SENDING SUPPLIES

Today I packed up 4 boxes of supplies and will send them UPS tomorrow to North Carolina for Dr. Fletcher to take to DR Congo.  Large supplies can be shipped there by cargo ship and will actually get there via Belgium.  I'm not sure how long it will take, but Dr. Fletcher is returning to Congo in October.  We'll still be taking some supplies of our own in February, but this uses up things we've had in storage that we were unable to take before.  It's fortunate that I spoke with him today as he mentioned a need for tracheotomy tubes.  It turns out I have a small stockpile in my office that have accumulated from patients who no longer needed them so was able to find a good home for them.  It also includes some unneeded GYN instruments and laparoscopy equipment that our hospital can't use. NN

DR CONGO AND NICARAGUA

We have now branched into two teams.  Next year, 2013 will find two separate Columbus Medical Mission Teams traveling to two different countries, so the blog may be a little confusing.  We will try to keep them labeled correctly so you know which is which.  It looks like both trips will be in February so that will only add to the confusion, but it's a good time of year to travel to the tropics.  Everyone in Nebraska can attest to that.
The DR Congo team will be participating in a Webinar about the Congo later this month that is put on through the Presbyterian Church Missions.  We haven't done that before, so are waiting to see what more we can learn.  Dr. Fletcher has been traveling around the country speaking about the Congo all summer and has given our name to other interested participants, so we'll see how that works out.  I'm meeting with one next week at our national ENT meeting.
There are so many mission opportunities out there and so many people interested it's sometimes hard to keep focused.  Each one has unique characteristics and we're anxious to see how the Africa branch pans out.  Both teams will be following the other and praying for a successful trip.

WORLD OF NEED

We're having our first team meeting for the trip to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) this weekend.
We'll start to solidify the team, the dates, and what needs to be done to prepare for the trip.  I had Dr. Fletcher on the phone earlier this week to ask about the political strife that we all hear so much about throughout Africa.  Of course, it's like hearing of strife in the USA.  Some areas are much worse than others and it can't all be lumped into one. Several times I've had people look shocked that we would even consider going there because of the danger.  It was reassuring to talk to Dr. Fletcher who has lived there most of the last 20 years.  He said the political unrest is far from where we'll be and he and his wife travel freely without fear in their region.  They do not need razor wire around their compound (or station as he calls it).  However there is a fence around the hospital.  He says we'll be able to take a day and travel to one of the outlying hospitals so we can see the area and smaller communities.  We may do clinic there.

I'm excited about the possibility of teaching there.  Dr. Fletcher seems as interested in using all of the team to teach whatever we can.  They have 2 nursing schools, medical students and residents.  He's trying to improve the medical education as much as possible so they can provide better care for themselves and in the far distant future become self sustaining.  This is the poorest country in the world, ranked 187 out of 187 (USA is 4th).   NN

DR Congo Video

I've just received a video from Dr. Fletcher, our surgeon in DR Congo.  I'll try to post it.  It is interesting and informative.  You may have to download Google docs to view it.
DR Congo video

We have our first team meeting August 12, so please pray for our team.  If you are interested in joining the team, please contact me for more information.  NN

PLANS FOR ANOTHER TRIP - AFRICA!

It's time to start thinking about another trip.  I had the great fortune to meet Dr. John Fletcher and his wife Gwenda last week.  I had heard about his mission and been in contact with him via e-mail and then phone.  It turns out he was traveling across the US and was able to make a stop in Columbus, NE to talk to me, John and Dr. Pete Diedrichsen.  We spent about 3 hours asking all the questions we could think of.  It appears that he has worked hard for a long time to build up a teaching mission hospital in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa.  The country has had plenty of political turmoil over the years.  It was formerly known as Zaire and before that the Belgian Congo. It is currently stable in his region and he and his wife are able to travel freely and safely in the region. John and Gwenda have spent most of their lives in the mission field and most of the last 20 years in DR Congo.  He is an American trained general surgeon and 3rd generation missionary surgeon.  They've managed to  build a hydroelectric plant on a nearby river and so have reliable electricity that most of the country is without.  They've also managed to arrange reliable delivery of equipment through their seaport.
We are just now starting to put together a team to go there sometime in 2013.  Details have yet to be worked out.  People interested should leave their contact information with me through my private e-mail, or through my FB site Dr. Nila Novotny/FB

You may read more about Dr. Fletcher's mission and his hospital at the following sites.
Dr. John and Gwenda Fletcher, DR Congo
Good Shepherd Hospital, DR Congo

This is appealing to me for its opportunity to teach and help Dr. Fletcher develop training programs in the poorest country in the world.  
It is ranked 183 of 183 in poverty by the International Monetary Fund (US is 6th, Nicaragua is 134 and Guatemala is 116).

I will post more information as it becomes available.  Please keep our team in your prayers as the team is being developed.

NN