Brinkley on a Mission

2015 trip dates are set!

88 days until Zambia!

Hurray! We have plane tickets for our trip to Zambia. We'll leave May 10th and return May 28th. I AM SO EXCITED!

Those going will be Chris, John, John's daughter Erin, and myself. We leave Sunday, May 10th evening from DFW to London. We will arrive in London in the morning and have a 12 hour layover, so.....we get to do some sightseeing in London! The amateur photographer in me is just so excited about photo opportunities in London! After our tourist-y detour in London :), we fly to Johannesburg, South Africa with a short layover before flying to Livingstone, Zambia. The bus trip from Livingstone to New Day will only be a few hours. Last trip, we went into Livingstone to visit the hospital and see Victoria Falls, so we have experienced that drive before.

We land early afternoon in Livingstone on Tuesday, May 12th, so will be at New Day with enough time to unpack and get settled in before getting right to work early Wednesday. We'll have a full 2 weeks to work and then leave New Day on May 27th, returning to DFW on the 28th.

So that's the pre-trip agenda. I am stating now...make note...I vow to take more pictures than I did last trip and will take notes at the end of each day on that day's happenings. This way, I can give an even better day-by-day re-cap than I did last year here on the blog.

Other updates for preparations:

Since John took our supplies to Kansas in December, I've had several more donations come in at my office in Denton. I'll be taking those to Chris later this month. We can sort through and see what we want to pack in our luggage to take and what can wait until next year's pre-trip shipment. I will be seeing Chris and John later in February for my first Prosthetic Promises Board Meeting. That's right...I'm an official PPIHN Board Member now.

Boxes of supplies sitting at my office.

Also before our trip, I'll need to get a yellow fever vaccine (since we're going through South Africa, that's required) and malaria preventative medication. The typhoid oral vaccine that I had last year is good for 5 years, so I'm good to go there.

Please be praying as we get closer to our trip that the people needing prosthetic services will hear about us coming and be able to travel to us while we're there.

Mission...what is it? What am I doing?

I blog about details and my excitement for mission work with Prosthetic Promises. I give updates on plans and preparations, describing my anticipation for our upcoming trip.

Well, what is a mission? Merriam-Webster online says:

1 obsolete : the act or an instance of sending
2 a : a ministry commissioned by a religious organization to propagate its faith or carry on humanitarian work
b : assignment to or work in a field of missionary enterprise
c (1) : a mission establishment (2) : a local church or parish dependent on a larger religious organization for direction or financial support
d plural : organized missionary work
e : a course of sermons and services given to convert the unchurched or quicken Christian faith

3 : a body of persons sent to perform a service or carry on an activity: as
a : a group sent to a foreign country to conduct diplomatic or political negotiations
b : a permanent embassy or legation
c : a team of specialists or cultural leaders sent to a foreign country

4 a : a specific task with which a person or a group is charged
b (1) : a definite military, naval, or aerospace task <a bombing mission> <a space mission> (2) : a flight operation of an aircraft or spacecraft in the performance of a mission <a mission to Mars>
c : a preestablished and often self-imposed objective or purpose <statement of the company's mission>

5 : calling, vocation

I try to remind myself that a mission doesn't have to be just a mission trip (#2 and #3 in the definition). That feeling of "I'm doing something that really matters and is helping people" isn't just for mission trips...it can be #4 and #5 in that definition in my everyday life.

I'm not particularly a morning person...just ask my husband. The waking up, getting ready, eating breakfast...bleh, I get through it. But I do look forward to my 30 minute commute to work. I have my travel mug full of coffee and my radio set to SiriusXM-The Message. It's a little praise and worship to get my day started---with a jolt of caffeine (Did I mention I love coffee?) Everything makes sense during these 30 minutes. These songs about, and in praise to, our Father remind me of the direction and purpose of my life. I'm on mission. I'm on a mission to impact those around me and show God's love today. And then I get to work and the world hits---

Though I feel like I'm in a constant mental battle to block the world and be the light, I get bogged down with the world. I know this is not a unique feeling. On the contrary, every Christian is in the same mental battle. It's part of the whole being human thing. I want to take that feeling and memory of being in Zambia making prostheses for people and carry that every step, every minute of my day. I want to take that feeling and happy smile I have when doing my morning commute with The Message through my speakers and carry that every step, every minute of my day.

Why is this so hard?! The struggle continues...

But I know my God is there with me every step, every minute of my day...holding my hand and helping me along the way. I love You and thank You, God, for helping me to walk closer to You and show others Your love.

Now, if I can just keep that thought in my little human brain.

It's 2015...

It's 2015...the year of our next trip to Zambia. The date...well January to May won't take long I'm sure. We haven't set exact dates yet for our trip, but we're looking to leave mid-May. Plane tickets will be purchased soon.

John made the really long drive to Kansas on December 20th to take all of our supplies to the shipping container. He had to rent a van to fit all the boxes and totes.

Here's a picture John took of all the supplies unloaded. The shipping container will leave in the next few months, making its way to Africa.

In other news, we now have enough funds to start construction on a clinic at New Day. John and Chris have been talking with New Day about logistics of building a clinic that we can use to see patients and make prostheses while we're there, and that they can use also. Construction of that clinic should start later this year. For our May trip, we will be setting up our work area in the now finished garage at New Day.

Since I've gotten all settled into 2015 and looking ahead to "what does 2015 hold?", I definitely feel the excitement starting to build for our trip in May.

Supplies to ship...already?!?

Whoa, time is flying by. We're already talking and making plans for shipping supplies for our next trip in May! I've been taking in several donations and was able to get those to John when he came to visit.

Two walkers and a set of crutches, plus a wheelchair and some emergency kit supplies were donated by a retired EMT in the Denton area.

More crutches and an AK prosthesis with supplies were donated.

Several liners and a pair of shoes.

A rep from Medi had these four liners to donate. It was so nice of him to think of us when he had these liners returned.

A little back story is needed to explain how we're shipping supplies this time. For the first trip that Chris and John took in September 2012, they were able to coordinate with a man in Kansas that ships containers overseas. I'm not sure all the finer details, but he pays to ship large containers for various non-profits and mission work. That saved an incredible amount being able to include supplies on his container....almost $10K savings we found out when we shipped a crate for our trip this past April.

So, this is very exciting that he has room for our supplies on a container! He lives in Kansas, so John will be hauling everything up to Kansas in a month or so. He doesn't anticipate the container shipping before February. It takes several months to get there, so we really hope there are no delays along the way.

Preparations already for next year!

We have had opportunities to share stories and what Prosthetic Promises is all about in so many different ways! Also, we've already received donations and supplies in preparation for next year's trip. Praise God! It's so awesome to see the provisions He is making for future trips for Prosthetic Promises.

Let's see...where to begin...

We've been back to several churches to give updates on this year's trip, including my home church in Clifton. John and Chris have talked to some churches in their area. And we've received donations from these churches and members. We are so thankful for support and prayers from many churches in different areas!

I've had several donations of prosthetic parts and supplies at my office in Denton, which I was able to drop off in Temple on my way to a conference in San Antonio. Feet, knees, liners, socks, suspension sleeves, adapters, and prescription glasses!!

The local newspaper in Cooke County, The Lindsay Letter, did an article about Prosthetic Promises' trip to Zambia! I got lots of "Hey, I saw you on the front page of the paper" from several people. :) Also, I had someone email me that had a prosthesis to donate for parts after they read the article. Very cool!

AND...I was able to give a presentation about Prosthetic Promises at a professional organization conference for prosthetics and orthotics in San Antonio. This was really exciting (though I was nervous) to talk to other prosthetists about our trip to Zambia, patients we saw, and the logistics of the trip. I had several practitioners talk with me afterwards that are interested in possibly joining our team for our next trip!

It's the little connections here and there that give me glimpses of how God is providing a way for this mission to continue. More parts donations, monetary donations, interest of other practitioners, and interest of many people to support and pray for Prosthetic Promises. We are excited to see things shaping up for our May 2015 trip. Stay tuned for updates along the way.

Sharing Zambia stories...and learning from them

It's been a little over 2 months since team Prosthetic Promises returned from Zambia. On one hand it seems like it's been longer than 2 months--I suppose it's being back to the fast pace, schedule filled life in the U.S. where much has happened since we've been back--but on the other hand it seems like just yesterday we were in the African bush of Zambia.

I find myself talking to anyone who will listen about our trip (Chris told me this would happen). Whether someone brings up their church and faith, or vacationing and travel, or sometimes our conversation seems to just wind right to the topic of missions. I've always heard that mission work is just as much, or more, of an impact on the one who goes on the mission as it is to those who are helped. And I definitely feel that may be the case with me. I feel I have a completely different view, thought process, even reactions to things about the world and people around me than I did before. Perhaps no one else has noticed a change, but I certainly feel it.

As I talk to people about our experience and review it in my own thoughts, I find myself wondering whether I conveyed well enough to the people we made prostheses for that I was there because God called me go---to go and provide them with not only something physical to help them, but spiritual as well by telling them about Jesus and His love. Did I say the right words (through a translator)? Did I say enough? Did they have questions they didn't ask? I feel like it should to be harder, or more complex, than what it probably really is. I tend to over analyze things in my own world, so I feel that explaining anything to people of any complexity should be thorough, lengthy, a well-rounded explanation. But explaining everything in the detail I really want to could take hours, even days. I guess I've been internally struggling with this a bit. And I guess the point is not to completely cover everything but to plant the seed, so that people hear the good news and know that Christ is the way to salvation...then I pray the seed will grow. *Still learning here.

In addition to what our incredible experience in Zambia taught me, I've been reflecting on some similar things from reading a book. While we were in Zambia, we were talking about different books to read and John recommended Radical by David Platt. John gave me a copy when we got back, and I encourage everyone to read it if you haven't already! To briefly describe the book, I'll tell you what the cover says---"Taking back your faith from the American dream". Yeah, pretty powerful stuff here. Mind blowing really. I really could go on and on about this book but clearly reading it is much better, so please do.

I do want to share one of the many things that really impacted me from reading Radical. Platt described a situation where a friend had spent time in a remote area of Southeast Asia where the people had not heard the gospel. "They were warm and hospitable, and they invited him to share a drink with them. One man went into his small shop and reappeared moments later with a classic red Coke can. Immediately, it hit home with my friend. A soft-drink company in Atlanta has done a better job getting brown sugar water to these people than the church of Jesus Christ has done in getting the gospel to them." (pg.158-159) This makes sense to me! We were in rural Zambia where people live in grass huts, have no running water or electricity, perhaps no shoes---and there is Coke and cell phones. This completely set me on a domino effect of "Yeah, how is a soft-drink company more effective?" and "Wait...this isn't just remote villages or third world countries, companies and advertising reach people everywhere while the church does not" and "My goodness, we're completely falling down on the job here...why aren't we as the church out there telling everyone Jesus is the way, the truth and the life!" So basically I ramble on here to tell you this---this completely solidifies my desire and calling to global missions and makes me eager to do more in my life at home to spread the Word.

Days 1-3, April 16th-18th: Travel and Arrival at New Day Orphanage

*First of many posts for a day-by-day recap of our April 2014 mission trip to Zambia.

Wednesday, April 16th was day one of our trip. Jason and I met John, John's wife Robin, and Chris at DFW airport. This turned out to be a small fiasco because our first flight from DFW to Detroit was delayed, which wouldn't allow us to catch our flight in Detroit. So..after Chris talked with the Delta check-in lady while we all waited at curbside with all of the luggage, we were moved to American Airlines for our first flight. All 5 of us into the truck with all 16 bags plus carry-ons to move to the AA terminal.

We did make all of our flights, and aside from it seemed like insanely long periods of time sitting in planes we made it to Lusaka, Zambia Thursday night. Our flight landed after 10 pm so thankfully there weren't many people around at the airport. At baggage claim, we acquired 12 of our 16 bags and then figured out 4 bags never made it to Lusaka. It took awhile to figure this whole thing out, but the four remaining trunks would be flown in on Saturday night. This was a bit of an issue since we would be leaving Friday morning from Lusaka for a 6 hour ride to New Day Orphanage. (The rest of the "missing 4 bags story" will continue later.)

Blu picked us up from the airport in "Bus Number New Day", and we stayed at the Flying Mission in Lusaka on Thursday night.

Now, the New Day bus is a 1991 year model bus from Japan that made it through a tsunami and has a history of frequent flat tires and break-downs. John and Chris' last trip in 2012 includes a story of a flat tire on their way to New Day that took hours to get fixed. Strangely enough, on our way from the airport across town to the Flying Mission we had a flat tire....at around 1am. Blu, John and Jason managed to change the tire pretty quickly, and we were on our way again. It was SO nice to shower and sleep horizontally in a bed rather than sitting on an airplane Thursday night. The Flying Mission was a nice place to stay...remember don't drink the water and use the mosquito net when sleeping. (Brushing your teeth using a water bottle is very odd to me.)

Friday morning we left out. The bus crew included all 4 of our team and the Tidwell family, Blu, Darbi, and 3 kids, Caedmon, Cambree and Cason. We made a stop at the grocery store for a little shopping for Darbi, the orphanage and whatever we wanted for our stay for drinks or snacks. We picked up Esther, who was our cook during our stay at New Day, before leaving Lusaka. After the long bus ride, starting on a "nice" paved road and then ending on dirt roads to the orphanage, we arrived with time left in the day to unpack and set up most of our work areas. The main paved road from the capital city Lusaka running south is best described as a paved county road here in Texas. Narrow, several pot holes and bumps, and some detours off on a dirt road for the construction parts. Some pictures from our bus travel to New Day:

Chris enjoying the scenic ride.

Luggage all in the back of the bus and Jason looking very serious.

All along the road you can see people walking, riding bicycles or selling things on the roadside.

I absolutely loved the hills and mountains around the Lusaka area...so beautiful. It was much more flat in the area where New Day is. Blu says New Day is located in the "armpit of Zambia".