Jamaica Humanitarian trip #3. Oct. 4-10, 2015

 

Ya Mon!  We are back in Jamaica!  Dr. Jon and Lisa Gunther traveled with us as a facilitator to do training on the OCT machine for Kingston Public Hospital.  One major glitch however occurred; the OCT machine turned up missing!  The in-country doctors are continuing to search for it. This is the first time that a major piece of equipment has been lost. We feel very badly about the situation as do the Jamaican Doctors. 

Elder and Sister Summers have been very kind in providing our transportation and showing us the sights of Kingston. 

Here we are at the "giddy" house in Port Royal, the sight of an earthquake in the late 1800s. 

Jesse and Jon presented a lecture at grand rounds for the Residents of University of the West Indies with Dr. Lue, Dr. Mattis, and Dr. Mowat in attendance. 

Since this was the Gunthers first time to Jamaica, we scheduled two days of sight-seeing in Ocho Rios. 

 Jamaica Inn captured the charm and beauty of this Carribean country.  I loved the blue and white decor. 

We found an unexpected delight at the "Blue Hole" adventure, not on the usual cruise ship agendas.  

Rope swings, cliff jumps, waterfall repelling, and swimming created a Tarzan experience for our group. 

 

At Mystic Mountain, we took a Jamaican bobsled ride, zip lining through the jungle, and aerial tram ride.

  

We dined at our favorite Kingston restaurant twice, South Avenue Grill and discovered some new favorites in Ocho Rios, Evita's Italian diner with a cliff top view of the bay, and Bamboo Blu, on the beachfront.  We were seranaded by a true Jamaican who could sing Loius Armstrong's "It's a Wonderful World" just like Louis!  On our last evening, we enjoyed a traditional Jamaican dinner at the Devon House restaurant with our Jamaican friends and colleagues. 

Kenya Humanitarian Trip #2 Sept. 2-6, 2015 Lumbumbashi, Kinshasa, D.R.Congo Trip #6

    Karibu!  This is the Swahili word for welcome.   A new African experience awaited us this time in Kenya, we actually had some cold weather in the evenings!  Elder Tom and Sister Gloria Shakespeare graciously hosted us one more time before they depart the end of October.  We stayed in a vacant missionary apartment just below the Shakespear's.  

     Early Thursday morning we drove for six hours to Kisii to meet Dr. Dan Kiage at his Innovation Eye Centre. Elder Shakespeare needed a break from driving, so Jesse drove on the left hand side of the road with a stick-shift, through numerous speed bumps, potholes and large trucks to negotiate with.  Dr. Kiage met us at the Ufanisi hotel with his van, driver and assistant, Evelyn. Another two hour drive took us to Migori.  We had not discussed with Dr. Kiage having a handover ceremony or meeting with the local ministry of health.  Much to our surprise, he arranged to meet with the local health minister before we drove to Oasis Doctors Plaza for the grand-opening and ribbon cutting ceremony.  

Oasis Doctors Plaza is a new concept for the smaller cities in Kenya.  It strives

 to bring together different medical specialties in one office so the population can receive quality medical care close to their homes.  

 

On Friday morning, an hour drive took us to two locations in Nyamira for handover ceremonies; the district hospital and another Oasis Doctors Plaza just across the street. Jesse practiced his ribbon cutting skills two more times!

We flew Sunday afternoon to Lubumbashi, DR Congo on Kenya Airways.  Elder Clark and Sister Shelly Davis from Brigham City met us at the airport to take us to Hotel Karavia.  Dr. Janvier Kilangalanga had arrived previously. The Davis's hosted us at their apartment for dinner and a video streaming of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir broadcast.  The missionary couples here have their living quarters by the mission office complex, for security reasons.  

On  P-day, Monday we set up the operating microscope at Sendwe hospital.  This was the only piece of equipment that had arrived in time for our assembly.  Jesse and Janvier worked with flashlights as the power had gone out for a time.   

The first time we visited Sendwe Public Hospital, five years ago, we could not recommend a project due to the state of disrepair.  Janvier told us that a rennovation was underway, and the operating hallway was now being used.  This picture shows the contrast between old and new areas.  Remarkable!

Another operating microscope with a video monitor for teaching really pleased the professors at the University of Lubumbashi!  E/S Davis had a very nice lunch katered for the handover ceremony at University.  The final project planned in Lubumbashi will provide a B-scan machine for St. Yvonne ophthalmology centre.  All three locations are awaiting the arrival of more equipment.  Dr. Kilangalanga volunteered to set up and train on these items when he returns to Lubumbashi in three weeks.  We know he will follow through for us!  He is the assistant director for the DRC National vision program. He always compliments the church on how much they have contributed to helping the DRC reach their goals in vision care. 

     After completing the project in Lubumbashi, we flew back to Kenya for the weekend.  The Shakespeare's hosted us again for the weekend while we developed a project for next year in Kenya.  On Saturday, we visited Nairobi National Park and saw herds of Wildebeest, Cape buffalo, and the elusive Rhinos we hoped to see.  We never grow tired of seeing these magnificent animals in their natural habitats. 

Our final project for DR Congo took place in the University of Kinshasa medical hospital. Two slit lamps, a Yag Laser, Humphrey Visual Field machine, and an operating microscope with teaching video monitor added tremendously to their teaching abilities. Dr Kilangalanga orchestrated the planning and implementation of this huge project.  Much appreciation and gratitude was expressed at the handover ceremony by many University personnel.  Elder and Sister VanWagoner hosted us at their apartment during our stay. 

We shared a delicious Congolese meal at the Kilangalanga home on our last day in Kinshasa, meeting their newest granddaughter, and children. We love our friends in Africa!

Glacier - Waterton National Parks August 15-22, 2015

After falling in love with Glacier and Waterton National parks last year as we were celebrating our 40th anniversary, we decided to plan a second trip.  This year we took Calvin and Nancy Hunsaker with us, since they had not ever been there.  We drove to Kalispell, Montana the first night, then spent three more nights at Glacier.  We loved the settings at Apgar Village and Many Glaciers Swiftcurrent lodge. We enjoyed the familiar hikes to Avalanche lake, Iceberg lake, and a new one to Grinnell Lake. Forrest fires had unfortunately created closures of areas of the park to hiking in Glacier and Waterton.  Our view of the gorgeous Waterton Lakes area was covered with a smoky haze, but we still enjoyed our one night there. The boat ride on the lake was very pleasant and informative. 

Hidden lake at Logan Pass

Grinnell lake below Grinnell glacier 

The sad effects of a Forrest Fire and the haze covering our view of the mountains. Smoke from Washington state fires has covered most ot the northwest area of the country. 

Swiftcurrent Trail above, and Iceberg lake below. Only one iceberg was visible this year compared to 20 last year!

Due to hiking closures, we were able to go to the Cardston, Alberta Canada temple.

For our 41st anniversary, we dined at an Italian restaurant in Missoula Mo. with Cal and Nancy.  

Next trip to Glacier we will try to go earlier in the season, before the fires start!

Ghana Humanitarian Trip #6 and Ivory Coast Trip #2 June, 17-22, 2015

Here we are on the road again for the third time in three months, this time back to Ghana and Ivory Coast or Cote D'Ivoire in French.  Elder and Sister Panter assisted us this time with transportation and being the in country coordinators.  The Project at Emmanuel Eye Center went very smoothly with a visual field machine, Yag Laser machine, and small examination equipment being assembled.  

The closing ceremony was attended by the entire staff of the eye center and four missionary couples. The medical director and attending physician were very attentive to our needs and comfort, providing lunch and water.  Our project next year for Emmanuel will be different equipment.  

On Saturday, we enjoyed two sessions at the Accra Temple, and on Sunday the Panters took us to the Botsoma ward for church which was a large ward for Africa.  Elder and Sister Baker are learning the ropes in order to replace the Panters as the new humanitarian couple for the Africa West Area.  In the evening, Panters hosted a dinner at their apartment for the couples living in the same complex which is about seven.  The picture below shows Gabriel who is excited to be baptized in two weeks.  

On Monday morning we flew to Cote D'Ivoire with John Buah who is employed as the Area Welfare Manager for the Africa West Area.  Still in the rainy season for Africa, the highways filled up with water but didn't slow us down. 

 We implemented a project for a small NGO Humanitarian clinic by setting them up with basic eye examination equipment.  It is like Christmas when we open up all the big boxes which have been sitting in an empty room just waiting for us to come!  

This picture shows the local Bishop handing over the certificates for the equipment to the Centre De Sante Humanitaire.  

Patrick and his wife, Madeline and daughter were our local contacts for the this project.

We met with several government agencies in order to introduce possible LDS Humanitarian projects for  

Cote D'ivoire.  We enjoyed having Sadia, the public affairs representative for the church travel with us to act as our translator.  French is spoken as the first and only language in the country.  We visited two general hospitals and a Catholic hospital. All were very receptive and shared our common desire to help wherever we can. 

Those standing in the back were doctors and administrators from a public hospital. Sadia, 

John Buah, and Jesse and I represented the church. 

These women are sweeping a major road as the traffic bustles by. 

Romania Humanitarian Trip May 20-29, 2015

This excursion began with a delightful visit to see our exchange student Sabrina, and her new husband, Tim Borcherding in Hannover, Germany. Sabrina had not changed in the 15 years since she lived with us, and we had fun catching up on the happenings of our families. They have been married now for 18 months and are very happy in their cozy apartment, both working hard; Sabrina as a sign language interpreter and Tim as an industrial engineer for Volkswagen. 

Sabrina and Tim showed us the beautiful city of Hannover, strolling through the university campus, viewing churches still standing after bombings from WW II, viewing the city from atop of the city hall tower, and enjoying good food.  

Our emphasis for the fourth project for Romania provided the new Regina Maria Foundation Clinic with eye examination equipment. This new clinic is not free, but requires a small fee.  General medical, gynecology, ophthalmology, cardiology, dental, psychology, and radiology services will be offered by volunteers and paid employees. 

The new "empty room" is filled with a slit lamp, auto-refractor, lens trial kit and accompanying power strips and cord adapters. Adela, the eye resident who will be staffing the eye clinic expressed deep appreciation and excitement for the new equipment. 

We have developed a good friendship with Dr. Paul Grecu who championed all of our projects in Romania.  The district President, Vasily Doru was on hand to present the equipment on behalf of LDS Charities to the Founder of the Regina Maria Foundation 

This picture shows the Dodges, Dr. Grecu, the new medical Doctor and her Nursing assistant and Jesse. 

This may be our last trip to Romania for a while. Elder and Sister Dodge return home in June.  We have met so many wonderful people who are working diligently to serve the poor in Bucharest.  

We had an extra day and a half, so we visited a monastery, castle, and the musuem of Romanian Art, and folk museums.  Our daily running route wound around the People's Palace, and several beautiful parks, full of spring blossoms.  We will miss Romania!

Kenya Humanitarian Trip April 26-May 3, 2015

We have had an exciting experience exploring a new country in Africa. Kenya is a land of many contrasts; beautiful scenery, wildlife, modern cities and extreme poverty.  Elder and Sister Shakespeare from St. George, Ut. Helped the project development run smoothly and kept us immersed in the wonders of Kenya. 

We are standing on a balcony which overlooks the Rift Valley. 

On Tuesday we drove 5 hours to Kisii to meet with Dr. Dan Kiage and his wife Jacqueline at his Innovation Eye Center. He was recommended to us by Dr. Janvier Kilangalanga from DRCongo and Dr Levi Kandeke from Burundi. His work encompasses outreach to the poor and underserved in this region of Kenya. 

Outreach clinics will be located in Nyamira and Migori, with new eye examination equipment going to the District Hospital.  Dr. Kiage's center on the lower right is new and well equipped. His patients stay overnight there after cataract surgery. Over five million people will be served from these clinics. 

After arriving back to Nairobi on Thursday,  we learned that the political unrest in Burundi due to upcoming elections made our travel there unwise. We took the advice of Dr. Kandeke and decided to postpone the implementation at Rema Hospital. We were sad to not be able to travel on to Burundi, but church travel took care of all the flight changes.  This change of events allowed us to have two days to explore the Nairobi National Park, including the Giraffe Center and Baby Elephant orphanage.  

We loved seeing all the animals in their natural habitats. A perfect, sunshiny day with magnificent white cloud formations enveloped all visitors and animals. The zebras dotted the landscape everywhere. 

Because of the rainy season being in full swing, the green vegetation made us feel like we were in Ireland!  Tea fields covered acres of land.  Corn, sugar cane, banana trees, mango and avocado trees, date palms and many others cover the Rift Valley. 

 

Local motorcycle clubs are always ready for action as they watch the daily parade of traffic. A trip to Africa would not be complete without pictures of the beautiful children.

The Giraffe Center works to help with the endangered Rothchild Giraffe. We held pellets in our hands and received a warm, wet giraffe kiss as they licked the pellets into their mouths. Mom even got a kiss on the lips!  The guide assured us their saliva is sterile!💋.  Baby orphan Elephants are fed for two years by a bottle and then for the next five years are gradually introduced back into the wild.

Nairobi National Park is located just outside of Nairobi and boasts a large selection of Zebras, baboons, lemurs, ostrich, wildebeest, Cape buffalo, warthogs, birds and many different species from the antelope family. We couldn't find the rhinos or lions, however. 

We took a hair-raising drive through the slums of Nairobi to visit the  Shakespeare's Latrine project for a school.  Kale grew in plastic bags around the school yard.

We love to attend church in the areas where we serve.  The Shakespeare's took us to the Hills for our Sunday meetings, a mere 2 1/2 hour drive (with Dad driving on the left side of the road!). The terraced hills of corn, banana trees, small brick homes, and dirt roads, trails, families walking along them going to church left an indelibel mark on our memories of Kenya!