Monday this week we went to Special Hope Network.  I followed up with a few medical issues of the children there.   Dad helped two guys attach carseats on to wheelchairs for kids who have stability problems in just a chair.  Dad said it's amazing to see the ingenuity of the Zambians working with what they have.  Pretty nice various wheelchair with random donated carseats of all types and a bag of old straps and seatbelts.  They carefully talked to the moms and helped fit the seats to the children's physical needs.  Mom helped out with reading and sensory lessons.  In the evening they got to meet Bishop Simunyola and his family over dinner.  It was a lovely time.  

Tuesday we met two missionaries working with CHE and Healthcare Ministries.  The McConnels are here for a week to see CHE working on the ground before they begin to train people in the States and around the world.  We went to the Nkoloma CHE group.  They always amaze us with their forward thinking and actions.  Below is one of the goats getting her picture taken (not willingly).  The second picture is the "goat house" where they sleep at night.  Multiple benefits:  they stay dry during rainy season, preventing disease, they have some protection, and the dung collects in one place and can be used for fertilizer.  

 This group showed us a test plot of maize.  They used purchased fertilizer on half and chicken manure on the other half.  They will see which one does better.  I encouraged them that even if they are equal, that is a success because they didn't need to spend money on fertilizer if chicken manure does just as well.

This is mom and dad with the village headman.  Dad was disappointed he took off his cool fedora hat for the picture.

 Tuesday we met with Pastor Malembeka and she blessed mom with two chitenge as a thank you for her teaching the GEMS girls' class.  Everyone is so generous!  Below is the children's meeting area outside in the church yard.  It's great with the breeze coming through in the hot weather.

 We then got together with one of my Michigan partners.  Mike Chupp and his wife Pam met us for lunch.  He is a surgeon with me at Southwestern Medical Clinic.  He serves at Tenwek Hospital in Kenya.  It was wonderful for my parents to meet them and to catch up.

 Wed night we have missions prayer group.  We had supper together so mom and I tried our hands at different papaya dishes.  I made green paw paw thai salad, and she made paw paw kuchen.  Both were good but hers was best.  Below is the whole group of missionaries.  Such a privilege to work with all of them.

Tonight I sent mom and dad off to Amsterdam and then home to Wisconsin.  It was hard to say goodbye, but God blessed our time together.  I got to show them so many things, and they got to meet everyone I really wanted them to (not a small miracle).  It feels so good for them to know in such a tangible way what I am doing and who I'm working with (Zambian and American).