As Tough as Chimuka
One of the children from the House of Faith in Zambia named Chimuka was taken to a hospital in late March because he was sick. Below is an update from Mike in Zambia on his current condition:
Greetings from Kalomo!
I arrived back in Zambia Thursday night late and just got back to Kalomo. I traveled to Zimba Mission Hospital this morning for an update on our Chimuka. Before I departed for the states late March he had a bad case of diarrhea and he is HIV positive so this was serious for him. Momma Benita brought him to Kalomo Hospital and he was given meds. about a week later it was back again and he was brought in by Michael in the middle of a heavy rain storm with creeks raising and flooding in the rivers. He stayed three days and was on a fluid drip. Again the next week he was in for a day and was again given a bag of IV fluid and sent home. This last trip in he was not able to walk his knees hurt so bad and he was really unresponsive. Michael and Momma Benita rushed him to Zimba Mission Hospital about 2 hours away and the tests began to try and find out what was going on in his body. All tests so far have returned negative. He was on an IV with a strong antibiotic for 7 days and he is now sitting up by himself and eating again. He is still not able to walk as he is very weak. We both cried when I walked to his bed this morning. I could see from his eyes when I hugged him he was telling me it had been very hard on him. We talked and rejoiced of how the Lord is touching him and we encouraged him that he would come back to House of Faith with us soon. Dr Joan has requested he stay at least another week to be sure of what is happening in his body and we are praying he will gain strength to walk alone very soon. I ask him what foods I could bring him and he said sweet potatoes. Momma Benita said I have them and opened a contained with freshly cooked and cooled ones and he ate two right away. It is sweet potato harvest time in Zambia. When I got ready to leave I ask again what can I get for you? He looked with tears in his eyes and said a phone. I said “a phone? You can ask Momma Benita to ring me any time and I will call you back.” Momma Benita said he wants a phone to play games on while laying in this bed! I was shocked that he even knew about games on cell phones. Our kids are in the bush with no electricity. I could not leave Zimba without trying to find a cheap cell phone with a couple of games for him. The Lord blessed me and as soon as the battery charged he had a phone that he could play games on while recovering in his bed. Please keep Chimuka in your prayers for the Lord to continue to touch him and that he will be able to return to House of Faith very soon with a testimony of the Lords love and healing for HIM.
The picture below is Chimuka, Momma Benita with her arm around him and an Auntie who traveled a distance to stay with him and Momma Benita at the hospital to help in any way she can.