Sad News and Glad News

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This week has been a busy week at the hospital, but we had some slow afternoons, giving us time to catch up on cleaning up around the hospital and catching up records (finding those green ART cards!) and one afternoon I got some of the nursing staff to walk with me for 30 minutes around the hospital for some exercise!

On the 2nd of November (Wednesday) we received devastating news from Australia.  Our doctor here from 2003-05, Dr. Jono Mbangani and his wife Eva, lost their 16 y/o son who suffered severe brain damage from a Halloween prank.  They had airlifted him to Perth where he stayed on machines for 3 days.  They live 700 kms south of Perth in the town of      .  He died on the afternoon of 3-November and they will be having the funeral next week.  Please keep this family in prayer.  It is such a shock to all of us and we are so thankful they are strong Christians.  We hope to see them in person in December when they come to Zimbabwe for a family vacation to visit home.  This trip was planned several months ago and something their son was looking forward to.  I visited them in Australia in 2007.  Please continue prayers for comfort and love to surround them.

On Thursday we said goodbye to our medical students from University of Zimbabwe who had been with us for a month.  They are 3rd years (out of 5) in a rural hospital attachment.  We had 3 men and Monday the next group comes for one month who are 3 women.  We pray for these future doctors of Zimbabwe to feel a heart for the rural poor people of Zimbabwe.

We are so thankful to so many people that have responded for our need for financing for the hospital.  Since the government has not been able to give us any money since August 2014 it has been very difficult to meet all of the financial constraints we have with running a hospital.  Our patients have less and less money to pay their feeds, so we keep bartering but unfortunately we have to buy drugs and supplies with money.  So we are thankful to all of our donors who keep us going!  It was good news to see money sent to our account this week so we can pay off some of our bills and buy drugs that we desperately need!

Please pray for Zimbabwe.  Things are very tough with no cash available in the country.  People are sleeping in bank queues to get $50 out of their bank account a week!  So many little people like newspaper sellers, phone card sellers, flea market people are really suffering because people don't have cash to buy from them.  We have to go to businesses that take our debit cards because that is the only way to use your money up in your account.  Many of our patients are paying us on a phone account--sent to us by relatives in town so they can get an X-ray or medicine or lab tests.  Then we have to find businesses that will take our phone money to buy things for the hospital with that money.  The government has promised Bond notes to be produced to equal US$ but everyone is afraid of hyperinflation like before.  Pray for us!

Yesterday, Dr. Munodawafa, Major and I went to Karoi for a meeting with Karoi Hospital about District Health needs.  On the way we saw some funny sights of Zimbabwe which I will share with you in pictures!  We keep laughing!

Mto Mbangani with family in ICU in Perth


 Zimbabwe Jack--a stick with a stone!

This is from a Snack Shop

I guess this "popcorn" is for over 18 years only!!


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