Northern Medical Flights

When we first came to Botswana, the flying we did was medical evacuations / patient transfers for the Ministry of Health. We had a twin engine King Air, complete with two fully trained paramedics and all of the life saving equipment they would need. The Medics handled the patient and all of their care. Everything seemed quite calm and professional.

Today I had my first northern medical flight, with our little single engine Cessna 207. There were no paramedics,and only a stretcher in the airplane, although a nurse from the clinic accompanied the patient. We went to Seronga today, the one village that we regularly do medical flights for, from our Maun base. The patient had a broken leg, and it would seem that rudimentary care was administered in the form of basic first aid (strips of cloth tied around rough wooden splints). It made me realize that what we do here in Maun is very important to the people of Seronga. We transported the patient to Gumare, a village with a larger clinic, where she could be assessed, and receive treatment. Without the medical flight, the journey to a larger clinic would have taken much longer. The 20 minute plane ride takes the place of several hours of travel by boat and truck. (Sometimes the patient will later be transported by our King Air to the Francistown hospital, if the Gumare clinic determines that this is required).

High Water Brings Hippos

Close to our flooded yard, (not even a five minute walk) We spotted this guy wading and yawning in the water. The kids wanted Cheryl to take them down to the walking bridge to try out their new fishing poles, but were delighted to have spotted a Hippopotomus instead.

There's a river flowing...where there used to be one before

Our yard, and many others here in Maun are built along an old river bed...well actually in an old river bed. It seems that water had not been seen here for 15...30...50 years (depending who you talk to). Well, within two hours time, the water filled our dry river bed to a depth of 1 1/2 meters. (the pictures show how we watched the water fill our yard). Now the river is not wide, or wasn't, but there was enough water to spill over the retaining wall and gradually creep across the yard. Although the water is an inch or two deep, it is turning the yard into quicksand. A front end loader drove in this afternoon and got stuck for over an hour...after which he retreated to drier ground. It's not as dramatic as it sounds, but the water and sand make a bad combination. We managed to remove most of our belongings with the help of some dear friends and coworkers, and are storing them for now. We will be watching to see what happens with the water...the house may not flood at all, but we may not have access to it for some time, hence the decision to move things while we had dry ground to stand on. We are grateful that we have a place to stay for now (a small flat that Flying Mission had available), and that we can rest tonight without concern for how quickly the water is rising.

Johnathan's BEADS

God put it on my heart one morning in prayer, a few weeks ago to train some young women to make beaded necklaces that they can sell. I was praying for God to lead me to the ones He had in mind for the project. It wasn’t long before a couple of young gals came to the gate asking for work. When I shared my idea with them, their eyes lit up, and they have come back everyday since, bringing friends with them. Some extra bibles were left behind by the missions group that we teamed up with. I asked the girls if they would like to have a bible and one said she has always wanted one! They are soooo excited and eager to learn and the numbers of girls they are bringing with them is growing. In sharing with them around the table as we bead together, I am hearing their dreams and being able to share, mentor, and encourage, them as we work. They truly want to walk like Jesus and grow. I’ve decided to combine Bible Study with Beading on Saturday afternoons. Please pray for Kamogelo, Pretty, Baitshepi, Agnes, Leseho, Memory, Bianca, and Anarrah, and any others that they bring along. These sweet young women have so much potential.