In the town of Lubumbashi, there is a facility that includes a hospital, public school, and an orphanage. Union Mondale O.R.T is the name of this facility that serves over 1,300 patients, students, and children.
Our DJ team was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd upon their arrival on Sunday morning. The townspeople ushered the Discovery Journey Team to the front of their church to welcome, honor, and to give thanks for their caring spirits. The team was overwhelmed by the graciousness of the people.
Monday morning, Dr. Snell and Dr. Kadivar found a line of over one hundred women and children in need medical care. They treated children infected with parasites and some with malaria.
The team traveled to Lusaka, Zambia Monday evening. On Tuesday morning, the team met with Paul F J Njonbu, the director at Kabwata Basic School. The school has 1,000 students. Kabwata’s water supply is a polluted cistern. There was evidence of water borne disease. Life’s Hope plans to install a water treatment system to benefit the people that live in Lusaka and surrounding area.
The team traveled to locations where Discovery Journey teams previously installed water purification systems and serviced them with new filters and purification components. At one location in Zambia, the team visited with the pastor of the church that manages the system. The pastor recently lost his wife to malaria. The pastor has two young boys ages 8 and 10. At the end of the day, our team attended church service with the pastor. The church was still grieving the loss of their pastor’s wife. The pastor asked Brent Justus to give the message. Brent delivered a message about God’s goodness and kindness. He prayed for God to deliver them of their grief and to heal their broken hearts. Many people came forward at the end of the service and requested Brent to pray with them. The next morning the pastor called Brent and thanked him for helping his people with their grief. He reported that several people had contacted him to report their spiritual healing.
The Discovery Journey team listened to testimonies from grateful Africans as they serviced previously installed systems. One man said the water is sweet. He said he could not stop with just one glass and was very grateful that he could have as much water as he desired to drink; and that he would not get sick from quenching his thirst.
When asked what they thought about their Discovery Journey, Dr. Kadivar said, “As a physician, I have gained a finer appreciation of the human spirit and the greater good of God and his children. This has been conveyed to me and demonstrated to me through my trip sponsored by Life's Hope and Brent Justus. His spirit and overall unyielding tenacity to help those in need; has been an inspiration to me and fellow physician colleagues. My trip to Africa really opened my eyes and allowed me to gain a finer appreciation for what we can be grateful for in our country. I wouldn't have changed it for the world. A memory never to be forgotten! Thanks Brent. “
Part of our supply shipment was delayed by the airlines however Pastor Umba agreed to pick up our delivery and make the installations and finish servicing previously installed units.
About Democratic Republic of Congo
DRC is in central Africa, north of Angola. The country straddles the equator and is one fourth of the size of the United States. The population is 70 million people with a median at of sixteen (16). The effects of the AIDS epidemic has led to lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population. Congo has one of the largest orphan children populations in the world.