Photo Tour of the Hospital!

Nursing School where I work.

Patients waiting to pay at the cashier.

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View of Hospital in front of adult medical ward, looking toward the Nursing school

Hospital looking towards an outpatient area, Xray, Insurance and administration.

 Above is a photo tour of the Bongolo Hospital where I work.... on the equator of Africa. It is in the tropical rain forest.

Today's Positives:
1. I had no car trouble getting to church at the Nzoundou Chapel this morning, unlike last week when there was car trouble with two different cars so I didn't make it to church.
2. I had company for lunch today. Our pilot flew four visitors and a patient down so I had all six of them for chili over rice lunch. Two of the visitors knew me from speaking at their church in Ketchikan, Alaska 22 years ago! The Pastor was one of the visitors and he told me that people in their church had prayed for me every Saturday for the past 22 years. No wonder I have stuck out working in Africa for so many years!!!
3. Tonight friends are coming over to watch American Idol with me. Don't tell me what is going on with the show because we are several weeks behind the actual showing. I get my TV via satellite and through South Africa.

I hope you're having as nice a Sunday as I am.

One Year ago Tomorrow!

One year ago tomorrow, March 5th, I fell and broke my left knee and left wrist. Five surgeries on my leg and one on my wrist, over three and a half months in the hospital and rehabilitation center, prayers, phone calls, flowers, cards, emails, visitors, months living in a Senior housing "village" and various helpers later and I am BACK IN AFRICA! Praise the LORD for HIS healing! An emergency room doctor was recently here at the Bongolo Hospital and he was surprised that I was already back here, knowing about the injuries that I had had. Again, Praise the Lord!

My leg is doing well. I do not need to take anything for pain. I notice that the swelling in my leg has really decreased. I do not think that my knee bends any more than it did months ago but I'm learning to adapt. This week I was excited to receive the four cartons and the glider recliner chair that I had shipped from the States. I now have a chair that actually fits me, long enough to hold my long legs and high enough off the ground that I do not have to add a pillow to it to be able to get out of the chair. It is also comfortable.

I am enjoying ministry in both the Kanda Chapel and the Nzoundou Chapel. I alternate weeks with each congregation. At least I attempt to get to the villages. Yesterday Dr. Deborah Walker and I were going to Nzoundou for church. I had prepared the morning's message. First of all, my Nissan Patrol vehicle would not start because of a dead battery. Next we got into Deborah's vehicle, picked up our passenger and got to about a mile out of town when her car had a burnt smell. We were forced to return home. She is waiting for a part for her car but the one that came down from the capital city was the wrong part. Pray that Deb get the correct part to repair her car's fuel system. By the way, my car now has a new battery so next Sunday should be a go. We again plan to go to Nzoundou.

The Bongolo Hospital 3rd year Nursing students are taking Comprehensive Exams this week, Monday through Friday. Please pray that they do well in these tests. The graduation service for these students will be held at the Bongolo Alliance Church on Sunday morning, March 17th. Pray for those of us who are preparing for all the festivities as there is much to do before then. I am making a Power Point of their 29 months in school which will be shown at their reception following graduation. Below is a photo of me with the graduating class of 2013. 

Good News: During 2012 there were 1,517 people who prayed to accept Christ at Bongolo Hospital. These were outpatients, inpatients and family members. Monday through Friday the two Hospital Chaplains hold an evangelical service in the hospital waiting room. They also visit people in their rooms. Everyone is encouraged to share Christ with the patients. Two weeks ago I showed the film, "The Life of Jesus Christ" on the porch of the Maternity after which five women prayed to accept the Lord. Praise HIM. Continue to pray for Alida, the women who I've mentioned before. She watched about half of the film but she was not one who was present when the invitation to accept Christ was given.

Thanks so much for your prayers for me during this past year, a year of great trials but also a year of great VICTORIES!

What's up with me?

These past two weeks the 3rd year Nursing students at Bongolo Hospital have each had an experience at Team Leading on one of the wards. They did well. Yesterday was their final day of working as Nursing students. Next week will be a week of Revision of the coursework they have had since September 2010. We professors will work with them in class for that week, helping them to review the material, then the students will have another week to study on their own.  14 comprehensive exams will be given on March 4-8.  Graduation Day is scheduled for March 17th during the Sunday morning service at the Bongolo Alliance Church. This will be followed by a reception for the graduates. Oh, and a Barbecue dinner is scheduled for the Friday evening before Graduation. Did I mention that all eight students have applied to work at Bongolo Hospital after Graduation?

Last week I went to Kanda Chapel, not knowing that the lay pastor Wilfred had been called out of town. After service opened with singing and prayer, I was announced as the teacher of the day. I was prepared, but did not know I was going to give the message. I gave the same one at Kanda that I had given in Nzoundou the week before. After the message on Cain and Able, one 18 year old man prayed to accept Christ. Pray for Abraham, that he grow in his new faith.

Thursday afternoon I showed the movie on the porch of the maternity. There were from 6-12 who watched the movie, some coming and going back and forth to the kitchen where they were preparing meals for their family members who were admitted in the hospital. Alida saw about half of the movie. After showing the film I gave an invitation to those who wanted to start believing in Christ. Five women prayed to accept Christ. Praise the Lord!

After lunch yesterday Terry Newman called to see if I would like to ride with her out to Yisinga to transport several ladies to the Alliance Women's Retreat that was to be held during the weekend. That way I could be with Terry on her return trip through the forest. We left Bongolo just after 4pm for the half hour trip to Yisinga. We stayed for the opening session which lasted until after 9pm then we returned home. The ladies were really glad to see me as I had not been to Yisinga for many years. There were about 75 women at the retreat last evening , along with some children and men who also attending the first session.  I had used "work of" ministry money to pay for seven women from the Nzoundou Chapel to attend the Retreat.  See the photo of these seven. Thanks to those who give towards my ministry. Part of the first evening of Women's Retreat is always a special offering from each of the Women's groups. I did the African shuffle with the Nzoundou women as we brought our offering up to the middle of the circle, sang a song and then gave a prayer request for Nzoundou and shuffled back out of the circle. Terry Newman went to the retreat today for part of the day. She said that God is working in the hearts of the women as they look to HIM. Terry will give the closing message of the retreat tomorrow morning.

         

Short Update

I've tried to do a blog entry a couple of times again but they would not post. I'll make a short try again.
The Ethics and Management class I have been teaching to student nurses finishes on Monday when they hand in their a project that each one is working on. The next two weeks they will be Team Leading on the wards and we'll have a post work conference each day to see how it's going.
My friend Nancy who returned to Africa with me on December 11th will be leaving tomorrow to head back to Omaha. It's been having her here with me these weeks.

Here are couple of photos. The first is of me chatting with a student nurse and the second is me with another student, going over her project.





Today's Positives:
1. The students seem to have all passed the Ethics and Management course I taught this past month. I still need to correct their final projects.
2. I've enjoyed doing some remedial math with a few first year students who are having problems with math.
3. Yesterday I got to share Christ with a women at the Maternity who had a premature baby. She is from a village deep in the jungle. She goes to an Alliance Chapel that does not have a Pastor nor regular teaching. She told me that she sings and prays but does not know Christ. Please pray for "A" to accept Christ while she is waiting for her baby to grow.

Entertaining Student Nurses!

Tonight and two weeks ago my friend Nancy and I entertained first year Nursing Students. Half of them came to dinner two weeks ago Friday and the other half came over this evening.  We ate and then watched a movie of their choice. It was a way to get to know each other since they entered school during the time I was in the States. There are 16 of them. It's hard keeping track of their names!

Today's Positives:
1. The student nurses seemed to enjoy their meal this evening.
2. It's FRIDAY!
3. I have NO PLANS FOR TOMORROW!!

I hope you're having a good day.

Christmas Celebrations!

We celebrated Christmas for four days. On Saturday the 22nd we had a Bongolo station Christmas Carol at Drs Zach and Jen O'Connor's home. All the Americans and Africans living on the station were invited.

Sunday the 23rd Nancy, Deborah Walker, an African couple Felix and Adele and I went to the Nzoundou Chapel and had a Christmas service. Everyone enjoyed singing lots of Christmas carols.

We Americans had a Progressive Dinner on Christmas Eve. It started at Deb Walker's home where she and I provided appetizers.

We went to a total of six homes that night.

 

On Christmas we Americans had dinner at Barry and Terry Newman's home. Everyone brought part of the dinner. We were 18 people and most of us stayed for many hours. It was a very nice day.