Greetings from Zimbabwe,
The past week has been packed full. Deanna, Carol and Todd arrived late August 23. We had made arrangements in advance to stay in town overnight. The next morning a meeting was scheduled with some of the representatives of the Zimbabwe Presbytery.
Later, we had some computer work to accomplish only to discover the servers were on and off. There have been a lot of power cuts lately as well. We wasted a lot of time in an effort to send emails and finally gave up. By the time we
bought groceries, it was getting late and we needed to head out of town. As it turned out it was dark before we arrived at the mission. There was no electricity but with our gas lights we were able to get everyone settled in. All were suffering from lack of enough sleep. A quick supper and all were ready for a night of rest.
For the visitors the week included seeing the site of the new expansion where trenches are being dug for water lines, future buildings are being sited and staked, a tank stand is being built for the water storage tanks and also a tour of the Mangers new house. Deanna and Carol visited the Murewa Hospital when some orphans were taken for check-ups. That proved to be a real eye-opener. Our visitors spent most of one day visiting the homes of sick orphans and also orphans who live alone with no adult supervision. Not only did they witness how rural people live but were able to see the children in their homes. This trip took them over some rough terrain and they got to see a lot of the area. All had an opportunity to visit the local Government Clinic. When they arrived a man had been brought in who had been gored by a bull. The nurses stitched up the wound and he hobbled out to the waiting ox cart to be taken home.
Wednesday evening, Ralph was notified that two wells were down and people had no water. So Thurs. morning he headed off to see what would be needed. One of wells he repaired with spare parts that were stored here at HCOC. The second well they pulled apart on Thurs afternoon. Ralph discovered that the pipe was buried in a lot of mud. The well needs to be blown out. It was dark when he returned for supper. Early Friday morning he headed back to finish the job. The crew that gathered removed a section or two of pipe and reassembled the pump. The well is back in operation and a large number of people are very happy.
Yesterday, Friday the 3rd, Todd rode to Murewa when Albert took Mr. Scott our driver in to see the Dr. Mr. Scott has been sick for over two weeks and has made numerous trips to the hospital. He has been given different prescriptions but is not getting better. The Dr. said that he needed an ultra-sound because the X-rays showed something but they needed further information. Albert drove him more than 50 km to Musami Hospital for the scan. They have the machine but their operator had quite. So Mr. Scott was taken back to the hospital and plans were made to take Mr. Scott to Marondera to the Provincial Hospital on Monday the 6th.
While Todd was looking around the hospital and waiting on Albert he witnessed a woman being wheeled out of the hospital in a wheel chair and was carefully placed in an ox cart for what would have to have been a very rough ride home. Count your Blessings, you can only imagine how others have to live.
On Monday when Albert arrived at the Provincial Hospital, he received the same information that he had received from Musami Hospital. They have an ultra-sound but no operator. So Albert decided on his own to go to Harare and he got the ulta-sound done at an emergency center. Then he transported Mr. Scott back to Murewa Hospital. The Dr. called Tuesday to say that the tests had shown a growth in his abdomen near the spleen that is 14 cm in diameter. Albert is conferring with the Dr. today. I am certain that surgery will be necessary. Whether they will do it in Murewa or send him to Harare depends on what the Dr. advises.
Everyone is very concerned for Mr. Scott. For more than one year he has volunteered his time at HCOC as a driver. He is here early each day. Mr. Scott is the one who hauled river sand for cement from the river or took food supplies to the other feeding centers. It is Mr. Scott who hauled the water for mixing cement or hauled supplies from Harare. He even drove children to the hospital for check-ups. There has been an increased load on Albert for the past three weeks without him.
We ask that you pray for a successful surgery for Mr. Scott and a quick recovery. He is terribly missed here at HCOC by all the employees and even the children.
On Monday, September 6, we took several of the Boarding School students to their schools on our way to Harare. Our truck was really loaded down with all of their things. Petronella is the little girl on the left. She is so tiny but very bright. Tracey is the girl on the right. Both girls are very bright and are doing well at school. Tracey asked Ralph and I to come to the school on October 3. That is awards day and she is sure she will be getting an award. The Vice Principal also said he was certain that she would be getting an award. Last year when we were here Tracey wanted to become a doctor. This year she says she wants to be a pilot. It is fun to listen to the dreams of these kids in spite of their circumstances.
Students returned to classes here yesterday, the beginning of term 3. Tomorrow we go back to Harare to take Todd to the airport. The children here are really going to miss Todd. He has really bonded with the kids and has spent lots of time talking to them. Yesterday, he had a special time with some students at the Secondary School. They opened up to him and asked questions that I am sure they haven’t asked their parents.
Ralph and I will be staying in town overnight. We are planning on driving up to Howard Hospital on Friday, September 10. We have not seen Paul Thistle and his family in several years. Paul is a Canadian Doctor stationed at Howard Hospital, a Salvation Army Hospital. Many times he has been the only Dr. at the hospital that serves a catchment area of more than 250,000 people. During the Cholera outbreak, he said they had people bedded on floors and in the wards three times their capacity and people were in the halls as well.
Ralph is gone this morning. Someone came to him about a broken well. So he and a couple of men loaded up some salvaged pump parts stored here at HCOC and headed off in the truck. I have no idea when he will return.
In His Service, Ralph and Roberta