Preparing a Place

The shovels rose and fell rhythmically outside the OR (Operating Room) on the hot Sunday morning.  About 30 laborers were working to level the field where the solar panels for the hospital electrification project are going to be placed.  Inside the OR, with windows wide open for some ventilation, we prepped for another C-section.  The amount of space separating the two scenarios was only 30 feet or so, and both were part of the plan that is in place to help Mattru Jong Hospital become a source of Christian compassionate health care.   Although quite dissimilar in many respects, the two venues illustrate much of the reality that is now Africa.  All the land leveling and site preparation that would normally be done by machinery in America was being done by hand.  In the operating room, we were forced again to do surgery without the help of electricity. Fuel for the generator had not been purchased, and so we decided to go ahead for surgery without it.  This attempt to save another child’s life in West Africa was necessary because the mother had already had a seizure, or eclampsia as it is called when occurring during pregnancy, and the only cure is to get the baby out as soon as possible. 

The OR on the left (yellow/brown building) and the proposed site for the solar panels on the right.

     We paused for prayer prior to starting the surgery, and soon we had a squalling baby on our hands. We turned our attention back to the mother, as we handed the baby off to the nurse in attendance.  It was good to hear the crying baby, meaning our task had been successful.  So many children die even before birth, owing to vagaries of malaria, anemia, poor nutrition, and poor pre-natal care.  Sweat dripped down my face, as another nurse swabbed in vain to keep it from falling into the surgical field.  We were soon done with surgery, and were even able to attend the last part of the service at the local UBC church there in Mattru, a short walk from the hospital.

    We joined our voices in song, as the congregation sang,

   “Sing the wondrous love of Jesus, sing his mercy and his grace

       In the mansion bright and glorious, he’ll prepare for us a place…

It was nice to sing that song with gusto and reflect on the work that has already been in progress here.  It feels as if we are joining something that has been a special place over the years, and we would like to do our part to help.  The frustrations of living in rural West Africa pale in comparison to the possibilities for God’s kingdom here on earth.  And so, even as we look to a heavenly mansion, we are grateful for his protection and care over the beginning of our time here.

    Heleen has been trying to get our house livable these days, not an easy process.  We can include some of the pictures of the process. We had some rooms painted (although we kept most of them in the original blue color as it would be too much to cover that up!), replaced most of the window screens and finally this week got tiles laid in our bedroom, living room and kitchen. Yesterday we hung the curtains and over the next few weeks we hope to continue with some decorating. There is still a lot that could be done to improve the house, but after a month we are ready for a break from dealing with carpenters, painters and tilers! After living for weeks out of suitcases, it is exciting to move our clothes out of our suitcases and organize our kitchen supplies on the newly made shelves and begin to feel our house is becoming a home!

The tiles were laid with cement which was mixed on our bedroom floor - the freshly painted walls had to suffer a little in the process! 

Camping out in our living room!

Our kitchen.

Our new shelves.

Our living room - still in need of some wall decorations! Notice the tiles - we got mixed messages about the numbers that were available and in the end had to use some creativity to get the whole floor covered! 😊

Our gecko is doing well, making friends with the many geckos that are living in and around our house! He was finally named - Greenie - and had a few more adventures which included a visit to the hospital! The nurse decided his weight was 0 kg and the doctor told him to eat more bugs! (which is an advice we welcome very much in our bug-ridden home!)

These first few weeks have been eventful and at times discouraging. However, we are grateful for God's faithfulness and your support. We'd love to hear how you all are doing too!