Radio Tower Construction

"Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land."

- Proverbs 25:25 (NIV)

These photos just came in via e-mail from Namwianga. They show the radio tower being constructed and lifted into place.

Late-Breaking Container News...

Nothing is easy in Africa.

The container is still sitting at the port in Dar es Salaam. Robby Banda and Patrick Kawinga have been working tirelessly to get it moving and it appears it will leave the port tomorrow. Eleanor Hamby claims that if we hadn't dispatched Robby, the container might have been delayed indefinitely. Robby has been instructed to stay in Dar until he personally sees the container moving.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we ask that you continue to pray for this container -- that it will arrive safely and on time for the medical mission. Many will be blessed by its contents.

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HIV/AIDS Work

In 2001, TIME Magazine declared the southern quadrant of Africa "ground zero of humanity's deadliest cataclysm." In Zambia, one in every six people is infected with HIV and approximately 710,000 children are AIDS orphans.

The challenges associated with treating HIV are widely known, but in southern Africa, an equally vexing problem is often overlooked: How to identify those who need treatment.

Each year, the Zambia Medical Mission operates an HIV/AIDS Voluntary Counseling & Testing program that provides life-saving medical information to people in desperate need. Our doctors use technologically-sophisticated rapid tests to determine a patient's HIV status within a matter of minutes. Each test cost about one US Dollar. Patients then receive their test results from trained Christian counselors.

Here is a video explaining what we do:

Engineering

Mwanza Martin - the lead engineer for the crew stacking the tower at Namwianga. These men have stacked towers all over southern Africa including countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, and Zambia. They will bring in a crane to stack the first three sections, and the remaining sections will be lifted by a hoist on a "gin" pole It is not work for the faint of heart.

Soon to be the second tallest tower in Zambia!

We have been told by the crew stacking our radio tower for the Southern Cross Radio Project that our tower at 97 metres will be the second tallest tower in Zambia. The sections below were sent on one container but the top three sections will not arrive until the medical mission container arrives. If it happens soon, the tower could be in place by the time the medical mission team leaves Zambia.


We are still attempting to raise the final dollars for Phase One of this project. Approximately $15,000 US Dollars remain to be raised, but in order to meet governmental deadlines, we had to begin work immediately.

According to the United Nation's Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS, radio is one of the most credible sources of information to individuals in developing countries regarding HIV/AIDS. This Christian radio station will broadcast the Gospel, uplifting music, educational programming on health care, agriculture etc, sports programming and eventually news. Below - the sections of the tower have to be painted in alternating bands of white and aviation-orange.

Two men known to be outstanding in their field -) Kel Hamby and Wil Pippin walk around a hole dug to set one of the anchors for the guy wires.

Container Update - Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Good news!

The overseas shipping container that was loaded in Abilene during January (and has been missing in action for some time now) has been located. Richard Prather's contacts report that the container should clear the port at Dar es Salaam by Friday.

Notable items being held in this container:

- Large stores of medicine and supplies for this year's medical mission

- Building supplies for the new Christian radio station

- Several sections of the radio station'

s tower (which, for regulatory reasons, must be constructed soon)

Please continue to pray for the container's safe and timely arrival. The clock is ticking. :)

The journey is beginning soon.

Welcome to the blog to provide updates for friends and family of members of the 2008 Zambia Medical Mission trip.

Posting will begin shortly

Thanks

KB Massingill - Co Director, ZMM