Hit the ground runnning....

It’s been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon.  But not in Iringa, Tanzania!  At least not for about 27 visitors that arrived in the last couple days.  Pretty much everyone has hit the ground running.  This is the first opportunity I have had to write something in the blog since we left MSP.  We have even had a few mild adventures.  Adventures always look less intense retrospectively.  So now I am sitting at the computer with a glass of Claret (it’s wine, Mom, but you knew that).

I do have many emails to respond to also, but this is more fun at the moment.  I will get to them, but maybe not tomorrow.

Monday and Tuesday

We left Monday at 3:10 PM as scheduled.  That flight is really loooooooong.  And since it is only 11 PM your time, but now 6 AM ours, it is difficult (for me) to get any sleep.  So Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport ends up having a lot of zombie-like people from flight 5791 wandering around for a few hours before the connection to JRO.  Much better sleep on that leg.

We arrived in Dar with no complications.  However, that I where we found a complication.  We had a dozen travelers from Lake Park Lutheran Church and another dozen from Incarnation Lutheran Church, plus three of us freeloading, so perhaps you can imagine our discomfort when there was no room in the inn, Wista’s Inn, that is.  A glitch.  We weathered that quite well, I’d say.  We went to Landmark Hotel where we stayed last year and fortunately, they were glad to see us.  A couple rooms didn’t have AC and it is noisy on the highway side of the hotel.  But all in all, we survived.  The half that stayed as Wista’s enjoyed themselves and the other half enjoyed the Landmark.

Wednesday

It is a long drive from Dar to Iringa.  Enough said.  Well, not quite.  Incarnation’s companion church Mkwawa met us at the escarpment and sang a few songs for us. And came with us to The Lutheran Center, from now on TLC.

Thursday

Yesterday was a full day, and I think the first of several in a row.  Lake Park is a Lutheran Church that is not in the St. Paul Area Synod (SPAS), but through Don and Eunice Fultz has been faithful to Bega Kwa Bega (BKB).  They brought a million dollars worth of medical equipment and supplies in a container that they will distribute to the dispensaries supported by the diocese (DIRA).  There was a bit of serendipity in getting the stuff, in that St. Mary’s Hospital was replacing some of its equipment.  It still took significant planning and coordinating to get the job done!  We met with Dr. Saga to discuss and determine how the equipment and supplies would be distributed.  This was a daunting task, despite Dr. Saga’s primary attention being focused on the big stuff.

Here is an abbreviated list of the stuff they brought:

·      3 birthing tables

·      9 new exam lights, battery powered

·      9 hospital beds

·      6 exam tables

·      2 scales

·      4 IV poles

·      120 hospital sheets

·      bandages, had rolled

·      hospice kits

·      newborn kits

And no junk.

The truck came and these folks all pitched in to sort, lift and catalog all the items, then fill the truck.

Birdie, Kent Olson (Iringa Hope and no relation) and I had a nice dinner at Sai Villa, walked home and Birdie and I went to bed.

Friday

I went along on two equipment deliveries today with the Lake Park group.  We went first to Image (pronounced ee-mah’-gee), then to Ruaha Mbuyuni.  (Say it with a mouth full of marbles a few times.)  This was a long rewarding day.  Everyone pitched in, the least of all me.  Some of the young men really did their share of lifting and carrying and so did the young women.  The women also did inventory recording.

During our visit at Image, Dr. Saga received a call from the inspector from Dar who is to inspect the nursing school.  With luck and prayer, we will be able to woo his opinion that we may open the school in September.

Dinner with the Incarnation group was animated and fun.  We got some more steps in as we walked home.

However, never to be without excitement of some kind, we responded to a knock on the door to find a pastor and a dad concerned about his son.   I had already started writing the complete story for the blog when I realized this would not be HIPAA appropriate.  So when he is able to tell me his story not as a doctor, perhaps I will relay it.

Tomorrow, but soon to be today

1)           Breakfast with Dr. Saga at TLC

2)           Hopefully a short visit to our patient

3)           Arrangements for the inspector to stay at TLC (Birdie made the reservation this morning)

4)           Buy the inspector a bus ticket to Dar for Sunday

5)           Drive to Ilula to wow the inspector (we hope!)

6)           Wine and dine the inspector at Sai Villa

7)           Collapse in a heap with another glass of Claret, then go to bed.

How’s your week been?