To the Ends of the Earth

Visitors seem to come in spurts.  Last year, there was a two month period where we had one set of visitors to another hopping through Lusaka.  When one group would leave, another would come, and so on until finally we were left back to ourselves. It was around this time of year last year that we had a huge influx of visitors and activity in Zambia.  Interestingly enough, this year, the trend continues.  

1.  Phacoemulsification: In February 2013, we finally began phaco surgeries using the donated Alcon Laureate phaco machine!  Although the generous donation of a phaco machine came last year, it took a few months to set up a direct account with Alcon South Africa for the disposables.  Then my maternity leave put a pause on any new developments.  Now that we’re back up to speed, Lusaka Eye Hospital can now say we officially have a phaco service!

  2. LILA charity event at the Statehouse: On March 28^th, I had the opportunity to meet the First Lady of Zambia, Dr. Christine Kaseba.  Lusaka Eye Hospital was chosen to receive a donation from the Lusaka Indian Ladies Association, and the event was held on the Statehouse premises.  Unfortunately, I had to surrender my phone and camera at the entrance before entering the premises, so I was not able to document the group photo with the First Lady.  Nonetheless, it was a privilege to meet her, and to shake the hand of her husband, President Michael Sata, who made a brief (5 minute) appearance at the event.

 

3.   Visit Mukuyu Outreach: On March 2^nd, we had Hein & Melissa Myburgh as well as Dr. & Mrs. Shank over for Sabbath lunch.  It was a nice time of food & fellowship.    

      After getting to meet the Myburghs in Lusaka, we decided to pay them a visit at their outreach site, Mukuyu Oureach, in Southern Zambia, from March 29 – 30.  It is a beautiful property in the middle of the African bush, where the Lord has called them to set up a self-supporting ministry, in cooperation with OCI.  Melissa is pregnant, and should be expecting a baby girl any day now!  So Jaycee will soon have another friend. 

4.   Horse consultation & Game Drive:  As an ophthalmologist, I’ve never been asked to look into a horse’s eye.  But I got my first equine consultation here in Zambia.  Unfortunately, one horse, Rainbow, had a lens dislocation (likely from trauma, as she is a polo horse).  The other horse, July, has a corneal ulcer/neovascularization as well as cataract.   

 

      As an appreciation for the consultation, Billy, the owner of the horses, offered to take us on a short game drive on his property, where we saw many of the plains game, giraffes, and a brief encounter with orphaned baby elephants!

 

5.   Abigail:  On April 13^th, we visited Riverside Farm Institute, and Jaycee had the opportunity to play with Abigail once again.

 6.  More visitors:  We had Alyssa, the student missionary at Riverside Farm Institute, stay at our house for a week from April 1^st – 7^th.  She shadowed us at the eye hospital and spent some time at the dental clinic as well.  Her stay in Zambia has now come to a close, as has already returned to Tennessee for good.  

 

      Then, Jenn & Andre Castelbuono came out for 3 weeks starting April 11^th.  They are our first set of mission elective student/residents from the U.S. to come join us at Lusaka Eye Hospital!   

 

      We also had Kelvin Sawyer, aka “Mr. Fix-It,” with us at Lusaka Eye Hospital from April 3 – 13^th.  It was blessing to have him around when we had a water issue at our house.  He fearlessly and agilely climbed up the water tank tower to figure out where the problem was.  

     Dr. Lowell Meister, an optometrist from Oklahoma, and the General Conference Associate Director for Health on Eye Services came out to Lusaka on April 18-19^th to assess the eye care situation in Zambia.  

 

      The following day, we had three different flights unload three sets of individuals from the U.S. at the Lusaka airport: Joanne Cross & Carlos Moretta, Emily Wilkens, and Dr. William McGhee! Carlos, Joanne, Emily, Jenn & Andre all joined us for our trip across the country to Yuka Adventist Hospital.

7.  Yuka Eye/Dental Camp:  From April 21^st – 25^th, Paul, Jaycee, Mom, Satipha, and I took a trip with our friends from the U.S. as well as local staff from the Eye Hospital & Dental Clinic to conduct our annual eye/dental camp in the Western Province of Zambia.  It truly feels like we are going to the ends of the earth after our 8 hour bus ride and 3 hour speedboat ride to the hospital.  On the return trip, we got to experience riding the banana boat for 6 hours across the Zambezi River.  

     It is always an amazing experience, serving patients who desperately needed cataract surgery and dental extractions.   

 

      We even had one or two patients who wanted their second eye operated on after we did the first eye on our trip last year.  

8.   Livingstone trip:  After the Yuka camp experience was over, some of us headed down to Livingstone for a short breather for rest and relaxation from April 28^th – May 1^st.  It is always amazing to see Vic Falls when it is at its fullest.  

      The strength and grandeur of this humongous cataract deserves the utmost respect and reveals the awesomeness of God’s creation.  Our day trip to Chobe National Park was a highlight as well, and the mock charge of a male lion protective of his recently killed kudu caused palpitations through all of our hearts.   

       We also finally saw a white rhino!   

 

      Now, after almost two years on this continent, Paul and I can officially claim that we’ve seen the “Big Five” (rhino, lion, cape buffalo, leopard, elephant).

9.  Jaycee: No blog entry is complete without some photobombing of our beloved daughter.  Jaycee truly has been a joy to raise.  It truly is incredible to see an individual change on a daily basis, but that is what babies do!  On March 16^th, she turned 6 months, so we had an enjoyable time taking her 6 month photos. 

 

      She seems to be the star and center of attentions whenever we go anywhere, as children especially love to touch her hair.  

The next few months will also be a flurry of activity, as we will be returning to the U.S. for our Annual Leave at the end of this month.  When we return from our leave, we expect to have a steady stream of rotating students/residents!  In July, we will have a medical student join us for a month.  Then, in August, the first senior ophthalmology resident from Loma Linda University will officially spend a month on his international ophthalmology rotation here at Lusaka Eye Hospital.  We plan to have each of the four senior residents join us for a month during the course of the academic year.  And so the fun continues.