Redemption to tragedy
We are always amazed and thankful here when we witness and get to be part of the redeeming work of Christ.
In late July, we experienced it deeply when the hospital responded to a mass trauma after a fatal motor vehicle accident occurred involving a large truck and a taxi filled with a bridal party on their way to a wedding. Two people were killed as a result of the crash and many others were injured. Three ambulances full and over twenty patients arrived to the hospital through the emergency room (ER). Staff from multiple departments worked together to triage and stabilize patients with the ER, operating room (OR), post-surgery, radiology, and chaplaincy staff all responding. It was a surreal and truly tragic day.
But somehow, God still brought redemption to tragedy. Late in the afternoon after everyone was sutured and casted and cared for, the wedding that had originally been planned for went on. Staff were instrumental in helping make arrangements. The bride was loaned a new dress, the pastor and groom arrived, and the wedding was held in the hospital chapel.
We are praying for the continued healing of all involved in the accident and for the marriage of the bride and groom.
What we are also praying for:
The hospital is under new leadership. Dr. Salathiel served as the Director General of Kibogora Hospital for the last five years, and he retired at the end of July. He is being succeeded by Dr. Bernard Umutoniwase, who has spent the last several years working as a general surgeon at the hospital. Please join us in praying for a smooth transition and for God to guide Dr. Bernard in his new role as hospital Director General and give him wisdom and energy as he takes on this important responsibility.
We are continuing to pray for improvements to resuscitation care at the hospital. In July, we trained nearly 180 staff members on Basic Life Support (BLS). Initially, Dr. Jean D’amour, the anesthesiologist at the hospital, and I (Rachel) completed a train the trainers course with the resuscitation committee, and then we held class for all staff for two weeks. We are thankful this foundational training could be completed, but there is more to come. We are planning to begin teaching Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) later this month. Please pray staff and patients benefit from this training.
I have also joined an additional hospital committee. As the vice chair, I am working closely with Dr. Ronald, the head surgeon here and the chair of the committee. We are having our first committee meeting Friday, but we have already begun two new projects. We started having monthly Morbidity and Mortality case presentations and hope to increase these as they serve as an educational and quality improvement tool. We have also begun collecting data on burn patients the hospital receives with the intent to plan public health preventative measures and improve hospital care of patients with burn wound injuries.
We are also praying for a youth camp that is set to take place later this month at Kibogora Free Methodist Church, once finances come together. Pastor Alain Irankunda, serves as the youth pastor at the church and is leading this project. He has asked Emmanuel to assist. The camp will enroll about 200 students, 11-18 years of age and will focus on discipline and discipleship.
We completed a survey of beneficiaries enrolled in the hospital community program in June. We are continuing to work along with the social work department to use the information collected through the survey to find ways to improve the program. We are praying the most vulnerable people in the community will continue to be blessed by this ministry.
What we are thankful for:
The playground at the Kibogora Mission & Guest House, where we stay, is completed! This was an idea that Emmanuel and I had when we first arrived here. An engineer, Evan Brock, volunteered here in February along with a team from Alabama and was willing to draft a design. After we got the approval of the mission manager, Betty, and other mission staff, we still weren’t sure where we would get the funds to develop the land and build it. But, God surprised us when friends and previous volunteers from Alabama gave generously to this project. We had a celebratory ceremony with mission staff and their kids once the playground was completed, and it was really beautiful seeing how it all came together. We are so thankful to have such a fun and special place that kids can play now.
The Spiritual Rounds ministry is still going strong with students from Kibogora Polytechnic joining us along with hospital chaplaincy staff. Other young people in the community have also been interested in joining, and our group has grown recently. We are doubling this time of praying with patients as a discipleship group, and we are thankful to see it expand. Emmanuel takes the lead on this ministry, and he does it with such patience and grace.
We now have a pediatrics ward in post-surgery! In the old building, we didn’t have the room for it, and in the new building, it wasn’t part of the original design. Patients were divided into men’s or women’s wards depending on their gender, or if they were young, the gender of their caregiver staying with them. I wanted to see a more comfortable space where pediatric surgical patients could be with their peers. I submitted a proposal and found that the surgery department leadership wanted the same thing, so we rearranged the wards together and created a pediatric wing in post-surgery. I still remember seeing two little boys smile and giggle at each other once I moved their beds next to each other. We are so thankful for this newly designated space.
Family Updates:
Noella finished her first year of preschool. She is now on summer holiday. We were so thankful to see her finish out the year comfortable and happy with her friends and teachers. She also has begun participating in the church’s children’s choir.
Matayo turned two! He asks us often to buy him a cow. He loves animals, and all of the goats, cows, and chickens we see out in the community are a dream come true for him. Kibogora is his petting zoo.
Please continue to pray for health, comfort, and encouragement for all four of us.
