Good morning Shanksteps (of faith) followers. It’s 4AM and I have jetlag so can’t sleep anymore. I got about 6 hours last night so feel pretty good. Fortunately it cooled off to around 65 this night, so I slept. The heat is coming more and more, was about 95 during the day Im told.
So as you know from the last email, we are at Bere Adventist Hospital. It has been a surprisingly uneventful trip. Cant say that often when traveling in Africa. We flew from Portland to Seattle, Seattle to Paris, and Paris to Ndjamena, Chad. We had 4-8 hours at each layover. We left our home Thursday morning and arrived in Bere Sunday late afternoon. The Trecartins, missionaries here, had all the other missionaries over last evening for a going away party for the Netteburgs, who have been here ?11 years. It was nice to meet everyone.
So you may wonder, what does a surgeon take on a mission trip to Africa? What’s important to take in our luggage? There are a few things always at the top of my list. First is suture! I cant do my job without it. MAP international is the way to get Ethicon suture for mission work. So a few months ago I made an order with them, as did Audrey. I want suture to sew up incisions and cuts. I want suture to close abdomen- thick strong suture that lasts a long time. I want absorbable suture to sew up a uterus after a C-section… Next on my list is a headlamp. That way wether there is power or not, I can see what Im working on. Then there is scrubs, masks, surgical caps, OR shoes, stethoscope, small books on tropical medicine, water bottles to keep hydrated in this heat, OR towels of two styles. Then there are the other things of this trip- an AED, gluten free food for one of the missionary families, Pizza cutters ground in a way to use as skin graft meshing devices, bug barrier spray and spray bottle, ink for another missionary, a suitcase of breast pumps for another… 5 plastic boxes of stuff as luggage. We’ve found the plastic boxes aren’t to expensive and there are always people in Bere that want the boxes when we leave.
We landed in Ndjamena and were picked up by Laurant the taxi guy. He got a guy to come to the car to exchange money for us, then took us to the TEAM mission where we slept a few hours. Then up in the morning to catch the 8AM bus. We get our luggage put into the luggage compartment underneath and then pick out seats inside. We want to be near the front- because thats less bumpy, but not at the front, in case of a crash. We chose a spot about midway back. We sit down and realize that one chair doesn’t seem to have the back of the seat locked so it immediately reclines to almost lying down. So we choose a different spot. Gradually the bus fills and then starts honking, and we leave. It is a very bumpy, dusty ride as we go about 8 hours with two stops. One on the side of the road, in the middle of no where, for us to all get out and go out in the field to pee/poo. Men and women get off the bus and go into the field to stand and pee or squat to do #2. Then a second stop at the town of Bongor to change some passengers. At that stop there are venders of food and stuff all around. You can get beef, lamb, chicken, apples, sugar sweets, fried crickets, carrots, lettuce, bananas, few mangos, a watermelon, and other veggies I don’t recognize. Of course there are always the men walking around selling pairs of shoes, market bags, sun glasses, Kleenex, medicines, shirts. Women usually sell food items. The driver starts honking the horn and everyone loads back up and we continue on. In Kelo, Dr. Stacy and Sarah come to get us and all our stuff- and we are greatful to be picked up and not go motorcycle for the last two hours- though that’s not a bad way to go- with our luggage, we are more certain of it’s arrival, than just sending it off on motorcycle to arrive at the hospital.
Apparently there are many patients >60 waiting for an operation. Andrew is operating each day but there are more people waiting than can be kept up with. So it appears it will be a busy month 🙂
Please pray that we will be Gods love and compassion to all we meet and take care of.
Shanksteps Bere 2022 #1