January 10, 2008

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year 2008!

Your generosity brought smiles back to the faces of these ladies, all of whom had fistula repair.

We want to share with you how you are helping to change the lives of many unfortunate ladies who are tragic victims of obstetric fistula. In the accompanying photos you see the Toyota Land Cruiser purchased with your kind donations. The vehicle is filled with 11 women who have undergone fistula repair surgery here at Good Shepherd Hospital in December. They come from the region around the village of Yangala, about 150 miles south of Tshikaji.

In December, we repaired fistulas for 23 women at Good Shepherd Hospital. In November (2007), as part of an outreach program in partnership with the Congo project AXxes, Dr Leon Mubikayi (the Congolese ob-gyn that Mike works with) traveled to the village of Luiza where he and two trainee doctors performed 47 fistula repairs.

Today, Mike spoke with the health zone doctor from Dibaya (in Eastern Kasai province) about 12 ladies with obstetric fistulas who will be transported to Tshikaji in March for surgery. We will wait until March to care for these ladies because this month we have a week-long health and development trip to Bulape and Luebo, two Presbyterian bush hospitals.

In mid-February we will make the trip to the United States for Mike’s medical evaluation and post-cancer follow-up. Currently, Dr. Mubikayi is working in another area of Congo as part of project AXxes to train Congolese doctors in fistula repair. Since Dr. Mubikayi is working away from the hospital and Mike needs to stay in Tshikaji to cover the ob-gyn service, Mike could not accompany the 11 ladies in the newsletter photo back to their native village. Tatu Kabongo, driver of the “Healthy Mothers and Healthy Children” Land Cruiser—which you helped purchase—told us that there was a huge welcome celebration when these ladies arrived home. There is much for them to celebrate, including the knowledge that they have loving friends in the United States who listened to their cries for help, and a gracious God who cries for all who suffer.

The “Healthy Mothers Healthy Children” Land Cruiser is a tremendous asset to the health and development work here in the Kasai region. We recently used it to travel to another Presbyterian bush hospital, Lubondai. There, we profited from the proximity of the city of Tshimbulu where four other ladies who had undergone fistula repair were returned home. At Lubondai, our outreach team (described in our December newsletter) conducted education sessions on prevention of serious bleeding after the birth of a baby, on the development of a Moringa program to combat malnutrition, and on transformation as it applies to attitudes toward HIV/AIDS, including equality of the sexes, particularly within a marriage.

Loading the car for the trip home from Lubondai.

We were also able to evaluate various projects being supported there by Presbyterian congregations in the United States, including the new well for drinking water and the renovation of the hospital pediatric ward. We had traveled to Lubondai just shortly before Christmas and, as it turns out, three nursing school students from the Lubondai school live either in Tshikaji or Kananga, and on our return trip we were able to bring them home to their families for Christmas vacation. One of these students is the daughter of our local village Presbyterian pastor, Katema Jonas.

Our trip to Luebo and Bulape will be similar, including publicizing our fistula repair program in those regions. The car is also of great value in being able to visit the sites of other community projects, which are working on better farming techniques and developmental and educational opportunities for women. 

We, and all who benefit from your gracious generosity say “thank you.”

Our Love,

Mike and Nancy

The 2008 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 17