I’m sure many of you have played HIGH/LOW or at least know of it: What is the high (or best thing) about your day and what is the low (or most difficult thing) about your day? I would like to give you some of the Highs and Lows of the past 2 months to try to sum up all the work and ministry that is being done at Sanyati Baptist Hospital Makeover 2013.
High: The roofs and coverings for the walkways at the hospital are being completed.
Low: Trenches were dug and new pipes were laid at the volunteer house to help with waste removal.
High: Painting of boards for walkways, chapel and overhangs done. Low: Volunteers going home with samples of the paint colors, not ministry tattoos, on their body
High: Electricians helping supply outlets and some solar to dark places in the hospital. (Nurse in Green is smiling, sometimes) Low: Still continue to have some blackouts.
High: Water tanks secured and stabilized on previously sagging stand. Low: Still some lack of getting water to be put in them.
Low: One Sunday a Commuter Bus wrecked and 6 people were dead at the scene but 11 people were brought to our hospital that morning, many critically wounded. High: The volunteer team that week happened to consist of a nurse, 2 paramedics and a med asst. that were all able to help with the crisis in the hospital. (A seminar on Effective Triage had just been given by the volunteer RN and after the incident we were able to debrief with the staff and try to make some future plans for the hospital on how to deal with such instances more effectively)
High: New Road sign painted pointing the way to the hospital.
Low: Traffic jams while people get their picture taken by the new sign.
High: Numerous school children all over the area hearing about the Good news of Jesus Love for them.
Low: Children screaming in fear seeing Murungu (white faces) for the first time.
High: Middle school age children hearing the message of Abstinence and Waiting for True Love and Marriage to have sex from Dr. HIV! Low: Watching a 15 year old girl who was dying of AIDS and praying with her grandma who sat helplessly in the hospital with her every day till she passed.
High: Beautiful murals adorn the inside and outside walls of the hospital and some surrounding facilities
Low: Seeing birds try to perch unsuccessfully in the branches of the painted tree.
High: ACTS (African Christian Tours and Safaris) has been providing transport, cooking and assistance with culture for all the volunteer teams.
Low: Gaining weight eating all the wonderfully prepared food while serving on mission in Zimbabwe.
High: Teachers in area receive training in creative ways to help children learn. H: highly I: intelligent instructors G: giving H:Helpful teacher training
L: lectures are O: old W: way
High: Volunteers watching the local blacksmith create his hammers, axes, machetes, knives and hoes in his thatched shed as he operates the bicycle wheel type billow.
Low: Getting all those ‘weapons’ purchased through security at the airport.
High: Eating a wonderful “traditional meal” of sadza and greens under the Milky Way and Southern Cross constellations in the beautiful moonlit sky at a friend’s village.
Low: Tasting Mapani Worms for the first time (and LAST).
High: Volunteers in nursing school getting to see a C-section and ‘assist’ in another delivery of baby.
Low: Volunteer teaching Sunday school is distracted by a Mother nursing her baby in the front row.
Low: Encountering many people affected with HIV and dying of AIDS in the community.
High: Taking ‘Love Buckets’ filled with necessary supplies for those severely ill people in their homes and being able to show Christ’s love in a tangible way. (BGR Project)
Even Higher: Providing an opportunity of witnessing and for one of these same young people to accept Christ’s love and forgiveness a few days before she died
Higher still: A 24 yr old mother of 4boys, sick with AIDS, also received a love bucket and Christ as Savior
High: Roofing put up over containers that store the supplies for the Hospital Makeover.
Low: The termites enter the container from underneath.
High: 86 volunteers (+ 15 more to come) from the US this year to help with the makeover;
Low: One volunteer was very sick and received news of a cancer diagnosis upon her return home. Please be praying for her.
HIGH: Mark and I desire that it is GOD who is High and Lifted Up. We continue to seek His will for our involvement here at Sanyati Baptist Hospital. WE are seeing God move in our community but more importantly in our hearts. LOW: Is our position on our knees before His throne. We continue to request and appreciate your faithful prayers and support.
May your Highs be occasions for Praise and your Lows be opportunities for Prayer,
Dr. Mark and Angie and Luke Byler
Some of the ladies of the church volunteered to prepare the meal. They cooked up big pots of rice and sadza (thick mealie meal porridge). They also prepared chicken and beef dishes, vegetables, and coleslaw.
It was a real feast. A meal one might only see at a very special occasion like Christmas. The team members enjoyed sitting with the widows during the meal and getting to know them.
Each widow was very excited when she received her gift bag of goodies. After the meal, team member Lynette shared a devotional with the ladies to encourage them and remind them of God’s watchcare and love for them.
Then the widows were given an opportunity to share their testimonies. It was very powerful to hear how lady after lady shared all that God had done for her and provided for her needs.
The team stayed at Antelope Game Park while ministering in Gweru. While there, they were treated to a donkey carriage game drive which is a great way to get up close to the wild animals
Later the team enjoyed a "braai" or African barbecue at the Serenity Lodge where they were staying.
