Camp Team Arrive

After a one hour flight delay into Lusaka airport and an eventful 1 ½ hours getting through immigration and customs, in which 6 bags were missing, our Camp Team arrived! A little tired, but yet to experience the African road system from Lusaka to Ndola. Thankfully many were that tired that they slept through some ‘interesting’ driving conditions, to finally arrive safely at 11.30 pm into Eagles Wings for a good nights sleep!

Medical Team 2

First day of running the clinic.

The team was up early and looked fantastic in their shirts (except Tim who put his in the wash as he had been wearing it since leaving Brisbane). We were invited to join the Eagles Wings staff daily devotions, which was fantastic. We opened at 9 and saw the students from Kanyala and Monkey Fountain Campus (Eagles Wings Christian Community Schools). We ran some education programs and gave insokanda (worm) tablets and multivitamin and vitamin A tablets to all the students (over 200 students).

In the afternoon word had got out that a clinic was opened and many mothers with young babies attended. We are fortunate in that we have the services of 2 local nurses (Florence & Vutiway) to help us. A number of the local students from Eagles Wings are helping with translating. We closed the clinic to the public around 4.30 but it was near 6.00 before the last patient left. Our team are all a bit tired after day 1 but feeling good. Andrew still getting over being mistaken for a pastor upon his arrival in Ndola – Tim can’t believe it!

Medical Team 1

Things that stand out from today…

1. According to the ladies, the showers are pretty cold?! Us guys wouldn’t know! We’re having a competition to see who won’t shower ever again.
2. Spring of Life City Church was very much full of life. Great singing, dancing, hospitality and not to mention the 2 sermons. Tim had the experience of preaching to the church and having to remember to stop so the translator could translate into Bemba. In fact, the translator was so good at his craft he would mimic the person speaking not just translate the words. It was also confirmed that we dance to a different rhythm than our Zambian friends… usually on the off beat!
3. Becky spent some time trying to teach the kids at the church how to play “Duck Duck Goose”. She did well, except the game turned out to be “duck duck DUUUCCKK”.
4. Three of our bags were lost in transit and we were told yesterday to check back today. Well, low and behold… they arrived! Thank you God!
5. The afternoon was spent setting up the clinic that will start tomorrow. We’re all pretty happy and excited about the clinics starting.

Check in same bat time same bat channel to see how day one of clinic went.

Medical Team Arrive

With the backdrop of a prolonged health workers strike and headlines reading We’re ready to be fired – Copperbelt health workers in the Saturday Post (Zambian newspaper), our Medical Team arrived into Ndola. This also coincides with recent investigations into the embezzlement of funds within the Ministry of Health, of a massive scale. It really will be a welcome to Zambia for our team as these issues will no doubt bring an escalation in the amount of people within the poorer communities that require urgent medical assistance.

While we hope that health workers and government can come to an agreement for the long term benefit of all Zambians, we can, at the very least, thank God for the timing of this team for our local communities. We hope many will be greatly assisted over the coming weeks.

On arrival, Tim (our team leader) received his African welcome by being asked to preach the following day. What’s that verse, be ready in and out of season! However staff at Eagles Wings did mistake Andrew for the Pastor, and were quite surprised to find out that it was actually Tim! Easy mistake to make…

Camp and Medical Teams

July will see two teams arrive at Eagles Wings, one for Camp 2009 and the other, a Medical Team that will run clinics for the surrounding communities. In short the month of July will be huge for all involved. Our teams are very different in style and purpose, but they will be experiencing some very similar emotions and issues during their time in Zambia. So we would value your prayers during this time as all of the last minute details and planning are put in place. Please pray that God is honored during this period and that the lives of the children, their families and communities, and the team members themselves all are impacted in such a positive way.

Also watch this space as many entries will be made during their time in Zambia, to update all who are connected to these teams.

Thank you 2009 Building Team!

A big thank you to team leaders, Joe and Lyndell, and all members taking part in the 2009 Building Team. We hope you had a great experience, and the work that you put in will be part of the transformation in children’s lives well into the future.

Stage Three is 85% complete and is well on track to being opened for use by January 2010.

Photo of some the team members standing on top of Stage Three.

Sylvia at Livingstone Christian College

Livingstone Christian College was so amazing. The teachers were so easy to work with, they were willing to help and discuss with me Special Education and Eagles Wings. The students were also interested in hearing about Eagles Wings children. Most of the students in primary have promised to pray for children at Eagles Wings. The most amazing thing was seeing teenagers signing to do the Bike Ride in order to raise money for building more classes at Eagles Wings School in Zambia. It was also great catching up with chantelle after a long time. I have learned a lot of things and I can’t wait to go back home and share them to the staff.