Diabetes

As contagious diseases begin to be controlled in Africa, chronic disease such as high blood pressure and diabetes are becoming more of a problem.

Diabetes is especially hard to treat when insulin is required because of the expense of insulin, lack of refrigeration, and lack of access to home sugar monitoring.

Added to all of these economic factors is the fact that most people in Impfondo do not have a secure food source.  The amount and type of food they eat changes on a daily basis.

Spring 2011- working on balance after amputation

Double is a patient that we have seen before.  He was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he came to the hospital to have his foot amputated in the spring of 2011.

Waiting for surgery

Since his amputation has limited his ability to work, he has not been able to be on a stable treatment plan, which requires expensive medications.

He recently returned to the hospital with an extremely high blood sugar and dehydration.

His one remaining foot had a serious skin infection, which required multiple minor surgeries including toe amputation and skin graft.

Spring 2014- recovering

He has recovered enough to return home from the hospital, but will face serious challenges such as finding employment, having a constant source of insulin, and finding his place in society.

Bike ride in photos

Much of the road was like this.
It made for a bumpy ride, especially for Caleb in the bike trailer!

Helping Babies Breathe Class

Survival is hard for children here in the Republic of Congo.  1 out of every 100 babies who are born alive die during their first day.  (For more facts see the State of the Mother Report.)

One problem is that if the baby is not breathing when it is first born, nothing is done.  People usually just wait to see what happens.

Stephen had a chance to teach our nurses "Helping Babies Breathe," a neonatal resuscitation class designed to help save the lives of babies who struggle to breathe at birth.

They come in after work in the afternoon or on a weekend.  Since the class is not part of their paid work, they volunteer their time to learn.

 Eighteen nurses took the course: some for the first time, some for review.

Of the nine nurses who took the course for the first time, all but two passed.

Stephen has had the chance to see the nurses put these new skills into practice to save babies lives.

Daily Life

One part of our "household" is our family's workers.  With few modern conveniences available, even the simplest tasks take lots of time.

Preparing a simple meal means an early morning trip to the market, followed by hours spent in the kitchen.  And once the meal is prepared, there's still the clean-up!

Mama Lydie cooks for us, and her daughter, Mama Sindi cooks for the visitors and other missionaries who choose to eat their main meal together.

No washing machine or dryer means that all clothes, sheets, towels, and anything else needs to be washed by hand and hung on the line to dry.

We have laundry done four or five days a week.

It's interesting to try to explain life in the US to some of the women here.  I told one of my friends that I didn't have anyone to help me in the house when I was in the States.  She was surprised, so I tried to explain that I do less work cooking and keeping house by myself in the States than I do here with a whole team of people.  It was hard for her to believe.

We're glad to have a chance to build relationships with some special women, while finding ways to make our daily life possible!

If you are interested in reading more on the subject, Debunking 5 Myths about Expat Life talks about some of the realities of household help, along with some misunderstandings people can have about living in another country.

POTD

When we talk about what "we" do here in Impfondo, it doesn't mean just the Wegners, or even just the missionaries.  This week, my photos show some of our hospital employees.

Conflict- More Reading

It's not just missionaries who have conflict.   It's a part of all of our relationships, some more than others.  Here are some more links with things to consider.

From a Life Overseas:

When Envy Rots the Soul

Plays Well With Others

I think I'm just gonna start calling it "Missionary Survivor"

Friend of Missionaries  alternately titled "Missionaries are like Manure"


And a few more:

Do I want to make peace or progress?

1 Good Reason to Gossip-- and 5 Better Reasons not to

Three QuestionsYou Must Ask Before Reacting

The Reality of Conflict

"What have we gotten ourselves into?" was a phrase that was running through my head as I sat in my living room during my first ever team meeting on the mission field.

Nov 2009- ready to leave for Congo

We had arrived in Impfondo a few days earlier, and we were still adjusting.  This was our first chance to meet the team all together, and it quickly became apparent that there was some major conflict.  I couldn't even leave, because the team meetings were held in our house!

I would like to tell you that I handled this with grace and maturity, but it wouldn't be true.  I chose sides- I was sure who was right and who was wrong.  I gossiped about the "problem people."  I became resentful and suspicious of certain people's behavior.

Fortunately, God quickly brought my attention to my lack of love.  A few months after our arrival, we had a CMA Congo Field Forum in Brazzaville.  The morning devotionals were on love- starting with 1 Corinthians 13.

Love suffers long and is kind:

love does not envy;

love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;

does not behave rudely,

does not seek its own,

is not provoked,

thinks no evil;

does not rejoice in iniquity,

but rejoices in the truth;

bears all things,

believes all things,

hopes all things,

endures all things.

This did not describe my behavior at all.  I was able to talk about my problems with some experienced missionaries from our CMA team.  I knew what I had to do.

When we returned to Impfondo, I had to apologize for my behavior, and I had to change.

I also learned that conflict with other missionaries is quite common.  

March 2014- same airport, same trip

According to www.missionfrontiers.org, 49% of missionaries who leave the field do so because of personal conflict.

 I don't want to be part of that statistic- the one leaving or the one causing others to leave.

I'm still learning how to do this, sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing.  I've come up with my own personal way of approaching conflict now.

If we were to sit down together to talk about how to deal with conflict, this is what I would say.

1. Be the right kind of sensitive.

The wrong kind of sensitive: Don't be sensitive to what others say to you or quick to take offense.  There are many things you can just let go.

The right kinds of sensitive: Think about what you say, and be sensitive to how it will affect others.

2. Keep short accounts.

If there is something that needs to be addressed with another person, do it as soon as you can.  Sometimes, a simple conversation can clear up the problem.

Don't let resentment and frustration build.  It only becomes more difficult over time.

3. Don't gossip.

You need to have someone that you can talk to about your problems, but this is different than gossiping.  Think before you speak about other people, especially those in the same circles of interaction.

4. Remember your limitations.

There will be times when your best efforts aren't enough.  Realize that you can not change the other person; that is God's responsibility.

You can ask God to teach you through the situation, and ask Him to reveal ways that you can change.

I've learned so much this way! 

For more information check out these resources from www.missionarycare.com.

What Missionaries Need to Know About Relationships

What Missionaries Need to Know About Conflict

Guest Housing

One of the things that I do is help with the guest housing for the visitors.  This time, it was all hands on deck to get a room ready for some visitors.

The housing coordinator decided that a  couple coming for six months would stay in Casablanca.  Since it would be for a long time, we wanted to make sure they would feel at home and comfortable in their space.

Before our Wednesday team meeting, everyone helped rearrange beds, mosquito nets, and begin to get things ready.

This is Casablanca from the outside.  There are three bedrooms, a shared living area, one bathroom, and a door connecting to a shared kitchen.

Close up of the door to Casablanca.  Elizabeth and Isabelle are two of the people who helped set things up for the visitors.  We were doing a last minute check the morning of their arrival.  We made sure everything had stayed clean and ready for the visitors, and we placed some food in the kitchen for them.

The simple guest bedroom: full size bed with sheets and mosquito nets, shelves, and a hamper are the basic accomidations.

Isabelle's showing the seating in the common area of the house.

Everything's ready; now we just need to wait for the couple to arrive!

POTD

Some much needed medicines arrived, and they are being unpacked beside our house.

The nurses are "Helping Babies Breath"
More to come about this.

Some of our employees

We got mail!  It arrived almost 18 months after it was mailed.

Mama Melanie looking out over the river

A worker brought Isabelle this bird.  She made sure it was healthy and then set it free.

Summer Update

This couple spent three weeks with us.
They are on their way to the airport
with Mama Sarah and Dario.

May brought some changes for us.  The saddest change was saying good-bye to Siko and Delphine Bambemba.  They were here before the hospital started, and they have given many years in ministry in Impfondo.  They are greatly missed!

Before departing for the airport,
Mama Sarah takes the time to greet
five new visitors who arrived over the weekend.
They are taking a tour of the hospital.

We've had quite a few people coming and going.  It's always fun to meet new people, but sad when they leave.  I enjoy the opportunity to help visitors settle into life here, learn to navigate the market, and other things.

We are ready for the summer.  The kids and I finished school this past Friday.  Time for summer break!

Our family is heading out tomorrow for a conference.    I've already had many variations on "What did you bring me?"  Some popular requests are a better telephone, a gold ring, or some bulk items to resale.  With a few exceptions, I have to tell people we won't be able to do that.

We will have internet access off and on, but I have scheduled some blog posts during this time.

A new issue that is causing some concern is the deportation of people from the Democratic Republic of Congo.  There are many refugees without proper paperwork.  Some have tried to get the paperwork, and they are given papers good for three months.  They have to pay a large fee and try again at the end of the three months.  This can continue for years.

Now people who do not have the proper permission to stay are being sent back.  An unfortunate side effect is that some people are using this as an excuse for violence against people from the DRC.  We have a couple who works here that received multiple threats from a trouble making neighbor.  After their four year old son was kicked in the stomach when the neighbor was drunk, Stephen had to go to their house.  He was able to bring them to the hospital to stay in one of the empty building temporarily.   Right now, it's not safe for them to return.  Other employees from the DRC are living in fear, and for some it is quite upsetting.  Please pray for this situation to be resolved.

Pray also for Dr. Harvey, Dr. Tenpenny and the other missionaries here during our absence.