February 3/Chapter 14 Two Parts
Today the post will be in two parts.
Part 1….A little bit of frustation at the hospital today. They got to the hospital and the power went out. They only got to do 1 surgery in the morning. The power came back on after lunch and they were able to do two more surgeries. One patient that was scheduled to have surgery today did not come until it was to late in the day for them to start the surgery.
The surgery team was able to finish almost all the cases they had scheduled.
The medical team saw 309 patients today. Total treatments for today were 804. Greg Theodore went out with the medical team today and he said he has a new respect for the teams working in the villages. Also there are only outhouses in the villages so that was a new experience for him also. I don’t know exactly what they look like but they aren’t those plastic things we see around here at the work sites.
The medical and surgical team will leave Mbale tomorrow at 7am. On their way to Kampala they will stop in Tororo to see the baboons. If you hold out a banana the baboon will come up and take it from you. The next stop will be at a memorial for the early Christian missionaries that were killed. In the early 1800’s 22 missionaries were killed. I don’t have any other details. Hopefully I can get some information after the team stops and I can share it with you.
A few comments from the medical team today….They saw a sad thing today. A man had built a house but before he was able to move in he died. So the house stands empty.
Courtney….today was bitter sweet. She is glad to be going home but it’s hard knowing there is still so much to do.
Christine…Today at the clinic the people in the village kept saying “when will you be back, when will you be back?”
Laura…has enjoyed the trip and it has been a great learning experience not just in the medical field.
Jack….It has been wonderful to see God’s people in different settings and cultures.
Diana…It’s been neat to see how the team adapted to the conditions. On the first day they were little overwhelmed but after that they got in there, set things up and started getting things done.
Part 2……As I stated in a previous post, part of the team went on a gorilla trek. I talked with Roy today. He said they had a great day. The forest is like the Amazon jungle. He never expected to see anything like this in Uganda.
They drove about an hour into the forest then got out of the vehicle and hiked for about an hour and a half. Once they found the gorillas they were able to get very close, 3-4ft away. (Stella I know your heart is pounding fast right about now) They were given instructions before they set out for their trip….. Do not touch the gorillas, no smiling at the gorillas so they don’t see your teeth, don’t look them in the eye, if they chase you don’t run but drop your head and squat down, if there is a baby gorilla don’t touch it and if it comes near you step back and don’t make eye contact and no flash photography.
A gorilla pushed the arm of one the girls on the team. Yikes! I would have been scared. Hopefully I get some more details about that tomorrow.
On the way back to the hotel they stopped at the equator and got a science lesson. There was a little boy and he wanted them to pay $10 and he would show them how the water in the Northern and Southern hemispheres rotated in different directions. They didn’t want to pay a first but then decided they would. The boy got some water, dropped it in a drain of sorts in the Northern hemisphere, put a flower in it so you could see it swirl and it swirled clockwise. He did the same thing in the Southern Hemisphere but it swirled counter clockwise. Then he showed them how water can go down a drain and not swirl at all. The water had to be directly on the equator. At first the boy got the water just to the right and it started to swirl, then he moved it and it went straight down without swirling. Roy said it was really neat. I’m sure there’s much more to tell but that’s about all I could get over the phone.
Tomorrow the team meets up in Kampala. They will be treated to a children’s dance and choir performance around dinner time. On Friday they start the journey home. I’ll give you more information about that tomorrow.
Hope you all are doing well. Until tomorrow……………….
February 3rd, 2010 at 5:49 pm
Yes my heart was pounding fast, I know how adventures my son is. but I know the Lord is always watching over him, so I breath easier. Can’t wait to hear all about the mission and their accomplishments. And especially hear all about Rebecca being attacked by a lizard. Hope it was more funny than scary. God bless everyone and have a safe trip home.
February 3rd, 2010 at 10:18 pm
WOW about the gorillas! Glad you saw them Roy! I saw them in Rwanda last July-it was my son, Luke’s HS grad gift. They are beautiful, mysterious, gentle and yes, exciting. We got some great photos. Pls. seach youtube under “theLDobson” to see my photo/music slide show. Many good videos to learn more about these magnificent primates.
We trekked two different days as each day is always different. Saw new families of gorillas. We witnessed two silverbacks fighting, mostly out of eyesite, yelling loudly, and one broke a med. size tree in half close to us, like it was a pixie stick! Whew~ That same day we saw the gentleness of them as well as the fierceness, as a mother cradled her a two week old baby. Too precious!
I will do it again with my daughter who was too young. Must be 15. They are habituated to humans and therefore there is little danger. The guides are excellent and the gorilla tourism greatly benefits all the local economies. The Virunga Mts. of Northeast Rwanda, close to the Ugandan border, is the prettiest place I’ve ever been, including New zealand. I recommend it highly. The people are genuine and very sweet, service oriented, and it’s the cleanest country- solidly stable now. Dian Fossey worked where right there in the Virunga Volcanoes Natl. Park and is respected so much and buried there. Thanks to her there are mountain gorillas left, over 700 and populations are increasing slightly. Twenty three babies were born last year in Rwanda, which they celebrate happily every year. Poaching is extremely rare.
The gorillas are among God’s most GORGEOUS creatures.