Changing Seasons
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.." Ecclesiastes 3:1
The wisdom in Ecclesiastes has been profoundly helpful and guiding in this season of my life, so it’s not surprising to me that I thought of this verse as I sat down to write this month’s update to you. The weather is shifting in Malawi, as we enter our version of autumn the cool mornings and chilly evenings are exciting me for the cold weather to come.
I LOVE rainy season in Malawi, I would go so far as to say it’s my favorite. December to April are the most beautiful months in this country, watching life be restored after months of dusty dryness is such a beautiful and rhythmic reminder of God’s faithfulness and the nature of creation. I love anticipating the possibility of rain each day, and much like the snow of my Indiana winters past…it takes A LOT of rain for me to stop being excited every time I hear the first sounds of the trickles on our metal roofs. The green covering of the ground contrasted against the blue skies never ceases to grab my attention, the familiarity of the maize/corn growth keeps my heart warmed with thoughts of Indiana summers, and the warm sunny days are almost perfectly balanced with cool rains.
As we close out March and find ourselves in April I find myself a little apprehensive with each lighter and lighter shower…will this be the last one? BUT I also love the coming crisp cold air and the comfort of knowing I won’t be hot and sweaty again for MONTHS to come 🙂 Seasons. They change. They each have their beauty. They each have their own way of reminding us of God’s vast nature, never ending beauty, and His faithful love for us.
Blessings is in the midst of a changing of seasons too.
Katemera! (Vaccine)
In early March Malawi received their first consignment of the AstraZeneca COVID vaccine through the global COVAX initiative to ensure all countries have access to COVID vaccines. Shortly thereafter both the president and vice president of Malawi publicly received the first doses of the vaccine to help improve trust and buy-in to the upcoming national vaccination efforts.
Admittedly, I expected it would take some time for Blessings to have their turn in the roll out. However, I was pleasantly surprised when we learned that not only were our staff going to have quick access but a vaccine team from the Ministry of Health was scheduled to visit us to administer the doses at Blessings as part of the initial roll out at various facilities!
After learning about our upcoming date, we were really proud of Chifundo James, our Environmental Health Officer, for taking time to hold afternoon sessions in the three days leading up to the teams scheduled arrival to provide information and answer questions from staff interested to learn more about the vaccine.
As with most of the world, there was a little bit of hesitation from some folks, especially because of the coinciding halt on AZ administration in various European countries. However I believe Chifundo’s time and effort did encourage and empower people to make a choice they were comfortable with based on current information. Some staff chose to wait and some chose to move forward and receive, all decisions were respected without pressure. I was really pleased with the efforts by Chifundo to make sure those decisions were made based on true and current information.
On 19 March 60+ people from Blessings, our campus, and the airport/immigration staff received their first dose of the vaccine in a very well run and well organized effort by the MOH team. The energy of the day was exciting and hopeful. Here are some photos from the day…
Tionana (See You Later) Seasons…
This month we also said goodbye to two really incredible members of our team.
Our pharmacist: Thompson Matebule and Blessings Hospital’s very first medical officer: Gloria Zailani were both recently offered an opportunity to join the government healthcare system at Kamuzu Central Hospital, the largest referral hospital in the country.
Both of these individuals have made a tremendous and long lasting impact on Blessings Hospital. In their own unique ways both Gloria and Thompson have helped our entire leadership team see a new vision of the future. Blessings Hospital is a better hospital today because of their influence, leadership, and skills. While we are deeply saddened to lose them, we are thankful for all they have done for us, and we are excited for the ways they will influence Malawian healthcare on a larger scale.
At Chikondi Health Foundaiton and at Blessings Hospital, we desire to see growth and development and pursuit of excellence in healthcare in all sectors – not only within our walls. So while we wish we could keep these talented individuals in our family forever, we know they will continue to improve healthcare delivery in Malawi wherever they go.
As an individual I definitely had some days of worry after learning of these upcoming changes but the Spirit reminded me of God’s faithful provision for Blessings Hospital. For many years He has provided us with who we need when we need them, and we turn our trust and worries back to Him.
We plan to hold interviews for the replacement of these positions next week. If you would join us in prayer for wisdom and His continued provision of the right people at the right times, we would greatly welcome your prayers.
Thank you Thompson and Gloria for all of your great contributions to the mission and vision of Blessings Hospital. We pray great blessing and success over your next chapters!
As always – thank you for your faithful support, love, and encouragement!
Much Love,
ash 🙂
love is a verb 