Life at Luampa!

Subject: Life at Luampa!
Date: 07‑Apr‑00 at 00:17
From: Luampa Hospital, 1106104


HELLO EVERYONE; SOME OF YOU HAVE ASKED WHAT LIFE IS LIKE OUT HERE; HERE'S A COPY OF A LETTER TO MY FOLKS THAT SHOULD ANSWER SOME OF YOUR QUESTIONS; I'M SURE I'LL REPORT MORE STORIES AS THE WEEKS GO BY, & WHEN I RETURN.

Dear Dad & Mom:

How are you doing? I'm glad to hear that you're home from Taiwan, Dad, and that the trip went well. How much weight did you gain, anyway? I remember all the Sa‑ba hi (milkfish) I ate when I was in Tainan summer '96. Yum‑yum. I could use some Chhoa‑peng right now.... You must be really happy that Tan Chui Pi (A‑pi) won the election. How has China reacted to the news? Here, although there is radio news available, I don't listen to it much. I haven't watched TV in almost 3 weeks now since there isn't one to watch, so I've had more time to read.

I'm glad you got my previous emails. It has been already almost 3 weeks since I left California; it'll be abt. 5 more weeks before I go to see Eric & Ruth in Georgia. Life here in Zambia, & specifically at this mission hospital, has been quite different. There is electricity only 8 or 9 hours a day (8am‑noon, 6pm‑9 or 10pm), more if there is an emergency surgery, so I use a flashlight or candle afterward. I am staying in the same house with Dr. Peter Nicodemus, a surgeon from Germany and the acting medical superintendent of the hospital, who has been very kind to me. We also have a dog Tui. The house is actually fairly large for us (a little smaller than our old 3 BR house)‑‑ it's a 3 BR "Western style" home, and
we employ a housekeeper who comes 5 1/2 days a week to wash dishes, clean the bathrooms, take care of the huge garden, & even do the laundry!!! His name is Chimbali, and he is also very nice. I'm also trying to learn some Mbunda (the predominant vernacular language here) from him, and he is very helpful.

This week I have been a little busier because I started taking call, which is only for nighttime (9pm ‑ morning) for the whole week. At 1st I was scared but it hasn't been too difficult, & I have been learning a lot. My schedule usually is like this:
7:30 AM Chapel
8:00 go to see patients (I have been assigned a section of the female/pediatric ward, discuss care plans, examine patients, or help with surgery
1:00 PM Lunch
2:30 Clinic
6:00 Come home, eat dinner
Weekends I go to the hospital for a few hours if I'm on call.
Sun PMs dinner with Peter & other single missionaries
Mon.PMs Bachelors' dinner
Wed PM prayer meeting
Thu PM Bible study with some men
The schedule is a quite flexible, esp. when we have emergency surgeries. Before I was on call, I had a good amount of time to read some good books & study. Life here is fairly relaxed, & I like living within 5 min's walking distance to the hospital. Even when I'm on call, I get to sleep in "my own" bed. Most of the extra time beyond reading I spend playing & talking with the neighborhood children, which has been quite fun & meaningful. Some speak English pretty well; others don't so I have the ones who do translate for me. I'll show you their pictures when I get back.

Are you wondering what I eat? Again, just as with the laundry, I have been surprised with what I'm eating. Most of the time, I boil water & make some instant soup, pasta, or potatoes, since Peter's mom sends big boxes of dried instant foods for him. You could say that I'm eating more German foods than African food! The Zambian staple food is maize (corn) which is made into a mashed‑potatoes like mash and eaten with different kinds of meat &/or vegetable sauces, which they call relishes. It's eaten with bare hands, & I'm pretty clumsy/messy with it. Maybe when I get back we can try using our hands for our rice & "relish" just for one meal.

What abt the hospital? By US standards, it would never pass inspection, but it serves the great needs of the surrounding people. In the short time here, I have seen diseases of all kinds, many of which I'd never seen before: malaria, Borrelia, Bilharzia, etc., most of which is an infection of one kind or another. The 1st week I was here I really felt overwhelmed because of the terrible living conditions that people here have to live in, esp with regard to health. Alo, I really felt like there was no way I could help these people. Praise God, though; He has helped me learn how to treat some of the most common problems. I really think this'll help me
with being ready for residency, which begins frighteningly soon.

I've been going to church abt. 15 or 20 minutes away by foot; I usually walk with Gifti, a neighbor boy whom I really like. It's a really blessing to hear some of the preaching, esp. by Zambian pastors. Also, the singing is really great! I hope to record some of it so you can hear it. The church building is actually an old leprosy center, located on what is now a Bible school campus.

Hopefully this answers most of the questions you had about life here. I really do appreciate your prayers. I have made a commitment to pray for you daily, too.

Thankfully, we have email here, which we access twice a week. Although it's theoretically possible to make phonecalls, it's done by satellite phone & is quite expensive, so email is the best way to communicate. I haven't even seen a real phone (one that calls outside the mission station) since I got here! Also, in case you'd like to send anything, it takes a little over 3 weeks, so if you haven't sent anything by Monday or Tuesday, just hold onto it until I get back to CA.

Yes, God has been very, very good. See you soon!

Love, Stephen


PS: Thanks, Anneta, for the encouragements. I have D15 in my Bible. It's the one that says "..., man?" at the end of each question. How FUNNY!!!!! BTW, how's your new doggy? Johnny wrote & told me a little about him. Ours here is quite funny but just a little hyper. I've never had an inside dog before, and she's quite a character. She's fast (very fast!) & playful, and whines a lot when Peter & I are eating, even after she's finished eating her own meal. We let her lick our plates clean after we're done. She knows how to sit, shake, and (now) lie down. I'm trying to teach her to catch, but she just lets the ball hit her nose or bounce in front of her. Still praying for you & S's family, & also your job situation for next year.