A Day At The Clinic

Today was the six-month checkup day for babies here at the government clinic in Makeni. Normally there are about a hundred mothers waiting to see the doctor on a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. Today I would estimate there were over 300 adults waiting for their child(ren) to be seen. Some of them had arrived as early as 7:30 that morning to take their place in line.

For the last several Fridays I have been handing out tracts to those waiting to see the doctor. The Lord gave me this idea one
day while I was taking my regular walk. All of these people waiting for hours with very little to do. Just waiting. And, all of those thousands of tracts at our office. Hmm. Why not give them something to read while their day is crawling by at a snail's pace?

I've never been one to pass out tracts. Maybe it's the fear of man. Maybe it's the misunderstood separation of church and state concept. Maybe it's the lack of reception among Americans. Regardless, I resolved to begin handing out literature to this sea of humanity that waits every Friday.

The first Friday I took a plastic bag full of tracts on my last lap as I walked to the front gate. Most everyone received the tracts graciously,
some took them a little suspiciously. Some weren't sure if they were free or not. I underestimated how many people would want
"The Way to God" in English. The first time I took tracts mostly in their native tongue, Cinyanja, and most people wanted English.

Before my second Friday distributing tracts I asked several Zambians whether I should take English or Cinyanja. Were people asking for English to improve their English skills? Have they not learned to read Cinyanja? I got the same answer, but for different
reasons. Take the English version.

In my short campaign I have been mistaken for a Jehovah's Witness. That's unfortunate because they are the ones evangelizing here in this manner. People have asked me if I was giving out porridge or money as well. The first time it caught me totally off guard. The second time I told the woman that I don't have enough money for everyone, and the booklet I was giving her was better than that. Meeting these people has truly helped me feel the emotional impact of when Jesus told His disciples as the multitude gathered, "You give them something to eat." I also have felt the weight behind the Scripture that says, "they were like sheep without a shepherd."

Because all my tracts were "finished" (gone), I began to leave. A woman stopped me and gestured towards a group of women. "Have you seen the woman with the three children?" I was a little puzzled by her enthusiasm because I'd seen many mothers that day with three or more children. As I passed the huddle of mothers, I decided to turn aside and see the three children. Well, what was so exciting was the fact that these were triplets, a
very unusual occurrence here in Zambia. I asked if I could take a snap and the parents began quickly preparing their babies, two girls and a boy, for a picture. What a wonderful thing~and in the next breath, I pondered the financial load that triplets would contribute to a family.

Would you please pray for me that God would use the tracts in these people's lives? I have probably handed out close to 600 booklets in the last couple of weeks. Each time I have run out of them. People are so receptive to hearing the word of God in Zambia. May it always be so!

(Pictured second is a baby being weighed in a sling-type scale which hangs from a tree. Several babies cried as they were put into this contraption. Can't say that I blame them~it looked a little scarey!)