LEAVING TODAY

We are packed and ready to go.  We spent Sunday afternoon at Mission Heart in Central City packing for the trip.  Each of us has 2 large (50 lb) checked bags mostly full of medical supplies.  We are only allowed at 15 lb carryon - backpack, so we're all weighed to 49.5 lb and 14 lb respectively.

I wanted to add pictures of us packing, but my photos

ZAMBIA PREPARATIONS

We are nearing our departure date for Zambia.  Kim, a nurse from Lincoln, is the team leader and heading out in a week with a smaller group. We've had a saga about anesthesia.  The Chifundo clinic added on to their building to make it possible to do more surgery.  They have already been able to do cataract surgery, but now we're adding general anesthesia.  We have a CRNA who has done missions in the past and traveled a lot.  To that end, we have procured an anesthesia machine.  Initially we thought we had one donated from a hospital that closed.  It was to be shipped on a cargo container in March, but time was running out so we bought a different machine and at the last minute received the donated machine too.  They both got on the container, but we just found out it was hung up in Singapore.  In addition to all that, we've had a donation of a portable anesthesia machine just this week from a retired Army anesthetist that we decided we'd better take along in case the container doesn't arrive in time.

This is the whole thing.  It weighed around 85 lb.  We picked up the portable machine - it's never been used and was from an Army surplus place in 1997. 

It is shiny and new and looks totally workable, even coming with the instruction manual, but the big problem we found is that it's too heavy for the checked bags.  It would cost $400 each way on United airlines, but Emirates airlines won't allow this much weight at all.  Sooooooo.....  John (the fixit guy) now has figured out how to take it apart to carry it in pieces so the weight will be OK.

This is the machine opened up and taken apart. 

It looks like it will all come together OK.  We have anesthetics to take also and will split them up into several suitcases in case of luggage problems.  We've got it all covered through TSA and the airlines.  Who knows? Maybe we'll end up with 3 anesthesia machines.  

We're getting commissioned at Federated Church in Columbus next Sunday and will be packing in Central City the following Sunday.  Anyone who is interested in donating to our cause can make checks payable to Columbus Medical Mission Team and send it to Federated Church, 2704 15th St.

Columbus NE 68601.  It will help cover the machine we bought and additional supplies ordered.  There seem to be more expenses than usual since we are starting up general anesthesia at the Chifundo Clinic in Zambia.  We are all getting excited for the trip.

ZAMBIA MEETING 2018

2018 ZAMBIA TEAM

We had a planning meeting for our mission to Zambia today at our house in Columbus.  The agency we're working with is Gospelink - http://gospelink.com/

Our Columbus Medical Mission Team has come together with this group from Nebraska.  We are lining up really well for the Eye/ENT surgical team. 

Back L->R Dr. Nila N. Otolaryngologist, John N., MacGyver, Dr. Pete D., Ophthalmologist, Sam W., surgery nurse, Dr. Alicia M., hospitalist, Giana B., PA.

Middle row L->R Kim S., nursing, Sandra W., nursing, Heather N., surgery nurse, Elsa G., Dental asst, translator, Miguel G., MA, translator.

Front L->R Casey S., nursing, Nancy G., nursing, Jenn L., Nurse Anesthetist.

We were only missing a couple of the medical missionaries, but we have 2 others on board - Emily and Namdar, both nursing.

We discussed travel plans, equipment and supplies we'll need and saw photos of the place we'll be going.

Good resources I recommended include getting a copy of Town Nyanja, the local language and Into Africa by Dugard that includes some of the history of the area and tells the story of Stanley and Livingstone. Also, the blog by Dr. Marjie Heier has a lot of interesting information about Chifundo Clinic  http://chifundoclinicstep.blogspot.com and Mission Heart on FB has a lot of information and is loading supplies on a cargo container to be shipped soon.  They have shipped two already in the last few months. We are waiting on word about an anesthesia machine that may be donated that we can get on the cargo container.

There is a lot to think about.  We've got some very experienced people and some newbies just applying for their passports who haven't traveled outside the US.  It will be the trip of a lifetime.  Only two of our team has been to Zambia before and we'll be joining some folks from S. Carolina and/or Maryland who are going to help with education and have been to Zambia. Keep us in your prayers.  We are always taking donations of supplies and money.

I will add bios of the team as we approach the trip in July. 

In the meantime, John is heading to Nicaragua with Global Passion Ministries along with Tam B's team in February. I'll see if he can write some of the blog while he's there. 

NN

CHIFUNDO CLINIC - ZAMBIA

I haven't written a blog for awhile, but I had an excellent visit with Dr. Marjie Heier today that I have to share. Marjie Scheuneman Heier, MD grew up in Schuyler, Nebraska (just down the road from here).  Her parents have moved to Columbus and I've gotten to know them. I am now on the board of Chifundo Clinic in Zambia, where she works and has a long term committment.  She is a Family Physician who practiced medicine in Nebraska for 22 years before answering the call to Zambia.  She partnered with Gospelink that has a Bible College in Zambia.  She went to run the health clinic there a couple years ago and it has grown to the point of seeing 2,500-4,000 patients a month.  She is the only physician, but has nursing staff and Zambian help.
She visited our church today and presented her story.  We went to lunch with her afterword and are looking at how we can help.

She is working on a building project to add clinic rooms, operating rooms and hospital rooms along with equipment.  They still need about $$$$ for the building and many other needs. In addition to that, they visit local villages and schools, working on malnutrition, HIV, immunizations, malaria, TB and education. They are making a huge difference in the poorest area in Zambia.  In addition to money for these various projects, they will be sending a large cargo container from Grand Island in the next couple of months with a variety of medical and educational supplies.  I'm sending our set of Encyclopedias among other things, even though it is old.  Some teacher friends are planning to send books as well. The national language is English, so they are accepting used books of all kinds for all ages, as some of the poorest schools have no books at all. They can use English, science, math and books to stock the school libraries. Social Studies would not be as useful since it's American.

If you would like to help with this project, contact me via this blog or FB.  Donations can be dropped off at my office as well. 

I'm putting Zambia on the radar for my mission travels, but for the moment we are planning to go to Haiti again next spring.  Nepal took a lot out of us and it's taken awhile to regroup and begin planning.  I'm sure Haiti would never have an EARTHQUAKE!!!  Ha! NN