Busy week

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This week has been a busy week with lots going on!  

On Monday we continued a tradition we have at Chidamoyo of blessing cars whenever someone gets a new to them car.  Dr. Isala bought a car for his wife--a Jeep Cherokee and so we went to bless it with singing and prayer.  It is always a special time and a time for us to share in their joy!

On Tuesday Major and I drove to town.  I needed to see my doctor and we had a lot of running around to do.  We split up into 3 cars as our driver had pulled in one of our cars that needed a new oil pump.  We got everything done before the stores closed at 5 p.m.!  The beautiful Flamboyant trees were blooming bright orange and were so beautiful--as the Jacaranda's fade the Flamboyant's take their place.

Wednesday a new container arrived from Sebastopol, CA  and we got it unloaded off the truck without any problems.  We are so happy to receive it and by Thursday we had started to unload it a bit and have started sorting all the medical equipment.  We are so thankful to those who donate, pack and save things for us and for Lynn and Sylvia who sort some of the medical goods for us and for Sue and Gene who do all the picking up, sorting, having their garage always in use by Chidamoyo and packing the container.  We are so thankful for all who help us getting this container here for us to help our patients.  Our doctors and staff get so excited with all the new things we so desperately need.

Also Wednesday we started the day with a woman who came in by ambulance bleeding at 8 months pregnant, proceeding to deliver a stillborn and then continued to bleed and bleed.  We took her into theater to try and stop the bleeding.  We gave her 2 units of blood and still couldn't stop the bleeding.  The doctors decided to transfer her for a hysterectomy but the patient had stopped breathing on us twice and we all knew she was not going to make it the 3 hours to Chinhoyi for further care.  After much encouragement from me they called the OB/GYN in Chinhoyi and he also encouraged them to open her up and tie off her uterus.  So we called Major in and he prayed while we cut!  Dr. Isala tied off all the major vessels to the uterus and put a tourniquet on it inside and then we closed her up and sent her to Chinhoyi for the full hysterectomy.

We decided Major should drive because he could get her there the fastest.  He actually can "fly" over the road at times!  So off she went with more blood hanging, more prayers and Major made the 3 hour trip in 2 hours!!  They stabilized her and took her to theater and did the hysterectomy.  They gave her 3 more units of blood and by the next morning she was out of ICU and transferred to the floor!  We all were so happy!!  We actually have not had a maternal death since July 2015 and so we are happy to keep our record going!!  We all worked hard and God really showed His power to save her!

Friday night we got our first real rain of the year with 6 mms of rain.  It cooled down to 75 last night and I pulled my sheet and blanket up during the night!  It was so nice to wake up and hear the rains.

This morning I left at 6 a.m. for a medical meeting in Chinhoyi for the day and it was so nice to see people out in their fields plowing as it rained lightly all the way to Chinhoyi.  Another rainy season and we pray for good rains and good crops.

Blessing of the new car for Mrs. Isala


 The Flamboyant trees in Harare


 Unpacking the container


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