Christmas Miracles

This is an email I sent on Christmas Eve to family & friends. Wanted to post it here for you as well...

Merry Christmas to You!

This year is ending and it always makes me nostalgic – both for family and friends but also memories of this past year and how God has blessed. Last year this time we were rushing to make up some Christmas gifts from a few things we bought and some donated items so that the hospital employees would have at least “something” from the hospital. We scrounged enough money to barely have a Christmas party with a few snacks thanks to a donation from a friend of mine. The salaries were barely distributed before New Years, let alone Christmas last year. Yet still we remained optimistic and tried to put a good spin on everything so that morale would continue on its slow climb upwards. Throughout this past year we have steadily seen improvements in the financial performance of the hospital. Partly it is due to an increase of about 20% of inpatients over last year, but also our cash flow is improving as well which is really what makes an organization function.

So this week I find Christmas miracles surrounding me – instead of me shopping and packaging Christmas gifts for the employees we were able to buy them pre-packaged (it’s tradition to get rice, oil, sugar, salt, soap, & matches and there are stores that package them for you if you pay for it) and employees were surprised yesterday to hear the announcement that their Christmas package was ready to be picked up! Also people like to be paid before Christmas and for salaries we are dependent on a government grant. We prepared payroll in faith that the money would come through and yesterday it was deposited and people are able to get their money! We have also made our supplies and drug purchases for the month and I’ve signed a pile of checks for various purchases that have been waiting for quite a while. The most amazing thing is that we have money to cover all of the checks we’ve written – which you might not realize but is a miracle in itself!

Last week after being delayed about a month we had a delivery of two containers from AmeriCares (our large donor in the US) full of medical supplies and medication. That was 60 feet of materials delivered in one day!! The stores staff and others worked tirelessly to unload everything and then continue sorting things the days following (a never-ending process). We are so thankful for these donations and specifically the nutritional supplements for the malnourished children – the meals are already being distributed.

Personally since returning from my visit home I have been busy – just keeping up with everything I feel at times that I work non-stop. But thankfully I’ve had the chance to take frequent breaks. In November I climbed Mt. Mulanje with some friends and felt very proud of myself for surviving although we didn’t summit. We had a group of officials from the US doing an “appreciative inquiry” the week of Thanksgiving both here and at Blantyre Adventist Hospital. They brought some welcome encouragement and support. For Thanksgiving about 25 of us got together in Blantyre and made a feast as close to traditional as possible – complete with the overeating feeling at the end! There are more folks from the US now that Maranatha is moving their base to Blantyre from Mozambique as work is wrapping up there.

Overall I am doing well – I have no reason to complain. Cristy and I and some friends are heading to Lake Malawi today for Christmas and we are looking forward to enjoying white sands and a tropical lake. Granted - it’s not like Christmas at home but as I told a friend this morning – it’s white sandy beaches, I can’t complain! J I do miss my family dearly and wish I could be at the table tomorrow and share all of the wonderful traditions that we have. Thankfully we have phones and internet which keep us connected and a time in the future to look forward to being together again.

As 2009 comes to a close I am again just overwhelmed with thankfulness for each of you and your thoughts and prayers. There is still a lot of work to do here but I am just excited to be part of the changes that are happening and continue to happen. I know there are more challenges ahead but I am confident that the miracles of Christmas will continue through the new year. Blessings to each of you!

Merry Christmas!

Elisa

Haven't Posted For A While

These were written on the dates indicated but I just haven't had a chance to post them...

11-23-09

Holidays?

Is it the holidays somewhere? Not in Malawi… we will try to squeeze in Thanksgiving this week but it happens to be the same week as the “Appreciative Inquiry” from the General Conference of SDAs in Maryland. One of my friends thought this term was rather like an oxymoron – along the lines of “freewill offering” or “military intelligence”. I’m not sure what it means exactly (I’ll hopefully find out tomorrow) but mostly it means a group is coming to analyze how the hospital is being managed and how it is performing. There is no licensing or governing power associated so we aren’t really sure what the purpose is. It has helped to get some things done around the hospital – the open wires are covered, window screens are repaired, broken glass removed and fences repaired. We’ve also just started getting new name badges printed and distributed so people are officially employees and identifiable now! Imagine that!?

My recent weeks have been busy and gone quickly. I’ve spent a significant amount of time trying to get some shipments cleared through customs. That has been a painful process and unfortunately the Malawian Government is becoming stricter in an effort to raise funds. They don’t consider replacement parts for equipment as “medical equipment” so essentially you can get the equipment in without duty but if you want to repair anything you have to pay tax. Sometimes working within these regulations is overwhelming.

Our record keeping in the accounting office has been very disorganized and insufficient. After our poor performance on the 2008 audit I had a meeting with the accounting staff and they decided to work extra and come in on Fridays until noon and get things organized. I’ve committed to come in and work with them. I’m proud of them for working hard and taking ownership. Some have really come up and showed some good leadership and I’m excited for the progress. Everyone shows up and works together and they are getting a lot accomplished. However this is my day off so this work takes up my time too.

I have managed to escape the hectic days a couple of times. Two weeks ago I went with four friends and climbed Mt. Mulanje! We only spent one night up on the plateau but it was one of my goals while I was here and I’m proud that I accomplished it! We were about 6,000 ft up and didn’t attempt to reach the summit which is close to 10,000 ft. We only went to the closest “hut” and there are nine huts on the mountain so I’d like to go back again and spend two nights and see more of the mountain. But I enjoyed it – the pain was worth it! I even took Bella with me and she did really well. Maybe next time I can actually carry my own pack the whole way!

Yesterday Cristy, Anthony, & I went for the day again to Mulanje and just went to the waterfalls that we’ve been to many times. It was Friday so I came in to work with the Accounting staff until about 10a and then left them to continue cleaning out files. Even though it is a drive to get to the mountain I am so thankful for that refuge – the peace, fresh air, and water does so much to refresh my soul!

Last Sunday I went and visited one of Malamulo’s remote clinic sites. It is called Mbalanguzi and is about 25 kms from the hospital but takes about 1.5 hrs to get there (and that’s with dry roads). We have a large amount of land with a clinic and a house on it. No one staffs it full time but there is such a need! I met with the chief and discussed bringing water and electricity to the site. There is also a need for a maize mill which would generate income for the clinic. I’m kind of excited about the possibilities out there mostly because of the desperate need for healthcare! They see about 50 patients every week and that day we brought about 10 patients back to be admitted to the hospital. The chief said his main concern is maternity, malnourishment, and those who are sick at night and die on the way. The nearest clinics to that site are 8 kms one way, and 7 the other. Malamulo is the closest hospital but there is no transportation out there except for the occasional lorry or truck headed to Makwasa. Talk about remote! I was wishing that I were a doctor or nurse and could be of some benefit to the people. As I am there is nothing I can do except figure out a way to make it habitable so someone else can go out there – that’s something I guess.

So is it the holidays? I honestly don’t know. I know the calendar says this next week is Thanksgiving and 4 weeks later is Christmas but I’m not in the spirit. I have to be at the Malawi Union year end meetings all next week – maybe I’ll slip out early on Thursday for dinner at some friend’s house. Christmas seems far away and I don’t have any plans. I guess being busy is beneficial in that I don’t have time to miss my family as much. But it also means I don’t have the time to enjoy the people here or the things happening around here as much.

11-27-09

This week has been challenging in many ways. I spent three days with the team from the GC. Both the days at Malamulo and the survey at Blantyre Adventist Hospital went well. Dr. Handysides and Dr. Landless were leading the team and they are both very wise, encouraging, and generous gentleman. They were also quite fatherly to Cristy and I which is always nice. J We like being taken care of! They had many good recommendations for Malamulo but many of the things we were already aware of and most of the things require money to fix or improve. It sounds like they will be able to give us some money but we haven’t heard how much for sure yet. Their visit to BAH was beneficial too and it was amazing to me how wisely and quickly they realized what the issues are. They were very supportive to Kirby and the initiatives that he is working on. They were very direct in their recommendations to the leadership of BAH. A couple named Ed & Ann Zinke were with the team and were evaluating the business side of things. They just sold a large business and are semi-retired. I spent some time with them and really appreciated their insight and encouragement.

The GC surveys overlapped with yearend meetings for the Malawian SDA church. I spent a couple of days in those meetings and then was able to be excused for Thanksgiving dinner. We invited everyone we could find and had about 25 people over at David and Susan Woods house in Blantyre. They have a 7 bedroom house so lots of room for visitors and interlopers like me. He is the country director for Maranatha for Malawi and Mozambique. It is so nice to have a place to relax that is homey. Cristy cooked up a storm and everyone else contributed as well. I guess that is what Thanksgiving is about – food, friends, family, and friends.