A letter from Gwenda and John Fletcher in Congo
November 3, 2009
Tshikaji, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Dear Friends,
It's been a wild, hectic few months!
After arriving in Kinshasa in May, we began the process for obtaining our residency visas. During the seven-week wait for them to be issued we studied Tshiluba, the language spoken in the part of Congo where we work. We got to our home station of Tshikaji in July and hit the ground running. John began working his way through a backlog of patients that had been waiting for him. The first two months were especially difficult—a number of complex surgical problems one after another. John has been struck by the large number of “re-operative” cases he is doing — patients who have been operated on elsewhere and are now coming to Good Shepherd with post-operative complications. This indicates a strong need for the institute to be proactive in holding continuing education courses for Kananga-area health care providers.
In addition to a heavy surgical and clinical load, John has been working hard with others to get a functional computer server installed for the accounting office. An additional part of this project will be the installation of a wireless communication system between Good Shepherd Hospital and PAX, the outpatient clinic in Kananga. John loves this kind of techno-geek stuff but it sure does take up a lot of time!
Travel in the Congo can be challenging!
As the interim director of the CPC medical program, John supervises the medical work of the CPC bush hospitals in coordination with the staff at each hospital and the church leadership. During October we made five grueling, bone jarring road trips to all seven hospitals, where John met the staffs and was oriented to each hospital. We were accompanied on these trips by the head of the CPC, the Rev. Dr. Mulumba Musumbu Mukundi. This was a rare opportunity to spend time with Dr. Mulumba and to benefit from his wisdom and vast experience. Every one of the CPC hospitals is carrying on exemplary work under extremely difficult conditions. Most have only one doctor who, with a limited number of support staff, struggles to provide medical care and Christian witness to rural, poorest-of-the-poor populations on thinner-than-shoestring budgets. At station after station we were told that our visit was an enormous encouragement and was fervently hoped-for evidence that they have not been forgotten by PC(USA) churches. Let me tell you, it is quite something to be greeted by an undulating throng of several hundred singing, dancing, flower-throwing Congolese Presbyterians! And it wasn’t for us personally that they were so gracious, but for those whom we represent—you—American Presbyterians whose sacrifice and generosity sustains and heartens them.
The third grade classroom at Luse (Grace) Katanda Elementary School in Katanda, East Kasai.
While John visited the hospitals, I visited CPC schools at each station. Like the hospitals, these schools operate under arduous conditions—mud-and-stick buildings with thatched roofs, no teacher or student textbooks, overcrowded classrooms, no desks or chairs, no electricity, no running water, no gymnasium, computer lab, science lab, no bright posters, maps, charts, globes, art materials, or any of the many things that U.S. schools take for granted. And yet, day after day, faithful teachers and hopeful students come together to work toward the brighter future for Congo that an education promises. The 21 elementary and 16 secondary schools I visited were a glowing testament to the tenacious and unquenchable spirit of a people who, in spite of overwhelming obstacles, will not give in to despair.
Presbyterian mission work in the Congo began in Luebo in 1895. The hospital, constructed in 1914, is still in use.
We returned two days ago from our final visit, sore, exhausted, and plagued by “traveler's diarrhea” but excited about the coming months when we will return to these stations on a regular schedule. John will do and teach surgery (and try to fix an ailing generator, a broken water pump, a defunct solar power system...). I will work in the schools helping teachers and administrators find ways to improve the quality of instruction and increase community involvement.
We are grateful to you for your prayers and support. We feel privileged to partner with you in God's work in this part of the world. Thank you for making it possible for us to be here.
Grace and Peace,
John and Gwenda Fletcher
