Midwifery Graduation!

Yesterday was graduation day for my one midwifery student. Grad was held at the Maternity with midwives and doctors present. After cake and pop the new grad and her friend  came over for a midafternoon chicken dinner and a movie. At the end of the day I was totally wiped out and needed to sit in my recliner with my legs up!!

Here are a few photos:

Radio DJ?

The Hospital just got licensed to start operating a new Hospital Radio FM station which will be broadcasted to our patients. We already have a few French programs on Christian life, health talks, etc. Previous to having the license all the work was done of installing radios and speakers on the porches of all the wards so we had been awaiting this license.  The one problem is that the frequency that we were given permission to use for testing out our system some months back is not the frequency that our final license gave us. Now we have to figure out how to change the frequency in the radio equipment.
I realize that I do not have many months left in Africa but I volunteered to help out someone else get started at this ministry. The problem being of course that so far no one else has volunteered to do it. Here is a photo of me taken on Friday as I checked out the equipment. No, I have never done this in the past.

Dr's Visit Results!

We have a visiting Orthopedic surgeon at our jungle hospital so I was able to see him, having my first ortho check for my knee in 14 months. I had had an Xray in September which showed extra bone growth over my left replaced knee but an Xray this week showed no more extra bone growth so that was good. The Doctor said everything looked good, both metal and plastic in my knee. He examined my leg and said all was well, that my degree of knee bend was more than 86 degrees but less than 90 degrees. He did not have his angle measuring instrument with him. I had measured 86 degrees in Dec 2012.

The counsel that he gave me was:
1. Take good care of my knee because to replace it again would be extremely difficult.
2. NEVER fall. He told me that several times.
3. Walk as much as I can. When I asked how much he just said to walk as much as I can.
4. Walk on flat surfaces, not up and down the mountain that I live on. No worry there, I always drive up and down the mountain!
5. See an orthopedic surgeon every 2 years to make sure that the plastic in my knee is not wearing out. He said that the plastic can be replaced without doing the knee replacement again. He said that even if the surgeon says to come every five years, that I should see him every two years.
6. Continue to take my medicine for Osteoporosis (I take Boniva).
7. Continue to do a knee bending exercise because I still have the possibility of improving my knee bend.



I was very satisfied with my check up as was the surgeon.

I'm keeping plenty busy here. Doing a lot of meals for company as we have quite a few visitors. Teaching nursing students. There are only two more weeks of school and then final exams. The next quarter then starts right away the following week.

Quite a MIRACLE!

You have to understand that I live and work in a developing country in Africa, where things don't work as fast as they do in the States. My last blog entry talked about the FIRE we had in our hospital and station transformer. It was totally demolished. We have been using a backup generator since Friday evening.

Our hospital administrator called the company where transformers are purchased the evening of the Fire. On Sunday he drove to the capital city to meet with the dealer on Monday. By Tuesday afternoon the new $175,000 transformer had been driven the 350 miles south with our new transformer on a flatbed truck. Now THAT is a MIRACLE! Thinks just don't usually work that rapidly in this part of Africa.

The electric company has been working for two days in the installation of the transformer. I am not sure how long it will take until it is hooked up and running so how much longer we will be having to use our diesel fueled emergency generator.

Here is our new Transformer:



Here is our emergency generator:



Praise the Lord for answered prayer.

FIRE!

FIRE!! Last night the main electric Transformer of the Bongolo Hospital and the Bongolo station BURNED. We're using an emergency generator right now and will need to do so until a new transformer is installed. Our emergency generator has recently been giving us problems and we have been awaiting some parts for it. Thanks for your prayers that the transformer be quickly replaced and installed. Pray that our generator gets needed repairs and keeps going. 

The photo was taken by Dr. Renee Valach. I heard about the fire after the it was over. I only knew that we were using the emergency generator. Here is a link to Steve Straw's blog which will share more details: http://gabonpilot.blogspot.com/2014/01/fire-at-bongolo-hospital.html

 

Cooking with African Local Produce

I was given both fresh "Field" corn and also a gift of cooking bananas. I made both of them for supper tonight (I had eaten a chicken dinner for the noon meal).

Boiled "Field" corn



Fried ripe cooking bananas



I cook with gas. We turn our empty bottles in when we buy filled bottles.



Today's Positives:
1. I enjoyed church in Kanda this morning.
2. I made the local produce for dinner rather than let it go to waste. I am bad with buying fresh food but then not getting around to cooking it. I ate half the corn and gave the rest to my neighbor.
3. Although we had a very bad lightening strike somewhere near here last night, it did not fry any of our electrical equipment and the lights stayed on.

P.S. I did not take a photo of the brownies I also made today.
I have visitors coming for dinner tomorrow so now my dessert is already prepared!

Question: Do you ever buy fresh foods that you don't get around to using?