Flying medevac fights for the Botswana Ministry of Health has been a very fulfilling and worthwhile experience. Sometimes I’m asked about the most memorable mercy flight I’ve done. That is a very difficult question to answer. Usually when a mercy flight is requested in Botswana, the patient is in critical condition. For this reason there are times when the patient dies before we even land to pick them up, or while we are enroute to the referral hospital. Those are also memorable flights, but the flights that give a real feeling of accomplishment and fulfillment, are the majority of the flights that result in a person in dire need of medical care getting to a modern hospital in time.
I still get an adrenaline rush when the call comes for a mercy flight – the challenge of “making it happen”, and getting the patient to a hospital as quickly as possible; but at the same time doing everything in a manner where safety is not compromised in any form. Getting ready to launch requires a team effort by all four crewmembers (two pilots and two paramedics), as well as the flight coordinator who is busy making sure the all the necessary arrangements are made. While the flight crew preps the aircraft and gets the flight plans and paperwork completed, the paramedics are loading the necessary equipment and making sure everything required for the patient is working properly. The flight coordinator is making sure the airports stay open, if at night, and portable lights at some airfields are placed along the runway. He will be busy with calls and flight following for the duration of the flight.
After the patient is checked and the stretcher loaded onto the aircraft we are on our way as quickly as possible. Sometimes the paramedics are busy working on the patients, at other times when everything is stable, they are more relaxed. When a patient is onboard it is always nice to look back and see things “at ease”. When the paramedics are busy working on a patient, a sense of urgency is always felt.
After landing and the patient is moved to the waiting ambulance, it is with a sense of relief that the aircraft can be put to bed, unless of course another patient is waiting somewhere, which happens more often than you might think.
I have yet to find an equivalent experience that provides one with a feeling of fulfillment and satisfaction at the end of a day, like the feeling after a day of flying mercy flights. Knowing that you were part of a process that helped save a life – that’s all it takes to make this experience in Botswana very worthwhile.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Getting Connected - JOLENE
I guess Renae just posted a blog about our trip to Moremi, and about the time our company was here, so on to other things. I’ve started to be involved in a couple of other things and am finally feeling like there might be a reason that I’m here!
One of the things I’ve been doing is going to Otse where there is a Home Based Care Center. A few years ago before ARV’s were available people with HIV/AIDS would come to this center for care, and ones in terminal stages would be there until they died. Since ARV’s are available there is not such a need for a place like this to come, but it is now a place that Home Based Care givers go out from into the village to make sure HIV/AIDS patients are taking their ARV’s and teaching nutrition, etc. It is also a place where people from the village come to work on various projects – there is a garden there, a quilting group and others make beads/jewelry. The hope is that some of the projects become income generating, but so far they haven’t really found an outlet for their crafts. I am helping another Flying Mission wife, Evelyn, with the quilting project. So far they have done some small projects and made some really neat bags, and their next big project is a quilt. Earlier they had made dolls, and did some fabric painting and made skirts. There are four women that are in the class, and are fun to work with and are doing well. For some it comes easier than for others, but they are all learning. And I am too!
Today I met another very interesting lady. Mma Mogapi is a very busy woman, but one of the things she does is have children come to her yard every Saturday morning where they play, have a bible story and singing, and are fed two good meals. She came to my house today to pick up the clothing that was brought over by Jim & Glenda, from MCC. The clothing will go to the children that come to her yard. She wanted to go through everything before Saturday to be sure there would be something for everyone, and no one would be left out. She told me all about the other work that she does – teaching nutrition, following certain children to be sure they are getting fruits & vegetables and growing properly, and also working with HIV/AIDS people to make sure they also have proper nutrition. She & her husband also do marriage counseling together. I’m sure she has other projects going also – it made me tired to hear of all the things she does!
I took her out to her house then with the clothing, where she will sort it. Then Saturday morning Renae, Katrina, and I will go with two other Flying Mission short termers to help with the children and be there when the clothing is distributed. Thanks to our small group at church, Jim & Glenda, and MCC, for making sure the clothing got here! It will certainly be put to good use.
We finally connected with our friend Maria, in Bokaa where we had done our village live-in back in 1985. It was so good to see her again and meet two of her 5 daughters, and a granddaughter. Penyo is her oldest daughter and works in Gaborone. Penyo called yesterday to try & come see us. It didn’t suit at that time, but we’re hoping to connect more with her.
It is feeling very good to have some meaningful relationships and connections with local people here. Many are working tirelessly in their communities to serve and help people, and I have nothing but respect for them and the things they are doing.
One of the things I’ve been doing is going to Otse where there is a Home Based Care Center. A few years ago before ARV’s were available people with HIV/AIDS would come to this center for care, and ones in terminal stages would be there until they died. Since ARV’s are available there is not such a need for a place like this to come, but it is now a place that Home Based Care givers go out from into the village to make sure HIV/AIDS patients are taking their ARV’s and teaching nutrition, etc. It is also a place where people from the village come to work on various projects – there is a garden there, a quilting group and others make beads/jewelry. The hope is that some of the projects become income generating, but so far they haven’t really found an outlet for their crafts. I am helping another Flying Mission wife, Evelyn, with the quilting project. So far they have done some small projects and made some really neat bags, and their next big project is a quilt. Earlier they had made dolls, and did some fabric painting and made skirts. There are four women that are in the class, and are fun to work with and are doing well. For some it comes easier than for others, but they are all learning. And I am too!
Today I met another very interesting lady. Mma Mogapi is a very busy woman, but one of the things she does is have children come to her yard every Saturday morning where they play, have a bible story and singing, and are fed two good meals. She came to my house today to pick up the clothing that was brought over by Jim & Glenda, from MCC. The clothing will go to the children that come to her yard. She wanted to go through everything before Saturday to be sure there would be something for everyone, and no one would be left out. She told me all about the other work that she does – teaching nutrition, following certain children to be sure they are getting fruits & vegetables and growing properly, and also working with HIV/AIDS people to make sure they also have proper nutrition. She & her husband also do marriage counseling together. I’m sure she has other projects going also – it made me tired to hear of all the things she does!
I took her out to her house then with the clothing, where she will sort it. Then Saturday morning Renae, Katrina, and I will go with two other Flying Mission short termers to help with the children and be there when the clothing is distributed. Thanks to our small group at church, Jim & Glenda, and MCC, for making sure the clothing got here! It will certainly be put to good use.
We finally connected with our friend Maria, in Bokaa where we had done our village live-in back in 1985. It was so good to see her again and meet two of her 5 daughters, and a granddaughter. Penyo is her oldest daughter and works in Gaborone. Penyo called yesterday to try & come see us. It didn’t suit at that time, but we’re hoping to connect more with her.
It is feeling very good to have some meaningful relationships and connections with local people here. Many are working tirelessly in their communities to serve and help people, and I have nothing but respect for them and the things they are doing.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Hello to everyone again! - RENAE
So much has been happening here that I feel like I should let you all know what has been going on…
My school let out April 9 since the first term was over. The school year here is year-round and split into three terms with about a month’s break in between each term. For this break, a lot has been happening.
The first vacation I went on was to the beach with a group of 10 other missionaries here. My friend’s dad won a bid on a beach house for 10 people for 1 week down in South Africa, and so our family was invited. My dad had to work, but Katrina and I went anyway. We stayed in Ramsgate, which is about a 12 hour drive from Gaborone. It was a gorgeous place to stay. The beach was 100 m away, so we walked/drove there just about every day. It was an extremely relaxing week and a LOT of fun.
When we got back from the beach, we had one day to work and get the house/yard ready for the Evans’ and Nicole, who were coming the next day. They all got here safely and it has been great to have them here. We left right after church the Sunday after they arrived to go on safari. All 8 of us, plus our luggage, piled into our Landover, Tau, to make the 10-hour trip up to Maun. That in itself was an experience – soon after dark, it began to storm and rain like I’ve never seen (which is ironic – the Evans always bring rain whenever we go camping, but it is past the rainy season so everybody was surprised), so we were slowed down considerably. On top of that, there were cows and donkeys EVERYWHERE, not to mention potholes. We normally don’t drive on highways at night (it is too dangerous with the animals), but we just crawled along slowly and all watched out for animals. Our 10-hour trip turned into longer than that, but at least we arrived in Maun safely. We camped in Moremi for 3 nights and saw a variety of different animals. The big exciting thing we saw was a pride of 10 lions. We were extremely close to them, I could easily have touched them I if I would have been stupid enough to stick my hand out the window – which was open. We were surrounded by them – in front, behind, and on both sides. Ironically, Tau (our Landrover) means ‘lion’ in Setswana :) I thought that was cool. So the Evans’ brought the rain AND lions, both of which are good. They are amazing beasts, lions, and I could have watched them all day. It was getting dark and we needed to go back to our campsite. Wow. I still can’t believe we were that close to a pride of 10 lions. They were all lionesses, and young males. I’m still amazed at how lucky we were. Our last night of camping, we heard lions roaring all night long. It kind of puts you to sleep. They were on both sides of our tent (but not too close by). All in all, it was a great trip and I was sad to go. I definitely want to return there.
On our way home from Maun, we dropped Nicole off in Tonota, a village, where she will be staying for the next 2 ½ months. I really would like to live in a village some time, maybe when I’m out of college. It seems like a good experience, but then again, just being in Botswana is a good experience. I think Katrina, Lisa (who’s coming in a few weeks – YAY!), and I will probably take a bus up there to visit her sometime. I hope so.
The Evans’ leave on our first day of school, which is Monday. I’m not excited for school to start, this vacation has been too much fun!
Trust all is going well,
Renae
My school let out April 9 since the first term was over. The school year here is year-round and split into three terms with about a month’s break in between each term. For this break, a lot has been happening.
The first vacation I went on was to the beach with a group of 10 other missionaries here. My friend’s dad won a bid on a beach house for 10 people for 1 week down in South Africa, and so our family was invited. My dad had to work, but Katrina and I went anyway. We stayed in Ramsgate, which is about a 12 hour drive from Gaborone. It was a gorgeous place to stay. The beach was 100 m away, so we walked/drove there just about every day. It was an extremely relaxing week and a LOT of fun.
When we got back from the beach, we had one day to work and get the house/yard ready for the Evans’ and Nicole, who were coming the next day. They all got here safely and it has been great to have them here. We left right after church the Sunday after they arrived to go on safari. All 8 of us, plus our luggage, piled into our Landover, Tau, to make the 10-hour trip up to Maun. That in itself was an experience – soon after dark, it began to storm and rain like I’ve never seen (which is ironic – the Evans always bring rain whenever we go camping, but it is past the rainy season so everybody was surprised), so we were slowed down considerably. On top of that, there were cows and donkeys EVERYWHERE, not to mention potholes. We normally don’t drive on highways at night (it is too dangerous with the animals), but we just crawled along slowly and all watched out for animals. Our 10-hour trip turned into longer than that, but at least we arrived in Maun safely. We camped in Moremi for 3 nights and saw a variety of different animals. The big exciting thing we saw was a pride of 10 lions. We were extremely close to them, I could easily have touched them I if I would have been stupid enough to stick my hand out the window – which was open. We were surrounded by them – in front, behind, and on both sides. Ironically, Tau (our Landrover) means ‘lion’ in Setswana :) I thought that was cool. So the Evans’ brought the rain AND lions, both of which are good. They are amazing beasts, lions, and I could have watched them all day. It was getting dark and we needed to go back to our campsite. Wow. I still can’t believe we were that close to a pride of 10 lions. They were all lionesses, and young males. I’m still amazed at how lucky we were. Our last night of camping, we heard lions roaring all night long. It kind of puts you to sleep. They were on both sides of our tent (but not too close by). All in all, it was a great trip and I was sad to go. I definitely want to return there.
On our way home from Maun, we dropped Nicole off in Tonota, a village, where she will be staying for the next 2 ½ months. I really would like to live in a village some time, maybe when I’m out of college. It seems like a good experience, but then again, just being in Botswana is a good experience. I think Katrina, Lisa (who’s coming in a few weeks – YAY!), and I will probably take a bus up there to visit her sometime. I hope so.
The Evans’ leave on our first day of school, which is Monday. I’m not excited for school to start, this vacation has been too much fun!
Trust all is going well,
Renae
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