October 23, 2014 - Clark

Thursday, October 23, 2014

I just returned from Sendwe Hospital where they are performing surgeries for Operation Smile.  We met Dr. Ben Rodriquez who is LDS and from Las Vegas.  He is the head surgeon who counsels on all of the most difficult cases.  There are four surgeons with operation smile and two anesthesiologists.  They allow local surgeons and medical school students to stand in as observers and train them in their techniques.  

Vaun Mikesell is the mission medical advisor and a retired oral surgeon.  He asked if he could come and observe in the operating rooms and so on Tuesday and again today they invited him to come and observe.  They also allowed me as his companion to stand in.  It was absolutely fascinating.  One thing that stands out to me is the dedication of the Operation Smile medical team.  Many of them use their personal leave or vacation to volunteer.  They perform 10 surgeries a day and are exhausted every evening but return again in the morning for another 8-10 surgeries.  Most of them have been volunteering for years and perform multiple missions.  

On Tuesday, we arrived at around 1:30 and didn’t leave until about 5:30.  I spent the majority of time watching a single surgery performed by Dr. Dasi Mwepu from Kinshasa.  He was trained by Operation Smile in Kinshasa and now travels with them to other countries to perform surgeries.  He was so meticulous and exacting in his decision making.  He drew dots and lines on the child’s face before beginning but the most impressive thing he did was put his hands on their head and said a prayer.  He listened to inspirational music throughout the operation and when he finished almost 4 hours later, he said, “Thank You Jesus”.  I gave him a copy of the Tabernacle Choir CD of Primary Songs today and Elder Mikesell gave him a Book of Mormon. (A no-no for humanitarian missionaries, but we do push the boundaries at times).  

Today I spent more time observing Dr. Rodriquez.  He is an artist and is extremely efficient.  He is 5 times faster and more skilled than Dr. Mwepu but no more inspiring.  He has established a clinic in Ghana and is now working with Dr. Mwepu to establish a similar clinic for plastic surgery in DRCongo.  Working in Las Vegas, I’m sure time is money and I saw him perform three cases  in less than three hours.  I have a newfound appreciation for plastic surgery that has a real purpose.  Many of these cases were birth defects, others were burns and most were lip deformities such as cleft lips.  In the Congo, they use the term rabbit lips.  I guess if you think of it they look somewhat like rabbits lips.  

At the beginning I was fearful that the blood and surgery surroundings would make me light-headed and that perhaps I would faint or be unable to stay in the operating room.  Quite, the contrary; I stayed with Dr. Mwepu for almost four hours and hardly moved a hair.  I was fascinated and glued to the process.  I found it exhilarating and the time passed on wings of lightning.  I came home Tuesday and again today, uplifted by the noble causes of Operation Smile and the amount of good that is done through a medical mission like this.  I hope our mission contribution is as meaningful.  Shelley did ask me if I was ready to go back to medical school.  That ship has sailed but I do have a profound respect for those who volunteer their time in this effort.

The members have been another bright spot.  Some after coming the first day have returned every day since without pay and often without recognition.  They have been touched by the spirit of volunteerism.  Several members of the Katuba and Kisanga Stakes have participated.  One in particular is Eric, a young man yet to serve a mission who has served as a translator and has returned every morning at 5:30 and goes home after the lights are turned out.  For the volunteers he has become the face of volunteerism.  Everyone on the Operation Smile staff knows Eric and loves Eric.

Tomorrow is the last day of surgeries for Operation Smile and they asked us to invite 10 volunteers to the closing ceremonies or party at the Grand Karavia.  It feels like there are a hundred volunteers we would like to include.  It seems like an injustice to have the white seniors go when the local youth have been the backbone of the effort.  

Friday, October 24, 2014

Working with Mbidi Ilunga, Director of Public Affairs, we have arranged a celebration of all the volunteers this coming Wednesday at Gecamine 2nd Ward Chapel.  We will show pictures of Operation Smile and have a short testimony meeting of their service.  We will pass out certificates to each volunteer and express our appreciation for their service and give them a chance to reflect and feel good about their sacrifice and service.  I feel much better about this.  I am feeling awkward about Elder Mikesell and I attending the Grand Karavia this evening and leaving our wives at home.  We felt that if including our wives excluded 2 volunteers, it would be a mistake and the wrong message to send, so we are going alone.

I reported on Operation Smile this morning in our senior missionary staff meeting.  I feel it may be the most significant thing we have accomplished as humanitarian missionaries and it didn’t cost a thing other than volunteering our time.  Don’t let me mislead you, Shelley and I were not the worker bees that many others were, but we did organize the effort to begin with.  It was however, Steve Mutumbo, our new translator, who became the supervisor of all volunteer activities.  The rewarding part was to see the impact of selfless service on the lives of the members.  This really did feel like Christ like service and it touched the lives of the volunteers so deeply that I think they will be forever changed.  At least I hope that I am forever changed by their example.  They paid their own transportation, were given no food or water and no payment or recognition, but they continued to return day after day.  

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Today we have been watching General Conference.  The saints locally receive DVD’s a few weeks after conference and schedule a time to watch them together in French.  We watched in English with Sister Anthony and Sister Riendeau.  I hang more and more on the words of the prophets as a missionary.  It was wonderful to see a couple of sessions.  We have a newfound commitment to watching the choir.  It is so enjoyable to see Emily’s engaging face and smile.  

The day started early because Shelley and I drove the mission van with 8 other people to the airport at 5:30 this morning.  President Thomas, the Drapers and Mikesells and the AP’s are going a trip to Mbjui-Mayi, Mwene Ditu, Lupuata and surrounding areas from today until Friday when they return at 20:15.  Somehow I’ve become the new default driver.  The trip to the northern part of our mission is an adventure.  

I’m not sure if I’ve shared this confirmed news with you yet, but our translator, Flavien Kot, has accepted a full-time position as Desire Ilunga’s assistant and will be starting November 1st.  We have had many marvelous experiences with Flavien and he has helped us immensely in understanding the culture, the history of humanitarian work here in Lubumbashi and in showing us how to do humanitarian work.  He is amazing and will be a leader in years to come.  We’ll miss him but feel so fortunate to have made connection with Steve Mutombo.  He helped Elder Atkinson with the well restoration program as a trainee and has been working with us as site monitor for the Katuba Bridge project.  Steve is earning money so he can be married to his fiancé, Matilda.  Her family isn’t sure he is worthy of her and they plan on a family meeting in the next couple of weeks.  Steve has invited us to attend to speak in his behalf which I am happy to do.  We’ll keep you apprised.

I have spoken of the market fire rebuilding project we have been involved in.  August 1st, the local marketplace of street vendors had all of their earthly goods destroyed in a fire.  We were asked to provide emergency relief.  We worked with Commune Kampemba city officials and the church’s construction training program.  Under the direction of Elder Atkinson, the shelters were designed and constructed to accommodate about 100 of the over 200 vendors who were displaced.  We spent about $17,000 and had free labor from the 10 trainees in the construction program.  It was constructed on the site of an old garbage location.  

Several things were not ideal.  The city officials attempted to siphon off some of the relief money but we controlled all the expenditures and only gave them the finished product.  They organized a meeting with the burgermeister near the close to see if they couldn’t have any unused budget allocation for another project they wanted help with.  And their final attempt to extort money was when they invited the media to the market opening and didn’t pay them.  The media told us that we owed six media sources for their coverage of the opening of the market.  It’s a different mentality where you have to pay money to make a gift. Despite all of that, there were some positives.

The construction workers had a meaningful project to work on during their training; their program director from Kinshasa wrote asking for more humanitarian involvement inquiring about other projects where they may be of use.  At the marketplace, there were about 100 booths built as part of the bowery type shelters that were erected.  When we arrived, we could see others had begun building additional building next to ours and had laid out the framework for others to follow.  It looks like our investment was the impetus to additional economic activity. (sometimes referred to as the multiplier effect) As a parting gift, we were persuaded by Fernand from the construction department to buy an additional $500 worth of tins (corrugated roofing metal sheets) for distribution to those vendors who were not awarded a spot in the new shelters.    The ceremonies were fun but delayed by over an hour while waiting for the burgermeister to return from a funeral.   (TIA-this is Africa)

Saturday we gathered the other senior missionaries and went on a fun fieldtrip to Futuka.  This is a small game preserve about 20 miles outside the city.  Flavien had recommended this as an activity.  They had hummers and some domesticated wild animals.  Wart hogs, water buffalo, giraffes, gazelles, zebras, antelope, among others.  Most were attracted by watering and feeding locations and didn’t seem too spooked by humans or hummers.  It was probably the first tourist-worthy site that we have visited.  Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty to see but not as you imagined Africa in the National Geographic sense.  

All in all, we’ve had an exhausting and exhilarating week.  We’re pondering what we can do for an encore, but I’ll report back next week.  Love you all,

Dad (Elder Davis)