It has been a very busy week at the hospital. We have done a number of cases working late into the evening most days. The child with the diaphragmatic hernia did very well. Living to 18 months with this condition made him into a little fighter. Thank you for your prayers. While he still has a long way to go, at least he has a chance to grow up and live a life worshiping God.
As a part of the PAACS program (see link above for more info), the residents and faculty have a weekly discipleship session where we meet as a group and study the Bible. This past Thursday we met and one of the discussions centered on the "armor of God" from Ephesians chapter 6. One point was made that in the description Paul gives of the armor, there is nothing protecting the back. A question was posed as to why this may be the case. Some responses included always keeping an eye on your enemy and never turning your back. Another reply I found insightful. As Christian brothers and sister, we are called to look after each other and watch each other's backs. A common phrase today is "I got your back..." Here at Bongolo the staff is small and many of the physicians, nurses, and staff serve under this principle--watching each other's backs. This is certainly true if one spots a snake.
One person watching the backs of of the entire place is Paul. He is an American missionary in charge of the physical plant of the entire mission compound and hospital. He works tirelessly fixing this and that and responding to emergency issues that crop up. While not a physician or nurse, he is basically "on call" every night watching the backs of everyone here. Without his dedication and service to the behind the scenes stuff, it would be very difficult to run the place. God bless him and his wife, Melodee, in there service.
