Fall Break Away

November 11, 2024.

Travel in Africa takes motivation and time!  Our fall break was spent in the Rwenzori region of western Uganda…but not without a little effort on our part.  First we had to travel over a bumpy road down the escarpment and cross Lake Albert, one of the African great lakes.  Now there is a speed ferry that is available which shortens the trip significantly from 3-4hours to 1-1.5hours.  It is a beautiful journey with green cliffs on either side-men standing on long sturdy wooden fishing boats pulling in nets or transport boats moving goods across the lake.  You can watch a storm coming >100km away while the sun beams down on the peaceful waves while you sit and take it in. The trip brings back memories.  We first entered DRC by the lake border crossing 12years ago when there wasn’t regular service across the lake…one had to hire a pirogue, or jump on a fishing or tug boat.  There was no way to predict when the boat would be available and one would wait for hours in the blazing African sun.  Years later, you can feel the wind in your face from a speedboat in an assigned seat, wearing a life preserver.  WOW!  We used to travel with our own life preservers.  Even though the journey is tiring it seems like a privilege to be able to travel.

You see movement in eastern DRC is quite restricted for security reasons.  Roads are in poor condition and it is ill advised to go long distances.  It feels like a luxury to be able to move on the water.  Semuliki National Park awaited us as we passed through and up the Ugandan steep hillsides of terraced farms.  Baboons and large birds are found throughout.  We spent the week in the region on a crater lake in a beautiful nature preserve.  Our cabin sat high on the hillside in full view of two kinds of colobus monkeys-the black and white and red colobus and vervets.  It was like we had broken into a monkey family convention.  There was a monkey and baby in every tree.  You could hear the call of the turaco, cranes, and ducks.  It was really beautiful and one did not need to go very far to do birdwatching.  We went on a 9-mile hike one day around crater lakes, to Makuma Falls.  Warren and I were surprised to see how interested Emmanuel was in all the bird species, and his ability to spot various species all while walking 9 miles!  Our favorite bird is the Great Blue Turaco, a stately blue bird with a long crest and bright red beak.  If you enjoy birds, the Merlin App from Cornell University is a great way to identify birds by their appearance, flight pattern, and call.  Recently I found a recording of a robin chat from 1977 from our province in DRC and a couple more recent recording….same species but a unique and different generation.

It was a week in nature for us, a week I needed.  Warren was along for the ride.  Even coming back to DRC I am noticing the birds in the trees anew.  These birds are around me all the time, but I do not always notice them.  It takes a bit of effort to make the journey, but somehow the effort is part of it.  I appreciate greatly the beauty that surrounds us here in the village, and the fields that produce ample food.  We continue to pray for this village that we call home.

Western Medical Training & Difficult Realities

The hospital keeps us busy.  I (Lindsey) am learning what palliative care looks like in this setting.  I have had a couple of children with serious health conditions for which chemotherapy and home oxygen would be available in the west.  In our setting these resources are very limited and done in the hospital.  So palliative care becomes more hospital-based with breaks to go home.  It is grounded in family and repairing relationships.           

I (we) am often reminded that my training is different.  It can be a challenge to practice in a resource poor environment with comparatively high level of medical knowledge.  In a resource poor environment one needs to adopt a public health mindset, step back and ask what is an appropriate use of resources in this situation?  Sometimes we lack medications to treat tuberculosis and HIV.  How should I anti-coagulate a child with a calcified blood clot in the atrium?  How should we handle children with chronic diseases like sickle cell anemia?  Labwork is expensive and the medications a bit dangerous if not used correctly.  How do we do no harm?  How do I share/apply my medical knowledge in this setting with people who have folk beliefs?  Sometimes I feel like I am practicing medicine in another era…but I carry on and try to provide good care to each child in front of me.

A couple of weeks ago on the maternity ward a mother of twins slipped through the cracks.  After she had been discharged she was spotted giving her babies sugar water because she was not lactating.  The mother had benefitted from formula for her twins during her hospitalization, but she had already been discharged and the formula had run out.  No one realized what was going on and that she was essentially homeless.  We sat down with this mother and her severely underweight babies to find out what was happening.  It was heartbreaking.  The woman lived alone, selling charcoal to provide for herself, and did not currently have a home or family to go back to.  I am a foreigner in this context, but this did not seem like a good home situation to go back to...spending hours in the country burning wood to make charcoal. We are still working on a good discharge plan for her.  We need to improve our maternity and neonatal care to avoid this happening again.   Needless to say, we began feeding her babies immediately and they are thriving!  

The bittersweet realities of medicine breeze by us daily, but sometimes smack us in the face. Birth is a joyful time, but can also be one of the riskiest times in life for a woman. A few weeks back a pregnant woman came in very agitated, febrile, and extremely ill. She underwent an urgent c-section and then died of meningitis. She left a beautiful baby girl behind...a beautiful baby also suffering from meningitis. After a couple of weeks of treatment and formula the baby is thriving and went home with her grandmother yesterday. What a joy it was to see the baby's recovery, but what sadness to lose a pregnant mother.

Visitors

We are so grateful for the help of Ellen and Iyad in the surgical department these last few weeks. It was their second trip to Nyankunde. Iyad fixed anesthesia machines, helped with odd jobs in addition to providing anesthesia/patient care. Ellen organized storerooms, worked on surgical sets, and looked at ways to systematize what we are doing in the theater. They brought some important equipment and personal items for us. What is so remarkable about this couple is that they really love to be the hands and feet of Jesus and look for ways to serve others. We were so blessed by them and their willingness to come out!

“Oh when the ants go marching in..”

It was a casual Saturday afternoon…this is until the ants invaded our house!  Emmanuel was in his hammock and declared that the ceiling and walls were moving.  We mobilized very quickly with various products and even a blow torch inside.  Cut them off here and contain them from going further, then take them out!  I tell you it was war!  At the end of it all, I swept up over 100grams of ants.  Today our gardener has been working on clearing the ant kingdom from our front yard.  I am told that locals don’t mind too much when ants pass through because they clean up organic material.  All I can say is that this would not have worked for us! I fear what would have happened had we not been home.  The ants would have eaten us out of house and home.

Rural Africa

Rural Africa is changing, especially in places like DRC.  More and more people are flocking to cities for security, better schools, and availability of resources.  This is all fine I suppose, but the rural areas are suffering greatly.  The military has an vested interest in the economics of region (to the extent that it affects cities) and roads between cities.  Outside of these limited areas, much of our region is controlled by armed groups.  This means it is more difficult to move between areas controlled by different armed groups.  There is a group called Allied Democratic Forces, a M*sl*m extremist group, that preys on these rural areas.  They have hampered agriculture in both Ituri and North KIVU Provinces such that people do not feel safe going to their fields.  This affects people that we know and their ability to farm and make a living.  One consequence is that more and more food is imported from places like Uganda and prices go up.  The poor get poorer and the rich get richer.  The few brave enough to plant and harvest, such as the cacao farmer, put themselves at risk from extremists.  People often plant fields in several locations with the hope that at least one will succeed.  Very little is assured. These are daily realities that we see and sometimes forget to put into words.

Prayer Requests

-Pray for our medical work to glorify the Lord.

-Pray for hospital leadership to honor their word and fiscal responsibilities.

-Pray for security of our region, especially rural areas, and improvement of travel. Pray specifically that the efforts of extremist groups will be thwarted.

-Pray for the feasibility of an upcoming hospital mission water survey.

Lindsey for us

ADVENT, a time of anticipation, of waiting with hope

December 4, 2024

   

 

ADVENT, a time of anticipation, of waiting with hope.  Christmas is a busy time, but we are also forced to slow down by Advent traditions of singing hymns and Scripture meditation.  We try to incorporate these spiritual elements in our daily lives, but Advent beckons our hearts in a special way with so many beautiful traditions.  Together with Emmanuel we are examining the visits of the angels, the importance of every character in the Christmas narrative, and their receptiveness to the work of God in their lives.  Like the anticipation of gazing on the face of a long-awaited baby, we wait for an opportunity to meet the Christ child. This is prophetic of the second coming of Jesus also. 

“O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, 

O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;  

Come and behold him born the King of angels; 

O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, 

O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.”  

Let us wait with expectation and purpose in our daily lives, this Advent, but all year long.

Soccer Lessons

Emmanuel has been taking individualized soccer lessons with a local man who knows the game and is good at teaching it.  It has been very encouraging to watch them.  In a funny way, I am learning lots of life lessons as I listen to his feedback.  “Keep your eye on the ball!  Look up!”  “Fast feet, keep moving!” ”Anticipate what is coming next (the pass)!”  “Look for the pass.”  Sometimes I think we don’t have our head in the game of life and we need a reminder to keep our eyes on the goal.  Keep moving forward, don’t get discouraged or let your guard down.  It’s not to say that every moment of life has the intensity of a soccer game…sometimes it is like a solo walk in the woods.  But we are meant to keep moving, to keep pursuing what is important.  Make small attenable goals and keep them.  We are meant to live with intention and make the most of every moment-Carpe Diem.  But the Bible goes a step further as to WHY we should seize the day.  It says in Ephesians 5: 15-16, “Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”  

Cross-Cultural Humor

Sometimes I forget to share the everyday moments that bring a smile to my face.  Maybe it is a sign that we have been here for a few years already, but I think I am able to appreciate subtle local humor.  Some of the Swahili gets lost on me, but the essence of what is funny in this culture I am able to “get.”  A few weeks back I was preparing to discharge one of our malnutrition kids and the topic of follow-up came up.  She was from an outlying rural area.  I said that I wanted her to follow-up in 4 weeks.  She looked at me with a smile on her face and said in all seriousness, “How will I know when 4 weeks have passed?”  Everyone in the room erupted into laughter at the honesty of her question.  But seriously, when you don’t have a calendar or smart watch, +/-literacy-how do you keep track of time?  I have told people to collect stones or make marks on a piece of paper.  This time I said, “Is there a church in your village?”  She said, “Yes.”  To which I replied, “Go to church for 4 weeks in a row and then come back to see me.”  Again more laughter and smiles.  Everyone seemed in agreement that this was a workable plan.  The next day then as she was packing up her things to walk home, everyone applauded as she left with big smiles all around.  I said, “See you in 4 weeks!”

There is joy and humor in the subtleties of life!  

Our PetsThere is a lot of drama at our house everyday, mostly between the dogs, cats, parrot, and bunnies.  The cats tease the dogs, the dogs chase the cats (and anything that moves), the parrot thinks he is “BIG stuff” and tries to nip the dog on the nose…and we have to keep the male rabbits far from each other or they fight mercilessly.  Each animal needs their own personal space in which to live peacefully!  I am not sure if all dogs have such a strong prey drive or just ours?  It seems like animals in the US are somewhat more domesticated than out here in central Africa.  Now if you mix in the arrival of a wild animal (or a bunch of ants) and our animals go crazy. Today a forest cobra upset the apple cart when it came for a visit!  Shortly after its' arrival, it met its' demise. Let’s hope the dogs don’t get mix with any cobras!

Warren is always busy with projects around the house which everyone appreciates.  He made (with a little help from me) some beautifully engraved chairs with the first part of Psalm 121 on them.  This Psalm has always been a theme  verse for us out here, so it was a natural choice!  We put the beginning part on one chair and the continuation on the other.  Perhaps it will become a conversation piece in our house-pictures to follow.  

Psalm 121

A song of ascents.

1 

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—

    where does my help come from?

2 

My help comes from the Lord,

    the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 

He will not let your foot slip—

    he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 

indeed, he who watches over Israel

    will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 

The Lord watches over you—

    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

6 

the sun will not harm you by day,

    nor the moon by night.

7 

The Lord will keep you from all harm—

    he will watch over your life;

8 

the Lord will watch over your coming and going

    both now and forevermore.

Blessings on your Advent,

Lindsey for us

Prayer Requests

-Pray for leadership of our hospital as they negotiate staffing challenges. Pray for the right handling of a recent situation at the hospital that involved theft of some surgical instruments.  

-Pray for security of our region. At the holiday times, theft can become a problem.

-Pray for a young woman we know who is struggling with a personal issue.

-Pray that people would desire to know the Lord and love their neighbors.

-Pray for Emmanuel to feel encouraged in his soccer, studies and friendships.

-Pray for a documentary film project in the works, that it will come together and bring honor to God.  We are excited for what this will become. 

Cooper Fall Newsletter

A Month Full of Blessings

September 11, 2024

 

  

Wow, what a lovely and busy couple of weeks we have had, with visitors, and lots of activity!  I will try to give you a few snapshots of our lives.  It is a blessing to celebrate birthdays together with friends who feel like family.  Emmanuel celebrated his tenth birthday with our visiting doctor, Ashton, who was also born in Nyankunde.  It was a bit surreal for Ashton’s mother coming back to the very room where she labored and delivered.  She even recognized the dark green walls through the chipped paint!  We greeted the babies who were born this year on the same day with smiles all around.  We celebrated with games and coconut cake, and special friends as Emmanuel requested.  

 

Then there was the first day of homeschool and more cake to celebrate the start of 4th grade!  It was as if we didn’t miss a beat with St. Augustine, Pilgrim’s Progress, and poetry by Emily Dickinson.  Latin will keep us busy this year.  We hope it will help us all with our French.  Warren and I are thankful for the opportunity to share in Emmanuel's schooling.

Missionary Baby Born in Nyankunde.  

 

The big news around here was that Baby Elijah Stafford was born here in Nyankunde on August 4th! He is the Stafford's fourth child and is growing and doing well. It has been fun to watch him grow and look older with every passing day. I have realized that birthplace is very significant. We pray that this will be a very important part of his life, being born here. It is an honor to be part of their lives and serve here together.

Laparoscopic Surgery. 

 

Nyankunde Hospital is officially doing laparoscopic surgery as of the last month or so.  Warren and Dr. Peter have been seen working on their knot tying inside a box, simulating a patient.  Now that we have dependable electricity and all the needed equipment, we are able to offer basic operations like lap cholecystectomy, lap appendectomy, and diagnostic laparoscopy.  It is such an equipment-intensive surgical approach compared to open approaches, but the recovery is much shorter.  We are hopeful that this will give the hospital other sources of income and be something we can offer for teaching young doctors.

Dr. Ashton. 

 

We have been so blessed to have Dr. Ashton Kilgore join our medical team (and family) for the past 3 weeks. She is an emergency physician with expertise in ultrasound.  She spent a lot of time with each of the medical services, helping us with diagnosis and various interventions.  She worked with our training doctors giving them some skills and talking about basic medical topics.  It is a joy to see the next generation of doctors…it is my hope that they are all like Ashton.  We pray for her next steps as she considers the future.  Maybe We will celebrate other birthdays together.

Filming Project 

 

We welcomed a Canadian friend for a filming project last week.  It was quite a process to obtain a VISA to come to DRC that involved at least 10 signatures, provincial offices, a lawyer in Kinshasa, and a trip to Ottawa to pick up his documents…but he came and we are thankful.  For me it is always a blessing to collect stories and conduct interviews of nationals as I always learn something about their lives.  Congolese are very resilient people, but they have also suffered a lot.  Even our night watchman, Edmond, told us about how he decided to move to Nyankunde.  Difficult circumstances (extremists) in the Oicha area caused them to re-locate.  He says that he has always been well accepted here by all the tribes in the area and that this was one of the reasons motivating him to come.  We were also able to do an interview with a Japanese missionary, Katsuko, who has lived in DRC for 50 years, mostly in Nyankunde.  What a blessing it is to hear her encouragement to the next generation to love well, be faithful, and work to adapt to others.  We look forward to seeing what he comes up with!  Beautiful drone shots, nature photos, and maybe a few personal ones mixed in.  Thank you Artur for coming!

Hospital Challenges & Special Patients

These last months our province has been lacking in tuberculosis medications.  For the first time in 12 years I have seen children die of tuberculosis without treatment.  It is incredibly sad and morally defeating.  The medications are available again in our health zone and I am hopeful we will be able to treat children again.  Yet this should not happen in the 21st century, but health inequalities are a reality.

I have some really sweet patients with congenital heart disease.  I do the best I can to manage their heart failure so that they can live well.  Today I told the little boy that we were going to watch his heart show on TV and this was very interesting to him.  It is easier to accept a child not receiving cardiac surgery because it is not as available in this part of the world.  It is my hope that someday I will be able to refer children for heart surgery.

Thank you for your interest in our lives and ministry.  We appreciate your prayers.  We have been encouraged, despite the everyday challenges.  The Lord continues to sustain and encourage us.

-Pray that our hospital would be a place of healing and encounter with the Lord.

-Pray for upcoming visitors to work with our anesthetists 

-Pray for our school year, for Emmanuel to grow academically and spiritually.  Pray for development of his Congolese friendships.  Many of his friends are beginning to study in the city.

-Pray for continued work on the hospital video project. Pray that it would honor the Lord and move people to pray for this part of the world..

Lindsey for us

If I can stop one heart from breaking, 

I shall not live in vain;

If I can ease one life the aching,

Or cool one pain,

Or help one fainting robin

Unto his nest again,

I shall not live in vain.

Emily Dickinson

Power!!!

July 2024

Electricity. You are probably taking it for granted right now. You flip that switch and the light comes on. It’s kind of amazing, but we see it as part of normal life. 

At Nyankunde we do not take it for granted. We are totally off-grid, in fact there is no grid. We have to generate our own electricity in some way. We do this through solar power or generators. Solar power is incredible, but it’s a challenge. You have to get the system working just right. If you happen to be in the rainy season, as we are now, it’s difficult. No photons, no electrons. That’s the simple math that we’re up against. Generators are also a pain. They are expensive to run, fuel is hard to get, they require maintenance, they wear out. Plus they’re noisy. Also you don’t feel great about the whole carbon footprint thing. 

The challenge of electricity is difficult at home. At the hospital, it is devastating. Sterilizing instruments, performing surgery and giving oxygen are all things that require electricity. The most important thing is simply light. Ever tried examining a patient, putting in an IV or sewing up an episiotomy by candle light, or the light of a cell phone? I have, and it’s not fun. So this is where we’ve been at the hospital for several years. We would occasionally buy lead-acid batteries, but they get tired after a few years. We found ourselves running the generator more frequently, but this was a huge expense for the hospital. Diesel fuel is around 6$ a gallon. 

The difficult part of the equation was that Samaritans Purse had purchased for us a solar power system with 60 panels and Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries. Unfortunately the wrong inverters had been sent and the system lay dormant for around 5 years. I had despaired that the system would ever be up at running. For several years I looked at 60 solar panels on the roof and felt sad that they had not produced one bit of useable electrical power.

God has his own time and his own way. He knew that in July 2024, the pieces would fall into place. Our long-awaited container arrived with the new inverters. A visit from our friend Dr. Bob Spencer (Cardiologist and all-round fixit man) would lay the groundwork for our team of electricians to come. Bob and I spent several weeks pulling wire, changing wiring, installing inverters, charging batteries, refurbishing the oxygen system, fixing autoclaves, installing equipment, moving generators and so many other things I can’t remember. I am handy in my own amateurish way, but I quickly reach the limits of what I can do. Bob brings a level of expertise and experience which brought us to the next level. Without his help we would not have been able to finish. 

Dave Bucklin and Peter Schmitz were on site for about a week. They completed the final stages of wiring, installed the oxygen system in the ICU and sorted through the complicated settings necessary to throw the final switch and make the transition to the new system. In all it was a long, hard month. I did very little patient care, thanks to the presence of Dr. Peter Stafford running the surgical department. Most nights I came home exhausted, after too much sun, too much heavy lifting and too much time in precarious places. Dave was down for the count for a couple days with a stomach bug, but he kept on going. 

The result of all the effort was that we have switched over to a solar power system with a huge capacity. We have a newish generator that is more suited to our needs. We have a new oxygen system in the OR and a refurbished oxygen system in the ICU. We have working autoclaves. With the new system we have not lost power one time. It has been an amazing, incredible blessing. There are already patients who would have died for lack of oxygen in the ICU, who have survived. According to Lindsey there are 3-4 babies who have survived because of this system.  

This project has been a shot in the arm for the hospital. I believe that it is improving our standard of care. It will represent a huge saving in diesel fuel alone. There is also a tremendous level of satisfaction knowing that we are using the energy of the sun to run the hospital. The system is also connected to the internet and there is an app on my phone which tells me how much energy we are using, what state the batteries are in and many other details that most people wouldn’t be interested in. I’ve been glued to this app and I just can’t get over it. 

God’s timing works better than mine. I’m learning a bit of patience. Congo is a good place to learn that you can’t just make things happen by sheer will and frantic effort. At this time we have the incredible joy of electrical power. The hospital has many a flaw and many a need, but for the past two weeks, when I’ve flipped the switch, the lights have turned on and that is a good reason to thank God. We also thank the many faithful servants at Samaritan’s Purse, who had gave generously of time and resources to make this happen.

Warren

Back in the Saddle Again

July 17, 2024 Coming Back 

It is always a joy to be back home in Africa, to drink fresh passionfruit juice, to hear the robin chat “chat, chat, chattering” in the evening, and to re-connect with friends and colleagues.  I hear and see things with new eyes.  Africa is a sensory experience.  It is like plunging in a cold pool and immediately swimming a work-out.  It is all-engrossing and a shock to the senses.  I live in a place where children come to the hospital barely holding onto life.  This last week a now orphaned toddler died several months after being discharged from the outpatient nutrition program.  It is just heart-wrenching.  It is a place where life and death come to the forefront.  Our province runs out of essential medicines to treat perinatal HIV and tuberculosis.  We are currently in this situation.  Even among animals….life hangs in the balance.  Last Sunday we rescued our friends’ young kitten as a falcon repeatedly swooped down to try to kill it.  

 

There is no air conditioning, just the wind and setting of the sun.  We do not have a dishwasher and there is no grocery store to buy pre-pared food.  Beans get served in different forms until they are finished.  All food is fresh.  Everything takes a bit longer, especially cooking.  It is a different rhythm and it takes a good week or two to get re-acquainted with life.  On the equator the sunset is at 6:30pm, so most outdoor activities need to be completed by this time.  

 

Everyday life is more work, life and death are at the forefront, but somehow life is invigorating and there is joy in the simple things.  If you are tired you rest.  If it rains you plant.  

 

A New Solar System 

Currently Warren and Dr. Bob Spencer are preparing the installation of a new solar battery system for the hospital.  This has been about a 5-year project between all the challenges we have faced in recent years from lacking certain components, Ebola, and insecurity.  We are hopeful that this will bring us back to where the hospital needs to be from a power and oxygen perspective.  There really is a need for biomedical equipment expertise here.  We are preparing for a couple of electrical engineers who will come out next week to finish the work.

 

A Rabbit House  

   

We are officially (or unofficially) raising rabbits!  On last count we have 9 babies and 5 adults.  As it turns out rabbits need a very clean living environment and love all “root based” vegetables and accompanying greens.  Sweet potatoes and carrots are their favorites!  We are finishing our very first rabbit house with different rooms that is well aerated.  It seems a bit fancy!

 

Summer Break   

Emmanuel loves summer break!  He has been hard at work with his friends on a treehouse with accompanying moat (for protection from unwanted guests).  We have been reading, playing outside in water, riding bikes, and adventuring together.  He has a great imagination and is learning problem-solving skills.  Homeschool starts in about a month and we are looking forward to a great year!

 

Medical Challenges

 

Today I could not find an infant nasogastric tube anywhere!  I had 3 babies in the ICU that needed one.  This is not a new problem of course.  I found an old bag of feeding sets that we will never use and started to disassemble one to see what I could jerry-rig together.  After cutting a few tubes, re-shaping some rubber pieces, I had found a way to make two feeding tubes from each set.  Somehow this represents many things: lack of resources, on-going need, the need to look past the challenges and tendency to say “there simply aren’t any” and simply a desire to make things work.

 

One of my 1.5year-old kids has a cyanotic heart condition called coarctation of the aorta. His pulmonary artery and aorta are switched, bypassing the lungs to oxygenate the blood.  It is a very serious situation and he lives with an oxygen saturation between 30-50% all the time and is generally irritable.  He is simply not growing.  This condition is usually surgically corrected in the first weeks of life.  There is very little that we can offer in this environment other than managing his heart failure and giving them a diagnosis.  It is hard to know if there is more that we should do.  Is he a candidate for surgery?  If so where?  Families understand that surgery is not available in the country and have an easier time accepting this.  I usually have at least a couple of babies with various heart malformations that I am following in the community.

 

Ministry   

I am thankful that I can use my medical skills in the direct care of patients.  Everyday I have the opportunity to ask people how I can pray for them and share the hope that I have in Jesus Christ.  So many people are spiritually lost, looking for answers, making idols to worship.  It is my prayer that the Lord will give me spiritual insight to the situations we face.

 

There is a beautiful lady from the forest who was brutalized, injuring her and cutting her ear off.  It hits close to home to see people suffering in this way.  Our colleague Dr. Peter has been faithfully tending her wounds, doing a skin graft, and showing love in tangible ways.  Sometimes we hear afterwards about spiritual growth in peoples’ lives, but it is often through suffering that God reaches people.  

 

There is no place that we can go to escape the presence of God, “If I say, Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night all around me, even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.  For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”  Psalm 139 11-13.

 

As physicians we can appreciate how we are fearfully and wonderfully made.  It is an honor to care for people, and see how God made them.  As a surgeon Warren often says that he can modify and remove things from the body, but he can not add anything back.  How simple and yet how profound!

 

We appreciate your prayers as we continue to adjust and adapt to being back in eastern Congo!  -Pray for a hospital staff member who is struggling with a serious health problem.

-Pray that we would be able to finish the work on the new solar system and that this will help many people.

-Pray that we would see the spiritual needs around us and encourage staff members to pursue a deeper walk with the Lord.

 

 

Lindsey (for us)