Wednesday at Mukinge

We three jumped into Lynn’s life at Mukinge Missionary Hospital by attending devotions at 7:30 and hearing the staff sing beautiful acapela hymns in English and Kaokande.  We then followed administer Lynn to her office to catch up on some business that she needed to take care of – the hospital is in the process of purchasing some transport trucks and a tractor.  Then we took a full tour of the hospital, Lynn conducted business along the way.

Entrance to the hospital - once visited by lions in the 1960s

Mukinge was started in 1952 by a missionary named Bob Foster, Jr.  It is a regional hospital that serves a 90 + km surrounding area.  The patients are usually referred to the hospital by a local clinic.  A wide variety of medical issues are seen and treated here.  It is located at the base of a little mountain called Mukinge.  Lynn said that at night it is very pretty when they are burning the mountain (there is a constant burning of undergrowth during the dry season, even on the nature preserve).  

The hospital is a series of simple rectangular buildings connected by covered walkways (for the rainy season.)  There are many of these buildings – outpatient clinic, administration, pharmacy, male ward, female ward, two pediatric wards, theatre (operating), eye clinic, chapel, kitchen, . . . . I know I am forgetting some.  We visited some of the pre-mature babies (1.5 – 2 lbs)  so tiny.  We visited the children’s ward.  Some of the children had broken arms, some had burns, some malnutrition. 

Helping this little burn patient draw

 As hospital administrator, Lynn oversees construction projects, on-going maintenance issues, food supply, stocking various medical supplies, maintenance projects of property owned by the hospital including homes of the various doctors and missionaries who are serving at the hospital and the nursing school.  Lynn had been responsible for overseeing the construction of the new lab expansion that had only been in use for a couple of weeks.  The main food used here is again the ground corn called shima.  The hospital uses about a 50 lb bag a day.  Lynn is like Joseph, stocking up on supplies so that the hospital will have plenty to get through the year.

We returned to Lynn’s house – a 5 minute walk – for a spot of coffee, while we were there a plane was heard coming in – oh my, Lynn was suppose to meet it for they were bringing her new car battery – so we hopped in the car and drove the 3 minutes to the air strip.  This will be our plane on Saturday – so it was fun to see it.  An older couple from New Zealand were coming to Mukinge to help with building projects at the nursing school, and others from Mukinge were leaving to go to Lusaka.  We loaded the batteries and some of the couples supplies in our vehicle, dropped off the supplies at their short term home and returned to finish our coffee.  

Next we walked up the hill to the nursing school to see if they would be interested in Maureen talking to the students.  Since it was such short notice, the director said he would have to get back to us – as it turned out Maureen taught on Thursday to their first class of RN students – around 60 students.  

Lunch of soup and grilled cheese and then a visit out to the orphanage.  Lynn and her friend Pam started this orphanage about 7 years ago.  They acquired over 100 acres of land  for farming to support the orphanage.  Pam and Mendes (he works at the hospital) have four beautiful children of their own.  There are currently 8 children in the orphanage part.  Some of these children came when another orphanage in Mukinge closed, one little girl was just left at the hospital.  Pam and Mendes help these children to be a part of a family. 

 

Pam was a nurse (she has an interesting story to tell) and now she is an orphanage director and farmer.  They are still completing the buildings as support comes in – but the goal is to be self -sustaining for the day to day needs of the orphanage.  They currently raised much of their own food – chickens, vegetables, fruit, and recently goats and cows.  They also raise food to sell in town (the Boma).  They have chlorinated water for the house, and the property backs up to a creek so they can water the crops.

Michael and I made plans to come visit on Friday – I do not want to drive on these roads – so Pam will pick me up when she drops Mendes off for work.

We returned to Lynn’s place – remember it gets dark around 5:30 – to a delicious dinner of homemade pizza and salad and a fruit crisp with nurse Michelle for company.

We had a good day!