Friday, June 14, 2013

June 13: Team Mutomo's first report from Zambia

Good morning!  Team Mutomo has arrived in Zambia and sent the following email to Visitation last night.

Hi this is Jordan. Today we went to the outreach clinic in two separate groups. The clinic I went to was the farthest one where there was the most need for medications and health care. I was given the opportunity to work with the nurses involved with tracking the growth of the children and providing prenatal vitamins. I also was taught how to guesstimate the age of the fetus, and turn the baby to prevent a breach pregnancy. One of the nurses gave me one of her chitenges to wear around on the bench in the clinic. Her name was Chaz and after I had helped her in the clinic, she shook my hand and said she would pray for me and that I was always welcomed to her village, Nafinga. What I learned today was to work with the environments that were provided: we were giving shots in the dark and giving women pills with minimum water supply. The women I met today have truly changed my life, and I will hold all of them in my heart hoping that the 5 short hours I spent with them was enough to create a better environment for the mother and child in the world they live in. Much love to everyone in the states and all the best, and may the Lord bless and keep you.

Hello, this is Kayla Oscarson. Today I went to the farthest clinic with seven others; the place is called Nafinga. Today I worked in many fields: I weighed babies and recorded their age, gender, and weight for statistics; I helped with recording the weight of mothers; and I helped test the people of Nafinga for HIV. From what we observed, only two people had HIV, a mother and her child. My mother cried because it was really sad. The mother did not even cry or blink with that news because it is pretty normal to them to hear people's diagnoses. However, we did have a fun time because we knew we were helping these people with what we can. It was funny because a lot of kids got scared due to the fact that we are differently colored people who they have never seen. I wish that we could have done more, but in God's eyes, small things can make a huge difference (for example, the loaves and fishes story in the bible). When we were finished, we had to bring a mother and her child to the clinic because her child had malaria and the child was having bad symptoms that had to be treated. It is quite sad seeing all these people walking miles to get medical help (it is only few times people come to give medical help, too) and they don't even have any drinking water. It is so depressing and sad the lifestyle they are living, yet they smile and laugh like they are not even living such a bad lifestyle. At home we complain so much, but we don't even realize how much better we have than people here in Zambia. I love you guys in America and God bless you. Reminder: small things can make a huge difference. This is the biggest lesson you will learn when you come to Africa. Thanks and see you in a week!

Hi, this is Caroline Mulligan, and I am really enjoying my trip to Zambia so far. I have had a great time at the dental clinic, greeting the friendly faces around Fatima School, and bonding with the other girls on the trip. Today, we split into two group for the Outreach trip. We set up in an empty building, and before we began taking patients, a man gave us a tour of the surrounding village. It was exciting to see the neighborhood and hear about their lifestyle, which is mostly farming. I spent most of my time at the Outreach, measuring children's head circumference, height, and weight as research for Dr. Johnson's project. I also had a chance to listen in on his examinations of the children, which opened my eyes to the different ways one can be a doctor besides just being in an office. After the Outreach, a group of us unexpectedly found a soccer game being played at the school. It was especially interesting for me as a soccer player to see their style of play. I'm so grateful for this opportunity, and I can't wait for more moving experiences to come.


Hello, this is Maura Gaylord.  From the stories that I have heard from girls who have participated in Team Mutomo in previous years, I had very high expectations, which have all been met and exceeded.  All of the days here have been very unique, and I have enjoyed every one of them greatly.  On one of the first days, we were taken on a tour of the Fatima school and surrounding compounds.  I was blown away by how friendly and welcoming all of the Zambian people are, and this reaction has stayed with me throughout all of our time here.  On Wednesday I got the privilege of working at St. Anthony's Orphanage where we spent the day playing with the kids.  I was really influenced by this experience due to the conditions of the orphanage and how the children were so grateful for just the simplicity of laughter.  Today, Thursday, the whole team went to Outreach sites where I helped weigh kids and was able to learn a lot from Dr. Johnson as he was giving kids checkups.  All in all this trip has been an amazing experience, and I will forever be influenced by the people that I have met here and lessons that I have learned. 

Good night for now, from Ann Mattson. The Vis girls and STA boy are shadowing Fatima students tomorrow all day - decked out in the Fatima uniforms! We love your children! They are making us proud!
     

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