Following is another update from Dr. Kristen from her first weeks
back in Guinea, West Africa, and photos of hospital =onstruction.
We will be forwarding additional updates; please let us know =f
you wish to be removed from the mailing list.
Lyn & Les Schmaltz
--------
Greetings from my home in Kissidougou!! I'm writing =ycandlelight, two tranquil
dogs ( Rascal and Rumpie)
are sleeping by my feet and we =ear normal sounds of children playing & people
passing by my gate. Since =y
brief note to you from a crowded cybercafe where we wait on line to have 30 =inutes
on a computer, I've
done shopping for my phone, other =erchandise & food in bustling Conakry,
visited Dr Lamine at his Donka
hospital =ffice, spent great family time with friend Oumou and her family, had =leasant
mealtimes and discussions
with my colleague Etienne Outarra and =etrieved my truck for voyaging to the
interior of Guinea.
My =ruck was essential transport to get to Mamou (and Kissidougou) where Oumou
=nd I barely found our
CEH guesthouse at dusk in Mamou!! We drove all over a rocky hill with Oumou
translating in Pular "where is
the white =erson's house?"! Fortunately Etienne had good contact with us by =untional
areeba cellphones
and his traveling companion , Bamba, suggests we =ut up a LARGE sign saying
"Kristen's house - LARGE ARROW-
here"!! In the =ight of the next day finding the house was easier and we enjoyed
a morning at =EH site (see photos)
before our depart for Kissidougou. The construction =team was happy to get their
2 week's salary and to show us
their =rogress. Discussion with Ishmael, chief of construction, revealed all is
=eady for Wayne Brunner's
electrical team!! The clinic building is =ully walled with roofing started,
guesthouse coming along plus all other
buildings awaiting electrical and water piping =nstallation before floors are
placed. All looks good to me!! We
thank God =or faithful, productive workers at CEH -- what a team! =ut I am
not a builder so as I stood in one of the
consultation rooms, I =magined patients coming with a wonderful roofed terrace
overhand protecting =hem from
the rains. I can see them in my mind ... sick or hungry =abies, women & men with
various medical
problems and the clinic open and ready =o receive and give healing... Raymond,
CEH builder, gave me =nfo
about the strike and marshall law and its impact . The Mamou citizens and =ilitary
are fully supportive of CEH.
During the troubled times, military =heckpoints were rigidly enforced but CEH
workers were let pass easily
by them =o go to work. Praise God!! Only 2 weeks of insecurity and lack of
salary =ime was lost. No damage
happened to any building. Thanks be to God for His protection of workers and the
site.
Mason, Sadeo Diallo , =ho makes 250 bricks by hand/day described how he does his
work and we photographed
each other. I told him if I were to make the =ricks they'd either fall apart or
not be rectangle and
certainly number less than =0 /day!! Mousssa Fofano who dug the electrical wire
ditch =mpressed me with
his perseverence- the ditch is about a football field long 2 =t X 1 ft wide dug
with pick ax out of rock!!
It took him 5 months!!!!! They =all this area "Bowal Wann" (arid, sunny place
where not much grows). =
thought of Jesus saying on this rock he will build his church. On this rock =e
build CEH and we are founded
on The Rock of Jesus Christ. But ... can =e have a jack hammer to help here,
Wayne? Wow - what work!
After =urveying all the area Ibrahima Sory Diane, the CEH carpenter, aided me
and =tienne who each
locked ourselves out of a room at our lodging places!! What wonderful, helpful
workers God has provided here.
Oumou and I =ontinued in the afternoon to voyage to my home town of Kissidougou
in my truck =ith nearly flat
tread tires our jack on hand for tires changes - =n uneventful trip!! Arriving
at dusk we found my home
much easier than GH in =amou!! Rascal and Rumpie ran out of the gate opened by
guard Samba to greet =e with
joyous repetitive barks, tail wagging and moist dog kisses that I returned
eagerly!! Aisha and Samba
greeted me warmly =n French African style. It is good to be home!! Hospitality
=bounds here with invitations
to rice and sauce dinners, salads in homes or =y open fires watching French
translated Brazilian TV =eries
very popluar here. I congratulated Oumar and Irahima for the births of 1 =/2
month old baby Ibrahima and 5
month old Mariam, respectively, into their =amilies. I sent condolences to DH
Kissidougou for the death of
his wife. We =rayed for accident victims in Gueckedou prefecture where 60+ died
when a =ridge fell into the
river when and overloaded with 100 pound plus =ice sacs, produce and people
voyaging on top all falling
and some crushed & =rowned in the river. I have traveled over that bridge in my
community health =bush
medcial work in the past.
Samba told the story of a =ullet fired into the air coming through his roof to
the floor into his =edroom!
Cisse told of military beating him with a rubber switch as he came to work =uring
the marshall law, calling him
rebel stricker until he could show them =is identity and work card. I saw his
bruises and marks from =his
beating. Ibrahima told me of his kids laying flat on the ground not even =rying
to eat when gunfire continued
without cease in the siege time. How =raciously God has provided, protected &
cared for His Guinean =hildren!
I leave today with all my belongings, Aisha and Rascal & Rumpie for =amou.
Guards Cisse and Samba come in
2 weeks when rent and guard time is =inished with any remaining belongings. I am
eager to get started with =he
work even as i get resettled. I love my friends and =olleagues plus the work God
has given me here. I am so happy!! I
thank you for =our prayers. This has been a full ten days since my arrival to =uinea
and I am thankful to God for
all He has shown me.
Love in Christ, Dr Kristen (Kissidougou soon Mamou)

Dr. =risten with colleague, Etienne, and others in front of Hospital building
under construction (3/07)

View of Hospital Clinic with roof being constructed (3/07)

Brick maker Sadeo Diallo who makes 250 bricks per day (3/07)

Worker Moussa Fofano digging trench for electrical wiring; a 5 =onth effort! (3/07)

Lunch lady at construction site; prepared meals for workers =3/07)

Dr. Kristen with Rascal and Rumpie at her Kissidougou home (3/07)
AOL.com.