Pickett Judith 1975 Rhodesia

THE

PICKETT

LINE

"Miss Judy" Pickett

Dear Christian Friends:

Chidamoyo Christian HospitalBox 330

Karoi, Rhodesia, Africa jJanuary, 1975 V

-s 0 r

Well, the New Year has been started for some time now, but I still wantto wish you each one a most Blessed New Year.

Spiritually, 197^ was one of the best years I have had in Rhodesia, andmy hopes are high for even a better 1975-

Our Hospital Staff Bible Study has ventured forth on a Bible CorrespondenceCourse. This is material prepared and sponsored by Mr. Bruce Ammerman,while he was in Rhodesia, and now being carried on by Raphael Nyanutora.It is entitled "The Living Way". We have finished the first lesson andtest t his week. I am so thankful for the twelve people enrolled in thisstudy. God is working mightily through this group. Please continue topray for them. The thing which thrills me is that nine of the group aremen or young men. Usually the groups are largely women, but these menare very enthusiastic. Praise the Lord.

I have had some rich experiences in the past few days. One of these Iwould like to relate at this time. Diana is a young woman who is a dearfriend of mine. Before I went home to America on furlough, she had workedfor me in our home for two years. She is now married and was expectingher fir st child. Last Friday 1 saw her at ante-natal cl inic, and toldher if she needed to come from her home two miles away, in the night, tosend for me. I was to keep that appointment sooner than I expected. At3:00 A. M. on Sunday morning, her husband, who had just arrived home onSaturday, came to my door saying Diana needed me to come for her. Shewould come down the mountain path to meet me at the road, he said. Whenwe arrived at the road where the path met, she was not there. Her husbandhurried up the path to meet her. For twenty minutes I sat in the dark ofmy Landy, when he returned saying she had gone Into hard labor and wasnot able to walk. They had sent word that there was an old road on downthe mountain leading up to their village, but didn't know its conditionsince the rains. So the husband, young sister and I headed my trustyLandy out into the bush, the grass completely covering us on all sides.Final ly the husband got out and walked ahead, directing me through thetrees and rocks. The night was pitch black. We came to a stream whosebanks were straight up and down, but in four-wheel-drive the Landy camethrough with flying colors. Within fifty feet of the village, the husband failed to Indicate to me that he was walking through a swampy area

THE PICKETT LINE

2659 First St.Napa, California 9^558

Non-Profit OrganizationU. S. POSTAGE PAID

Permit No. 28

Napa, Calif. 9^558

Mission

Box 177(Kempt on

Services

Ind. 460i.9

-2-

and

and

before I

couldn't

knew it the Landy was up to hubs in slick, slimy, permanent mud,budge. While we were collect ng rocks and tree limbs, and digging w

to the .hut, where upon arrival it didn'tI rushed back to the Landy, wher^heard the cry, "Mwana wabudal!"

I found Diana had become the mother

oh

itha hoe and bare hands to free the vehicle, the sister sent word for me to come quickly

take a second to realize the child was on

realized that situation was hopeless.The child has come out." Returning toof a very tiny baby girl. Not being

Its way.

and then

the hut ,

a nurse, I quickly dispatched the husband oi}i a bicycle to get the hospital ambulancedriver to bring a medical assistant to tend the mother and child. One hour laterthey arrived. The necessities were soon taken care of, and we started our procession down the mountain path at 6:00 A. M., | carrying the precious bundle. The babywas so small we felt she might need the inipubator. The mother, one hour after givingbirth, walked on ahead. My poor Landy remained behind in her bed of mud.

To bring the story up to date - mother andMr. Harrison in five minutes time freed the

attached to his Land Rover. All this was

and by 10:00 A. M. the Landy was on her wa

The father was so ̂grateful that T care^^ncour first efforts. Just to show we care is

Lord we can make. The father, whose privilname Yeukai (Yeh U Ky), which means rememberemembrances of that night when she was bor

child are both fine in the Hospital.Landy by pulling it with the wench

ccomplished before 9:30 on Sunday morning,y to church out in the bush again.

toôme, even though we failed inone of the greatest witnesses for theege it is to name the child, chose the

And, indeed, we will all have manyn.

Lovingly in Christ,

MISS JUDY

Forwarding Agents:Mr. S Mrs. Stanley E. Anderson1521 Menlo Ave.

Napa, California 9^558

THE

PICKETT

LINE

"Miss Judy" Pickett

Dear Christian Friends

Chidamoyo Christian HospitaBox 330

Karoi, Rhodesia, Africa

July, 1975

Greetings from Chidamoyo!

Well, July is here and wi^h it jjur cold,Jrx..season. Throughout the bush canbe seen the signs ofî^sh.^fîr^ MQcKôf the'afea around the mission has beenburned and the ground""is black and the trees are scorched. Just last week on aday when all the Missionary men were absent, a large bush fire took over the airstripand threatened the hangar for N9036 Charley (our mission plane). Miss Dennis andI battled with the Mission workers to stop the fire before it reached the hangar.My landy did service as a water wagon but the fire reached the fire break and wasturned back. Then it raced towards the hill below my house where several of oursingle girls l ive and we all raced madly to save their houses. Xh£_.MLs5i,ojT^workers•^gofked f ur iousl y to fût out the fire and they were able to keep i t~Tl^~frrt+ie-houses,al though they lost the Ki tchen hut and~a""tFatched fence garden.

As the nights are very cold the people have fires in their sleeping huts. As aresult of this we have had a .-resh.ji£.-burns here at the Hospital. We presently havetwo very smal l children in the Hospital with severe"burns over most of their bodies.Just this morning a man was brought in who had fal len into a fire In an epilepticseizure, and is very badly burned -^Dr. Gloria Cobb is at this moment in the oper-Ûng room attending to his burns. $uch"^re"the XfagedTes of the winter seasonhere in Rhodesia.

This past week-end was the occasion of the local show, or fair, as we would callit. This is a highl ight in the lives of the people as there are display boothsof al l kinds, needlecraft, school competitions in bal l games and singing, andmany other activities. I was able to attend on Saturday and was happy to seeour school choir compete. However, they were not able to win a high recognition,as there were many choirs competing. It is something l ike a fami ly reunion asone sees so many friends from other areas. The African can always come up with

relative from any part of the cqûntry. I qeT~ve.cy amuseJ when a friend willsay, "Miss_Picj^tt. I want yqu to meet my bro^her. Uf"cburse, it may be a cousinmany times removed, but sti 11 "Tl~'lT'his'T^Vother. 1 think v« can take a lessonfrom them in family closeness, —

THE PICKETT LINE

2659 Fir st St.Napa, Cal if. 9^558

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION

U. S. POSTAGE PAID

PERMIT NO. 28

NAPA, CALIF. 9^558

Mission Services'Box 177

Kempton, ind. 46049

AUfi. 2 1975

-2-

In just two short months I will have been back in RhodesjJ^for two y ears. Thetime has simply flown by and it seems impossible "that I must start thinking aboutcoming home to America again. This means thinking about the decision to return toRhodesia, and the need for a temporary or permanent replacement for me here atChidamoyo. It is a time of emotional upheaval as one feels the ties of home sodeeply, and yet the spiritual ties with the people here in Rhodesia are so strongand the need is so great. I covet your prayers that God wi l l help me to knowHis wil l in this important matter. Meanwhi le, I would like to encourage any whomight be interested in using their talents and knowledge on the Mission field byserving the Chidamoyo Hospital as secx^M-fY. to contact me. Perhaps you wi l l think',"But she has a whole year yet before she returns." Time goes quickly and onemust prepare for such a big step.

I

Meanwhile, I wish to thank each one of you for your continued financial and prayerful help. My financial support has held up tremendously at a time when I knowthat times are hard for everyone in the States, but praise the Lord, He sees andtakes care of our needs sometimes even before we know of them ourselves.

May God bless each one of you richly as we continue to work together for Him.

Forwarding Agents:MR. £ MRS. STANLEY E. ANDERSON

1521 Menlo Avenue

NAPA, CALIFORNIA 9^558

In Christ,

JUDY PICKETT.

THE

PICKETT

LINE



i October 1975 o"Miss Judy" Pic^tt


Many times we "bush" missionaries are asked the question, "Don't you getbored out there so far from town? " I would answer with a large "NO! "Contrary to most people's thoughts, there is always some activity goingon. In fact, I find myself searching for a single solitary hour in which tojust catch my breath. There is no time schedule; we are "on call", so tospeak, twenty-four hours a day. Of course, we keep a fairly regularschedule at the Hospital, but even there, if a need arises at any hour,one must go.

To emphasize my point, let me tell you about THE D/\Y DOCTORSWENT AWAY. The only registered nurse we have at Chidamoyo is Mrs.Joyce Frasure, the Doctor's wife, and she can only give part of her timeaway from three small children. The third week of September started outvery calmly, and so both doctors left on Wednesday for a three-day MedicalConference in Bulawayo, with a free conscience. Mrs. Frasure and theorderlies were left in charge. However, the sound of 36 Charley, themission plane, had no sooner died away in the distance until the actionstarted at the Hospital. At Inpatient devotions, it was discovered that thestaff member who was to give them, was not present. Since this young manis a special friend, and had recently been declared to have a form of T. B.,I was suspicious. On checking at his house, we found him in a semi-conscious state, and took him to the Hospital as a patient. Our main MaternityAssistant informed Mrs. Frasure that she had two ladies in the deliveryward that were proving to be having difficult deliveries. At 11 A. M. weadmitted a 14-year-old with abdominal pains, and in less than an hour shehad gasped her last breath. I cut short my lunch break to check on ouryoung staff member, and when I arrived at the Hospital, one of the orderlies sent word for me to bring my Landrover to the outpatient area immediately. I drove the 100 yards from the Hospital, to find a very old mandying at that moment. We transferred his body to the Hospital beside thatof the yoTing girl. Then I was informed that another staff member's littlenephew was critical. I hurried to Ward One to find a 3-year-old boy gasping from measles complicated with pneumonia. This child died soon afterwards. By late afternoon Mrs. Frasure and I both were praying for renewed

THE PICKETT LINE

2659 First St.Napa, Cal ifornia 9^558

Non-profit OrganizationU. S. POSTAGE PAID

Permit No. 28

Napa, Gal i f. 9^558

tr.Mission ServicesBox 177 IKemptonJ Ind. ii.60i|.9

?9I»75

1-2-

strength. To make a long story short, during the three days, we had atotal of six deaths and several critical patients. We seemed to have ameasles'epidemic on our hands, as two more of the deaths were caused bythem. Needless to say, we were overjoyed when the doctors arrived backn Saturday, |Both doctors rarely leave at the same time, but when they do, the activityseems to speed up. Would anyone like to spend a nice, peaceful day withme? Of course, exciting days like these do not happen every day, butother things take their place.

The work in our churches is making slow headway, but in recent weekswe have seen several church leaders grow and take on new responsibilities,For this we are very thankful.

This month marks my second year back in Rhodesia. Time goes so fast,and one year seems so short.

Once again I want to thank you all for your continued support, both prayerfully and financially. Please continue to pray for the work here.

In Christian Love,

MISS JUDY PICKETT

Forwarding Agents:

Mr. & Mr s . Stanley E. Anderson1521 Menlo Ave,

Napa, California 94558

THE

PICKETT

"Miss Judy" Pickett


36 CHARLEY IS NO MORE! ! ! It happened on a Wednesday.

We might say it was just one of those days when every

thing went wrong. Dr. Erasure left the Mission at 6:30

a.m. in 36 Charley (the Mission plane) on his weekly

flight to the clinic at Shamrock mine east of Karoi. At

8:30 when I rang in on our radio telephone, the operator

said a Karoi number was calling us. But she was unable

to get the number back. We realized that the number was

Shamrock Mine, but of course we had no other way of con

tacting them. Again at 3:30 the number tried again without

success. At 5:30 when the doctor failed to come in as

usual, we were suspicious. When he failed to come by

dark we were concerned. At 8:30 he arrived by Landrover -

with the news that the airplane, was wrecked. As he had

landed downwind on the Shamrock Mine strip, a tail wind

had caught him and flipped the plane upside down. It was

a total wreck. But, praise God, the doctor escaped unhurt

except for a small scratch on his leg. Needless to say,

this is a tragedy for the Mission. Without the plane we are

unable to attend our weekly clinics 60 - 70 miles from the

Mission. What takes 15 minutes by plane takes 3 to 4

hours by road, and much precious, rationed petrol (gas).

The next day Mr. Harrison and Dr. Erasure returned to

Shamrock to take care of the plane. As they were returning

LINE

OEC. 1



November 1975

Therefore, we are now without a vehicle to send to town

for supplies/ S^he Hospital Ambulance has been put to "K

work, along with my Landrover, until a less expensive

vehicle can be secured for Mission use. Praise the Lord

for my Landrover, which as yet has needed no major

repairs after two hard years of service over the bush roads.

yy It is times like these when we missionaries feel discouraged,

need your prayers so much. Perhaps you say these

are material things and should not be held important. But

it is through these convenience_s, provided by the Lord,

that many spiritual contacts are made. Without transpor

tation, we cannot reach our outlying churches and clinics

for the much needed spiritual encouragement they need.

But the Lord always comes through in a wonderful way to

supply our needs, and we arc confident that He will do so now.

This has been a very busy month at the Hospital. Inchecking our statistics for the month, I have found that

we have had o^'er 40 babies born, including two sets of

twins and four Caesarean sections. Several very seriously

ill patients have been admitted and several operations have

been performed. Three new staff members have been

added to the Hospital, due to the leaving of others. We

have two new Blue Girls (Nurses Aides) and a new janitor.

These are young people and all Christian, so we are gla<Lto have them with us.

that evening in Mr. Harrison's Landrover, the fan came am very pleased witoff and went through the radiator of the Landrover. They

were towed with the Landy to Karoi where they picked up

Dr. Erasure's car, which had also been in for repairs.

The Isîssion Lorry has been requiring repairs to the

h my Staff Bible Study which is just\

now working on the final lesson of a Bible correspondence \course. Mr. Ammerman, who prepares the correspond- )ence lessons, tells me that my class has made the highest /grades of any of those who have taken the course on an /

basis. I am very happy for this and also that^mount of 100 Rhodesian dollars a month. So in the bestinterest of the Lord's money, it has been deci^.ed to^sell it. through this class one staff member has repented and

THE PICKETT LINE

2659 First St.Napa, California 9^558

Mission Services

Box 177Kampton, Ind. U6OI4.9

Non-Profi t OrganizationU. S. POSTAGE PAID

Permit No. 28

Napa, Cal if. 9^558

been baptised, and two others are under conviction.

Praise the Lord from Whom all blessings flow!

Church work is going along as usual, with two evange

listic meetings being held in October. At Kahonde Church, |

about 45 miles from the Mission, a week-end meeting

was held and some 2C0 people attended the 3-day session.

The first week-end of October, a Women's meeting was

held at Bashungwe Church some ten miles from the Mission,

and the women who attended were enthusiastic and happy I

discouragements of one kind, the Lord has given us

victory in Him to compensate for the discouragements.

Just a word to those who send packages to me or the

Mission. I would suggest that if you are sending layettes,

ybirln"ClQd"e"b"hly" layirrre s in boxes, and list the value at"-

$10.00 per box. If you are sending sewing notions, food

mixes, personal gifts, used jewelry, etc., it would be

best to send them in separate boxes direct to me, and

listed as Used Articles or Personal Gifts, Not for Resale.

The personal gifts should also be kept under $10 value.

The layettes should be addressed to. the Hospjital, as we

^have a special import license for them. Customs aregetting very tight with us because of the sanctions, and I

was unfortunate to have 8 boxes returned to some of you.

I am very sorry about that, but I corresponded with

Customs for 4 months trying to get them released, and

when I finally secured the license, I found the boxes had

F orwarding Agents;

Mr. ic Mrs. Stanley E. Anderson1521 Menlo Ave.

Napa, California 94558

already been returned a month before. The red tape

certainly got twisted. Please be patient and under

standing if this happens. But do continue to send the

parcels if possible.

in the Lord, These meetings were entirely planned and*-'^^^

carried out by th.e local leaders, for which we were over- J'

joyed to see their growth and responsibility. So amid

Again I would like to encourage you to be on the lookout

for a replacement for me. This is an excellent oppor-

tunity for a young woman to get a year's experience on

the Mission field. Perhaps there is one who has felt

the call to the Mission field, but would like to try it on

a temporary basis before committing herself. Or if

there is someone wanting to come for a full term, she

could always be used either here or at one of the other

Mission stations if I would return. Here at Chidamoyo

she would have my house to live in, and perhaps the use

of my car while I am away. Monthly personal expenses

would run in the neighborhood of $250, and Service Link.' -r-. ywould be an advantage, but-for- temporary-replacement—

not absolutely necessary. It would depend on the person

and how much evangelistic activity, such as women's

groups, youth groups, etc., she wanted to work with

while here. If anyone is interested," please feel free to

contact me personally at the above address, and I will be■»>■- -• ■

happy to send you more information.

Once again I want to thank each of you for your prayerful,

financial and personal remembrances of myself and the

work here at Chidamoyo.

V

In Christian Love,

MISS JUDY PICKETT

Documents

Pickett Judith 1975 Rhodesia