I Think It is Friday!

Friday October 21 2010 (I messed up on the previous dates)

        As you can see by the date I messed up on the previous BLOG dates, I am having trouble getting my days straight.

         We had another great day in a village in a different direction about 2 hours outside Kigali. We installed two more rooms of equipment in record time, about 1 ½ hours. But we waited for 2 hours for the Medical director to show up, once he arrived and we showed him what we had done, it was time to return to Kigali.

         On the way back Drew wanted to take us to an Jewish orphanage founded by a woman from New York, that housed 500 teenagers. I was tired and in no mood to take a side trip but said OK. I’m glad we did go, it was an incredible complex with individual houses for the orphans, a school, greenhouses and a farm. We arrived just before the founder and we had a meeting with her and her staff, Drew had been trying to meet with her for years and it was no coincidence she was there when we arrived. We talked about setting up a dental program for the orphans and she was insistent any involvement had to be long term, she was not interested in a one time deal. The ground work was laid for us to begin a relationship for the long term.

          Tomorrow (Saturday) we go in a different direction to install 2 more rooms of equipment.

Keep the prayers coming, Blessings Jeremy

Great day in the village

October 21 2010 

         Today was a fantastic day, we went to a hospital in a village about an hour outside Kigali, to install two chairs. We arrived and were welcomed with open arms. We were greeted by the head of the Dental dept. and the medical director. They took us on a tour of the hospital, especially touching was the neo-natal ward, there were several babies in incubators, including two sets of twins, as my new Grand daughter was just born and had to be the neo natal nursery for a time.

          We installed the equipment in record time, with a couple of people helping and many watching, but not getting in the way like yesterday.  The Medical Director presented us with gifts, thanking us for the things we are doing for Rwanda. These people were the most genuinely thankful people we have met so far. Once we had finished, they insisted on taking us for lunch in town.

           It was good to see more of Rwanda, it is an extremely beautiful country, and tomorrow we are going a little further out, about 2 hours to another hospital, to install 2 more chairs.

           After we got back to Kigali, we went out for dinner at an Indian restaurant that we had been to last trip, we had a great meal. I have walked more in the last three days , than I have in the last year, for those who know me, this is totally out of character. Kigali is very hilly, so I must be getting exercise, if I haven’t lost weight on this trip I never will.

       Thanks for the prayers,  Blessings  Jeremy

October 20th, got my days mixed up yesterday.

           Well I got my days mixed up, last post was on October 19th. I am awake at midnight, they are having a loud party across from the hotel, even though my door and windows are closed, it sounds as though we are in the same room.
            I forgot to include in my last post, that my bags finally arrived yesterday evening, I was starting to attract flies, wearing the same clothes that I left Victoria in. 2 1/2 days in the same clothes does not smell good in Rwanda in the rainy season.
            Had an interesting day yesterday, the school thought it would be good to have the student therapists "help" us, we spent most of the morning bumping into each other and got very little done. So we asked them to leave us in the afternoon and got a lot of work done. This is the kind of work I enjoy, making things work with what is on hand, a lot of creative adaptation. Tomorrow we are going to a village outside Kigali to install two rooms of equipment, it will be an adventure as very few people speak English, I should have paid more attention in high school french classes. 
            I will BLOG more, hopefully not tomorrow at midnight.

             Keep the prayers coming, I have an impossible amount of work to do before next Monday.

            Blessings   Jeremy

First post from Kigali

October 20^th 2011-10-20

It is now 1:30 a.m. wide awake, you gotta love jetlag

It has been an adventure getting to this point, it all started in Vancouver airport, I knew I would need a visa, what I didn’t know was I needed to apply before I arrive in Kigali. When I went to check in at KLM, they were not going to allow me to go because I didn’t have the visa. I applied on line, but it would take 3 days to receive. KLM let me go, but only as far as Nairobi, Kenya. Once in Nairobi, I was to pick up my bags and re check in to Kigali. Well my bags did not make it and as I already had a boarding pass, I went straight thru and boarded my flight, taking my chances they would let me in the country.

         Arriving at passport control in Kigali, I explained what had happened and they let me pay for my vsia and enter the country, this only took ½ hour. What I didn’t know was Drew had been at the airport the day before and had spent 2 hours getting another member of the group thru, who also did not have a visa, they already knew I was coming   and were ready for me.

        By the time we got to the hotel, it was after 1:00 a.m. I had been fighting to stay awake the whole flight from Nairobi (about 1 ½ hrs) but now I was wide awake. I think I finally fell asleep at 3:30 a.m.  and  woke  up at 5:30 a.m. so you can imagine I was like a zombie all day.

        We met for breakfast at 7:15 and off to Kigali Health institute to see if the container had arrived, Sure enough it was there. Drew had spent 2 days finding the container and jumping thru many hoops to get it released. One of the problems was, in the container they had included shoes, blankets and tooth brushes, they had an exemption for the equipment but not for the rest, so we had to have a customs official on hand to watch us unload, after him inspecting and assessing, we were charged 500 Rwandan francs, about $1.00 duty, a lot of hassle for $1.00, that is not one hundred dollars but one dollar.

         Yesterday was planning and assessing day, we came up with a game plan to start installing the next day, I guess that is in about 7 hours, I should really try to sleep, but I’m not tired now, I should crash at about noon.

         I will try to post this in the a.m. as I have to go down to the lobby to get internet access.

          More posts to follow tomorrow if the internet is working.

           Keep up the prayers,  Blessings   Jeremy

The journey begins

I set off at 8:00 this a.m. caught the bus to the ferry then on to Vancouver airport to catch my flight to Amsterdam at 4:00 p.m.   I tried to check thru to Kigali, but was informed I should have applied online for my entry visa to Rwanda. They were only able to check me thru to Nairobi, I have applied for my visa and hope it comes thru once I arrive for my connecting flight to Kigali. I think Linda asked me if I had to apply before I got to Rwanda, but I may have said I didn't need to, don't tell her I said that.
            Whats the worse that could happen, I stay overnight in Nairobi and wait for the visa. Everyone please pray it will be waiting for me in Nairobi.
                        More adventures to follow.
                                      Blessings    Jeremy

The Best Laid Plans......

                When I have an equipment install in Victoria, there is a lot of per-planning before the actual install day, plumbing, electrical and mechanical are all laid out, schedules made out, etc. An install on the other side of the world is much different, these preparations are all done by e-mail. It is hoped that my instructions are understood, that I have communicated effectively, (not my strong point) and when we arrive everything is in place. On my first trip to Uganda, I arrived expecting, in my ignorance, to have the job run as it would back home, I was wrong, and it was extremely stressful for me.  The plumbing and electrical were not finished, there were open trenches in the clinic, no one seemed to be in a hurry to do anything. It was a huge learning experience for me, to learn to relax and go with the flow and realize things move at a different pace there and who am I to try to change that. Once I realized this, thing went well and we completed the tasks with time to spare.

                Linda and I have tried to covey this to others going for the first time, to make plans, but be ready to adapt those plans to the reality of developing countries
I hate to say it, but I enjoy, probably too much, watching first timers, when they try to do things the same as we do back home, then them realizing "When in Rome, do as the Romans do", it is an interesting and sometimes amusing transition.

                On this up coming trip to Rwanda, the per-planning has been  minimal, as far as the actual installation goes, Drew has done all the logistical planning, arranging for the equipment donation, loading and shipping the container etc. I have only been involved for a few short months, so I fully expect to do a lot of adapting once I arrive, I now enjoy the anticipation of what I will find once I arrive, it is a challenge for me to make things work without having Home Depot to run to for supplies.

               It is going to be an interesting adventure, stay tuned, I leave on Oct 16th, Please keep me and the team in your prayers.

                        Blessings   Jeremy

Blessed !

                 Linda and I have been blessed to know and consider friends, a great many wonderful people, through our travels to Uganda and Rwanda.

                 An incredible couple at Mengo hospital in Kampala, Uganda, Dr. Ken and Lynn Chapman. They have been at Mengo for at least 25 years, Ken began as a dentist at Mengo and met Lynn on a bus as she was doing mission work herself. They have dedicated their lives to the Ugandan people thru Campus Crusade for Christ.

                We have got to know Archbishop Henry Orombi, one of the most influential people in the world wide Anglican Church, but we call him Henry.

                And a great many people doing amazing work in east Africa, but the most amazing are the girls of King's Daughters, who have overcome adversity and excelled. With a little hand up, they have become wonderful young women. Close to our hearts are Molly, who not only completed the dental program at Mulago Dental school, but gives back by going into schools and holds clinics. Liz, who is a big sister/ Mom to the girls and lifts the spirits of whoever is around her with her energy an enthusiasm.

                  We have been able to share this experience with our children, Angela and Adam. Angela, a Dental assistant, teaching at Mengo and Adam helping me install equipment at Mulago Dental school. 

                  We have had the opportunity to travel to place most will never see, there is a point in each trip when I say to myself " I'm in Africa, how cool is that".

                   God has blessed me with skills that I can use to help others and transfer those skills to others, with the aim of making myself redundant.

                  I will BLOG once I arrive in Rwanda if I can get a good internet connection.

                   Blessings    Jeremy