We are all aware of images of death and destruction in Africa, from Ebola, HIV/AIDS, drought, famine, war or violence. At times these are too big for us to countenance. While it seldom captures media attention or headlines- there is a silent killer which we can grasp by a squeeze of the arm, a turn of the thumb, a watchful eye and a vigilant ear. I am of course writing about high blood pressure, the major cause of stroke which in turn is the major cause of long-term disability in Africa.

On May 14 we had an excellent day of training and equipping African missionaries who serve in rural Zululand and urban pockets of poverty here in the Durban area. Thirty-seven men and women reported to blood pressure boot camp, where Dr. Anita and I along with three of our health builders and three volunteer nurses spent the day training and instructing these servants of Christ in all things blood pressure. I manufactured special two-headed stethoscopes so that each instructor could simultaneously hear what our students were hearing. At the end of the day this was a great success in large scale teaching.

Africans have over twice the risk for stroke as people of European ancestry in South Africa. Giving them the skills and tools to screen for this problem and monitor the treatment is a great health investment into Africa.  On this day, we equipped each student with an hour long DVD we made about checking blood pressure. We also provided blood pressure equipment. The total cost of materials was about $21 per trainee. The students donated 1/3 of that cost, and the hosting church sponsored the other 2/3 as well as provided lunch. We celebrate this collaboration in mission.

To those of you who have made this ministry possible, I’m passing along a copy of an e-mail we got this week from one of our William Carey students last year, who has returned to Zambia to minister. Thank you for your investment in quietly saving Africa for Christ and from strokes and heart attacks.

Yours in Christ,

Rick Gutierrez

The e-mail:

Hello Doctors Rick & Anita.

Hope all is well with you and your family.

It is with great pleasure that I write this mail to you just to say thank you for the way you equipped me at William Carey School of World Missions in South Africa last year. To be honest with you, when you were teaching us how to check blood pressure I never thought that I would use the skills you were giving us.

Where I have planted a church it’s in a shanty compound, and we have also formed a home based care group and we have adopted about 20 clients (patients) on whom we have also done the HIV tests and most of them are HIV positive and have even being put on ARVs. Other patients have got high blood pressure, on Wednesday I was checking one on her blood pressure and it was 120/85.

The church is growing and all is well with me.

Once again thank you so much for the skills and also for the BP machine.  May God richly bless you all as you continue to train other students at the William Carey School of World Missions.

PASTOR BLESSINGS SAMBO, LAST YEAR STUDENT FROM ZAMBIA.