In the African bush it is not uncommon at the birth of a child that the mother calls in the local village witch doctor or shaman to perform a prayer of dedication over the infant. He would typically wrap the child in a garland or strand of beads and pearls and dedicate the child to some voodoo god, which we know to be of the devil. Several years ago, the Jessica’s Hope Maternity Ward was opened at the Sons of Thunder Farm in Zambia with modern equipment to offer a new alternative. Today, local expectant mothers know that they can go to the maternity center and both mother and baby will receive premium care and services. Now we are cutting out the shaman altogether and babies are being dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ.
“Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute. Rescue the weak and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.” (Psalm 82:3-4)
In so many ways, Sons of Thunder is coming to adopt attributes of an “incubator” or spiritual, economic and agricultural growth in southern Zambia. At God’s direction we are spreading the gospel and building the Church, raising the standard of living, teaching life-changing agricultural methods, fueling a micro business community and our school is seeding the future labor pool of tomorrow’s Zambia.
The Sons of Thunder medical ministry has also played a tremendous role in transforming lives.
As part of the medical ministry, this past year almost 500 babies were delivered through the maternity center or somewhere in transit, 405 at Jessica’s Hope Maternity Center and 79 in the field. Of those 484 deliveries, 61 were HIV positive mothers that are always followed up with medications and prophylaxis treatments. There were no maternal deaths and no orphans. As of the end of January, 42 babies have been delivered in 2019, 35 in the Maternity Center and 7 outside.
The Sons of Thunder Medical Clinic treats an average of 1,800 patients each month, including our regularly scheduled medical outreach program at five different locations off the Farm. Our medical budget continues to grow and the need for more medicines, medical supplies and equipment is great. The SOT medical ministry provides medical, prenatal and maternity services at no cost to our patients and has helped dramatically reduce the mortality rate in southern Zambia. More importantly, God has enabled this ministry to share the love of Jesus Christ with those in need of medical care.
Back in September I wrote about our critical need to bridge the gap in compensation to our medical personnel. Both Sal and Renee Marini are our self-sustaining medical missionaries, but our budget is being challenged to pay our locally trained and highly skilled medical staff the fair market compensation they might obtain elsewhere. We are concerned that if we are not able to bridge this gap soon that we may begin to lose some of the vital personnel of this medical team to other opportunities.
“…for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13)
Today, we are asking for your help. Our goal is to continue to deliver exceptional medical and maternity services to the many thousands of Zambians who have access to Sons of Thunder. We treated over 22,000 patients last year and our desire is to continue to deliver outstanding medical services while exalting the Lord Jesus Christ in the treatment of every patient.
That’s why our goal for this campaign is to raise an additional $100,000 by March 31. If we raise that amount, we will not only meet the medical budget for medicines, medical supplies and equipment but also bridge this critical gap for our medical personnel and which will assuage pressures on the SOT budget for the duration of 2019.
Would you be willing to make a special donation of $50, $100 or whatever you can afford to help us bridge this gap?
You can make an online donation by pressing the “Contribute” button on the menu above using PayPal.
Or you can simply make a check payable to “Sons of Thunder Ministries” and mail to:
Sons of Thunder Ministries
P.O. Box 7
Damascus, MD 20872
Sons of Thunder Ministries is a fully organized 501(c)3 non-profit organization operating in the state of Maryland.
We simply can’t do this without you. Your support will make a real, lasting impact in the lives of those who are not only in need of medical treatment but more importantly, the love of Jesus Christ whom we share generously.