March 15, 2015 - Clark

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Selection Sunday and am I psyched, oh that was another life.  Let me share some of our disappointments and then some of the highlights of the week.  To understand the context of both you have to understand that the church humanitarian efforts excluding clean drinking water are focused on 5 major initiatives:

1. Vision
2. Wheelchairs
3. Neo-natal resuscitation (NRT)
4. Immunizations
5. Priesthood-led self-reliance projects (gardening and small animals)

The previous week we had received notice that our approved self-reliance gardening project had been cancelled and this week we received a message from Jamie Glenn over immunizations that our immunization project for 2015 has been cancelled and 2016 may not include Lubumbashi.   That news came on Wednesday and on Friday we heard that our water projects have been put on hold until a newly assigned short-term specialist can visit and start the process all over again in April.  

These water projects have been visited by the three top dogs from Johannesburg: David Frischknecht-Director of Temporal Affairs, Phillip Moatlhodi-Area Welfare Manager and Kenneth Mofokeng-Water short-term specialist for all of Southeast Africa.  We received word that church headquarters is reorganizing water and have assigned Brother Bailey as our new short-term specialist.  When Kenneth left Lubumbashi on February 26th, he said we should receive approval of 2 of our 3 projects within a week.  Then no news for 2 weeks so we called and he told us of the program change and on Saturday we received notice of Brother Bailey’s visit and that our projects had not and would not be submitted until after his visit.  Now half of our scheduled 2015 program budget has been cancelled or placed on hold.  Grrrr

Good news of the week was we have been assigned Jesse Hunsaker as our short-term specialist for our vision project.  He is Hedy Eyre’s younger brother and a really with-it guy.  The scope of the project is to supply 3 ophthalmology clinics with operating room and examination room equipment and some surgical supplies.  He was here 5 years ago and worked with 2 of the 3 clinics previously.  They are St. Yvonne, University of Lubumbashi and Sendwe Hospital.  We have visited all three and are in the process of gathering their prioritized listing of equipment.  Generally the ophthalmologists here are well trained but lack proper equipment and supplies.  There may also be some requested specialized training that may be requested.  Dr. H as he refers to himself has written us day and night from home and as far away as Jamaica. He is really on the ball and a fun guy to work with.

We also had an opportunity this week to start on another Operation Smile project.  My respect and admiration for their humanitarian efforts has really grown by working with them.  This project which they call a mission is a pilot program.  It is to perform surgeries for women with obstetric fistulas.  This is a condition that develops when an expecting mother requires a caesarian section but no medical help is available. During protracted labor the mother most often loses the baby and create a medical problem where there is a hole in the bladder and or colon and the discharge drains continually.  They are often abandoned by their husband and ostracized from the village.   

Operation Smile has visited 3 villages in Katanga Province and screened over 100 potential patients and selected 40 with the greatest probability of success.  The surgery can repair the physical damage but the emotional trauma and village acceptance may take years to alleviate.  The last time Operation Smile came, they were ill prepared as far as logistics.  This time Timothy Lu is in charge and is doing a marvelous job.  His parents are Filipino and Chinese.   He treats our volunteers as equals and feeds and cares for them as well as the patients.  

Our volunteer team is made up of Steve Mutombo, our translator and 2 representatives from each of the 3 stakes here. They call others within their stakes to staff the needed shifts.   We will not need nearly as many volunteers as the previous October Operation Smile mission where they performed 150 surgeries.  These volunteers dedicate their entire day to being on call for moving in supplies, transporting patients and their guardians from the airport, providing them personal hygiene supplies and feeding them 3 meals a day.  They practically move in with them and become like family.  The patients are so appreciative and grateful.  Most of the volunteers are returned missionaries and meet and greet people well.  It is amazing the difference a mission can make in any culture.

Did I mention these volunteers do this day after day with no pay, no reimbursement for their personal transportation costs, often no food or drink, nothing.  Tim has at least provided pizza and water and the volunteers think they have died and gone to heaven.  Service and sacrifice become addicting.  Several of the same volunteers are returning from the previous Operation Smile experience. For someone who found it difficult to set aside 2 hours to serve at the cannery, it’s amazing to see their spirit of volunteerism.  They dedicate entire days and in some cases weeks to such an effort.

We also had an enjoyable experience with Stake Conference today.  The music is always noteworthy but today there were about 50-60 investigators who attended the Katuba Stake Conference.  Our mission office manager, Justin Mukuna, is the stake president.  He invited all investigators to stay following a 2-hour conference session.  They did and so did about 20 missionaries.  The stake president, the mission president and the area seventy all invited these investigators to “Come Unto Christ” in their own way and welcomed them and invited them to stay and visit with the missionaries.  There were several discussions that followed this short meeting, but it was impressive to have such an investigator meeting.   

As you can see, the good far outweighs the bad.  I’ve noted a few things I want to remember:

1. Other than housing, it is much less expensive to be on a mission than to remain at home.  You would think the Congo may be one of the cheapest mission, but it’s not.  It is true that there is precious little that you want to spend your money on other than food.  Dave Ramsay would love this place because it is a total cash society and one manages money better without plastic.
2. I believe Shelley has exercised more mother’s   intuition 10,000 miles from home than if our children and grandchildren all lived with us.  We continue to have influence in the lives of our children and grandchildren although we are separated, which thing I had not supposed.  If you serve a mission, you may be separated from your family as we are but your influence can actually be increased.  Boyd K. Packer said, “while serving a mission, if you will take care of Heavenly Father’s children, He will take care of yours.”  We’ve found that to be true.
3. Each of us is known to our Heavenly Father.  We have weekly and sometimes daily tender mercies extended to us; a  timely phone call, an unexpected email, a chance meeting, a flood of previously unthought-of ideas, a personal visit, you get the idea.  He knows us better as missionaries and we know Him better as well.  

We love you.  Mom will finally be as old as me this Thursday.  People still don’t believe her age even when we tell them.  She still turns heads but none more than mine.  

Love Dad (Elder Davis)