Helen Berman

   Zambia

   Birthdate: 06/01

   Email:  berman.helen@ifmnews.com

Please be in prayer for Helen as she was attacked and beaten during a robbery at the Orphanage there in late February.  She suffered a broken arm and many bruises.

Helen's most recent Prayer Letter:
JUNE:  The beginning of June found me celebrating my 50th birthday.  My co-workers decided I needed help to remind of how old I am so they had 50 painted on my vehicle.  It is in the logo of Faith Children's Village but I noticed it right off.  I tried telling the children that it was the number of children at FCV but they quickly figured out that it wasn't.  I am thankful for the years the Lord has given me.  A special treat was sharing my birthday with my co-workers who took me out to dinner.

Expressions of love and care have been shown and I am deeply grateful and humbled to the recipient of such gifts. While the world seems to be focused on the economical uncertainty of the times it is comforting to know the One who holds the future and just as He provided for us in the past will continue to provide for us in the present and future.  The Lord is good.

Faith Community Clinic: I opened clinic on June 9th.  Other than having to break a lock due to missing keys everything went well.  We only had a few patients but I anticipate more in the days to follow once the news gets out.  Also since many of the nurses are on strike in town I will probably be getting people that normally visit other clinics.

Faith Children's Village: My welcome back at the Vilalge was a wet one.  I was greeted by buckets of water being thrown on me.  This is how they celebrate ones birthday so I was not expecting it for my return.  It took me awhile to dry off but no worse for the wear.  The children are doing well and have grown quite a bit, including the twins.  At first both Rachel and Leah were afraid of me and would not let me pick them up.  However they are adjusting to my presence and the other night Leah stayed over with me and did just fine.  Leah talks up a storm and mimics everything one says.  Leah tries to make sounds like a rooster but only succeeds in saying "coo".  Rachel is the shy one but if she sees Leah doing something she quickly follows.  There are now 38 children attending Faith Baptist Church School, with only the youngest still at Kakolo Basic.  We are hoping that with the purchase of a sixty seater bus we can accommodate all the children.

Settling In:  It is taking me a while to settle in.  Soon after returning to Kitwe I made a trip down to Lusaka to renew my nursing license.  In May I made a trip to South Africa with a co-worker who needed some medical work done.  The clinic needed cleaning and straightening as termites found a port of entry and made havoc of shelves and medical items.  My house was also attacked by termites and one of my kitchen drawers was stuck closed.  When I finally was able to remove the drawer it was to find the sides eaten through.  I am planning on having my house plastered and the walls painted to help eliminate some of the dust, ants, and termites.  We shall see if this helps.  This past weekend my co-workers stayed overnight.  The men and boys slept in the clinic, and the women and girls were at my house.  It was a great time for me to get my "fix it" list out and I am pleased to say that I have working lights in my kitchen and living room.  I will have to plan more of these overnighters.

Vehicle:  My vehicle is running smoothly and I like it very much.  I have had to take it to a mechanic to tighten a few bolts but that is to be expected.  Notice the logo.

Communication:  With the help of Austin Hunt, my IT specialist, I hope to keep in better contact with you.  I have had difficulty sending emails but think this problem has been rectified.

Thanks so much for your prayers for the ministry here.

Helen Berman

Kakolo