Chhangchhiat

Tuna Chikankata Salvation Army Mission-a thawktu tam tak zingah hian ram pawn lam mi (expatriate personnel) chhungkaw pasarih kan awm ve a. American, Australian, British, Danish, Swedish leh keini Indian zinga kan British nula pakhat (Asst. Nursing Officer) tih loh hi chu chhangchhe chhungkua vek kan ni. Kan zingah hian kan fa naupang zawk Marcus-a (kum 2) aia nau naupang/nausen panga lai zuk awm a! Mingo ho pawh hian chhangchhiat hi an lo pawiti vak lo a ni awm e. Anni lahin doctor ho pawh hi min ti ve bawk a.

Vawin hian kan rawngbawlpui leh thiante British mi leh Zambian nupate chuan an fa pahnihna atan fanu duhawm tak an nei thar a. A hmeichhiate khaw lam London-a chawlh an hmanna hmunah naute hi zai chhuah a ni. An fa hmasa hi mipa a ni a, fanu thar an nei hi an lawmpuiawm ngawt mai. Tin, Melissa-in thiannu thar a neih tak avang pawhin kan lawm. A hma zawng khan an zingah amah chiah hi hmeichhia a ni reng thin a.

Chikankata leh a chhehvel hmunah hian kan vah velnaa hmeichhe puitling kan tawh reng reng hi chu raipuar an nih loh chuan fasen pawm an ni deuh zel a. Chawhrualin fa 7 – 8 ang vel zel nei an ni. An chhang a zing bawk. Nupui pakhat aia tam nei an awm fur a, nupui pahnih pathum neite zingah phei chuan fa 20 chuang neite an awm nawk. Pasal intawm hmeichhiate inelna leh inropuisiakna chu fa neih tam hi a ni!

Heti hi ni mah se, mihring an pung chak lo. AIDS leh natna dangte avangin an thi hma/rang ve thung a, a bik takin thalai ramtang rual, an ram hnukpuite hian an peih loh san hma thin. A bul lamah arh hluai thin mah se an zuih ral hma thung. Europe lama mihring pun dan hmang (population growth pattern) nen a inpersan chiah a ni. Anni ramah hian naupang leh thalai an tlakchham laiin tar chak tawh lo an ngah lutuk thung a. Hei pawh hi a tha chuang lo. Tuna India ram kan dinhmun ang hi a tha tawk viau awm e.

Hmanni chu ka chesual pek a. Kan hospital-a thawk ve mi pawimawh tak mai hi thingtlang lam atangin a pain a rawn tlawh a. Kan inhmelhriattir vel laiin a pa hnenah chuan, a naupang rawn hruai chu ‘ka pu, i tupa chu a fel hle mai’ ka ti rawk a. Ani lah chuan a fapa naupang ber anih thu min hrilh zui. Naupang kum 4 mi vel a ni, a fa 15 zinga a te ber hi.

It’s Winter in Chix (*)

Living in the Southern Hemisphere of the globe sometimes turns out to be a bit odd for people like us who hail from north of the equator. For right now here in Chikankata, we are very much into the coldest month of our winter season. The temperature now drops to as low as 5 degree Celsius with a few wind blowing and the sun hardly visible during the day. The harsh reality is that winter season on this side of planet Earth brings you and me NO CHRISTMAS!! No Christmas trees/Carols/Bells or other activities that used to brighten up the season back home.

But this one thing I must mention, we are having a grand treat every night: this lovely shining Moon! We just cannot wait for its ‘Hleinga Zan’ (a Mizo term for full moon night, used to be enjoyed and appreciated by one and all) to happen. Our little son (Marcus) and daughter (Melissa) used to welcome the shy moon by singing their own brand new composition which runs as follows:

I see the moon and the moon sees me,
La la la la la la la la la la …………....!

Simple as it may be, this rhyme of theirs about the moon seeing from above always reminds me of our Heavenly Father lovingly looking after us (His children), and taking guard of our physical and spiritual wellbeing. Father God, thank You.

(*)Chix is nothing like new, it simply is our affectionate short name for Chikankata.

Ward - OPD – PTA - Mortality Meeting – Nauawm

Vawin hun chu indaih loh a na khawp mai. Thupui atana ka hman indawt dan ang deuh khian hun kan hmang a, nikhatah hian darkar 24 ni lovin darkar 48 tal awm zawk se tih te pawh a awl rum rum mai.

Zing dar 7:30 AM-ah handover meeting neiin Pathian hnena inhlanna nen bul kan tan a, ka ward chan Male Medical leh Bethany (TB ward)-a damlote ka en zawhah OPD-a damlo enin ka chhunzawm leh a. Damlo engemawzat ka en hnuin kan fanu Melissa-i te school Baama Academy-ah Parent Teacher Association (PTA) meeting attend turin ka tlan phei leh. Hun tha tak kan nei a. An school board member-te leh teacher-te hnenah lawmthu sawiin, fuihna thu tlem ka sawi ve, an dawngsawng tha hlein ka hre ve. Melissa-i hian kumin kumtir atang khan nursery a tan ve a, English leh Tonga zir chawp anih bakah, thil dangte pawh a tan chuan thil thar hlir a ni chungin an term examah 5-na a ni ve ran a, distinctionah pass-in kum 1 chuang lo kal tawhte pawh a va khum ve zak a ni. School a kal tan atangin hmasawnna tam tak a nei a, a nau Marcus-an a hnen atangin thil tam tak a lo zirthiam zui bawk a. Chuvangin, vawina an school-a lawmthu ka sawi pawh hi thinlunga lawma khat liam chunga sawi ka ni.

Chawhnuah OPD-a damlo ka en leh hnuin Mortality Meeting-in a chhunzawm a. He hun hi thlatin Nilaini vawi hnihnaah kan hmang thin. Doctor, Clinical Officer leh nurse te kalkhawmin, thla kalta chhunga kan damlo thi tate chanchin (case history) thlir letna hun kan nei a ni ber a. Thita chungah khan kan tih tur kan ti em? Kan tih loh tur kan ti em? Khawi laiah khan nge tihsual kan neih? Engtin nge thil tha zawkin kan tih theih ang? ti tea inzirna hun a ni ber. Tangkai tak a ni. Tin, vawin kan meeting-ah hian Chikankata Hospital bik hman tur ‘Suggested Protocol for the Treatment of Cryptococcal Meningitis’ tih paper ka siam chu kan zirho a, suggestion ka siamte tha kan ti tlang viau niin a lang. Dr. Gretchen Birbeck, Michigan State University-a Neurology Professor a rawn tel bakah, UK atangin medical student 2 leh Sweden atangin 1 a rawn tel bawk a, an thawhhlawk ve khawp mai. Chikankata kan vanneihna chu researcher te leh mithiam tak takte hmun dang atanga kan nei reng hi a ni.

Hah hnepa ina ka haw hnuin Mapuii’n nau awm turin min lo ti a, a chhan chu an school-ah tlai dar 6 PM a tan tur Welcome & Farewell Meeting pawimawh tak a attend a ngaih vang a ni. Chikankata-ah hian thil kan tih tak tak avangin inthlah leh inlawm hi a awm chamchi reng a, kan che a, kan lut a, kan chhuak thin bawk a ni e.

Salvation Radio - Made in Chikankata

Chikankata SA hi kan intodelh ve riau a nia. Hospital, Primary & Higher Secondary School, Nursing College, Biomedical College-te kan neih bakah, Research activities tam tak kan kalpui mek bawk a. Chutih laiin kan Salvation Radio hi kan sawi hmaih thei hauh lo ang. He project hi USA territory palite tangkawp bul tum a ni a. Kan khaipa ber chu Colonel Damon Rader a ni. Ani hi General Paul A. Rader (R) unaupa a ni a. Kum upa lam ni tawh mahse, la viak tha tak a ni. Tun kar 4 kalta chhung khan, kan broadcast coverage a zauh zawk theih nana hna pawimawh tak thawkin a rawn buai char char a, naktuk hian America lamah a haw leh ang.

He radio station (studio) hi SA ta liau liau a ni a. Nitin hian programme khat takin hman a ni ve thin. Pathian thusawi te, Bible study te, Gospel song & music te bakah Health Education Programme te hman a ni thin a, Tonga leh English tawngtein programme buatsaih a ni thin. Chanchintha thehdarh nan leh hriselna kawnga hmalak nan a tangkai em em a ni.

Kan hospital ward zawng zawng hian Radio system a nei vek a. Hospital news zantin puan a ni a, Mihang nula leh tlangvalin zei taka English pai deuh hleka 'This evening you are listening to Salvation Radio, Chikankata. Tonight in the hospito, the doc-on-call is Dr. Zairemthiama' tia an han puang talh talh mai hi zawng a nawm dan a dangin a ropui ve hranpa thin ngawt mai. Kan ward round te hi kan han su ve lawp lawp pah bawk thin lo thei lo a ni!!

Kan hotute rilrua hmachhawp lian tak awm chu Salvation University din hi a ni. Pathianin rem a tih chuang engtikah emaw a hlawhtling leh mai ang, Chikankata-ah hi chuan!

A Child Like Eunice

Dear readers please do pray for us, for your young soldiers fighting the good fight in the midst of AIDS, witchcrafts and uncertainties.

We also request you to remember our people in your prayer, a girl child like Eunice Moonga, aged 2 years, who was brought to our hospital today (30/05/08) with severe malnutrition and anaemia. She died, in my hand while examining her, of this easily preventable and curable ailment. We could have saved her if they reach the hospital on time. But it’s not that they don’t want to reach early. They tried, but it took them 7 long hours from their place to the hospital using the only means of transport which is at their disposal – they walk on foot!! It does not end here. On arrival she was still alive, at least breathing with much effort. On the journey home her mother alone has to carry (paw haw – just like a Mizo mother carry her child) her dead baby home. They may reach home in the middle of the night after another 7 hours journey on foot.

This and other more awful stories are daily happenings here in Chikankata. You can weep many times out of compassion and sometimes of knowing that you can no more do anything even if you want to. But God is with us and our people. We are marching on.