This first picture is of Andrew. I am holding him as we are going on my first trip to Kalomo hospital to get

his ARV's. All children under the age of 5, elderly over the age of 65, and any person who can't pay (most Zambians) get their medicine free through the government. So, that means we have to truck all the HIV kids at some point and time to get their meds. This picture was taken my first week at Namwianga and Andrew has now gained weight and is till having some issues with his eczema and an eye infection, but overall, is doing okay. The Haven 1 & 2 are orphanages that house babies until they are around the age of 2-3 until other family members can take these babies back into their family. The Havens also support milk babies which pay for a baby's formula while another family member takes care of the baby. An optimal solution, is that all babies that have lost a mother or both parents, could do this, but some aunts/grandmothers/other family members are already taking care of too many children. It has been a true blessing to witness the progress of the Havens and get to work with the people who envisioned this from the beginning. I do not know who to truly give praise for their work, but I do know that the Merritt's have supported this from the very beginning by taking in children into their own home and they still do. They currently have at least 20 "street" children in their home plus two small orphan babies. The Havens are supported mainly by people who give money every month. I would also like to give upmost praise to the house parents who run these facilities; Meagan, who works tirelessly and thinks about these babies non-stop and how she can help more; and the aunties, who work 6 days a week with 10-hour shifts to take care of these little ones. They will be paid back fully one day (I know) for all their hard work.

The next photo (upper right hand corner) is Ba Halale, one of the nurses that work at Namwianga. I put this picture is because she is trying to get away from the people that are shoving bananas in her face to buy them. On our way to Lusaka, to get my nursing license (the first time) we pull over on the side of the road to get a snack, and you can see what happens. You literally get malled. Just some more humor to appreciate. Only in Africa...

The next photo is sweet little Paul. In one of my first blogs, I told how we took him to Macha and then pretty much they told us there was nothing else to do for him. He tested negative for everything! Paul was eating well and sucking well and we just couldn't figure out why he was still wasting. We tried lots of different things and racked our brains. Finally, we tried soy milk and then increased the calories by adding more scoops to his bottles and it seems... that Paul is a little fighter. He is still teenie, but he now has fat little cheeks and is starting to gain. Who knows what is in his future, but I hope it is for him to grow big enough to go to Haven 2 or be adopted. God has it in His hands no matter what. (For you at work...thanks whoever donated the 24 guage IV and T-connector. Maybe this helped Paul get through, maybe not. But we tried everything we could.)

Next, is us girls (me, Louisa, and Meagan) having a bit of fun! My first week in Africa, I was able to travel with the Harding Academy group to Victoria Falls. The falls are amazing this time of year. You pretty much can't even see them because the mist is so powerful! Every once and a while, a gush of wind, would come through and you could see them, but other than that, you kept your eyes closed because you would lose your contacts. Anyways, we do have fun here sometimes. Meagana and Louisa are pretty much the funniest gals and are always looking for a way to smile. They are hilarious actually! I ask you who are reading this to pray for them. They have an extremely heavy load of burdens to carry. Some days I know it feels heavy for them sometimes and other days it doesn't. But they do this with a smile knowing that there is a reason the Lord put the love for Africa in their hearts. I ask you pray for strength for them as they continue to work with the Havens and with the mobile HIV outreach. They carry more in their hearts, I feel, in one day than most have to most of their lives. This is an overwhelming task the Lord presented before them and there is a reason why He placed them here. It's amazing what the Lord can do in people and when the people listen to His call....

All His blessings. I miss you and hope you enjoy the pictures!