Worship at Parakuyo and Farewell

Sunday we were privileged to join our fellow Christians in the Masai village of Parakuyo for worship. Two Land Rovers departed LJS with our team and the Washington team for the 1 ½ hour drive, which veered off the highway shortly out of Morogoro and continued down a dirt road through the Masai range land. The scenery was very much as most of us picture Africa, with grasses interspersed with vegetation and trees.

We were greeted with wide smiles and warm handshakes as we were ushered in to tea. Services began once all the villagers had finished tending their cows and completed the trek to the church. Pastor Martin Geisler, who is German and has been serving in the area since 2001, presided over worship and was assisted by a local minister, Pastor Daniel. We were overwhelmed by the beauty of the music, which featured congregational hymns along with an adult choir and a children’s choir. When the choirs sing, they also perform choreographed dancing that further expresses their joy, which brought a smile to all our faces. In the middle of the service, Pastor Martin invited all to bring their children forward that wanted them baptized. Women with babies in slings on their back surged forward and, as the baptisms began, the crowd of people waiting for their turn increased as both children and adults came forward. More than 20 were welcomed into the body of Christ yesterday and their friends rejoiced with them at this momentous change in their lives.

By 3 pm we were on our way back to Morogoro; Doug, Cindy and Pati returned to St. Mary’s to join Dr. Makao and Mr. Wazuri for two more procedures and the rest of the team continued on to LJS. The second procedure was challenging for the team. Dr. Doug removed a gall bladder from a patient that was anesthetized with only a local anesthetic and IV sedation. This is normally done in the States under general anesthesia, which requires a breathing tube with oxygen, something that St. Mary’s does not have available. Since oxygen is not possible, all sedation requires that the patient continue to breathe independently. This also means that there is no relaxation of the abdominal muscles, so keeping the incision open wide enough to allow Doug access was very difficult. Mr. Waziri and Pati applied all their strength using retractors to manually keep the incision open. Doug had to call rest breaks several times to allow tired and shaking biceps to relax.

Many of our friends and family back home have wondered at our individual roles during this trip. Doug, as the general surgeon, performed all procedures. Cindy, our registered nurse, circulated in the operating room to bring anything Doug needed during the surgery. Mike, our family and sports medicine doctor, saw patients in clinic each day. After our first day, when it became clear that we would have to work without Arleigh, Mike pointed out that he has a person assigned "to his hip" at his office in Alaska. So Pati became Dr. Mike’s "hip", making notes in patient’s records during his exam and writing prescriptions as directed. This also allowed Mike to economize on time and help more patients each day. Dana and Glynnis worked in our pharmacy, dispensing and interpreting the meds for patients. Glynnis also managed our main records and directed the flow of patients. All of the team worked as an integrated unit and supported each other throughout each day. As we reflect back on these days in Tanzania, we all feel that this team “clicked” and we were all a blessing to each other.

Today we completed our last five surgeries and our last clinic. We said our goodbyes and were thanked over and over again by each of the fourteen staff at St. Mary’s and urged to return again next year. Dr. Nkya gifted each of the team with a unique Tanzanian kanga to express her thanks.

In all we estimate that we were able to see almost 220 people in clinic and we performed 24 surgeries. As we pack and prepare for the return to our families tomorrow, we know that this mission has been inspired by Christ, as He has allowed His love to equip us for this work. We bid all our friends in Tanzania “Kwa Heri” (goodbye) until we see them again and wish them God’s richest blessings.