11 Jan January 2024 Newsletter
Happy New Year!!!
We recently celebrated Epiphany, which is a Greek word that means appearance. When we think about Epiphany we may think about the Magi who traveled a long distance to present gifts to the baby Jesus. We also are reminded of the light they followed, provided by God, which helped them find the way. That light provided direction and guidance. In John 8:12 we read, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” God asks that we also serve as a light for others to help guide and direct them to the Word of God. When God’s light shines through us, we can help people find the way to Jesus, the true light of life. Let your light shine bright in this new year!
The January newsletter comes to us from Violet Chikwatu, who is the Nurse in Charge for the Lutheran Mobile clinic in Malawi. It’s such a joy to hear from the wonderful staff working directly, day in and day out with the community in that area. Continue to pray for CAMM, the staff, and the work that God is allowing us to do in Africa.
Please continue to reach out if you have packages to send to either Zambia or Malawi. We had a number of packages sent to both clinic sites over the past few months so we may ask you or your group to wait just a bit before sending more, just to give the staff time to organize and assess their needs.
Thank you for your continued prayers on behalf of CAMM.
God’s Blessing,
Stephanie Otto
cwc.camm@gmail.com
Contact Women Coordinator
CAMM.US
Facebook: facebook.com/CAMM.WELS
PSALM 117:1-2: "PRAISE THE LORD, ALL YOU NATIONS! WORSHIP HIM, ALL YOU PEOPLES! BECAUSE GOD'S FAITHFUL LOVE TOWARD US IS STRONG. THE LORD'S FAITHFULNESS LASTS FOREVER!
GREETINGS FROM THE WARM HEART OF AFRICA
As I write this letter, it is late December and it’s amazing how it feels just like yesterday when we were celebrating the beginning of 2023. Now that we are just a few days away from ending the year 2023, there is so much to be grateful for-especially the gift of life that the Lord has granted us throughout the year. Here in Malawi, December always comes with heavy rains. It’s the time when all the farmers plant their fields knowing that the rainy season has arrived. However, this December was different because a lot of districts had not received any rains until mid-month. This brought so many worries to farmers as they had no hope on when the rains would start. But because our Lord is good, by December 20th, Lilongwe and other districts received heavy rains. People were happy and ready to work in their fields.
Despite being happy about the rains, during this rainy season the clinic faced challenges in so many ways. December 20th was a clinic day at Suzi and because it had rained heavily, we had difficulty traveling to the clinic site. The road was bumpy, and very muddy making it hard for driving. Despite all these difficulties, we still made it to the clinic as our land cruisers are good, even on bad roads.
Upon reaching the clinic, we found a large crowd of people, both men, women and children sheltering under the roof of the clinic and some under the trees as it was still raining. The people were happy seeing us as they thought we wouldn’t make it due to the bad road. When our staff were setting up the clinic, our clinicians had already started seeing the patients that were triaged by the village staff before we arrived. These people were very sick and the complaint that presented the most was malaria.
Malaria is a condition that worsens during the rainy season and is one of the leading causes of death in Malawi. From the month of October on, our clinic started registering an increase in malaria cases that worsened in November and December. Not only has this malaria affected children under five, but it is also affecting adults. As a clinic, we are always prepared for this as we carry enough malaria testing kits and medication for uncomplicated malaria. Not only that, but we also carry with us medication for complicated malaria which we give to patients before we refer them to hospitals for continued management. As always,
our staff, who are hardworking and team players, did an outstanding job in dealing with the large number of patients we saw that day. When a staff member sees that a colleague needs help, they can be relied on to jump in and assist without being told to do so. We thank God for this and may he continue blessing all of the staff.
To all our donors we say thank you for your continued support and prayers. May our Lord Jesus Christ continue blessing you.
Have a very blessed and happy New Year
Violet Chikwatu, Nurse in Charge
No Comments