Operation Porch Switch

Our first day of planned therapy was a great experience. I was with Carla's feeding group. We first started off with some little babies in Haven 1. I worked with Cathy at the beginning. She didn't really need feeding therapy, but my assigned baby was asleep, and Cathy was crying for attention, so she got it. We stretched the babies, did various stretches around and in the babies mouth, and fed the babies. Cathy was doing very well. She was able to hold her head up, and she almost rolled herself over independently. Next I worked with Helen, she is a four week old baby that is so tiny! She was sweet, she woke up  hungry so I was able to feed her. She did really well with the stretches and facial stimulation before feeding, and she continued to do well with the bottle feeding afterwards.

Our last session in the morning took place in Haven 2. I worked with Aumbi. Aumbi is a eight month old baby with TB, Downs, and HIV. She has alot of sickness going on, she is currently recovering from pneumonia. Her body is very small for an eight month old, she looks more like 3 months old. Today when I was working with her she did well. She had good eye contact and was able to attend to me well. She did great with the facial and oral stretches. She tolerated tummy time, but she was not able to lift her head. When it was time to feed her, we were able to find her a small nipple that really worked well for her today. It also helped when I added pressure to her jaw when she was sucking. She did great today besides all the coughing caused by the pneumonia. Please be praying for this baby. She is fighting alot of sickness.

Once we were finished we headed back to the Hamby House to have lunch. For lunch today we had meatloaf and mashed potatoes and gravy. The gravy that Leonard and Harold  make is the best gravy I have ever had. I look forward to eating it again. Whenever the make it, it usually goes on the potatoes, chicken, and biscuits. And there is usually more gravy than anything else on my plate. Its that good.

After lunch we headed back to the Havens. We had a language group in Haven 3 with some of the older boys. I worked with Adam and Joseph. Adam was in Haven 3 last year and was the baby that had hydrocephalus and was not doing well. He was tiny. This year he is HUGE. Probably one of the biggest babies and he less than two years of age. He has some behavior issues, because he is bigger than all the other kids, he is good at pushing and taking other babies toys. I also worked with Joseph who did very well. He was interactive, and behaved well during our group language therapy. At the end of my time in Haven 3, I spent an hour with Leo. Leo was non-responsive the entire time. Even Carla blew bubbles in his face, but he showed nothing. We read a book, we walked around, we played on the rocking horse, we played with colors, we did everything. By the end of our time together I thought, well maybe I could get a negative reaction out of him, I started taking toys away, and placing them out of reach....still nothing. As I was walking him back to his room, I threw him up in the air and caught him, only to find him returning to my arms giggling with a big smile on his face...of course. To top it off when I placed him in his crib, he started crying very loudly, like he actually enjoyed the past hour we had together....babies.

The last 45 min of therapy we are able to choose where we want to work. I love the toddlers. They are so interactive and funny, I can't stay away from them. Also during that time the babies are always fed a snack, which is always fun to watch. Those babies are my favorites. I cherish my time with them greatly.

For dinner tonight we had taco soup and corn bread. After dinner many of us played cards in the dark with our headlamps because the power went out. After cards we planned to sing with Webster, but because the lights were out he was not able to come to our house to teach us to sing, because he needed to guard the house out in the darkness. So we made a switch. We all headed to Webster's porch and he then  taught us a song that I learned last year. It was fun to watch my friends learn the new song. I have found it very rewarding this year to watch my friends experience the same experiences that I did last year. I am so glad that my classmates are here with me this year.

After singing and learning our first song we all headed to bed. Tomorrow I have been giving an assignment by Carla to clip all the babies finger nails. I will let you know how it goes.

Thank you for all your support and prayers. Continue to pray for us as a group as we continue to serve the people here and maintain health.

Ben

Operation Evaluate

Today was the day to evaluate all the children at the Havens to determine which therapy groups they would be placed. I was told today that there are 78 babies at the Havens currently. We were split up into groups to evaluate each Haven. I was sent to Haven 2 with all the toddlers, Kara was the supervisor. Kasey, Hayley, Kristen, Ashley, and I worked together, and told Kara what the children could do/ couldn't do. Working with the toddlers was fun. I think they are my favorite group. Only after a few days I know all 27 of the toddlers in Haven 2. Many of them I knew from last year, living in Haven 1 or 3. Many of them are some of my favorites from last year like, Curt, Seth, and Leah. Some other babies that I have worked with last year in this group are, Maureen, Memory, Quniton, Heath, Marcus, Mary, Robert, Twapegawa, Ruben, Matt, and Peace. So as you can see, its a big party at Haven 2.

Today I felt at home in Haven 2 and I worked with the children. Its so nice when you know their names and can speak enough Tonga to get them to do what you want. The aunties use both English and Tonga commands, but I have a feeling Tonga is used more often. The language phrases that I learned last year are coming back quickly, and Justin and Webster are adding to my vocabulary every night. I have also started asking the Aunties for Tonga words as well.

Once all the babies were evaluated at Haven 2, our group then moved to Haven 1. They were not quite finished evaluating all the babies in Haven 1 because they were  sleeping. I was immediately given Cathy, who is a sweet baby girl. She was nice and very content the entire time she was on my lap. She was on my lap the rest of the time until we left. Today was also the day that I changed my first diaper. Don't ask how I got away last year without changing a single one. : ) On Sunday Courtney and I double teamed an awful diaper. Today was my first time changing solo. I think it when pretty well. Cathy and I both made it threw without any tears. So that was good. After receiving some instruction from an Auntie I was good to go. Change success.

For lunch today we had enchiladas with rice and queso. The queso was so good. I put it all over my rice and enchiladas. After lunch I took a quick nap in the chair on the porch, and then we headed back to the Havens for the afternoon. I again spent all my time in Haven 2, working with the toddlers. I think I was able to interact with almost all the kids at some point. Curt and Seth were out of control the entire time, running around and laughing, along with Robert. I alot of time with Marcus, and Heath. Marcus is currently getting over and illness, so he wasn't feeling well. So keep him in your prayers. Also be praying for Heath. He is healthy, but just not as interactive as we would like him to be. He just sits and stares. Last year he was the smiliest baby, but this year he is the opposite. I hope that therapy will help him.

For dinner tonight we had grilled cheese sandwiches and banana cake! The banana cake was so good, I had two pieces. And Chelsea did eat the frosting on her two pieces, so I ate that as well. It was really good. I really like banana cake.

After dinner the whole group met up to discuss therapy groups. Tomorrow I will be working in Carla's group. We will be doing mostly feeding therapy in Haven 3. Once some other students get here, I will them be a floater, and jump from group to group depending on who needs assistance. Since I am not receiving therapy hours for this trip, I don't need to be assigned a certain group. I'm looking forward to this, I think it means that I maybe able to spend one on one time with some of the babies that need extra therapy. I hope that this goes well.

Once the meeting was finished, many went to bed early, but a good size group of us stayed out on the porch and talked with Webster and Justin. Webster is convinced that if he came to the USA he would die in the snow, because its too cold. He is amazed that we survive in the cold weather. It is so entertaining to listing to him talk. He also showed us his catapult (sling shot) and how to use it. Eventually we all drifted off to bed.

Continue to pray for the groups health as we continue to work hard here, and please be praying for the health of the babies as well. We also have two more students arriving here tomorrow sometime, so be praying for safe travel for them as well.

Thank you for all your prayers and support!

Ben   

Operation Quiet Baby

Today was our first Sunday here in Zambia. We arrived early to the church so that we could hold babies during the church service. The babies were late, but most of our group was able to share a baby or two with the people next to them. Unlike last year, this year we came prepared with tons of toys to keep the children occupied and quite during the service. During the service I sat next to Hayley with Curt in her lap. Curt is a baby I knew from last year and resided in Haven 3. This year he is healthier and is now living in Haven 2 with the healthy toddlers. It was fun trying to keep him entertained during the service. Eventually I found out that the only thing that would please him is my watch. He found out that he could push a button to light up my watch, and that was the end...it was now his watch. When he left for class I forgot to take it back from him so I was a little worried, but after service, sure enough, he was still holding on tightly to my watch. Whew.

After service we had an awesome dinner with baked chicken, green beans, rolls, and corn casserole. It was very good. Afterwards  a group of us went to the Havens to play with the babies for the rest of the day till dinner. I spent all of my time in Haven 1 with the little babies. I first picked up Joy, who is just a few months old and has a twin name Emmanuel. I fed them both a bottle, and decided that they will probably be apart of the feeding class. I also held Christopher for a while, who was born March 30th. He is not doing well and needs lots of prayers. He looks very malnourished, shallow breathing, no sucking, and a weak swallow. I also spend alot of time with Louise which was apart of our feeding group last year in Haven 1. Now she is a year old and healthy. She was fun to play with, a very content baby. Eventually it was time for the babies to eat so I let Louise go and picked up a younger baby named Irene. I held her until it was time to go. She is a sweet baby. When I got back to the house, I remembered that it was my turn to make dinner. My team consisted of Dr. Weaver, Dixie, Darah, and Kasey. We just pulled out all the leftovers and threw them together, nothing fancy.

After dinner we went to evening service. The singing was great, and I was able to sing some Tonga songs that I had learned from last year. After service we all hung out on the porch and chatted. It was nice to hang out as a group. Eventually a large group of us played nerts. I was pretty confident in my skills but Courtney destroyed us all.

Tomorrow the plan is to evaluate as many of the babies as possible so that we can place them into groups for therapy. Be praying that good observations are made and that we can serve the babies as best as we can with the time we have.

Thank you for all your prayers and support!

Ben

Operation Container Closure

Our first Saturday in Zambia was a fantastic day to relax and get more accommodated with our surroundings and group. Today we had a late breakfast at 8:30, consisting of jungle oats, rolls, and yogurt. The jungle oats (oatmeal) were just as tasty as I remember them from last year. The main event of our Saturday was to go into Kalomo town and see the markets there and have our first experience buying items in the market. I was fortunate to be able to spend alot of time with Dixie, one of my supervisors, during our time in the market. First we scoped out the entire market, answering questions all the way. Once we had seem almost everything, we then went back to the shops we were interested in. We soon met up with some of the other students and Dr. Tullos, and I took them through the food market. The food market has a terrible smell due the tiny dried  fish there called kapenta. The Zambians put this in there shema so they can have a source of protein in their diet.

After being finished with the market we headed back to the house where we had some free time before lunch. At that time the internet had been turned on, so we spent much of that time emailing and uploading blogs and pictures. For lunch today we had tuna sandwiches. After lunch we were given the task to unload some materials from a large container. This container is very easy to open, but extremely difficult to close. It requires lots of muscle to get it shut. I remembered that Dr. Weaver and I had struggled with this a year before. This time was no different. After emptying the container of all the necessary materials,  Dr. Weaver and I then had the responsibility of locking the container back again. As I pushed the lever as hard as I could (making ridiculous sounds of course) Dr. Weaver would press downwards, and the Kara would be ready to swing the lock into place. After a few tries and alot of grunting, we achieved success! Soon after though we realized that Dr. Weavers jacket was missing...and we soon concluded that she had left it in the now locked container. We reopened the container reluctantly, but successfully received her jacket. Now we had a new mission. Lock container door with 0% strength. It was a tough battle that resulted in probably more ridiculous sounds and much laughter, but with the help of Kaysie, Dr. Weaver, Kara, and I, We were able to lock the container! Success!

As a group we then sorted and organized all the materials on shelves and had a quick debrief, and then we were given free time. I spent the first part of my free time talking with Hayley and Catarina (Cat/ Cathy) We talking about the differences in our graduate programs and the difference in our accents. (Speech Path Nerds) Cat then had the idea that we should play parachute. Yes, she brought a parachute. You know the kid you play as a kid. A big round piece of fabric that you can bounce balls or, or run under, or sit under. Yes, she brought one, And it was a blast. We had a group of about 8. And we ran under it, sat under it, bounced sandals on it, and eventually found a ball to launch in the air. Surprisingly, it was really entertaining.

For dinner tonight we had hamburgers and then we spent time in Meagan's house talking about what we will be doing the next few days. During our meeting the power went out. I soon went out to enjoy the stars. They are so bright here. And you can see the milkyway galaxy. It is an amazing sight. When the power turned back on I spent a lot of time on the porch taking with Webster and Justin. Justin introduced himself in the typical Justin way, which is talk in Tongan and confuse all the girls. It was really funny. When Justin went to introduce Webster to the girls, he called him the Snowman, which is an inside joke between the 3 of use from last year. Those two are so funny. The rest of the night, I spent with them trying to learn new Tonga words. I think I'm starting to get better.

Thank you for all you prayers and support. Continue to pray for the group's safety. I believe tomorrow Lindsey and Tessa will start their journey towards Zambia, so pray from their safety as well.

Thank you.

Ben