02/09/2024
Joy – Sunday morning found the MSI team viewing the unique sights of downtown Blantyre as our van drove us past outdoor markets to the Zambezi Evangelical Church, pastored by Milton Kandiero. Three hours of worshipful singing, dancing, and preaching inspired us and powerfully reminded us that people around the world were joining us in praising the Lord. The women’s ministry provided a special selection of Malawian hymns with choreographed dancing – and the ladies on the MSI team were “invited” to join, even though none of us had the wonderful sense of rhythm the Lord gave our African friends.
Clinic Day 1 – Nakomo with Pastor Hayes
Joy -after two hours of jostling and bumping together, the clinic structure prepared by Pastor Hayes Metani of Mahalla Ministries came into view. We were all stunned by the tremendous amount of work he and his volunteers had invested. Clearing land, cutting trees and shaping them into poles for scaffolding, lacing the poles together with rope to form rooms for a clinic, covering the lattice work with thick plastic bags used for flour and sugar storage, the structure amazingly allowed our clinic to function well and protected everyone from the hot sun while even allowing a slight breeze to pass through.
We quickly set up an operational clinic with stations for registration, vital signs, dental care, eye glasses, health education, fluoride treatment for children’s teeth, physicians, prayer and counseling, and pharmacy. Malawian volunteers manned the registration station, learning the patients’ names, ages, additional demographic information as well as their chief complaint. Ann Ransom from Colorado joined Hannah Metani, Pastor Hayes’ daughter, and Davey, another Malawian nurse to expertly obtain patients’ weights, temperatures, and blood pressures.
Joy - we were blessed to have three Malawian physicians (George, Charles and Rodrick) working with us, so Karl and Jane Anderson often called upon their expertise to help accurately assess patients. All children received topical fluoride dental treatment, and Malawian dentist, Demson, extracted over 60 teeth. Patients left his exam room grinning, despite the cotton in their cheeks! All patients were presented with the Good News of the Gospel by Pastor Hayes, Pastor Milton Kandiero, and later in the week by Pastor Davis Galero.
Clinic Day 2 – Helping Hands Orphanage
Joy – overflowing as children greeted us with singing as we entered the village of Chipatala on Tuesday where Pastor Hastings Kajomba has built the Helping Hands Orphanage “Hope and Joy Clinic”. His ministry includes a feeding program for over 500 children and their “agogos” (grandparents), a farming project with banana trees, beans, and mango trees supplied with water by two hand-dug wells, a vocational training program where children learn to sew school uniforms on pedal driven machines, and a new high school building project that will provide a boarding school for the community - a crucial development that will allow girls to attend high school without fear of being r***d and killed while walking to school. (The village has already lost 7 girls to vicious attacks in the past year.)
Day 3 – Chikwawa Prison
Joy - because we could share God’s love with the inmates and assure them that we came from America to remind them the Lord has not forgotten them. Joyful as we learned that a prisoner, we had been praying for had been released early on parole. Joyful because many of the men were grateful for their imprisonment as that is where they accepted the Lord as Savior – due to the work of local pastors who assist in weekly Bible studies in the prison. Joyful because even the guards and chief medical officer greeted us with anticipation and gratitude for our service. Most importantly, joyful because prisoners acknowledged their sin and accepted the Lord as their Savior.
Day 4 – Chikwawa
Joy –Our fourth day of clinic found us traversing the same treacherous road to Chikwawa, but this time to serve alongside Pastor Milton Kandiero of God’s Servants Ministries in his home village where he has previously erected a multipurpose building that provides space for food storage, classrooms, and disaster relief. This year we “christened” the use of his new medical clinic building, designed so well that we were able to have all five physicians as well as the vital sign station in the clinic’s waiting room area.
Kristell Willmer from California utilized her nurse practitioner skills in the busy treatment station, assisted by Malawian nurse and pastor, Austin. Many tests for malaria, HIV, diabetes and syphilis were performed, wounds were cleansed and drained, and even some IV meds for malaria were infused.
Chifunira, Isaac Chikonde’s wife, treated all the children who came to the clinics with topical fluoride to protect their teeth as they enjoy chewing on sugar cane, while Malawian volunteers, Monica and Mary assisted people who sought reading glasses and they left her station incredibly grateful they could now read their Bibles.
Clinic day 5 – Healing Hands Clinic
Joy – Last year we served in Project Heart to Heart’s new clinic, Healing Hands, in an underserved area of Blantyre and this year we returned there for our last day of clinic. What a joy to see the fulfillment of Amos’ and Isaac’s dreams. A central open space allowed easy access to each of the stations, so patients flowed seamlessly through the clinic. That was especially helpful as over 241 patients presented for care even though this was a shortened clinic day due to the need for Malawian volunteers to return to their homes, many of which were miles way.
Laurie Anderson from Oregon, is our expert patient flow coordinator. Having served with MSI from its founding, Laurie, too, demonstrates God’s compassion as she gently touches the elderly, assists the crippled from their seats to help them stand, and cheerfully guides each patient, no matter how busy and hectic the clinic.
Sharon Rittenhouse from California enthusiastically and proficiently took charge of the pharmacy with the help of Malawian nurse, Freshington and our founder, John Geigert. Her cheerful disposition remained throughout the week, even as she provided the medications for over 1200 patients who took home over 2400 prescriptions. She definitely encouraged each of us in our ‘joyful journey’.
As we reflect on the past 12 days, we realize we have traveled over 25,000 miles – slightly more than the circumference of the earth. But we were never separated from the Lord’s protection nor His power. The Lord demonstrated His care, His powerful interventions, and His willingness to graciously allow each of us to touch others with His love and see His Kingdom expand. Only the pastors and the Lord know who entered His Kingdom, but we are assured everyone heard the Good News. What a mighty God we serve!
