Hello again from the Congo!
After sending the last Blog news on Saturday morning, we set off for the weekly shopping at the Market at 9.15am. Remember the ‘Fish Lady’ who said she wouldn’t have anything to put in the collection last week? Well, we bought fish at her stall this week, so all’s well!
We visited an Electrical shop to purchase the items John mentioned in the last blog for the Nurses College to up-grade the facilities for computer work there. Gifted money donations from our friends in the UK have enabled us to help in this way.
The evening ‘Doctors English Club’ saw 10 of us studying Ultrasound and Scans re diagnosing diseases of the liver, bladder and kidneys! Not that there is much in the way of such equipment here, but the training is continuous! Then we were asked to teach them a hymn in English! The evening ended at 8.30 when electricity power and lights shut down.....and so to bed!
Sunday 31st over breakfast, we discovered that Drs. Philip and Sammy[ the young Congolese Doctor also staying here] had been called out to the Hospital at 9pm, where Philip operated on a man who’d been shot in the mouth and had a shattered jaw and lost teeth.....then, between them they did 4 emergency Caesarean operations!! Never a dull moment!
At 9 am we all set off on the 1 and a quarter hour journey to Nyankunde to the South of Bunia. An incredible journey of 45 km on indescribable roads, with the usual extraordinary sights and hazards along the way! The temperature reached 37 degrees before we got to our destination!! It was One of the hottest days so far. The area of Nyankunde is one of the most breathtaking beautiful scenery we have ever seen. The village and Church and Hospital [all repaired and/or ongoing re- building since 2002] nestle directly under the beautiful mountains.
Nyankunde is where missionaries Dr. Becker and Dr. Helen Roseveare built and started the Hospital and Nurses Training College in the 1960s. The first to have a vision of training Congolese as nurses, and some to further train as Doctors, and then serve their own Congolese people. This is how the Nurses College here in Bunia carries on this important work.
Hospital buildings and staff residential homes and the personal homes, including those of our friends Drs. Nancy and Philip; and Mele [Bunia College Director General] and his family, were badly damaged and all their personal possessions lost in the 2002 wars. The same time as 1500 patients and staff were slaughtered, while others fled for their lives...including the mentioned friends, and other folk we know here. Some were held prisoner, and we’ve met many whose family members were killed.
We arrived in time for the Church service, but before going in we were able to hand over 2 boxes of Swahili Bibles to the Director of the local Bible School. He was thrilled to receive them, and said it will mean so much to the students; and in particular they will be distributed to female students, because it is mostly men who manage to own Bibles.
Inside the enormous Church we were seated on chairs in a raised row adjacent to the backless benches of the main congregation.......it felt like the seating positions of Royalty in Westminster Abbey!! The Service was lively and long [+ 50 minute sermon!] followed by the washing of hands outside, ready for the Communion Service! We lunched with the family of the American builder who is building and overseeing the construction of a new Operating theatre and Intensive care unit. We toured the very basic wards etc.......and also drove right down the nearby MAF runway!! It was an emotional time to see so many derelict buildings and houses either side of the runway......some were the homes of doctors and nurses who we know here. The builder and his wife are living in the house that Nancy and Philip lived in for 6 years up to the 2002 war. It was the most convenient one to renovate for themselves to live in while the extensive building programme is carried out. It was a nostalgic visit for Nancy and Philip.
We got back to Bunia with just 15 minutes for John and I to have a wash and tidy up before going for a meal with one of the College Academic Director’s family!! Robert’s wife is the Head Midwife here. It was a very full and exciting day.
Tomorrow I am visiting the School for the deaf in Bunia.....and taking my hand puppet along to have some fun with the children; and to see how the teachers are getting on with the flannelgraph teaching materials.
We haven’t been able to check our Emails since Sunday, but thank you in advance if you have written to us!
Janice.
Hello everyone!!
Janice gave me permission to edit her contribution today, which I have done, so I won’t add much except to say that I found the visit to Nyankunde very emotional. So many ruined buildings still not rebuilt. I know that some have been further damaged as material has been removed to renovate others. The mission complex and village was totally ransacked. Hardly a building left with a roof or doors. All the contents spirited away and that includes all the hospital equipment. What could not be taken, i.e. sanitary fittings were just smashed. Knowing and working with those who went through this experience and are now seeking to rebuild the work without access to the resources they need is an honour and very humbling and really focuses ones thinking!!
On Monday morning we set up the battery, charger and inverter and ran the computers and the internet very successfully on it all day. This morning we found that the battery had not recharged and had insufficient charge to run the inverter so it was back to square one. The charger is being looked at find out why it failed to operate. In spite of that today proved to be quite profitable as I ran health checks on three laptops, updating or installing antivirus etc. It was a relief not to find any problems.
Tomorrow I am being collected at 07.15 and we will see what the day brings!!
God’s blessing and our love to you all.
John
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