Our Last Day with the Sisters of Fatima School

Hi, it's Mackenzie,

     Today Amanda, my father, and I worked in the dental clinic, where the line of people, once again, was out the door.  

     We experienced an unexpected event today! A bus showed up with many children from the disabled ward of St. Anthony's orphanage, after my father thought he had checked all the children twice the day before. It was quite the extravaganza trying to get the children to allow any of the tools near their mouths. Multiple times I was called from my normal duties of suctioning and drying the fillings to keep the children still. 

     One boy named Edgrant allowed us to clean some calculus off his teeth, but after awhile, Amanda and I had to step in and hold his arms down so he wouldn't  be able to hit my father's tools and arms. The sister there, Nassaleli, was so thankful for the opportunity to have an assistant and to learn how to use many new tools the group brought.  All she could do was thank us, and by the end of the day she was quite sad to see us leave. 

     I had a wonderful time and was thankful to have been allowed the opportunity to help Sister and my father! 

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Hi everyone, it's Amanda!

     I was lucky enough to work in the dental clinic with Mackenzie and Dr. Grutzner today and it was eerily reminiscent of when the three of us got to work together in the dental clinic in Mutomo, Kenya last year. Despite the fact that I don't exactly see myself becoming a dentist, I love learning new things about such a vast field each time I step into the clinic. 

     This morning we had the honor of working on our beloved Sister Margaret's teeth and unfortunately it wasn't as easy as we had hoped. The particular tooth we needed to extract had roots that were going in different directions and were so close to the bone that Dr. Grutzner was forced to cut into her gum to get a better angle. Poor Sister was not in any pain, but I am sure the long ordeal was tiring! 

     As interesting as the entire process was of extracting each portion of the tooth was, I still hope no one has to go through that kind of procedure. We were all assured that Sister was not too mad at us in the end when she excitedly got up from the chair and hugged us all before she left. 

     My experience here has been filled with these kinds of responses to our work, so I am sure we are leaving a positive impression on Ndola with all of our hard work during this past week. I will be so sad to leave all of the people we have grown so close to here, especially the Sisters. They have gone out of their way time and time again to make us comfortable and I will never forget the kind and gentle spirit they exude in everything they do for us!!

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Hello everyone, it's Rachel!

     While Mackenzie, Amanda, and Dr. Grutzner were in the dental clinic, the rest of the group had the opportunity to go to two different outreach clinics, or "the bush," with Sister Elizabeth, the student nurses, and some volunteers from the Kavu Clinic. Sister, the nurses, and the volunteers go there once a month to give vaccinations, exams, and medications to the people in the villages, and if someone is sick when they are not there, they have to walk a long way to Kavu. 

     As soon as we got there in the morning we were greeted by the people waiting in the clinic with a welcome song, which was beautiful, as all the singing here has been. 

    I got to help weigh the children five years and younger before they went inside to get their vaccinations. I was surprised to find out that they weigh the babies in a bag, which looked like an old shopping bag with two holes cut in the bottom for their legs, that hung from the scale attached to a piece of wood that was part of the building. 

     After we weighed all the kids, Sister gave us a tour of the village. We were all speechless when a kind woman offered to show us her home--it was smaller than most of our rooms--and she shared it with her family of five. The village has a central bathroom, which is literally a hole in the ground. 

     I have met so many kind people during my time here, and today was no different. Most of the moms who brought their babies were not much older than me, if not my age. The experience was eye-opening, as the whole trip has been. I am so thankful for this amazing opportunity, and I know it is one I will never forget. I am sad to be leaving Ndola tomorrow morning, but I know we will also have a great time on the safari!  

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Greetings! 

     As the girls stated above, we are about to leave a very special place filled with love and learning. We have had the great good fortune to have met these incredible, kind, fun, and giving Sisters and their students. 

     It has been a privilege to work alongside them and to witness their unending optimism and compassion in their tireless works of community outreach. It is an experience the Vis girls and their chaperones have voiced over and over again during the past week. 

     We have been told their will not be Internet access at the Kafue National Park Reserve where we are headed next to decompress and access our trip for the next few days. 

     So think about us, pray for our safe return, and thank you for following along with our journey. It truly did take a village to get us here! 

Ann Mattson, Kenzie, Amanda, and Rachel for Team Mutomo