Hospitals in Zambia can be lonely places. "What gets me the most each week is the hopelessness of these people," says an OM Zambia worker about her weekly hospital visit. "There was one girl we had visited often who died, not because of her injuries, but because of depression. We want to stop this from happening! God's Word brings hope and life. This is what we want to share with the patients." So the team visits with patients and provides them with books and knitting needles to help them pass the time. Kids get storybooks and writing materials, often a luxury in rural villages. The team is also hanging curtains in the ward.

This is a great relief for patients, particularly those who are far from home. One woman injured in a wreck was hospitalized three months without her family who lived six hours away.

Another patient shared the same hopelessness. He asked team member Joseph, "How can I believe in Jesus when my family members have deserted me? And how can God allow this sickness?" Joseph looked at him with compassion and explained how God loved him in this situation.

Moved by his kind words, the man asked, "How can you love me this way?" Joseph said because Jesus first loved him. Shocked, the man began to cry. "I want to believe in Jesus Christ," he said.

Joseph was deeply impacted by this encounter. He said, "I realized that when people are in the hospital, they don't have the chance to go to church. So when we go there, it is their opportunity to hear about Christ. It shows care and concern."

The team has a good relationship with the hospital chaplain, and the hospital administration has given them a letter of appreciation. Officials have asked the team to consider branching out to another ward and another hospital, but for now their group remains small. Please pray that the Lord will multiply this ministry so more patients can go through their recovery with hope.