ON CALL

(Dave & Becki Thompson are medical missionaries serving with the Alliance at the Bongolo Hospital in Gabon, Central Africa)

February 27, 2006

Dear Friends,

Becki and I are separated...but only by miles! Becki is in Bongolo, and I (Dave) am in Edmonton, Canada, where I have just finished serving as one of the speakers at the Edmonton Missionsfest held every year by over 100 participating churches. Has it been cold, you ask? The high since I came last week was 0 C, and the low, -20, not counting the wind chill factor! Fortunately, the people if Edmonton have more than compensated by their warmth and friendliness! I made many new friends, and the Spirit of God graciously gave me something to say each time that I spoke. Tomorrow I'll fly to Toronto, Paris, and the next day, Lord willing, will arrive in Libreville,Gabon.

SITE VISIT TO ETHIOPIA

We started this trip on January 29 when we left Bongolo and drove up to Libreville. Two days later we flew to Douala, Cameroon and then took an all-night flight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Dr. Harold Adolph and his wife Bonnie invited us to visit the new Soddo Christian General Hospital in the southern part of the country and see if it could qualify to become a surgical training center under the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS). After resting for a day in the SIM Guest House in Addis, we travelled in a van for seven hours over mostly well-paved roads to Soddo, a town of about 100,000 people. The countryside and bright sunshine looked very much like Kenya.

We were amazed to see an attractive and well-constructed, 100 bed hospital staffed with four surgeons (two of them missionary), three surgery residents, and more than 40 nurses and nurse aides. The hospital had only been open a year, but all three operating rooms were all going at full capacity. Becki and I were impressed by the quality of the care and the spiritual outreach being provided to the patients. At the end of our inspection, I recommended to the PAACS Board (that met the following week in Kenya) that the hospital's three surgery residents be accepted by PAACS and that the hospital become our fourth surgical training center. Dr. Kelemu Desta, one of the most highly-esteemed surgeons in Ethiopia who is trained in general and plastic surgery and who has been committed to the project since its inception, was named the new Program Director. Dr. Duane Anderson, an orthopedic surgeon who helped out at Banso Baptist Hospital last year and who has joined the Sodd Hospital staff, was named the Assistant Program Director.

With the addition of Soddo Christian General Hospital's training program, PAACS will have 15 African surgeons in training at four hospitals by July, 2006.

CMDA MEDICAL CONFERENCE IN KENYA

After a four-day visit to Soddo, Becki and returned to Addis and the next day flew to Nairobi, Kenya, to attend the 10 day medical conference put on by the Christian Medical and Dental Association. Eighty volunteer faculty members from universities in the United States and Canada come at their own expense every two years to provide continuing medical education to missionary and Christian doctors working in Africa. Dr. Deb Walker, Karen Fitch, and three of our four African residents joined us in Kenya, leaving Carolyn Thorson, Dr. Roseline, Dr. John Francis (a volunteer surgeon), Wayne and Suzanne Spronk, and pediatric resident Becky Tanner and medical student Jessica to provide medical coverage at our hospital.

A total of 8 PAACS residents from three hospitals attended the conference, thanks to two several generous donors. Our 10 days at the conference were spiritually refreshing and provided Becki and I with more than 40 hours of CME credit. Becki and I parted company in Nairobi on February 20 when Becki flew back to Gabon and I headed to London, Toronto, and Edmonton, Canada.

IS THERE AN AIRPLANE OUT THERE?

It has been a month since our Zenair CH801 airplane crashed on take-off at our airstrip in Lebamba, sparing the two pilots flying it from any injury but damaging the airplane so severely it will never fly again. We should be able to salvage the engine, but the market for aircraft engines is limited in Gabon.

Our need for an airplane that can fly our team members and many visitors between Libreville and Bongolo is as urgent as was before the accident occurred, and God seems to be leading us to continue to pursue the project. If you know of someone who might be willing to donate or sell a Cessna 206, or something similar, please ask them to contact pilot Steve Straw at <strawmail7@aol.com>. If enough gifts for the project come and are added to those we already have, we may be able to purchase an airplane. The continues to be an approved special.

BONGOLO PROJECT UPDATE

When I left Bongolo five weeks ago, work had begun on an extension to our Central Supply building for make IV solutions. By now, the building should soon be nearly completed. Workers had also begun building a new surgical library. The construction of our new Pharmacy / HIV/Aids Clinic remains on hold until we have at least $50,000. To date, we have received $21,000 for this project.

Earlier this year the government of Gabon asked us to open an HIV/AIDS treatment center, providing patients with ARV (anti-retroviral) therapy. The Ministry of Health offered to provide lab equipment, training for the nurses and doctors who would be involved, and a continuing supply of the costly medications. Until we can build the new facility, Drs. Deb Walker and Wayne Spronk are hoping to open the clinic this coming Summer in the Maternity Clinic.

Pray with us that God would provide the rest of the funds we need to open this treatment center. Approximately one in ten Gabonese adults are HIV positive, and the southern third of Gabon currently does not have access to ARV therapy. Currently, 80% of the beds in our adult medicine ward are occupied by patients with AIDS.

PRAYER REQUESTS

1) Continue to pray for the new church at Mandji-Dibwangui, especially for the 11 young men who invited Christ into their lives in January. During our absence others have continued to teach and disciple the group every Sunday.

2) Continue to pray for Becki's knees. An American orthopedic surgeon examined her while we were in Kenya and recommended that she get an MRI and arthroscopy during her next trip to the States.

3) Pray that God will guide Drs. Walker and Spronk as they work towards opening an HIV/AIDS clinic this Summer. This will be a major new undertaking for the Bongolo Hospital.

4) Pray for our daughter-in-law, Vera Thompson (Jeremy's wife). She is in her fourth month of pregnancy and has developed high blood pressure. Pray that God will help this young family cope and that God will protect this baby and intervene to lower her blood pressure.

5) Pray that God will provide us with an airplane.

6) Praise: only four more days until Becki and I are back together in Bongolo!

Until Jesus Comes,

Dave & Becki Thompson