April 20

Today is April 20th and I will be at Chitokoloki for another 5 or 6 days, then north to Sakeji.  I have been keeping busy with different projects, one working to fix up a small  diesel generator for the hospital as the large hospital generator has quit.  The little one will only run necessary equipment in the operating room and the operating lights.  Surgeries have been going strong as people travel many miles to come to Chit.  Emergencies arrive at all times, often in the middle of the night when people have already traveled 6 or 8 hours.  Recently we had a gun shot victim arrive in the middle of the night, he came down the river in a canoe. He had been shot three times and his house burnt.  The hospital has only one surgeon at present as one had to go north to Kalene for a few months.
This week I hope to finish another well.  It is difficult because the Canadian Well Drilling team have all gone home. This last well is at the Chia Village and they have promised two village men to help me.  They will work hard but with the language barrier  it becomes a real challenge.  I hope we don't make any mistakes.  It is always nerve wracking when you have 100 ft of steel pipe held by two pipe wrenches.  Then when you consider that this is the first time these men have held a pipe wrench it is a worry.  If the pipe drops to the bottom of the well it is a real tragedy. By next week I should be up in Sakeji getting ready for the second term of school. I am not sure how I will get there the easy way or the long way.  It is two hours by plane or 16 to 18 hours by vehicle.  The only problem is the plane cost is $300 -1000 depending on who else is going.   I am hoping that we get a plane full but there is not much chance of that.  Tim

Hospital Baking

The first picture is of the oven at the hospital and buns ready.  The second is buns cooling.
The last picture is Mary holding the hand of the miracle baby.  The little girl was not expected to live but is surviving.
Send a comment if you get a chance.

Picts April

The first picture is the Canadian Well drilling Team.  A great bunch!
The next picture is a Dyker, kept as a pet in Sakeji.
The third picture is of a family in the leper colony, just out side their house ( on left)

Chavuma Pictures

Two pictures from our trip to Chavuma. One is the small mission church and the other is a cobra skin.

Leper colony

Some picts of the leper colony.

note

I am posting some new pictures.  One of the pictures is of the kids collecting caterpillars for lunch.  They take them home and boil them or fry and mix with nshima.  They really like them, but I have not tried them.
Two other pitures are of the leper colony.  Take a close look at the feet.  They actually make those sandals here in the tannery shop for the lepers.
There is also a picture of kenneth the paralyzed man getting outside for the first time in 3 months.

April 4 picts

Some end of March photos.

notes

Mary at the Hospital.

Another busy day at the hospital. A new girl aged 4 weighing 7kg. She doesn't have sores though so that is good. The little nine month old lost more weight but has not had diarrhea this afternoon so maybe she is on the mend except that she started running a temp today. Could be malaria as she has lots of bites.
You would be proud of me, i went to the hospital the other night by myself. Tim was so tired so i decided i could do this by myself with God. So (it was midnight) i armed myself with the big mag light as a weapon against unknown creatures of the night (snakes,wild dogs , hippos etc) and a head lamp so i could actually see where the path was. So i was praying that no snakes would fall out of the trees, and the dogs were howling so much that they wouldn't notice me and off i went. Well i think i scared the poor hospital guys half to death! They were looking out the door (locked) with their flashlights at me and so i shined my light on my face. The nurse, Andrew, was whispering through the door »Mary, is that you? Are things well with you? » Anyway, they finally decided to open the door and let me in! So they lit some coal oil lanterns and we went and checked on a sick child. As i was leaving, the one helper nurse (like rpn) offered to walk me back but i thought i was probably safer on my own. I arrived home safely and tim never even knew i was gone till morning!
Tonight he went with me to help put Kenneth back to bed and so i am done for the night.