Listen to this article
Major Beryl Pierce corresponds from her appointment in Zambia.
Major Beryl Pierce is a Western Territory officer who has been serving in Zambia since June 2005 as a corps officer and a social worker at Chikankata Hospital.
I am now in my sixth year here in Zambia—I will complete my second term in August and will have a chance to visit home again. I am still enjoying my ministry here despite all the challenges and I hope to renew for another two-year term. I have four building projects underway and can only hope to finish one of them before August. So I would like to come back and finish the projects.
Building projects
Building is a very slow process because it is done with all volunteer labor—and that labor is intense. The workers make and burn all the bricks themselves; they gather the sand and gravel for mixing with the cement. Often the women bring the materials to the site in buckets on their heads. The stone has to be crushed by hand, one at a time, using a hammer. If I could, I would love to send you pictures but our Internet connection is too slow.
Soldier enrollments
On Dec. 9, 2010, I went to my smallest corps to enroll 16 new senior soldiers. These new soldiers are the result of the evangelistic campaigns we did last September. We have enrolled a total of 52 new senior and 72 new junior soldiers for the year 2010 in my four corps and we held two evangelistic campaigns.
Baby dedication
For Christmas we had a baby dedication—my 250th dedication since coming to Chikankata—for a baby whose mother died nine days after giving birth at the hospital—the child was given to the mission director and his wife. On New Year’s Day, after the usual watch night service on New Year’s Eve, we had a baby shower for the same family.
I continue to be amazed at how God can use me here; I know that it is not through my own strength or ability but truly his grace that keeps me going. I am so grateful for all the prayer support and even financial support for my projects. I trust that God will continue to equip me with the strength and ability and resources to complete the task he has called me here to do.
Contributions to the work in Zambia may be sent to The Salvation Army Territorial Headquarters, c/o Major Eloisa Martin, P.O. Box 22646, Long Beach, CA 90802-5646. Please notate on your check: “Major Beryl Pierce—Zambia.”