by Fenton and Pat Rees
Pat has just three more days of “doctoring” and then she can “pass the scalpel” and come home. Pray that she can sleep some on that 36 hour / 5 “hop” plane ride.
While I was still in Burundi, one of the more serious electrical issues I identified was a lack of grounds for the electrical outlets in one of the original mission houses that right now is home to a family with three kids. I didn’t fix it myself as doing the required rewiring is a fairly big job and would have taken time away from finding all the other issues. This last week a small team has been there to look at the viability of adding solar panels and batteries to the electrical system. Before they left the US, I made sure they were aware of the wiring issues and suggested that if they had any spare time at all that fixing some of the problematic houses would be a huge blessing. (Some of them had the required skills). I just heard today that the above house is in fact being fixed, so that is an answer to prayer. A needlessly electrocuted child would sure suck the joy out of the place.
For about the last eighteen months my mother (in New Zealand) has been in an Alzheimer compatible care facility, and steadily going downhill. The last time we saw her in January this year it was doubtful that she recognized us, but was glad to see us all the same as we were “nice people." So for the past few of years when planning an extended trip to Africa one of the questions we have asked ourselves was “What will we do if Mum dies while we are away?” I just got word yesterday from my brother that she has taken a turn for the worse and will almost certainly not make it to the end of the month. That’s okay as she is a believer and would never have wished to have lasted as long as she has. But in God’s providence, we will not be faced with figuring out what to do in the middle of a trip.
Earlier this week I had these emails from Pat:
"Pray for me and the surgical students. It was a hard day yesterday. There was a nine year old girl who has been in the hospital over a month. She had pus in her abdomen and I operated on her twice, and she didn't get better until we started tuberculosis medicine. About ten days ago she started some vomiting and it got worse. The mom kept asking that I do something. I was going to operate Friday but that was a horrible OR day. So I was going to watch over the weekend and then maybe Monday. So who knows who, by someone talked to mom and Sunday morning Mom asked to transfer her to Buja. (the Capital three hours away). I said I would do the paperwork, but I had multiple patients in the ER. Later she came to me and said her husband said she could not go to Buja, so I said I would operate. She had wanted it Sunday, but I said Monday as first case. She coded when anesthesia gave her the first drugs. We got her back, I did a "perfect surgery", and as I was closing I needed a little more relaxing meds, and when anesthesia gave that, she coded again and we didn't get her back. I am crushed and the group I am sure is going to be distressed. The aftermath of the mom and family were hysterics like I have never seen in my life.
I need to get some of that rat poison that was recently purchased. There were rats that nibbled the toes on one of my little kids that is in traction. The students all say they don't like the rat killer as they die and you don't know where they are going to be and they smell. I say “tough”----clean the place better!"
And you thought you had a hard week?