Last Day in Bangui

After a few days of R&R in Bangui, I think we are all ready to board that big bird and fly home.  Soon we are headed to the Artisan Market where a plethora of goods will be thrust at us from many directions. It has been nice to just not do anything, because I know when I get home, I will hit the ground running.

As our trip nears the end it is a time of reflection on what we wanted to do, what we did and were our expectations met?  Once home, the trip seems surreal and it is a good time to sort out thoughts, go through pictures and store away you’re “African “clothes.

It will be autumn when I get home, my favorite season. I am glad I had time to put up my autumn decorations before I left. I am looking forward to cooler temperatures, wearing hoodies and sipping afternoon tea after a brisk walk with the dog.  Not sure I would be happy in a climate where there is just one season, even thought I do detest winter.

I hate goodbyes and it will be difficult to say so long to Aaron, Michelle, baby Soliel, Mandaba and Rachel as three of us head back to the USA. I always feel a bit disjointed when I leave my lifelines here behind to venture home.

God holds each of us in his hands whether we are at home or abroad, He is just felt more when you are away from home in an unfamiliar place. His protection, provision and presence keep me going on.

Godspeed

Jeannie

In the hands of God

So....what did Wendy do??

Sitting in the dentist’s chair may not be your favorite place to be, but for a hurting Congolese in need of dental care getting to that chair (even if he needs to walk 100 miles) at Tandala’s dental clinic means everything.  There Bofio (a dental trained nurse with 30 years of experience) and assistant Henry (dental nurse “in-training”) run the clinic and will do their heart-felt best to help.

Previous to our trip, Wendy Parker, DDS wondered what she would find in a dental clinic in the middle of remote Africa where there was no running water and limited electricity.  There she found a very creative “dentist” with an amazing amount of inventive energy making do with the resources he has.  While there Wendy and Bofio worked together on several challenging cases but spent most of the time talking through organization of the clinic, procedures, equipment and supplies.  Analysis brought Wendy to the conclusion that a functioning x-ray and a training program for support staff were the highest priority needs.

Encouraged by her visit today to a dental clinic in Bangui, Wendy now has a connection with an African dentist and his trainer in the USA.  In fact Dr. Rick is from Michigan and heads up a non-profit called Donate a Smile.  Look it up!  Maybe this new and unexpected connection will help in some way.

But in the meantime, until we can get Bofio and the Tandala dental clinic some more help, Wendy has left behind an extensive iTunes video library of dental instructional DVDs for professional dentistry training as well as for dental assistants.  It is in English, not French, but the visual training will be very helpful nonetheless.  Also, Wendy brought impression materials, orthodontic pliers, crown materials, toothbrushes and much more to bless the clinic right now.

And to finish the blog, we must tell you one significant story.  As you read in an earlier blog by Jeannie, one afternoon the heavens poureth forth rain, rain, and more rain.  When Bofio and Wendy returned the next day to the dental office, it was flooded with mud.  Beyond that, lightening had hit the generator resulting in the dental clinic, lab, hospital and whole mission was without any electricity at all for the rest of our stay.  Seems there is always another challenge!

Armed now with photos, video, and a context and vision for Bofio’s expressed needs, we are ready to communicate with God’s people on how assistance can best be delivered in the future. Bofio and Wendy parted with hopes for improved care for the many Congolese who come from near and far to sit in that sole dental chair. 

From Africa,

Wilma for the team

Bofio, Henry, Wendy and Aaron at Tandala Dental Clinic

Life at Tandala

As a visitor to Congo, I thought it fun to give you my perspective of life at Tandala. Most days you wake to a rooster crowing (and crowing and crowing) mix that in with the rhythmic sweeping of the dirt paths, baby goats bleating for their momma and footsteps of women walking to their gardens.  I am overjoyed that I can walk the 1/4 mile to work instead of my 30 minute I-94 traffic jammed ride in my car. Along the way you may encounter chickens in your path, children walking to school or an occasional bicycle or two. I call out Mbote (hello) to everyone I see and the children practice saying Hellooooo ,hellooooo back to me.

Once at the lab, the pace is much slower , but I do miss the A/C. It is not uncommon for children to stop by the window and greet me and I say to them nsango nani ?(what’s up) and they answer nsango te (nothing). I have learned a few more phrases and words of Lingala this trip – it is fun to practice. One day a woman riding on the back of a bicycle was screaming something as it sped away from the hospital. I asked Mandaba (my translator) what she was saying and unfortunately it was “my son is dead, my son is dead” The reality is that death does happen here more often than in the USA for many reasons, especially to children.

Back to the house for the noon meal which usually happens between 1 and 3 pm J Our meal is cooked by Wille, Virginia and Michellene. They are beautiful ladies who work very hard every day to provide us with rice, meat, fish, pondu, spinach, fuku, plantains and Wilma’s favorite red sauce! I have to say the food this time was much better than my two previous trips to Congo.

Some nights we have electricity, which is a treat even though the light bulb in my bedroom was burnt out.  Can’t stop by the local Ace to pick up another bulb, so you live without, which is part of the experience. Looking into the night sky, the stars are one hundred fold what they are at home, you can even see the hazy milky way – it is really unreal and beautiful beyond compare.

 Life is not easy here, but for most it is the only life they know, so for them it is “normal”, For us pampered Americans, it is a drastic change from life we are used to.  It is important to understand that our lifestyle is not necessarily the right way for the rest of the world to live. Living out of your comfort zone grows you in many ways and puts several things into a perspective you never could have imagined.

So yes, it is out of the ordinary in the USA to have a cow walk through your front yard lowing as she goes, a goat scratching an itch outside my lab window on the corner of the building and it being so dark at night I cannot see the hand in front of my face. But it is OK, this is Africa and it is supposed to be different, I am supposed to be a little out of my element and most important, I am supposed to be learning, observing and listening to God’s  voice in my heart to love all of His creation.

HIV/AIDS Ministry in Congo by Wilma

Sitting in a stuffy cement room with 11 HIV+ people is not something I have done before…let alone at Tandala Hospital in the northern Ubangi Region of Congo.  Sitting around a wooden table on hard wooden chairs, they sat quietly with Pastor Deolo, Rachel Martin, and me while we listened to Pastor Moolado give words of Biblical encouragement from Matthew 26: 36-48.  Christ suffered difficulties just like us.  He prayed for help just like us.  Difficulties need not overwhelm us, including sickness, AIDS and even death. 

Earlier after our introductions, each “Positive Person” shared their name, who in their family besides them was HIV+, and how far they had walked to come for medicine and this special support meeting.  They gave thanks to us for coming to Congo and for our church’s assistance.  I could hear in their voice the intensity of their needs.  For each one I tried to repeat their name and the Lingala words for “hello” and  ‘we will pray for you”.  They smiled as I mispronounced many words, but they appreciated my attempt.

“I have no peace”, one middle aged lady shared as she held her HIV+ baby whose little shoes seemed big compared to the dangling skinny legs that were attached to them.  “I think about this illness all the time and I have no peace all the time.”  We gathered around her and prayed for the peace the passes all understanding that only God can give. 

I shared I Thess 5:9 and we left not only knowing but feeling the encouragement that is ours to freely give abundantly to each other.  Lift up someone today,  Pray that their difficulties will not overwhelm and that they may have peace.

From Congo,

Wilma for the team

Wilma Sykpe-ing with her husband as an audience watches!

After the heat there is mbula (rain)

A refreshing rain falls after a hot day in Tandala. A cool clean breeze blows on my neck. A busy day behind us, this is a welcome change from the humidity and heat.

Wilma spent most of her day meeting with Pastor Deolo and others from the HIV/AIDS ministry. There is so much for her to learn and she is really immersing herself into the ministry. Deolo is regaining his strength after a few weeks of suffering with a severe sinus infection, his timely recovery the day we arrived was nothing short of a miracle. He told us he prayed that if he was supposed to remain sick while we were here, then so be it. He placed his whole recovery in God’s hands, in God’s perfect timing.

Wendy spent all day with Bofio the dentist here. They unpacked trunks, discussed an education program to train others in dentistry and self training methods for himself and ideas for staff support. In other words, she did a lot of talking today and Bofio did a great job with his English.

I kept myself busy in the lab unpacking trunks, maintaining/calibrating analyzers and training lab staff. The lab did very well during my two year hiatus. They have done a wonderful job providing testing for the hospital; it is so encouraging to me.

Today’s rain after a hot day got me thinking of how the rain is like Jesus washing our sin (hot, humid weather) away. It is refreshing, renewing and it changes us in ways we never thought were possible.

storms a brewin in the african jungle...

What a Ride

Traveling in Congo is always interesting, but this truck trip was really unique. Our Saturday journey started out at the riverbank crossing in a dugout canoe equipped with an outboard motor. The ride is rather short but refreshing none the less. Immigration and customs consists of two wooden shacks on the side of the river. The process went smoothly and surprisingly expediently. All of our trunks, bags , backpacks and selves loaded into an open truck to meet our driver and Land Cruiser on the other side of the broken bridge about 40 km away.  What a wild ride that was – 4 mondelas (white people) and a few Africans bouncing down the red clay road - what a site we were indeed.

At the rendez vous point I could immediately see the collapsed bridge which had been destroyed In January by an overloaded truck. Foot traffic, bicycles and motorbikes are the only means of travel over the bridge.  All the cargo was unloaded, reloaded and we were on our way again.  Every inch of space was taken up by people and baggage- we were literally “packed” into this vehicle. Mind you, this is not a smooth ride by any means. The potholes are the size of small craters and crevices comparable to the Grand Canyon (ok not that big – but you get the gist!) Our average speed was around 35 kph topping out at about 60 kph on the good stretches of road. It took us 11 ½ hrs to go approximately 250 kilometers.

Highlight! We stopped on the way to visit briefly with Nzawala my GlobalFingerprints sponsor child. She has grown so much in 2 years and at 14 she is very beautiful. She hopes to go to school in Gemena to further her education.

What a welcome sight the lights of Elikya were. Oh to stand up and stretch!

Thank you Lord, for our safety on the road where so many things could have gone wrong. Thank you for the excellent skills of or driver, Edison and our first driver Bosco. Thank you for the bed, shower and your provisions all around.

open truck ride

In Africa- by Wilma

We’ve made it to Africa!

After 24 hours of travel, we have touched down in Central Republic of Africa.  After a much needed good night’s rest here we are anticipating 14 more hours of travel tomorrow!  We’re a long way from home and are on an adventure beyond description. 

We met in Liberty Bible Church parking lot at 2AM on Thursday, September 15.  Ken and Anna Willard saw the team off with hugs and prayers while Pastor Greg drove us to O’Hare.  Since then we have been on three jets; to Dulles Airport in Washington DC, to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia (a 13 hour marathon ride), and finally to Bangui in Central Republic of Africa (which tried our patience since we were exhausted by then and tried to sleep to the screech of two crying babies at least half the trip – this is not an exaggeration)  But covered in prayer, we are thankful that not only did we arrive here with grace but also with all 12 checked bags and innumerable carry-on bags.  Of interest is that our first clerk at O-Hare let us pass with too heavy luggage.  His name was Jesus.  Seriously. 

At the Ethiopia airport and at the Bangui airport we looked around the tarmac and buildings and spotted guards with big guns standing ready for action if needed.   Wilma put her camera away as to not incite any difficulties! 

The WHO of our team is:  Jeannie Pesut (owner of this blog) who is a lab tech and Ms Short Term Missionary Anywhere in the World.  Jeannie brought lots of lab supplies and will be doing training for Tandala Hospital lab workers.  Wendy Parker, DDS also brought lots of supplies and will be training the nurse who is currently doing dental care there.  Wilma Willard who is a health educator will be understanding the current HIV/AIDS ministry with Pastor Deolo who oversees this for the 900 Evangelical Free Churches and their surrounding communities .  She anticipates a return trip next year for follow-up support that this trip’s analysis will determine.   Joining us from Iowa  is missionary Rachel Martin who lived in this mission field at Tandala for 12 years and is directing some Reach Global projects.  She knows the languages and customs and ropes so if invaluable help along with or fearless leader Jeannie who has been here twice.  With humor and humility and with God’s help, we hope to be His Fantastic Four.

Only minor discomforts thus far:  Wilma’s cut finger that keeps opening back up and bleeding,  Wendy’s swollen feet that won’t fit in her shoes anymore, Jeannie’s sore back and Rachel’s bad knees resulting from all the walking and sitting.  Other than that (and only having erratic sleeping in a hard plane seat) we are just pooped troopers!!!

 So, tomorrow (we are now 6 hours ahead of Chicago time so I believe that will officially be September 17 here) we leave at 7AM to cross the river via dugout canoe, pass customs at “the shack”, and survive our  Land Rover ride to Gemena where the Evangelical Free Church of Congo (CECU) has its headquarters and mission compound.  We anticipate a late evening arrival with more stories and praises and exhaustion to share with you.

God is good – we have arrived in Africa!  Please keep praying for our service here in His name. 

Wilma, for the team