staff people was away attending a funeral and so Anna and Hollis were especially needed among the children.
Julian is starting his Saturday with an 8:00 a.m. class on church planting with the first-year pastors!
Cindy and Mary Kay held a session with the women here on women’s health issues where the women could ask questions – there were lots on a whole range of subjects from personal hygiene to menopause.
