Gordon & Ruth Hanna
The picture of Ruth and I was taken just over a year ago on our 50th wedding anniversary as we were on our way travelling back to Zambia.
The world today has changed so much in the last few decades since we arrived in Zambia in 1985 and it has become a hostile environment for many who uphold Christian values. The very essence and principals of the Gospel are being eroded and discarded and this attitude influences even the lives of Believers. How important to take a stand for Biblical principals and by sharing God's Good News, we can see that He is still at work in the lives of those who truly seek Him. The country of Zambia remains an open door for the Gospel and presently there exists a government that appreciates Christian values and so we take the opportunities afforded not knowing when this may change.
The present couple weeks is one of the few breaks in the year when there are no visitors from overseas, at Chitokoloki. That will change next week when a medical student arrives and others soon after. It seems that so many who are willing to come are a blessing and encouragement to us and we trust that we can also be to them. We constantly Pray that some younger ones who visit, may hear God's call and return to serve Him, possibly not at Chitokoloki but even at another place where there is a real need and that they will be at peace wherever God wants them to be.
A large addition is being added to the main hospital at Chitokoloki and this will increase the capacity by approximately 40% and as usual when you embark on a project like this, it becomes more complicated and challenging that expected or planned. The logistics and sourcing of supplies is an ongoing major challenge and even some stone and quarry dust had to be brought in from Solwezi, a 500 kilometres distance. Many of the needed supplies were imported from other countries and so planning well in advance is necessary. We Pray and trust that all who come for medical help will also be blessed by hearing the Gospel and for those who are Christians to be encouraged to live their lives for the Lord.
We are thankful to the Lord for some good Christian Zambian staff in hospital including Dr. Felix Chibwe, a surgeon and also a very good Bible teacher and dependable brother. We greatly appreciate him and his family coming to Chitokoloki and being such a great help.
We are still in Canada, and after a very long wait for a date for hip replacement surgery for Ruth in Ontario, we travelled to Calgary for it and are delighted to report that she has now had her surgery, day 2 after, and is recovering well. From the date this plan to travel was formatted until the surgery was done, was less than 2 weeks. She had been waiting in Ontario since April and we were told a month ago that there was no chance for anything there until next year. We are still in Calgary, having arrived last Saturday and we will fly back to Toronto on Friday, Lord willing. The Christian orthopaedic surgeon who did the surgery was just great and he told us when we were with him the day before the surgery "do you think it is by coincidence that my assistant and the anesthesiologist, are also both Christians?" We are praying for a good result that will allow us to return to Zambia some time later this year.
Autumn 2023
Written by Gordon & Ruth Hanna - Zambia