News in brief
Louise Wright Is in the UK awaiting the outcome of the Inter-Congolese Dialogue when she hopes to be able to return to Kalima. See belowJudy Acheson is in the UK on deputation. She asks for pray as she returns on June 2nd that she will not be drawn back into tasks she handed over before coming on leave.
Francesca Elloway continues her medical work based in Aru and serving the surrounding Archdeaconries. See below
Pat Nickson continues her busy program supporting the work of IPASC, though an injury sustained while travelling means that she will need to undergo surgery. See below
Maggie Crewes (CMSA) continues to be based in Kampala and act as liaison officer. She frequently entertains visitors from Congo. She has found it especially difficult to deal with the news from Butembo and the disruption to the medical services there.
Diana and Philip Bingham are continuing as joint regional managers and they are pleased to announce the arrival of Jonathan Michael Bingham on Sunday 2nd Sept at 4.08am weighing 6lb 8oz
Ex-mission partner news
Pat Clay is in the process of preparing to return to Congo with the Baptist Mission Society. She will be based in Kinshasa. Peter and Emma Wild-Wood: Peter is now working as a member of an ecumenical team ministry in the village of Camborne, nr Cambridge. Emma continues to work on her PhD looking at Women in the Church in Africa. Sadly Peter’s father died from Leukemia last year.Charlotte Plieth (MAM) has moved to 100 Tremona Road, Shirley, Southampton SO16 6HT. Her latest project is to found a society : Maternity Worldwide, an organisation which seeks to improve maternity care in the two thirds world through advocacy, education and personnel deployment. It will speak out for the affected mothers, their babies and their often undervalued and under-trained carers.
The Jennings family, Martin, Joanna, Naomi, Lucy & Daniel are pleased to announce Thomas Henry Jennings who was born on Friday 16th November 2001 at 20.08 weighing 7lbs 9ozs.
Mission partners write...
Louise Wright writes: There is a proverb in the local language which says: He who marries our mother is our father. Our town crier was quoting it the other morning when telling us that each family was to give a cup of cassava flour for the troops. This time it was the Congolese rebel army; last time it was the Maï-Maï. We just like the children of an unfaithful mother, have to obey without question an ever-changing array of 'fathers'.It is this total lack of any organised government rather than immediate physical danger which has led the Diocesan Council, meeting in Kindu in mid-December, to say I should leave for a while. I still haven't heard a single gun shot so have never felt at risk, but I must respect the authority of the local church.
I am grateful that they agreed for me to spend Christmas and New Year in Kalima. We had a wonderfully peaceful and joyful time. I even managed to hold a three-day course for twelve potential Sunday school teachers from five parishes between Christmas and New Year. The Sunday school children were delighted to have three extra sessions of Christmas teaching and singing while the students did their practical work. This was just an introductory course which should have been followed by visits for further on-the-spot training and another course at Easter. Pray for Martha and Zadunia, the two pastors' wives who have been left responsible for the follow-up.
Meanwhile I am taking my annual month’s leave a few months too early. My mother, who will be 88 this month, had a slight stroke in November so I am grateful for the opportunity to go to see her. Meanwhile Bishop Masimango is setting off at last (we hope!) for the Inter Congolese Dialogue. Some of you have written asking whether it is too late to pray for this meeting, as in my last letter I said it was planned for October. Well, it still hasn’t happened so keep praying. He hopes that a clear plan for Congo will emerge from this meeting that will give him the confidence to invite me back.
Pat Nickson recently had a brief trip to Congo, she writes: There are always some problems to sort out in Congo, but nothing impossible. I was met with a request that I teach the third year epidemiology course (which I always thoroughly enjoy!). Of course, the most exciting event was the first ever graduation ceremony at our University College. Many people had put much hard work into making the day a success.
Francesca Elloway writes from Aru: We are in the midst of the third phase of the National Polio Vaccination. It has been such an encouragement to see this happening despite so many problems in the country. The logistics of getting enough vaccines, ensuring that they are kept cold, to so many remote areas that do not have access normally to fridges, and where the roads are appalling, is no mean feat.
Over the last few months we have had a number of medical problems amongst our staff. Ezati, our supervisor, has been diagnosed as being diabetic. He is now adjusting to a change in diet and hoping to lose a bit of weight. This is something that it is very uncultural to do here - fat is seen as a sign of wellbeing. Ezati's wife, too, has been unwell, having had a series of fits over the past few months, with a particularly severe one a while back when she was unconscious for almost 24 hours. We increased her anti-epileptic medication and she has not had any more fits. I hope that her family will agree for her to go to Kampala for further tests.
Meanwhile, our administrator Baba's wife Jeanne, gave birth to a healthy little girl, whom they have called Nicole Divine, at the beginning of October after a pregnancy that was far from straightforward. Little Nicole put in a flawless appearance as Baby Jesus in a school nativity play at Christmas.
It feels like a typically British thing to do to comment on the weather, but these last few months really have been quite unusual with an excessive amount of rain. Sadly some crops, particularly beans, have been lost due to too much rain. I think that some of the roads are the worst I have ever known them. The slightly unnerving thing about the rain has been the number of people hit by lightning during the tropical storms. Back in July it happened three days in a row. On one occasion our driver's house was struck; nobody was injured but the roof caught fire and his lighting system, which involves a solar panel and 12 volt battery, were irreparably damaged.
We organised a seminar on Natural Medicine in conjunction with a German organisation, Anamed, who have much experience on this subject in Congo I'm sure it has much potential for use here, where many medicinally useful plants grow in abundance and where it is not always easy to get sufficient supplies of other medicines at affordable prices. I was particularly pleased that a number of doctors came from quite far afield (we are a slightly rare breed here!) and were unanimously enthusiastic about the subject. Also present were various leaders of the community.
On the clinical front, in Rumu I was extremely surprised to see a tiny baby that had been born at the health centre weighing only 850 grams. It is amazing that a baby of such low weight could survive with really no facilities for premature/small babies, save a hot water bottle to help keep them warm!