Bongolo - Saturday 17 January 2009

Good Evening from warm, humid and very nice Gabon!

Thank you for your prayers. I can not express well enough how much your praying for me means, and for how God is working in my life. It has been a very rich, full, and fulfilling two weeks since I left "home". The work here has been challenging as everyone except Huub and the medical student left last weekend. We have kept up with the surgical work thus far, and had some good challenges in the mean time.
This week I have been working longer hours, but still managing to get to the evening dinners relatively "on-time". They are used to surgeons running longer than usual, so automatically made the meals 30-45 later than normal. Quite practical around here!
The picure to the right is of Huub and I in the "Re-animation" room - where the patients come for post-operative recovery.
This was Friday afternoon (late) after a full day of clinic with 4 operations during the midst of seeing patients. Huub is from Holland (married to Margrite) and is a lot of fun. They will be moving to Guinea soon to begin medical work there. Huub will be doing some basic surgery so I am working with him on hysterectomies, C-sections, and basic bowel operations...as well as basic orthopedics. He and Margrite have fast become good friends and I expect we will be in contact for eternity.

Thank you for praying about the Kidney operation. The kidney was huge! It went quite well overall. A bit scary at one particular point, but was grateful for good exposure and excellent assistants (Huub and Amy) and together it came out well. God is very good, especially for the patient. He is a young man who will hopefully have a much longer life. The operation was potentially curative.
It is good to see him walking now, and no longer taking pain medications. Most of my patients in the USA for this operation wouldn't even be out of bed by now, let alone not taking any narcotics!! He is pretty excited about doing so well.
God is very good.

We ended the day on Friday with another C-section for a woman who is HIV+ By doing the C-section it cuts down on the risk of the baby becoming infected. It is higher risk for us, but this is the one time in life where we can make a huge difference to a baby's life and potentially save him or her from a devestating beginning. This little girl was perfect!
Amy is smiling behind the mask :) As a medical student she isn't allowed to scrub the HIV cases, but is right there to work with the baby. Fun to see the whole team working together.

I can't thank you enough for your prayers.
God is defnitely at work in my own heart. It has been good for me to interact with the patients, try to speak with them in French, work with the staff and missionaires, and spend time in the evenings just relating and enjoying people. And most of all, enjoying the fellowship of believers with a common goal of serving God with their entire lives...and demonstrating it daily. The missionaires here did not pick their co-workers, yet they relate day in and day out with them. They pray together, have bible study together, work together, and struggle through tough times together. They are not bonded together because of common interests, languages, personalities or interests...but each is here because of their walk with God. Any other reason and they would leave immediately. You don't work in a place like this for any other reason except your relationship with Jesus. And through that relationship there is grounds for relating and encouraging each other no matter the personality, interests, or social connections. It is all about Christ and His changing power in our lives. That makes the difference.

So far the fish and plants have stayed alive :) I'm taking care of the director's home while they are away. Not a little pressure!

Thank you, again for your prayers. Feel free to let me know how I can pray for you.
The work is difficult at times, and the challenges definitely beyond my scope of abilities. But God has been faithful, and I look forward to what tomorrow brings. I pray the same for you!

In Him, John :)