Chitokoloki Mission Hospital

Every time that a plane arrives at the Chitokoloki airstrip it draws a crowd of people. It also seems that the work stops in all areas and the ATV bikes congregate at the airstrip to either welcome or say goodbye to those flying. This past week we have had a lot of flights and the new Chitokoloki plane that arrived in March has already logged over 70 hours of flying. The help of Don Amborski as pilot and others in the flying is very much appreciated. Recently the plane flew Aaron back home who had been at hospital for a long time after having major surgery done on his face.

Recognizing the large number of visitors that come to help in the work here at Chitokoloki we have built and renovated two houses to accomodate our much appreciated visitors. The project became more involved than anticipated however one is now completed and has been used by the well drilling team. The other house is 90% completed and just needing finishing and the installation of a solar hot water system. We are grateful that we were able to get some furniture sent out on the ACCTS  trailer from Canada and this has been a great help. Philip Grainger has visited again this year and has built very lovely cupboards for the houses and also screens and other aspects, which without his appreciated help would not have been done in time or as professional.

We once again had the real privilege of having a team from Team Workers with us for 6 weeks to continue the upgrading of the electrical systems in the hospital, houses, maintenance and water supply. They have returned numerous consecutive years, last year visited twice, and have worked very hard and accomplished  so much to help the Mission in the supplying of electricity through solar. This year a total of 84 by 290 watt panels arrived along with all the hardware, controllers, inverters etc. and installations were done not only at Chitokoloki but they also travelled by plane to Dipalata and Sakeji.

They continued working right up to an hour before their plane was due to take them from Chitokoloki to Lusaka for the flight leaving for Canada the same day. In addition to new installations many improvements were done to existing systems along with all the “extra” challenges that we impose upon them,

As has been often said what Chitokoloki is today, apart from the goodness, grace and provisions of the Lord, is due to those who have gone before and those who are an integral part of the work here even though not full time here. These men and women are as much a part of the work as those of us here for longer periods.In conjunction with the wells drilled by the well drilling team, 2 were drilled at the base of  the water tower and solar panels placed on the top of the tower to pump water from bore hole wells all by solar.

The pre-school at the Mission continues to function very well and Molly Nkanza is doing a very commendable job in running the school. The children get  a good start in their education and also learn from the Bible and songs. We are pleased and grateful to Mrs. Margaret Strahan who has a real interest in the school and visits at times to help and encourage. Plans are in place to provide the school with a dvd and screen so that they can use it for appropriate education and spiritual helps.

It was good to have the well drilling team with us at Chitokoloki again. they have visited many consecutive years and have greatly improved the water on the Mission plus drilled a large number of wells in villages and on other Mission Stations.

Last month we received the plaque for the memorial marker for the burial site for Jay and Katrina Erickson.

It has been placed as a reminder of their service and dedication to the Lord’s work here at Chitokoloki.

It truly was amazing how it was provided and the many hurdles and challenges that were crossed but God had prepared the right plane and in the end it was very much His guidance that brought it all together. The plane was based in Nairobi, Kenya and we were apprised of it and in a very short period of time Don Amborski and Gordon Hanna flew to Nairobi on March 17th. The plane was inspected and met all and much more that our expectations, it had been completely rebuilt in 2009 and was very well maintained by AIM. Over the next two days a flurry of activity occurred including payment, transfer of ownership  permits, licenses, insurance, pilot checks, maintenance checks and the last document was received about midnight on Wednesday and Thursday morning Don and Gordon left the AIM hanger at 8:15 AM and flew without refuelling all the way to Ndola, Zambia.

On March 27th the plane made it’s first trip to Chitokoloki and shortly after landing we had a call for an emergency evacuation for one of the Canadian visitors who was at another station and was involved in a serious accident. The plane was able to bring the patient safely to Chitokoloki and all went well. The plane is a Cessna 206 and very well equipped with a larger engine than the previous one, excellent avionics and in very good condition.

We thank the Lord for making it possible and also the many who have prayed to this end and contributed financially towards the replacement plane. It will be flying to Lusaka with passengers today and there are 4 more flights booked in the next week.

In October a new outside kitchen was completed for the main hospital. This is the area where the food is cooked including the Nshima and relish as well as an  oven which is used each day to bake bread for the patients.

The old kitchen was the last area of the hospital that needed to be upgraded and we are thankful that this project is now completed and is a great improvement over the old stove area.

Chitokoloki was very blessed to have 2 teams of hard working fellow workers from Team Workers and ITEC, who spent almost three weeks installing solar systems. re-wiring, putting in new underground cables and many other challenges. At the same time a new generator arrived which was installed as a smaller back-up and also repairs done to some medical equipment.

At present all the residences on the Mission (except one) including staff houses, have access to solar power, plus the hospital and the maintenance area which also now greatly benefit from a larger array of panels, 27 were added to the hospital bank and 24 to the maintenance area.

We have continued to receive many emails asking if the plane that was involved in the crash on June 2 is reparable, will it be replaced or what plans we may have for the future.

We are proceeding slowly, but we do know that the plane was a real blessing to many and a great help to the Lord’s work here at Chitokoloki. Even since it is no longer available we have had to make long road trips, reschedule quite a number of flights and cancel medical flights. We have greatly  appreciated the help of Philip Grove and Don Amborski who have  made several flights for us in their planes even though they have a 2 1/2 hour flight from Chingola to Chitokoloki before they reach here for the scheduled flight.

The Cessna 206 that crashed is beyond repair, very few parts or components are even salvageable. The main item of any value is the engine and it is still in the Zambezi River and has not been located. Lord willing we would like to replace the plane with another similar one but we know this will take time, funds and the the input of individuals who are able to source another plane and then outfit it and arrange for it to be brought to Zambia, following which is a lengthy process for it to be registered here. If a suitable plane in country could be leased and a pilot available that would help in the interim.

In the mean time we continue to press on and trust the Lord for guidance, wisdom and to make sure that what is done is His will and not ours. Your prayers are appreciated.