Mali Team Update - Feb 23

by Steve Bakunas

Greetings from Koutiala, we just got back to the mission home after having dinner with the Hanscombs - - what an awesome couple they are! ! ......Marilyn served two authentic Malian main course dishes and one other that was a traditional dish from the Ivory Coast (that is where they have lived for the past 25 years serving as missionaries). The team had a wonderful time and had to the opportunity to ask both Craig and Marilyn lots of questions about being minssionaries in Africa, the hospital project and Malian culture and traditions. While we were there some Malian friends stopped by for a visit - - as I was introducing myself to them I decided to try out some of my French that I've been practicing with the locals - - well, it must have sounded okay because they both started to rattle off French right back at me but it was coming at me so fast I had no idea what they were saying .......I simply had to confess to them both that my French was pretty weak and they were talking faster than I could hear ( - : It was a great night and we truly enjoyed their company.

We changed up things a little bit at the construction site today given we were at a stand still waiting for the trusses to be welded into place. A couple of team members did some painting, a few more started to build some cabinets from scratch, by hand (the wood they used came from some old solid wood doors that someone in the states had sent over to the Hospital (about 50 of them) - - these wooden doors are rock solid and will make some great cabinets. Others were assigned different odds and ends and I spent most of my day cleaning sinks that have been installed in the examination rooms in one of the new buildings - - the sinks were donated by a hospital back in the states that was in the process of renovating their facility and replacing the sinks they had. It is just amazing what can be done with some of these recycled materials - - most of the equipment and supplies used at the Koutiala hospital has been donated......everything from tables & chairs, beds, wheel chairs, stainless steel surgical cabinets, face masks and baby powder ......you name it, its been donated.

Elizabeth had a good day with her patients and has been doing wonders for these folks - - some of the people she is seeing haven't seen a dentist forever and anything she can do to help them is a major blessing. Dr. Kris assisted with a couple of C-sections today and I think this experience has really opened up her eyes to a totally different approach to medicine and delivering babies - - Kris has been in practice for about 25 years and told us that the methods she is using in the delivery rooms is 1950's - 1960's style medicine ......you simply don't have the technology here that is available in most modern countries.

Tomorrow the construction team is hopeful that we'll get back on the roof and continue pressing forward with its completion. If we're unable to do that then there's plenty of other things we can do.