January 22, 2011

Dearest family and friends,

Hello from Zimbabwe! Time here is going by really fast, and it's hard
to believe that we will be back in the States in roughly 3 weeks!
Thank you for all the prayers and encouragement! We apologize upfront
for not being able to write back to everyone individually as the
internet is spotty and we are limited as to how much time we spend on
the internet when it is available.

This past week has been full of different emotions. Gracie has been
here for almost a week now, but unfortunately, she has not received
her Zimbabwe nursing license. This is frustrating because she started
the application process 6 months ago (we were told that the process
normally takes 3 weeks). We are hopeful that she will hear back this
next week as the Nursing Council told us that they would be convening.
Please pray that it will come through.

In the meantime Grace has been working on an inventory of a huge semi
load of medical supplies. The combination of Gracie's computer skills
and knowledge of medical supplies have made her a huge asset. Sadly
this has meant that she has had less direct clinical experiences.

She was able to help out with a couple medical emergencies. For
instance, she rigged up a CPAP (pressurized oxygen mask) on a pair of
twins which likely helped saved one of the kids life (we attached a
picture of this precious little one). Tragically, the other child did
not make it. Grace has been wrestling a lot with two emotions in
experiences like these. First, both of these twins would have in all
probability made it in the States. It is hard to see many deaths here
at Karanda which would have had possibly been prevented with more
advanced/reliable technology (ex. oxygen often shuts off when the
electricity and generator stops working). The context here is so
different and it is hard to keep the perspective that the care that
the hospital provides is better than no care at all even if it is far
below what we expect as standard of care. The most basic supplies are
often not available and those providing care are often far outside of
their area of expertise. Second, she is not supposed to help out at
all as she does not have a license. Due to the political situation
here it is important that the hospital abide by the letter of the law
and not just the spirit. Consequently, Grace feels that she is
paralyzed to use her skills and knowledge (except when there are life
threatening situations). Thankfully, Grace also has had the
opportunity to help out an AWANA kids club as well as the HIV orphan
outreach program. We have also both enjoyed plugging into the church
and missionary community here.

Jeff has been working primarily in the female ward and outpatient
department. It has been a different experience from being in the OR
all day long, but just as important. Sadly, there is much to learn in
clinic as people often present with very advanced illness. He has
already seen over 10 new diagnoses of advanced cervical cancer.

Please pray that we would take these experiences and learn from them
as we continue to prepare for a lifetime of international medical
missions. Thank you so much for all of your prayers!

Love,
Jeff and Gracie