Hello, everyone,
Thanks to all of you who have faithfully prayed for me and
supported me throughout the last 2 and a half years.
I’m coming back to the US for the next 6 months to rest, to
visit you all, to share what God’s been doing here in Nyankunde, and to prepare
to go back to the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo).
My neighbors and I are hoping to come back to Nyankunde in
January 2018 to continue working in the hospital and community. Because the contract with Samaritan’s
Purse isn’t renewable, we are waiting to be accepted by an organization called
Serge (previously World Harvest Mission).
Some
of the people in charge at this organization came to make a site visit in March.
We talked to the chief of the village, all the hospital administrators, the
presidents of the medical and nursing schools, and some of the other
missionaries to see if it was possible for Serge to start working in Nyankunde.
It was a positive experience and Scott and Jennifer, the
couple sent by Serge, went away with the hope of
starting a new team here. The idea
is to have people with all different skills working together to help with the
physical needs of the community and to talk to share the love of Jesus with
people. Right now our team is me
and my 2 neighbors with their 2 kids.
So
what’s the next step? I am filling
out an application, getting letters of reference, and planning on attending
Serge’s orientation in Philadelphia at the end of June. I will then become a part of their
organization. One of the biggest
differences between Samaritan’s Purse and Serge is that I will now have to
raise money in order to live and to work overseas, and not just for special
projects. If you are interested in financially supporting me, please, let me
know. I am working on a budget and
can give you details, if you’d like to know.
The second biggest change is that Serge is an
organization looking to do more than disaster relief. They are looking to invest time and energy in the community
for the long-term. Part of that is
looking to see if anyone else would be interested in joining us in the work
that is already happening here. It
wouldn’t need to be in medicine, but people with all different skills…plumber,
electrician, accountant, teacher, pastor, homemaker, administrators, nurses,
lab techs, or someone who’s really good and sorting and organizing. If you would like to visit for a few weeks
or for several years, we would welcome you.
The
idea of a team is really important and it’s one of the reasons that I want to
come back to Nyankunde, even with all the challenges. There are people here that I’ve invested in and who have
invested in me. One of these
people is Omviti. He is one of the
nurses that came back right after they destroyed the hospital. He has worked in every department, but
now has come to us in maternity as the nurse anesthetist. He gives anesthesia to the patients so
they don’t feel the operations, he helps do minor surgeries and he is in charge
of helping babies who have problems breathing after a delivery.
He is an example of being faithful to the community
here. He works despite not getting
paid, or getting paid 40-60% of his salary. He does backbreaking work in his field from 5 a.m. until
it’s time to go to work. He often goes
out after doing his job in the maternity to continue working in his field. He’s been on call every day for the
last year and a half and comes in nights and weekends. He loves the people here and wants to
give the best care to them and continue taking care of his family.
It really is an example to me. To love people so much that he
sacrifices his time, energy and effort (and money) to take care of them. It’s one of the reasons I am choosing
to come back, to continue to work with and invest in the people here.Another reason I want to come back is to continue teaching. I teach some of the nursing students basic problems in obstetrics and gynecology. I continue to teach the nurses how to safely deliver babies and take care of their moms. I am teaching the interns how to be competent in doing a C-section, delivering a baby, and being a doctor who loves their patients and takes care of them. I am teaching Dr. Deborah how to safely take care of patients, how to diagnose and treat gynecological problems, and how to train the interns and nurses with the knowledge she has.
There is a lot of work left to do.
I am looking forward to being back in the US. I will be traveling quite a bit when I
first get back, and then I’ll be studying for my board exams that are in
October. If you’d like to meet up
or have me share with your church or small group, I’d be happy to get together.
The best way to contact me is still e-mail: medoran82@aol.com.
I’m working on getting a new US phone number.
The plan so far:
May 7th: leave the DRC
May 9th-13th: Samaritan’s Purse
retreat in Kenya
May 14th: arrive in Michigan (happy Mother’s Day)
June 25th-30th: Orientation with Serge
in Philadelphia
October 20th or 21st: Board Exams in
Chicago, IL
Prayer
requests
1.
Thank God for the repair of our delivery room
floor. We were doing deliveries in
a small office. Now we can do
multiple deliveries at a time in a clean space.
2.
Pray for Dr. Deborah that she would learn
quickly and be able to help keep people motivated as she continues to learn.
3.
Pray that I will clearly and effectively share
what God is doing here in Nyankunde as I travel around the US and prepare to
return back to DRC
4.
Pray that I will be diligent in studying for my
board exams amidst the travel.
