First Day in the OR

Hello to all! It was a very good first day in the OR. The crew is quite well trained and hungry for knowledge and very willing to help and improve. The room is spacious, the supplies quite good, and the atmosphere one of true concern for the patients. It is difficult not to fall in love with the patients here as they are so desperate for help and willing to do anything to get better. The family members are incredibly grateful and work very hard to support their sick relatives. All pts admitted to the clinic are fed by their families and most family members will crowd into the room and sleep on the floor to be available to the pt at a beckoned call. I'm trying to curb my enthusiasm to be more productive and see more pts in order to honor the African culture which allows for a more relaxed and carefree pace. It is hard for me to leave at 4:30pm when I'm aware of so many others who need to be seen. It has been said that music is the one great universal language, but I wish to point out that human anatomy is dependably consistent regardless of the individual's ethnicity or chosen language. I have been invited to dinner this pm off of the compound, thus must prepare to go. Thank you all so much for your support. If you see my wife or one of my kids, give em a hug for me! Jeff

Here are some pics Jeff sent me on email.  He can't put them directly on the blog from his ipad, so I'm doing it for him.  We've skyped a couple of times now.  Connection isn't perfect but it's still pretty amazing that we can do that!  Today we left the video off to have better sound connection.  He is in his element!  He is loving being there and feels very welcome!  First day of surgery tomorrow! - Jen

Dr. Jean Yarauondo and Jeff.  This is the surgeon Jeff is filling in for.

 This Outpatient clinic building is on the left, OR on the right.

This is his room in the guesthouse.  He said it is so big it deserved 3 pics!

View from back porch of guesthouse.



A Fantastic First Day

What a great first day! I met with the entire clinic staff at 7:30 am for a devotional time which included prayer, music, and a short lesson from I Kings 6 (all in French). Then Dr. Jean Yaraduondo, their general surgeon, was cordial enough to give me a tour of the clinic prior to lending me the keys to his office in order to leave for a conference in Kenya. Monday's are dedicated to clinic evaluations and allowed me to see 10 new pts with the help of my translator, Jairus, who is the nurse anesthetist. The variety of cases is amazing, lending itself to a busy dat in the OR tomorrow and hopefully the rest of the week as well. the clinic shuts down promptly at 4:30pm, which allowed me to catch up on a small bit of paperwork and do some light reading on African dermatological diseases(I've never been good with rashes!). My thoughts turn now towards a good night's rest having not slept more than 4hrs/day since my departure. Jen should be able to post pics on the blog soon. Thank you all, Jeff

Safe and sound at Hope Clinic

I just arrived in N'Zao at Hope Clinic after a 17 hr drive across the country of Guinea. Rode in a Toyota Land Cruiser with 6 other people, though they insisted I ride shotgun, for which I am grateful. It was a drive like no other, with many near misses with other vehicles, motorcycles, pedestrians, bulls, goats, and potholes larger than our vehicle. I will take more time tomorrow to write, but must be in clinic seeing pts at 7:30am, and it is nearly 11pm here currently. Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers. Every item I was to bring for everyone arrived safely and unharmed. On my to trying to sleep fast! Thanks to all, Jeff

Have arrived safely

Hello everyone! I just arrived in Guinea safely with no trouble along the way. Did have some interesting things occur while trying to get thru customs, but all the luggage arrived, and nothing was taken. I even got away without having to pay any bribes. We plan to make the two day drive to the Clinic tomorrow in one fell swoop so that I can meet with the surgeon there before he leaves for 3 weeks on holiday. I thank you all for your earnest prayers-- they were recognized all along the journey. My task now is to get a few hours of sleep before arising at 4 am to drive across the country. I don't have any pics to share as yet because the national futball team won today, and the city was rather dangerous tonight, and thus I kept my camera in its case to avoid any altercations. Goodbye for now Jeff

Hey Y'all,
      This is my first attempt at blogging and hope that it will be informative and a blessing to all who read it.  The arrangements for this trip have come about like a whirlwind, and now it is 48 hrs until departure.  I hope some of you have visited the Hope Clinic website in Guinea to experience a taste of what these amazing folks have accomplished in just a few short years in order to provide medical care and spiritual guidance to this region in Guinea.

      Many of you have asked for prayer requests from me.  I would offer the obvious requests: safety while traveling, freedom from illness, peace in our household while dad is gone, and opportunities to be of help both medically and spiritually.  My task is to perform surgery, but I hope to do so while respecting the current system that is in place, and to avoid cultural mishaps.  Also, I have the opportunity to take many valuable medical and plumbing supplies with me, and selfishly, I hope that they arrive to the clinic unharmed.  I covet your thoughts and prayers during this journey.

      Please understand that I will do my best to respond to any of you who wish to follow along on the blog.  If I don't respond efficiently, please remember the internet service may be less than reliable, much like what we experience at times here in the gorge.  Also, remember, that this blog is meant to serve as an introduction to all who read to allow for you to consider your own opportunities to serve abroad in the future.

God Bless, Jeff

This is Jen. I will try to get Jeff to post about his preparations for the trip. He is very busy working lots of call to make up for the month he will be gone. Until you get a good post from him,(he's a much better writer than I am) go to www.hopeguniea.org to check out the clinic he is going to and see their mission. It is clear they love the Lord and want to share His love with all they come in contact with AS they help them medically. It is overwhelming to hear (watch the testimonials) their passion and love for their people. Kudos to them for reaching out and teaching their own people to become medical caregivers and technicians!

So here's another practice entry.  We are trying to figure out how to post pics.  This is Jeff on Santorini Island, Greece during our fall 20th Anniversary trip!

This is an experiment!

This is an experiment!  Jeff is getting ready to travel to Guinea, Africa to help at The Hope Clinic.  We are trying to set up a blog so he can journal his way through the weeks and we can all "be there" with him.