June 29, 2015
MARSHALL, Texas (6/24/15) - Two separate groups of students from East Texas Baptist University traveled to Africa during May with the same purpose in mind. The students who went to Ethiopia had a goal to learn about Cross Cultural leadership within mission work. The nursing students who went to Zambia for 21 days also went to learn and serve as they were involved in a combined nursing course and mission trip. The two abroad trips were part of the ongoing Travel/Study program of ETBU.
The Ethiopia group was accompanied by ETBU Great Commission Director, Dr. Lisa Seeley; Baptist Student Ministry Director, Mark Yates; and BSM Intern, Clint Salmon. They spent time learning and ministering to residents in the communities of Bantu and Tullu Bolo.
In Zambia, some 1,800 miles to the south of Ethiopia, six nursing students from ETBU were serving during the same time. Dean of the School of Professional Studies Dr. Rebekah Grigsby led the future nurses on the life-changing trip.
"Our students in Ethiopia taught English, volleyball, and soccer drills at local schools and churches," Dr. Seeley said. "Our prayer was to open doors for local church planters to build relationships with the people of these villages, many of which were closed to church planters."
In Bantu, the ETBU group served in two schools, three churches and helped with a building project as well. In each place of service, the students focused on interacting with the children of the community.
"Every one of the ETBU students spent time getting to know these children, playing games with them, and loving on them," shared Dr. Seeley. "The personal relationships built with the Bantu community, Bantu Church, and our translators had a life changing impact on all involved."
Time in the Tullu Bolo saw the group serving in two rural schools and three community churches doing much of the same type of ministry that occurred in Bantu. The ETBU students walked around to interact with others and shop in the local markets giving them a better view of everyday life in rural Ethiopia.
The first two weeks in Zambia, ETBU nursing students stayed in the home of missionaries, Sherrie and Jerry Avery, who live and serve in Mkushi. Sherrie is a nurse practitioner and Jerry is involved in construction.
The experiences in Mkushi were many. The students planned, organized and conducted a Holiday Bible Club (Vacation Bible School) with over 200 children in attendance with 46 children making a profession of faith. The local hospital allowed the ETBU nursing students to serve and rotate through the Labor and Delivery Ward, Children's Ward, Outpatient Department, and the Male and Female Medical and Surgical Wards.
"The students also had the experience of community health nursing and made home visits to patients out in the bush, or remote areas of the village," said Dr. Grigsby. "During the second weekend in Mkushi we held a Health Fair in a neighboring village and saw 204 patients."
The ETBU nursing students experienced firsthand the differences between health care in East Texas and in a third world country.
"There is a national health insurance plan but basically that means that health care professionals are government employees and as a patient you will receive health care when you go to the hospital or see a physician," said Dr. Grigsby.
She further explains, "However, you must bring everything with you when you come to the hospital, like linens for your bed, food if you want to eat, and medications if you need medications."
The nursing students put into practice what they have been learning in the classroom when the Mkushi District Hospital received people who were hurt in a bus accident on a local highway. The accident had fatalities and 23 injured who came to the hospital for treatment.
"ETBU nursing students took care of many of the patients the next morning after the crash," said Dr. Grigsby. "The students prepared three for transport who had multiple extensive fractures requiring surgical repair at another hospital that could perform the surgeries. We made our own dressings and splints to stabilize these patients for transport."
"I definitely view my home and hospital environments differently having been to Zambia," said junior nursing student Hannah Beggs of Hawkins. "Just experiencing the lack of supplies was eye opening and gave me a new perspective."
"Something else that made me think was the way people handled pain. They were taught not to show pain or complain, even with multiple fractures or an amputated leg," she added. "I realized that I take so many things for granted, such as, electricity, a bottle of Tylenol just for me to use, or even the allowance of demonstrating pain."
The third week in Zambia the ETBU group attended school with fellow students who attended the Chitambo Nursing School. "We lived in their dorms and immersed ourselves into their culture and nursing program," said Dr. Grigsby.
"Each of our students was partnered with a Zambian nursing student and attended clinical experiences with them in Labor and Delivery, Medical ward, Maternal Child Health clinic, and Outpatient clinic."
The type of food the students dined on was quite different than what they enjoy in the Bennett Student Commons back home on campus.
During the last full day in Bantu, the church in which the Ethiopia group helped with a building project held a very special dinner in their honor. The main course was goat that was slaughtered that very afternoon, which one of the ETBU students helped prepare for cooking.
"The ladies of the church performed a special coffee ceremony to honor our group as well," said Dr. Seeley.
"We had Inshema at every lunch and dinner," Dr. Grigsby said. "Inshema is similar to grits, but smoother and can be formed into a ball, which is how you eat it. You form it into a ball in the palm of your hand and then scoop up whatever vegetable is being served and eat it. You eat with your fingers, no spoons, forks or knives."
Both Dr. Seeley and Dr. Grigsby agreed that the experience in Africa was a very positive life changing experience for the students.
"I am so proud of our ETBU students and the mission service that they did while in Ethiopia," expressed Dr. Seeley. "They saw things that they had heard about in missions class lived out before their eyes. Each of them was flexible displaying great Christian compassion and service to everyone they came in contact with."
Dr. Grigsby echoed, "This was truly a great experience for our nursing students to learn about health care in a third world county and experience the differences and similarities in nursing schools. Attending a Zambian church to experience worship in a different way than they were accustomed to was phenomenal and I believe contributed to spiritual growth as well."
"Something that God really showed me while in Zambia was how little actions can lead to make a big impact, and that God can bless people through simple obedience," shared Beggs. "I got to glimpse this concept in effect when four villages volunteered to help the Avery's, the missionaries we stayed with, build a clinic just because we nursing students had done a one-day health fair. Because of my participation in that, I have impacted multiple communities and indirectly helped more people that I can imagine."
"One of the greatest things gained by my students from this experience is that they confirmed their calling by God to be nurses," concluded Dr. Grigsby.