On Call in Gabon

(Dave & Becki Thompson are serving with the Alliance at the Bongolo Hospital in Gabon, central Africa.  You can learn more about them at www.drdavethompson.com)

July 17, 2005

Dear Friends,

A huge, black horse in the yard, slightly injured after crossing the cattle grate to get in to sample the lawn; Dave severely spraining his ankle while helping to lead the resisting horse away. elevating and icing his ankle for two days as Becki packed, then wrenching his back while facing the desk doing e-mail at the computer for several hours with his leg up (don’t try this); teary goodbyes as we left Becki’s sister and mother, our children, grandchildren and many friends in Redding; a 27 hour trip from San Francisco to Libreville, Gabon; serious swelling developing in Dave’s ankle during the long flights that Dave at first thought was a phlebitis until it declared itself as infection; Dave swallowing pain-killers and antibiotics, sitting grumpily in bed for three days in Libreville while Becki drove all over town having fun buying food and supplies; Becki driving us to Bongolo while Dave reclined like a king, his foot on the dashboard; a wonderful and warm welcome by missionary and African colleagues in both Libreville and Bongolo:  these have been some of the slightly bizarre and wonderful experiences of our last two weeks! 

          Praise be to God, we’re back in our house in Bongolo and over jet-lag.  Of course, I (Dave) am writing this with my faintly-purple left ankle and foot Ace-wrapped and elevated while Becki unpacks us (this time the computer is on my lap).  Thank you for interceding for us during this difficult time.  Although the infection is controlled and I can now hobble around with less pain, I have no idea when I will be able to stand long enough to operate.

            But there is so much GOOD news to tell, we hardly know where to start!

Container Update

Perhaps we should begin with the phone call that came the day before we left Redding.  A couple who receive our prayer letters called to let us know they were sending us a gift of $15,000 to pay the balance of the unexpected customs fees we were charged for the two containers sent from Syracuse.  If other funds have not come in, we will use what’s left from the customs charges to truck the contents of both containers down to Bongolo.  This answer to prayer has encouraged our entire team and means that we can get everything down to Bongolo within several weeks! 

On our last afternoon in Libreville, Becki, Wookie and I (more about Wookie later) made a brief visit to the hospital warehouse where the contents of the two containers are currently being stored.  Everything was in excellent condition and we tagged ten pallets to go to Bongolo on the next truck.  We will try to send photos to our website of the shipment being unloaded when it arrives, since it was difficult to see anything worth photographing in the cramped warehouse.

Dr. Cleek’s Recovery

            We were able to visit our colleagues the Cleeks in Orland on July 8 and are happy to report that Dr. Cleek looked well, after four weeks of IV antibiotics for a serious blood-borne infection that a month ago prompted a medical evacuation from Cameroon.  The couple serve as missionaries at the Banso Baptist Hospital where Dr. Cleek is the Program Director for a PAACS surgical training program identical to the one we have at Bongolo Hospital.  Dr. Cleek will be returning to Cameroon on July 20 to resume his duties.

 Our Warm and Happy Welcome

            Minutes after we arrived in Bongolo yesterday, Dr. Kakalo and his wife Therese came and greeted us.  We received Dr. Kakalo’s printed Certificate of General Surgery from Loma Linda University and the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) just two days before we left Redding!  I have to confess that I was both praying and biting my nails as we waited.  Dr. Kakalo’s graduation ceremony will be in the Bongolo church next Sunday morning.  Three days after that he and his family will begin the month-long trip back to Kisingani, in eastern Congo, where he and his wife will serve with missionaries from UFM in one of the most dangerous and war-torn regions in the world.

            Minutes later Dr. Fuka, our second-year resident and his lovely wife Patience showed up at our front door, accompanied by Dr. Yaradouno, our first-year resident from Guinea, West Africa.  Others who came were Jairus, a surgical nurse-trainee who wants to serve as a missionary at Hope Clinic in Guinea, and Mamy, a nursing student from Hope Clinic.  All appropriately concerned and impressed by my sick foot and deeply puzzled by the strange role played by “the black horse!”  But what they really wanted to hear all about was our family and our time in America.

            We have not been down to the hospital yet, so we’ll wait until our next letter to tell you (and hopefully send pictures to our website) about the significant improvements made during our absence.  Paster Serge, who is the hospital Administrator, and his wife Jackie assured us that we will be very impressed with the work that’s been done.  Our missionary colleagues Karen Fitch, Carolyn Thorson, and Dr. Karen Stel echoed that.  Tomorrow (Monday) Becki and I will go down for a quick tour before getting back to the serious business of setting up housekeeping.

 The Hyres, Our Stuff and Wookie

            Other good news is that Dr. Eddie & Kelley Hyre and their two daughters are safely back in the U.S., after an uneventful trip.  They are currently living in Union, West Virginia and waiting on God’s leading for the future.  If you’d like to contact them, you can write them at cehyre@pol.net.  We are at a loss for words to thank them for the great work that they did in Bongolo during our absence.  Our colleagues, residents, and staff here have nothing but praise for them.

God took good care of our belongings, including the seven suitcases that came on the airplane with us, our house (thanks to the Hyres), our 5-year old Toyota Land Cruiser, which still drives like a new car, and all the stuff we left in storage.

            Last but not least, God helped a little toy Yorky named “Wookie” survive the long and confusing trip from Redding, California to Bongolo, central Africa.  Although Wookie thinks that Becki is his real mom and that I’m just a temporary guest, he no longer growls at me (much).  One day soon we’ll have to establish who is the ‘alpha male’ in the house, but for now I’m sitting around with a wrapped foot in the air not looking very ‘alpha’...

 Airplane News

On our last afternoon in Libreville, I hobbled over to the new hangar Dave Bill built at the small airport in Libreville for the hospital airplane.  Although it is not finished, the roof is on, the walls are bricked up to seven feet, and the front is closed in with large, sliding steel doors.  The airplane is fairly secure, but because there is a 9 foot gap between the top of the walls and the roof that any thief could climb over and that rain and dust can blow through, the airplane is not well-protected from the elephants...er...elements, or even safe from break-ins.  I was disturbed that the airplane was covered with a thick layer of dust.  The floor is not cemented, and grass and vines were growing up the ropes onto the struts.  Had I been healthy I would have cleared away the grass and weeds and washed the airplane myself!

Before leaving, I asked the Christian contractor who was involved in the project before our money ran out to give me an estimate of how much it will cost to pour a cement floor and close in the gap above the walls.  He promised to give me an estimate within a couple of weeks.  I also arranged for someone to keep the airplane washed and clean until our missionary pilot can take over.  The pilot was not home during the few days we were in Libreville, and I had to leave a message on his phone.

We are very happy to report that God has provided the funds needed to insure the airplane for the first year and get it into service.  Pray that we will be able to find the address of the agent who found us a company willing to insure.  I had his address on my PDA, but during our furlough it died (technology! aargh!) and I lost it.  It was also stored on our computer here in Bongolo, so we are praying that after we get it out of storage it will boot up and reveal its secrets (technology! yes!).  We’ll be sure to let you know what happens. 

Requests for Prayer

1) Thank God for our safe arrival and for keeping our house and all of our belongings.

2) Pray that Dave’s ankle will heal quickly and that he will be able to operate soon with the residents.

3) Thank God that Dr. Ramazani’s entry visa has come through.  Pray that he will be able to fly into Libreville from Kinshasa within the next few days, obtain a long-term visa without difficulty, and arrive in Bongolo before August 1.   Dr. Ramazani will be a first-year resident.

4) Pray for Dr. Roseline, who will be a fourth-year resident in August.  She completed a four-month rotation in pediatric surgery at Kijabe Hospital in Kenya and is now taking a much-needed vacation with her four adopted children in Madagascar.  After a rotation in orthopedic surgery and general anesthesia at Tenwek Hospital in Kenya in September and October, she will return to Bongolo to be our Chief resident.

5) Pray that our three junior surgery residents will be able to handle all of the emergencies that come in during our week away for Field Forum in Lambarene, August 1-6. 

6) Pray that Becki and I will be able to obtain new two-year visas in Libreville on August 6, without any delays.  We would like to be able to return to Bongolo on August 8.

7) Pray that we will be able to find the address for our insurance agent and arrange it for the hospital airplane quickly.  Ideally, we would like to see the airplane providing service between Libreville and Bongolo once a week by late August or early September.

In Conclusion

            With so much time to look at four walls, the ceiling, and of course my foot, I’ve done some serious reading.  There are two books I’d like to strongly recommend and endorse.  “An Unstoppable Force,” by Irwin McMannus, given to me by friends from The Grove (church) in Riverside.  Here are just two quotes from this outstanding book: 

“A follower of Jesus Christ has no excuse for pessimism...The natural outcome of being connected to God is being optimistic about the future...The deeper the texture of faith, hope, and love, the more powerfully the momentum can transform the culture.”

            Forgive me for taking more of your time, but I want you to read and be blessed by these books too!  Nancy Pearcey’s magnificent book, “Total Truth” has so much to say, I can’t choose just one quote, so I’ll repeat what several other’s wrote:

 “The most serious undertaking on Christian worldview to date—from one of the finest writers in America.” – Mike Adams, author, Welcome to the Ivory Tower of Babel 

“Seldom does one find a book with serious content, historical depth, and Christian integrity that is also easy to read.  If you feel lost in the fog of today’s cultural confusions, read this book.”  - James Skellen, President, Center for Public Justice

             Thank you, fellow servants and friends, for your prayers and support for us and the people we serve.  We can’t wait to tell you more stories of God’s love and grace in our next e-mail newslsetter.

Until Jesus Comes,

Dave & Becki Thompson 

P.S.  It will take us several weeks to get fresh photos to our website, but we’ll be working on it!