Apri 6, 2016
by Pat Rees
I have been thinking of writing this post for over a week now, so maybe it would be better titled “What a difference TWO weeks makes”. Now that I want to post something, the internet is “not cooperating”.
Two weeks ago, Fenton had just returned from a business trip and we decided to make our last week together before I left, to be all it could be. We ate at our favorite restaurant, we went cross country skiing, we had close friends over for really enjoyable fellowship and Easter dinner (and of course I enjoyed fixing the lamb and turkey and all the trimmings and desserts), and lastly we did a tandem bicycle trip through the tulip fields and ended that with a flock of snow geese “showing off” for us. It was a delightful week!
Cross Country skiing with Fenton at Stevens Pass Nordic Center just 10 days ago.
One week ago, I left home. My packing went pretty smoothly (OK, I have been working on gathering stuff for the previous month, so I should have had everything there!) and the airport check in was easy. I even had the pre-TSA check on my ticket, so it was really fast to the gate. I met Alanna, the young nurse from the Cleveland area who also was traveling to Gabon, in the Paris Airport. We boarded our not very full flight and flew the 7 ½ hours to Libreville. As expected, we were met by the hot/humid weather, long and crowded immigration lines, but thankfully, also by a friendly face----the local pastor (Sonjoy) who picked us up to take us to the Guest House for the night. There, we met the ENT and anesthesia “team” who was just leaving from their two week visit in Bongolo, and also some of the members of the Bongolo staff on their way to Greece for the CMDA sponsored Continuing Medical Education program. Early the following morning, Alanna and I were picked up by Pastor Phillipe and Ophthalmology nurse Jean Paul for our “drive” (more like low level flying over crazy Gabon roads) to Bongolo. We arrived Friday afternoon, (fairly refreshed as we had slept intermittently a great deal of the ride), in time to greet the residents and Dr. Thelander who were all still in the operating room. What fun over the first few days to see all the nurses and OR staff I know, and to be greeted by smiles and warm handshakes. Saturday, I rounded and checked out the patients for the week to come and Dr. Thelander briefed me on the coming two weeks he and the rest of the staff will be gone.
One of the residents said “It seems like you have only been gone a week, Dr Rees.” Indeed, it seemed pretty “easy” to get into the routine of the conferences, the rounds, the operating room and patient care. I am very grateful for that, and excited to see how much the junior residents have “matured” in their surgical skills and assessment since I left here in mid-December 2015. Both of the upper level residents went to the conference, so as they told me when I left Libreville, ‘I am the only surgeon south of Lamberene in all of Gabon’. (Lamberene is the major medical center first established by Albert Schweitzer about 100 years ago. It is about 4 hours drive north of here.) The lower level residents are doing so well they are making my life here very happy! (OK, we are doing a lot of praying too, that nothing really difficult comes in until the rest of the staff get back from the conference.)
Alanna is a delightful gal, full of joy, the love of the Lord, and is eager to do anything she can to help. She trained as a nurse practitioner and has been working with the surgical trauma team in Cleveland, so is wonderful to have her around to help. She helps with ultrasounds, in the operating room, and it is nice for me to have someone to have dinner with at night here in the apartment. Did I mention that she doesn’t mind doing dishes? She is a blessing from the Lord.
We met tonight with the few missionaries who are still on campus for Bible Study. We were reading about the Old Testament Prophets Eli and Samuel. Although great men, they both had sons who did not follow the Lord and led Israel in the wrong direction. We shared about our need to pass on to the next generation all that we have learned both spiritually and medically. Some of the missionaries talked of their own children and how they need to teach them. Others spoke of the Gabonese workers they are with and how they could learn so much if they are willing. I thought of the residents here. There are 6 young men (only 4 here right now) that are eager to make a difference in the health care of Africa and have an impact on their continent for the Lord. I pray that there is something that I can teach them, show them, model for them, that will help them grow into godly surgeons who can reach hearts and help heal bodies for the generation to come.