On a Journey

June 2022

On a Journey.

 I love kids’ picture books.  One of my all-time favorites has become “Harold and the Purple Crayon” by Crockett Johnson.  It is about a little boy who goes for a walk in the moonlight.  He draws his adventure with a purple crayon.  He tries to make a long, straight path, so as to not get lost.  But he didn’t seem to be getting anywhere, so he takes a short cut in the moonlight past many challenges (mostly good).  At some point he only wants to go home and can’t remember where his home is.  Finally he remembers that the moon fills his bedroom window, so he draws it and arrives home.  The constancy in the story is the moon even when Harold is disoriented and does not know where to go.  He eventually figures out the path to his home.

       

It is a beautiful story.  The moon is there on every page which is very significant in picture books.  I realized today that our relationship with the Lord is like the constancy of the moon.  Sometimes we get lost, we forget who we are, but that relationship is always there.  We can always find our way home.  If you haven’t read it, there are tube versions at:  https://youtu.be/yl94zwz8cKU

This last year we have been on our own adventure-of transition, of hanging onto hope of being able to return to Nyankunde.  It was like we set out to draw our story with a purple crayon.  This whole time of limbo, God was like the constancy of the moon.  He finally asked us to draw our own window back home in Nyankunde in February.  These last few months God has shown Himself to be our strong companion.  

We have needed personal courage on this adventure.  We have been challenged in coming back to a community still reeling from displacement and insecurity.  At times it has felt uncertain and we have felt lonely.  We have had to confront our own grief and pain of leaving last year, and see some hospital staff fail to return.  It has also been a time of belonging.  Moving back feels like putting on an old pair of shoes that fit well, being part of a hospital ministry with unique skills to offer.  Our home was looted, yet it was therapeutic to re-purpose physically broken things, like making a linen closet out of our vandalized house doors.  

Maternal/Child Health

In this part of sub-Saharan Africa (and probably much of the world), the presence of a mother in the family determines the health of the whole family.  It is partly a joke when we say, “If momma ain’t happy, ain’t no one happy.”  It’s true though, and applies to health.   If a woman is healthy the chances that her children are thriving is also very good.  

This leads me to a recent story.  Baby L was so tiny at the age of 3months, he appeared to be a premature baby.  His body was wasted and dehydrated, with no baby fat, and below his birthweight.  His mother was admitted to the hospital in a weakened state, and not lactating.  She was found to have tuberculosis.  She appeared to be older than her years, but she is only in her 20s.  Baby L began gaining weight rapidly with infant formula and treatment of his infections.  His skin is clearing of insect infestation and he is beginning to smile.  Fortunately he has not shown any signs of active tuberculosis and has been receiving medication to prevent tuberculosis.  

  

This case demonstrates many things about the need to support mothers and babies in at risk settings.  According to the WHO the incidence of tuberculosis in DRC is 326/100,000.  Tuberculosis is endemic here in Democratic Republic of Congo.  Pregnancy is a time when women have re-activation of tuberculosis infections.  Tuberculosis puts the life of an expectant mother at risk, not to mention the risk of spontaneous miscarriage and premature birth.  The current recommendation of the World Health Organization is to screen where the incidence of disease exceeds 100/100,000.  Each year we have at least 1-2 maternal deaths following delivery and often the suspected cause is undiagnosed tuberculosis.

We work in a rural area where people live on a narrow margin.  People come to the hospital without shoes sometimes.  Food is never wasted.  People often wait a long time to come in for medical care so we see the consequences of advanced disease.  Not a day goes by when we feel like we aren’t making a difference or that God has work to do here.

Some days it feels like half of our patients are displaced from somewhere else.  DRC has had the most neglected refugee crisis for years now (50% of our province).  We can only imagine how displacement affects ones’ life.  How can one farm the fields and educate ones’ children when you don’t know where you will be in 3-months’ time?  It is always the most vulnerable among us, the children, that suffer most from the fallout of armed conflict.  Our malnutrition ward is bursting at the seams and many kids have tuberculosis.  I am caring for many orphans and some abandoned children.  

   

Thank you for your interest and support of our ministry here in eastern DRC.  We are grateful.  We are preparing for a short-trip back to the USA this fall.  We hope to see you!

Blessings,

Lindsey for us

-Thanks to God for completion of a successful school year (1st grade) for Emmanuel with his parents as teachers and the support of Angel!  Thanks for a great visit of our medical colleagues Ellen and Iyad.

-Pray for the many needs of Nyankunde Hospital.  One of the greatest being maintenance and equipment technical support.  Pray also that the hospital will be able to thrive during our time in the US this fall.

-Pray for our upcoming travels to NC this late summer and Emmanuel’s adjustment to 2^nd grade.  He is very excited to have classmates for a few months.  

-Pray for continued peace in the region.  Pray that the church would lead the way of peace and having the courage to examine the roots of ongoing conflict.