Finally

HELLO!!  Finally we're in an area with dependable internet!  I'm going to try to update everyone by just entering the daily journal I've kept. 

Team members: Dr. Erling (ER), Janice (Dietician), Jessica (drug rep), Charlie (volunteer), Joanie (photographer), Brynn (daughter), Dr. Phillipa (OB/GYN), Dr. Kim (OB/GYN), Dr. Michael (OB/GYN), Dr. David (Anesthesiologist), Bob (medic/mechanic), Ellanona (PT), Bob (tv), Dr. Rahel (OB/GYN), Dr Jay (dentist), Aubrey (dental tech), Jerusha (volunteer), Dr. Raj (ER), Mike Phillips (retired construction).

Hospital: Paul (CEO), Mark, Henock (CEO).

Seyoum (Erlings “son”), Tyee (Erlings trusted friend), Kebeda (Phd Theology), Jedidiah (Tyee’s son)

Saturday, February 13, 2010:

I just spent my first night in Gimbie. Since I’ve never been here before I had no idea what to expect. Firstly, I have never seen SO MANY PEOPLE. I’m overwhelmed. So many eyes just staring at me. I wish I knew the languages so I could at least communicate with them.

It’s warm and slightly humid here! We drink lots of water. I carry my money body-wallet on me all the time….adds to the pooch of my abdomen. Great.

I woke up at 5:30 a.m. to chanting coming from a speaker system. From what I gather they only use about five notes. Of course I don’t have a clue what they’re saying,

For the most part the people seem basically healthy! The road from Addis to Gimbe was a mixture of newly made roads to ones with HUGE potholes and the driver swerved all over the roads to miss them. It was live being out on a boat for the day. I had a feeling of rocking and rolling even when I was on flat ground. The trip between the two cities took nine hours. Along the way there were many, many people walking and a lot of them were carrying things. There were small herds of cattle and many donkeys. We also saw monkeys on the ground and in the trees. There were also horses. Of course the animals were not in the best of shape and were certainly not use for pleasure.

Lori and I are staying in a small building next to a larger one for the visiting surgeons. It is some ill repair but I just remind myself that I’m “camping”. I wish I were younger.



Sunday, February 14, 2010:

This morning we rose at 6 a.m. to eat breakfast. The sunrise was outstanding. We helped Janice and Jessica unpack a lot of the bags containing donated items; medicine, clothing, shoes, etc. Then, we went with Seyoum, Ellanona, Janice, Charlie, and Jessica to visit Equadoran Sister’s Suzie (Suzanna) and Martie (Matilda). They maintain a compound that has a very small chapel and home for the sisters, and an elementary school. The compound was very nicely kept. Unfortunately, Sister Martie was out in the villages so we could not meet her but she and Sister Suzie are coming for dinner tonight. Sister Suzie is a crack up! She is small and very lively. She has the most animated face. I was able to speak with her in Spanish! Seyoum and I went to fetch her as she was at mass when we arrived. I was able to get communion and meet the people attending mass.

Then we all went to see the homes of some of the children who frequent the Adventist Hospital compound. Anani and Sarah and some boys all showed us their homes. They are unbelievable poor but so proud of their homes. The floor is dirt. The roof is corrugated tin tied together with rusted wire. The beds hold three to four of the family. The sides are put together with limbs held together with mud and grass combined. There are termites everywhere so the wood does not last very long. They cook their meals in a small room behind the main room. The “stove” is a few large rocks that surround a small fire. They get their water from a common area well. The inside of the home is dark. No windows. Houses are side to side.

We met Monica whose husband is in charge of the Operating Room at the hospital. She is working very hard to set up a place for unwed mothers and those men who have children to care for who need help. I’m very interested in talking with her about sending a grant application. I believe her brother in law, a physician in the US.

We went to Monica’s orphanage. There were about ten youngsters there ranging from one month to eight months. They actually were all spoken for re adoption but were waiting for the government of Ethiopia to make it happen. It’s a REAL shame. I bonded with a darling girl named Saara who is about eight months old. I got pictures. Some of the stories of the reason they are there are awful. But, they’re there! It was a clean place and the girls taking care of the babies were doing a good job.

Monday, February 15, 2010:

Lori woke up with nausea so Phillip gave her some meds and she is resting. We had hoped to give the $4500 to Henock who is the CFO of the hospital but he has been ill so we will try to accomplish that later today when we meet with Paul, the CEO. Hopefully Lori will feel much better by then. I will be going to Dongoro with Ellanona this morning while Lori rests. We will be visiting the students since today as it is a school day.

Went to Dongoro. Visited with 11th and 12th graders. Handed out most of the exercise books and all of the pens.

I met with Paul as Lori was still ill. Paul suggested a midwifery program – paying the salary of a bachelor midwife to come over for a year and train midwives (also include a scholarship program). Those midwives would then go out into the bush or small villages and take care of the women. He also suggested a continuing proplapse project. I really connected with his ideas and thought them very viable. I gave him the information on SFF. (Paul said: “Ethiopia does not need money, Ethiopia needs people.” Trained people who will train the Ethiopian people to help other Ethiopian people).

Tonight we did interviews. There were over 100 people outside the house where we worked. We did this for one hour. Each person who came to us was supposed to bring a letter expressing their situation and needs. They ranged from food, to clothing to education, to a place to live. Frankly, neither Lori nor I believe that what we were doing was a good thing. This is because we would give people false hope. We would tell them that we will take their letters and try our best to find someone in the US to sponsor them. But we told them, through an interpreter, that they could not depend on us. One of the people who came was a woman who was probably 19 years old with a probably 1.5 year old boy, asleep in her arms. She didn’t have a letter – jeeze, paper and pencils are like gold!!! Anyway, she had walked 40 minutes early this morning in order to come and ask for help. She waited all day until 7:30 p.m. to see us. She simply wanted food. We asked Jedidiah to give her the pat answer and sent her on her way. I was astounded that she simply needed food!!! So, I asked Jedidiah to call her back. She came in sobbing. I went and held her and her child. I gave her 300 birr ($20us) and told her she could not tell ANYONE that she’d actually gotten money. Unfortunately, I did not write down her name. I want to find her again and put her in touch with Monica who is trying to start a work program for single mothers.

I was able to see a baby girl whose mother who gave birth to her this morning. Since the mother is somewhat nuts she was going to kill the baby. The mother then abandoned her at the hospital. She is a Monica’s orphanage now. I went up to the nurses’ station where she was and she was adorable.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010:

Lori feels somewhat better so that’s good. We decided that we do not want to do interviews anymore. We talked with Erling to explain that we are more interested in interviewing people IF there are programs to which we can send them so that their situations can be answered. We do not want to give them false hope.

We went to see the orphanage again because the two day old baby is there for care. She is adorable and they have named her Rahel (Rachel).

Wednesday, February 17, 2010:

This morning we went to do clinic in D-------. With instructions from Janice we passed out worming pills, vitamins, iodized salt, and vitamin A to the people. The children were adorable. When we would talk to them they would repeat what we’d said perfectly. And, we played games with them. Then I found this woman who was five months pregnant and had a huge goiter. I took her to see Dr. Raj. He gave her salt and pre natal vitamins. Since the care was done through the hospital I paid for her meds = 8 birr... I told her to take good care of herself so she could take good care of her baby. She blessed me!

Then we returned for lunch. Shortly thereafter, Monica came by with baby Rahel. Of course I wanted to hold her! Monica was taking her to her own home because the girls at the orphanage were too busy with the other babies to give correct care to such a small baby. Little Rahel was jaundice so we but her in the sun for a short while. Then, Monica had to go do some errands so guess who got Rahel! She has had two dirty diapers (isn’t it funny that dirty diapers make us happy!) and she has had some milk. Now she is sleeping soundly on Lori’s bed.

Lori went with Joanie to accompany a woman getting water from the river for her daily needs. It will be interesting to see their report.

Thursday, February 18, 2010:

Today was a very, very emotional day, It started with observing a prolapsed uterus surgery standing right next to Dr. David, I was wondering if I’d be able to handle seeing the actual surgery but I did fine. There were two operating rooms and I was able to go in-between each room to observe both surgeries.

Then I went down to Labor and Delivery, I was able to help a laboring mother by massaging her back and walking her around the hospital. Then, I saw a 35 week old baby girl, preemie, who the staff were working with to maintain her life, I felt close to this darling little girl, I was able to help give her extra oxygen when she needed it. Due to the lack of oxygen, her age, and the fact that the damn electricity went out she turned blue twice, I was sobbing. I prayed for her to fight, I sincerely hope that when I go up there tomorrow morning that she will still be alive,

The woman I was helping who was in labor was not able to deliver vaginally; I got to observe a c-section delivery! The baby girl was large and beautiful.

Friday, February 19, 2010:

Some of the team needed to leave today; Phillipa, Kim, Joanie, and Brynn. They were going through Amsterdam to see some of Phillipa’s family. Phillipa was raised in Holland and did dressage – a fellow equestrian!

Guess what!!!! The preemie went with her mother! I stopped by the OB room and saw the small bed empty and about died. But, when I asked they said she was with her mother. I was ecstatic and went to see them both and the father. I was so excited that I had the nurse translate that I had been praying of the baby and I was SO happy she was with her family and taking breast milk. It was SO cool.

Then we went to a soccer game between students from Gimbi and Dongoro. I was really fun. Of course, since we are in Gimbi everyone seemed to cheer for their team but I felt bad for the underdog and cheered for Dongoro. Jerusha and I were representing each team and we had everyone laughing. Gimbi won 3 to 1!

Saturday, February 20, 2010:

This morning we left Gimbi at 7 a.m. for Addis Ababa. I’m in the large van with Lori, Jerusha, Jessica, Raj, Kebeda, Ellanona, and Bob (medic). I’m still amazed at the number of people and animals who walk along the roads, And, the driver drives like a bat out of hell! We’re passing a large group of greenhouses and I asked the driver what they were for…..flowers. Roses and other flowers are exported to Europe.

There is a chance that Lufthansa Airlines will be on strike so we have to keep watch.