We have heard from both our Togo teams, the Larson’s in the South and the construction team in the North. Their updates are below.
Update from Abe and the team building the Wendell Kempton Memorial Hospital in the North.
Today they were eating lunch under a very large shade tree. (It sounds like it could be the only shade tree!) He said they are all doing well but it’s so hot. They are working very hard building the wall around the complex. They’re hauling everything by hand and laying the rebar so tomorrow they can pour cement. The electricity has been going out a lot so sleeping has been pretty miserable. Yesterday the temperature in the house was 105 degrees when they got home from work! One of the generators was out in the village which makes it very difficult to get their generator going. He also said after dinner last night the wind picked up and it started to rain. So they climbed up on the roof and got soaked! He said it was AWESOME!! So very refreshing! Praise the Lord for that blessing!
Update from Chuck and Donna Larson at the Karolyn Kempton Hospital in the South.
Donna and I arrived safely at the Karolyn Kempton Hospital (called HBB in Togo) on Sunday after splitting off from our SBC construction team in Lome. When we arrived there had been a fight in a local village with machete and gunshot wounds so Chuck got a quick indoctrination into ER medicine at the hospital before we could even unpack. Monday was also a blur as the hospital was very full and everyone was busy with much activity. Today was a little slower medically so Chuck was able to see a few patients with just an interpreter in the clinic and has admitted a couple patients to the hospital. Some of the medicine is the same as the US (hypertension, impotence, abdominal pain) but there is a lot of malaria and sickle cell anemia and a lot of pediatric cases in the hospital (thankfully Dr. Ebersole the pediatrician takes care of the kids). The next week will be filled with more clinic work, rounds at the hospital, some nights on-call, and whatever else they want Chuck to do. Chuck hopes to do an endoscopy test on Wednesday using the equipment here – it should be a hoot.
Donna has helped care for an abandoned baby in the hospital and accompanied some kids to The Mercy Ship in Lome today who had surgery. We have not been bored. There are a lot of people here – at least a dozen other short term doctors and nurses – so everyone is very busy. We do not know if we will get to Mango or not as of today. Time will tell.
We have witnessed good fellowship among the missionaries, witnessing and presenting the gospel in the clinic, and encouraging/singing in the hospital. We suspect everyday will be busy and full. It is hot, but bearable here in the South. We hear the guys in the north do not have a generator and are hot. We are praying for them daily.
Thanks for praying for them. As you can tell they are serving with excellence. Saylorville is very well represented.
One Comment
I just spoke with Jeff Hardie. Very cool.