Newsletter (May 19, 2011)

Dear all, One of the top killers in Zambia is road accidents. From time to time we will hear tragic news of more than ten persons killed in a single incident. Other fatal crashes are happening all the time. Road accidents kill nearly 1,000 people in Zambia per year and injure thousands more. It has been ranked the third highest cause of death after HIV/AIDS and malaria and it is the second leading cause of death for people aged between five and twenty years old, with devastating impacts on families and communities.

Since we came back from Hong Kong we came to know of two such tragic events. Just before we returned, several people from a theological institution in Ndola who we know very well were involved in an accident in the Northern Province. One person was killed and five others were seriously injured. The person killed and one of the injured were from Faroe Islands. Another guy was from Italy. The van rolled several times after hitting a pothole in the dark. Several of them did not wear seat belts. That stretch of road is notorious, and the condition of the road is poor, but unfortunately it is the main highway linking Tanzania and Zambia and many vehicles have to pass through it. TCCA people are all in shock, as most know the people involved and one is a TCCA graduate. Then on Sunday a minibus carrying more than 40 young people went off road and got into a small stream and 13 were killed. These people were from a local Reformed Church and returning to Ndola after a retreat. The minibus could only legally carry 26 passengers and speed was involved. The saddest part is that many of the children killed were the only child in the family. The main causes of all such accidents are: poor condition of the roads (because of that, driving after dark is very dangerous in Zambia), not wearing seat belts, alcohol, poor driving skills of drivers (some of them have no licence or obtained their licence illegally). Because of all these factors, Timothy never likes driving in Zambia and we thank God constantly for his protection on the roads ever since we come here. Please continue to pray for us.

The other day one Chinese Christian family came to visit us from Lusaka. They said they may come to Ndola for two months in June and hope we can have Bible studies together, perhaps with some other Chinese people here. It is indeed good news and we do hope they really can come up next month. The other Chinese Christian group whom we mentioned last year and who were already involved in a community school also said they will be coming in July, perhaps in June. Their involvement will be more long term and that is indeed good news for the Chinese people in Ndola.

Our health seems to have improved after our return. Zara is sleeping well and Timothy’s blood pressure seems to have steadied. Continue to pray for our health as we are still very busy in our work here. With Christian love.