It is a pleasure to be able to write to you again to acknowledge with many thanks the recent MMN gift for medicines. This regular quarterly gift is such a help and enables us to keep the work functioning and be a blessing to many in this corner of DR Congo.

The local medical authorities are keen to do inspections and to insist that we send copies of all our reports on activities, such as; vaccinations, number of patients seen and number of deliveries. However, the only drugs that they help us with are for HIV and TB patients, and the rapid malaria test kits, so all our other supplies are obtained in Lubumbashi.

Obstacles

Just before the rains started, Sandy Meikle was able to do a trip to Lubumbashi to stock up, knowing that for several months travel would be inadvisable and, at times, impossible. She also went to Sakeji school in Zambia and collected the parcels, which Sakeji very kindly keep for us until we are able to go across the border. However, despite this diligence we were doing a Pharmacy check and it looks as though many of our supplies are now rather low, but there seems to be no relenting in the severity of the daily rains we are experiencing this year.

We can buy a few things at the border town of Dilolo but the prices there are roughly four times higher than in Lubumbashi, so we will need to be ready to do a trip as soon as the rains stop and the roads dry up sufficiently.

Maternity Ward

The medical work continues to be challenging, but also rewarding in many ways. The maternity work has had its fair share of difficult cases in the past few months and we give all of the praise to God for so many answered prayers. It was so lovely when, in the maternity ward, I suddenly heard the cry of a newborn and at the same time the patients‘ mother-in-law burst into song, singing in Chokwe: ‘Thank you, oh our Father for giving us your son’. She went dancing around the ward singing various other hymns and praising God for His goodness. I thought that was a scenario probably not likely to be seen or heard in the UK, but it was so lovely and she had us all singing along with her.

A beautiful baby was born some distance from Katoka, but the parents were concerned so they brought her to us. She was a hydrocephalic child and we arranged for her to go to Lusaka for treatment. The father of the child was sick at the time, so the mother set off with her rather elderly father to do the long journey to Lusaka. The child received treatment and immediately responded favourably to the insertion of the stent. On the return journey they had to make use of a motorbike down a steep and rocky road, and the stent was displaced, meaning the child needed hospital admission.

Mutshatsha hospital were unable to help and suggested they proceed to Kasaji, but Dr Kayombo was absent at the time and, although good treatment was given, they were not able to save the child. They made it back to Katoka, but two weeks later the child died. I cannot even imagine what the poor mother thought as she travelled back with a child who was more sick than she had been before embarking on the journey, but I felt like crying when the couple turned up a few weeks later and brought me a gift to thank me for helping them.

We can only pray in these times: that having the freedom to pray with them, share with them and perhaps help financially, we can do something to show God’s love to these needy people.

Cause for Hope

Another thing which is concerning is the increased number of cases of malnutrition that we are seeing, despite the fact that this is the time when people are harvesting their crops. One of the causes is that trade in protein items, such as fish and frozen chicken from Angola, has been curtailed due to the rains affecting the road conditions. During the time that Sandy was doing the hospital bed rounds, two of the children died from hunger, so it is very sad.

On Monday afternoons we are studying the book of Ephesians at the ladies’ Bible school and the subject of how we can demonstrate love to those around us. I shared with them about the desperate state of some of our patients and asked them for their ideas on what kind of solution we could come up with. There were 25 of us at the class and they

decided that they would organise a special food offering. It was so exciting to see their enthusiasm and, the next day, gifts started to come in, including: flour, maize, peanuts, salt, charcoal for cooking, soap, money to buy oil and even a tray of bread rolls for the children. We took these to the patients and explained the reason for the giving and shared with the most needy of the very sick patients. It was a blessed time for us all.

Please pray for the work at Katoka and that lives will continue to be changed through the saving power of God.