Just as many different groups of people played an important role in helping Nehemiah rebuild the wall around Jerusalem, so many different groups of people played a role in the refurbishing of Sanyati Baptist Hospital. This is how missionary Barry Robinson introduced the makeover celebration service in the chapel at Sanyati Baptist Hospital.
Representatives from the Baptist Convention of Zimbabwe, the IMB, BGR, volunteers, as well as local community leaders and people joined the hospital staff in the celebration service.
Dr. Mark Byler, long term volunteer at the hospital, shared that in 2007 Zimbabwe was in dire straits and this had a huge impact on the services the hospital was able to provide. There were food shortages, drug shortages, and the plumbing to the hospital had disintegrated so that there was rarely running water at the hospital. In addition to this, electricity shortages caused the power at the hospital to be off more than it was on. Dr. Byler wondered if they could even continue to keep the hospital open. He began praying about what to do.
Within a week he received an email from Mark Hatfield, the BGR (Baptist Global Response) representative for Africa, asking if they could help the hospital in any way: water, drug supplies, or needs of HIV+ patients. Mark said, “I am ashamed to say I didn’t know anything about BGR, but I knew Mark Hatfield.” That was enough for him to say,” Yes!”
Soon after that, Hatfield made a trip to Sanyati Baptist Hospital to see the needs firsthand. He was shocked by what he saw. The hospital was empty because there was no running water. Many of the windows were cracked or broken. Ceiling boards were caving in and falling down, the electricity was off and there were limited medicines in the hospital.
Hatfield shared that the first BGR project which began immediately was to completely revamp the water system so that there would be a steady supply of potable water to the hospital. They also provided funds with which medicines could be sourced and purchased.
But the needs Hatfield saw he realized could not be met by BGR alone. In 2008 he had the chance to meet with a select group of men in Tennessee. These men thought it would be good to have a five year refurbishment plan to give the hospital a complete “makeover”. Soon after that these men came to Zimbabwe to tour the hospital themselves and develop the plan. Pastor Peter Sierson was instrumental in the plan and became the stateside contact person for volunteer groups desiring to take part in the makeover. He helped match group skills with jobs that needed to be done.
(To learn more about the events of the Makeover and see its progress check out these previous blogs: 9-5-2010; 5-20-2011; 11-25-2012; 9-10-2012; 8-26-2013; and 8-5-2014)
The makeover began in earnest in 2011. For the past five years over 600 volunteers have sacrificed their money and vacation time to spend time working at the hospital. Some of the projects which have taken place in the overall makeover are: new roofing over the massive hospital complex, painting inside and outside, new electrical wiring with the installing of solar panels for use when the electricity is off, carpentry work and the installing of metal cabinets.
Registered Nurse Gora stated that before the makeover there was a lot of disease in the hospital because the staff could not wash their hands and they did not have clean drinking water.
We are so much better off now and there is not a spread of disease now as there was then. She also mentioned that while most of the Sanyati area remains in “darkness” that the hospital is in the “light”. Now the doctors can operate whenever they need to, especially in cases of emergency. The electricity also helps us use the machines to sterilized equipment and run the lab as well as keep the incubators going for our premature babies. It has also helped us have improved communication and keep our medicines requiring refrigeration from spoiling.
Mrs. Dhliwayo, a pastor’s wife and community leader shared how many of the volunteer teams also participated in evangelism and discipleship in the community around Sanyati. They shared meals with the folks at Sanyati.
She challenged those from the local community to learn from the volunteers who had come. We need to be sharing the gospel, we need to be discipling. We also need to have pride and take care of our hospital so that it will remain in good condition for a long time. There are many things each of us can do to help keep it up and it doesn’t cost anything to sweep! We want our children to have the opportunity to be treated here. We should not expect money for our work, we need to do it for God, just like the volunteers did.
When the five year plan for the makeover was first presented and Hatfield saw the amount of money that would be needed and number of volunteers and man hours it would require, he said in his heart he wasn’t sure we could accomplish the task. “I was right,” said Hatfield, “we couldn’t. But God was able.”
Volunteer representative Coy Webb closed by saying how valuable each volunteer team had been. Each had done different jobs, and money trickled in for building supplies from many places.
Many were faithful to do the job God called them to do and with His help the task was completed. This building is a testimony to His greatness! “We are here today to celebrate not what the volunteers have done, but what God has done. We have a mighty God.”
