a step along the way

Global Vision of Faith and Service

2011-03-30T14:55:00.000-07:00

In February, Loretta and I returned to Los Angeles to attend the annual Mission Doctors Auxiliary Benefit. The main reason for attending (besides being able to socialize with so many friends in L.A.) was to present the Msgr. Brouwers award to Dr. and Mrs. Edward Malphus. It was an honor for me to be able to present this award to such a deserving couple. Mary Lou has served as president of the Auxiliary, as well as co-chair of the Benefit many times. Ed has been president of MDA for the past ten years, and has led the organization through some very difficult times, and now has them on a very good financial path assuring financial security for many years to come. They have both been selfless in donating their time and talents (and many times their funds) in helping and leading MDA.

I made the comment that: Those of us who have made a commitment to serving in the missions have the easy job! It is easy because, it is a "one time decision". True, it is a big decision, but once that is made and we are in the missions, then we are "just doing our job." People that live and work in the US and are still so involved in all kinds of volunteer (missionary) work are the ones who have to make those decisions every week and every month. The decision to take time out of their busy schedules to go to meetings; to read background material; to visit with prospective missionaries, etc., takes an on-going commitment. For these reasons, it is indeed a pleasure to present the Msgr. Brouwers award, “Presented in Recognition of the embodiment of Msgr. Brouwers global vision of Faith and Service.” Congratulations Ed and Mary Lou and thank you for your dedicated service.

“MISSIONARY VS MARTYR” or “MISSIONARY AND MARTYR?”

2011-01-24T09:13:00.000-08:00

Just now I am reading a very old book by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “The Cost of Discipleship” – first published in 1937. He makes this statement: “First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.” It made me think about the situation of working as a missionary in a country where there are serious issues of civil rights. What are the “right positions” for the missionaries to take? Do we just keep our heads down and “not speak out?” and say, “I am here to do missionary work, and not to be political?” Is it “political” to point out severe civil rights abuses? On the one hand, IF we just keep quiet and say nothing about the atrocities, are we not being “silent approvers?” Are we, in fact, condoning what is happening? On the other hand, if we speak out, we then might well endanger ourselves and those we work with, even to the point of being imprisoned or worse. Most likely the least that would happen is that we would be quietly (or not so quietly) deported from the country and never allowed to return – and how does that benefit the people we are trying to help? I have never had a desire to be a martyr (I intensely dislike pain!), but it is an interesting dilemma. Perhaps the best solution is to be as Christ-like as possible, and show true love and compassion for ALL whom we come in contact with (even those responsible for the atrocities), and at the same time express our dismay and disapproval of the acts themselves, without naming names or pointing fingers.

There are many examples of missionaries working in countries where they became martyrs because of “speaking out” and trying to stand up for the civil rights of the very poor. Some of these examples are not that long ago in Central America—especially in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras.

Mission Doctors has always taken the position that they would NOT send doctors and their families into “dangerous” situations, and that is for sure the correct position. Still, over the years, those missionary doctors have found themselves in situations where abuses have occurred, and so the question still remains, “what to do?” I don’t have the answers; only the question. Maybe others will want to respond with their opinions?

A Reflection on World AIDS Day from Zimbabwe

2010-12-02T08:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was "World Aids Day", which reminds us of the tremendous number of AIDS patients we have cared for in Zimbabwe. In our Christmas Newsletter, we have this paragraph: "At St. Theresa Hospital, there are now over 1800 clients receiving on-going anti-retroviral (ARV) therapy. Nearly all of these are doing extremely well, and in fact, are living very normal lives – for what accounts for “normal” in Zimbabwe these days! More than 750 of these people have now been alive for more than two years on treatment. Remember, before we started our treatment program, ALL of these 750 would most likely be dead at this time, with countless more orphans in the District as a result. Of the 1800 + clients, 210 are children under the age of 14.

Being involved in the initiation and development of the AIDS treatment program has been one of the most satisfying things I have ever been involved with. You cannot imagine the satisfaction when you see this woman who was at deaths door and weighing only about 65 pounds just a year ago, and now is totally well and weights 130 pounds. As Elise, at Mission Doctors Associations, says: “where else would you find a woman who would be happy about gaining 65 pounds?”

Here is a picture I took of one of the empty male wards: I am proud of it, because when we arrived at St. Theresa’s in 2001, these wards were all full of dying AIDS patients. The overall hospital census has dropped from an average of 130 per day to under 70 per day. There is no other area of medicine where one can have such a huge impact!"

Much of the success of decreasing the incidence of AIDS is because of the treatment of AIDS patients. After being on treatment for six months or more, the viral load decreases to "undetectable" and this means that transmission to another is much, much less likely. Kudos to ALL involved in this work throughout the world, and to the UN Global AIDS and TB program. We must keep the "pressure" on the rich countries of the world to continue to support this work, and even increase the funding so that more and more people can have access to treatment.

Life continues...

2010-07-27T11:49:00.000-07:00

I have just returned from my first Board meeting with Mission Doctors Association. It was a two-day “retreat” where we went over all aspects of the organization, including reviewing the Mission Statement, Values, etc. You can get an update on the web site.

During the weekend, I talked with Jessica about my blog and how I had not done much of an update lately, because it does not seem appropriate to write in the blog about my life in Florida! After all, people want to read about “life in the missions.” I do keep up with the life at St. Theresa Hospital, so here is some of that information.

On a monthly basis, the hospital administrator, Ms. Hove, sends me all of the financial information; how much diesel has been used and how much is in the tank for future use; how donor money that I supply has been used during the past month; the complete hospital statistics that are sent to the Ministry of Health; and the Pharmacy inventory statistics. I go over those reports each month, and send back comments and questions to Ms. Hove. About three weeks ago, I also was able to talk with her via Skype on a Sunday morning. We chatted for about 40 minutes, so it was a good time to really get some pertinent information, and also to just hear how things are going.

They are indeed going quite well in spite of all of the difficulties. The staff are still paid a pittance by the government (as are ALL government employees in the country). The top nurses salary is about $180 per month, and the bottom “general hand” salary is $100. It seems like so little (and it is) but it is still better than during the days of hyperinflation, when the Zimbabwe currency would lose half of its’ value within one to two days. Now at least, if one has $20 US today, it is still worth $20 next week or next month or next year!

The financial report for the first six months is quite impressive. Remember, this is to operate a hospital that is averaging about 60 patients per day, plus a very busy out-patient department, a maternity ward that delivers around 90 babies per month, and an extensive AIDS diagnosis and treatment center, with several out-reach centers. The figures exclude most salaries, since those are paid directly by the government. There are a few still having to be paid by the hospital out of “revenue.”

Total revenue for six months: $80,000.
Sources of revenue:
Hospital fees 50%;
Donations: 25%;
Government allocations 20%;
“other” 5%.

Total expenses: $80,000. Medicine purchases is 25%, and the remainder is all of the other items needed to keep the hospital running. Remember, this is for six months! Of course, there are many things that “just do not get done” because there is not the money for it, but still, the main work of the hospital goes on and I feel that it goes on very well. They can all be proud of the good work they are doing under such difficult conditions.

Archbishop Romero Prayer

2010-07-23T12:35:00.000-07:00

On this blog is a copy of the “Romero Prayer” (left). People that know me, know that part of that prayer is my mantra: “We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation  in realizing that. This enables us to do something,  and to do it very well.” It could well be the mantra for anyone working in the Third World, where many times it seems hopeless. If one reads that prayer frequently and meditates on it, then we can focus on the something we can do, and we can indeed try to do it to the best of our ability. That is all that God asks of us.

I would like to clarify some things about the prayer. I was given a copy of it at a retreat given by Bishop Robert Morneau, Auxiliary Bishop of Green Bay, Wisconsin. In fact, it was given to us on a retreat at beautiful Chambers Island in 2000, and it was at this retreat that we decided that we would be able to return to Zimbabwe for long term work, which eventually ended up being nearly eight years. In any event, the prayer was listed as “A prayer that Romero used at a retreat for priests, shortly before he was martyred in 1980.” It has become know as “The Romero Prayer” even though he never actually claimed to have written it. In fact, it was written by Bishop Ken Untener of Saginaw, Michigan, and was drafted for a homily by Cardinal John Dearden in Nov. 1979 for a celebration of departed priests. It is appropriate that we give credit to Bishop Untener for being the author, and for Archbishop Romero for his martyrdom and example of how we should live our lives.

Maybe we could head this prayer in this manner: “The Romero Prayer”, popularized by Archbishop Romero but written by Bishop Ken Untener in 1979.

Thoughts about my trip...

2010-04-26T15:03:00.000-07:00

It is a long trip, and seems to get longer as I get older. It takes me at least a week to “re-adjust” to the time zone so that I sleep at the right times. Still all of the flights went very well and my luggage arrived at the same time as I did, both going and returning.

It was really good to see so many of our friends: in Harare, at St. Theresa’s, at Driefontein Mission, in Masvingo, and in Gweru.

Zimbabwe continues to “look normal” even though there are many bad things happening throughout the country. Fortunately, none of those things are happening in the areas where I was visiting.

All of the stores have quite a good supply of goods to sell, although at a premium price about 10 to 30% above what we would pay in the U.S. Every place now accepts either US dollars or South African Rand, BUT the money is SO terribly dirty. It is amazing to see dollar bills on which you can barely read the denomination or see the picture. This is especially true of the lower denomination bills.

I did take care of one of the wards for a few weeks, and even did three C-sections and a couple of other small surgical procedures. It was good to be doing some clinical medicine again.

All of the people working at St. Theresa’s are doing a tremendously good job. It was so rewarding to see everything running so well. The two young Zimbabwe doctors are doing a great job, as are all of the nurses, administration people, and of course, the Dominican Sisters – in fact, ALL of the staff continue to do exemplary work under very difficult conditions and with very low pay. Even though I did some clinical work, they could have gotten by without me doing that. It does mean that in the future, I can go for just two to three weeks and accomplish all that needs to be done.

The hospital census is averaging about 50 to 60 people per day. That is such a difference from when we first went back to Zimbabwe in 2001, when the average census was over 120 per day, and some days as high as 145 patients. The difference is due to the very large number of people now on Anti-Retroviral drugs for AIDS. More than 1300 people are returning every one to two months to get their drugs, and are completely well! This means that none of those people are being readmitted every month or so for opportunistic infections. Of all that was accomplished while we were there, this is the most significant. It means that these people can live healthy, productive lives and can continue to take care of their children. Of course, some 70 of these patients ARE children, and we are hopeful that the medicines will prove to be lifesaving for them for many, many years to come, and that at some time in the future, there will be a treatment that will truly cure AIDS.

I made some home-visits with Sr. Andrea, specifically visiting some people that have been on ARV treatment. Here is a man with quite a story, which he was happy to relate to us: Two years ago, he was totally bed-ridden, and unable to get out of bed at all without help. He was started on ARVs, and for one year, he still needed help. He showed us a wheelbarrow which his family put him in to get him to the pit toilet, or to just let him sit outside on a blanket. After a year, he started to slowly improved, and now he is able to walk with the aid of a stick; is able to work in his garden, and has such a smile! Click on the image to view a video clip of this man; he specifically gave me permission to use it “as I wanted to.”

Another place we visited was where a grandmother was looking after three of her grandchildren. Both of the parents had died of AIDS, and one of these children had recently been started on treatment. Even though people are so very, very poor, they still have such nice smiles, and have such good attitudes. We can indeed learn from these very poor.

I left Zimbabwe with a sense of hope; hope that the leaders of the country will be able to find a way to have true democracy so that they will listen to the needs of the people, and will bring peace and prosperity to these very peaceful village people.

I promised to come back...

2010-03-05T11:38:00.000-08:00

I promised to come back to St. Theresa Hospital every year for a month. This year it ended up being only nine months since we left. The trip here was too long, as usual: flight from Tampa to Wash. D.C.; easy connection then to the South African flight to Johannesburg. That is an 18 hour flight, with about 1 to 1½ hours on the ground in Dakar in the middle of the night. I never can sleep much on the airplane, so only had about two hours sleep in the 18 hours. I had reserved a place at a B&B in JoBurg; they were there at the airport to pick me up as soon as I had my bags. The place is only about a 5 minute drive from the airport. I was very happy to get a hot shower and get into bed. Of course, I woke at 3:00 and could not get back to sleep, so just read for a few hours. Then had breakfast and they drove me back to the airport in plenty of time for the flight to Harare. I was met there by three of the Dominican Sisters – they were glad to see me and I was glad to see them. I stayed in Harare Sunday night, and then ran around Harare Monday morning with Sr. Andrea, including meeting with a man about drilling a new borehole for the hospital. I also paid for the rest of the year for the internet satellite connection -- $1,400!

We arrived back “home” (really not my home any more, but still sort of feels like it) at 4:00 PM. The tar roads are fairly bad, but the dirt road is really terrible. There had been heavy rains last Saturday which was not good for the road, but good for some of the crops, and for water in our dam. Then again, there was over 3 inches of rain yesterday, so we have plenty of standing water just now.

Since getting back I have not had any patient contact, but will start that tomorrow. I have been busy with administrative “stuff” – especially trying to get the computers to work properly. There was problem with the internet satellite connection, and I was trying to get that sorted out. First with my laptop, then with the hospital laptop. There is a program which “Forces” the modem to lock onto the satellite, but it was not working. Then I connected the hospital laptop directly to the modem rather than trying to connect through the wireless. No luck with that either. So I was putting that laptop away and forgot I had the cord connected, and pulled the modem off the shelf directly onto MY laptop – and it made the screen go blank, and nothing that I do resolves that issue. Obviously will have to have someone look at it when I get back. I am glad that I brought my old laptop and not the new Apple MacBook.

The hospital computers are always having problems with viruses, and most of the anti-virus programs are outdated, so last night I uninstalled the one on the hospital laptop, and purchased a new one that is good for “more than three computers” and for three years. The satellite connections were working alright, and so I downloaded that – it took about two hours at the slow speeds with the satellite connection that we have. After completing everything I then got a message: “An Unauthorized Change was made to Windows” and the computer stopped functioning. The modem was not working at that time, so I had to wait until this morning to get reconnected and try to find out “on line” what the problem was. It seems like the antivirus program has caused a problem and might need to be uninstalled. I have sent an email off the anti-virus company and see what they think I should do. I hope it is going to work out alright.

While at the hospital earlier this morning, the woman in the statistics office called me in to help with that computer. They have a battery to help with short-term power when the main-line electricity goes off, so that the computer does not just go blank because of loss of power. The battery is obviously at the end of its function, because it ceases to function even IF the main-line electricity is on. I have short-circuited the entire system by connecting the computer directly into the wall plug, which means it will go off whenever the electricity does, but at least they can use it when it is on. I wonder how they would handle the problem IF I was not here?

There also was a man here yesterday to try to sort out the solar lighting problems in the Nursing School and Dormitories. That system is quite new, but one entire section was not working, and it is apparently because the batteries are totally dead. The batteries are supposed to last at least three years, and these have been about18 months. We had big problems with the man who installed them, and he has even threatened St. Theresa with a law suit IF anything derogatory is said about him, so I won’t! Seems like a very odd “Business Plan” to me, and not likely to lead to huge success.

Still, all in all, I have to say that things are really running quite smoothly since I left. I am glad to see that. Dr. Maunga has stepped up and become very responsible and helpful in all respects, and apparently a good mentor for the younger doctor. The hospital is very quiet at this time. Only about 45 to 50 patients, which is such a huge difference from 7 to 8 years ago, when we were averaging between 100 and 120 patients, and occasionally as high as 145 – most with HIV related diseases. I am certain it is because of the good AIDS treatment program that we have running. The people no longer are coming back and coming back, ill with one opportunistic infection after another, until they finally die of AIDS. We have about 1400 patients who are returning every one to two months for the medicines, and are very faithful about coming for their appointments and for taking their pills.

Right Now...

2010-01-19T10:14:00.000-08:00

We are getting ready to travel to L.A. for the big Charity Event on Feb 6th. Although we will be getting an award, we really feel that there are most likely many others who deserve it just as much or more than we do. Still, we are very grateful for this recognition.

I am busy trying to prepare an appropriate talk -- we will post it on the Blog after the event. I most likely will "again" use part of the "Romero Prayer" (on the left) since it has been my mantra ever since we returned to Zimbabwe in 2001. It helps to provide some stability in a situation where there is so much instability.

I read the news from Zimbabwe nearly every day, and it is only by having something like that prayer to fall back on that one is able to continue to have hope for the very poor of the country. Now we hear that once again the Southern half of Zimbabwe has had essentially no rain since the middle of December, so there will again be very poor (or no) crops this year. It is going to be another extremely difficult year, and deaths from starvation will only be prevented by even more food aid -- the majority of it from the U.S. With the devastation in Haiti and the need for such a large amount of aid "right now", it is going to be difficult for organizations to find the food that will be necessary.

DAY EIGHT: GRATITUDE

2009-12-11T08:14:00.000-08:00

Part eight of our Eight Days of Gratitude

Finally, we ALL should be thankful for the abilities that God has given us: the ability to work to help ourselves and the ability to work to help those who are so much less fortunate than we are. Let us all give very special thanks during this Advent season.

DAY SEVEN: FREEDOM TO WORSHIP

2009-12-11T08:02:00.000-08:00

Part seven of our Eight Days of Gratitude: Freedom to Worship

USA: Freedom to worship when and where we want.

ST. THERESA HOSPITAL: Freedom to worship when and where we want.

SURROUNDING AREA: Freedom to worship when and where we want.

We can all be grateful for our freedom of religion.

DAY SIX: AGRICULTURE

2009-12-11T07:52:00.000-08:00

Part six of our Eight Days of Gratitude: Agriculture

USA: We can be so very thankful for the tremendous job done by our nations farmers; feeding not only all of our nation, but having surplus for many parts of the world including Zimbabwe.

ST. THERESA HOSPITAL: Hospital employees barely have enough income to feed their families, but it is still better than all of those unemployed. Hospital patients are thankful for the donor support which allows the hospital to buy food for the patients.

SURROUNDING AREA: The very poor will undoubtedly run our of their own food much before a new crop is harvested this year. They remain thankful to the many nations of the world who supply food for the hungry.

DAY FIVE: DEMOCRACY

2009-12-04T13:17:00.000-08:00

Part five of our Eight Days of Gratitude: Democracy

USA: Democracy, it seems as though our system of government is very “messy” and noisy, still it is the best there is!

ST. THERESA HOSPITAL: Hospital employees have the freedom to “speak out” about their grievances, and sometimes this is very painful to the administrative staff, but still it is good for all concerned.

SURROUNDING AREA: The local people are able to give grievances to local committees and to local government, but the issue of “human rights” is of real concern all over the country.

DAY FOUR: JOBS

2009-12-04T13:05:00.001-08:00

After a short delay, the continuation of our Eight Days of Gratitude...
Part four of our Eight Days of Gratitude: Jobs

USA: Even though we are going through some very tough times with unemployment over 10%, still there are many social programs (government and private) helping most people. We can be thankful for all of that support.

ST. THERESA HOSPITAL: Hospital employees are very thankful for their jobs, even though the pay is so very poor. Currently, the lowest paid employee is making on about US $30 per month, and the highest paid nurse is making about US $150 per month.

SURROUNDING AREA: Unemployment in Zimbabwe is “around” 95%. The country has great potential, and I guess that is what the people would be thankful for, although they would like to see some real progress with the “Government of National Unity.” (Very little “unity.”)

DAY THREE: FOOD

2009-12-04T08:05:00.000-08:00

Part three of our Eight Days of Gratitude: Food

USA: Plentiful Food in our grocery stores. Nearly everyone in the US will have either Turkey or Ham for Thanksgiving.

ST. THERESA HOSPITAL: Local shopping provides few items, but at a distance of one hour drive over very bad roads, “most” items are available, although at least 20 to 30% more expensive than in the U.S.

SURROUNDING AREA: The very poor do not have the funds for any shopping, and rely on the staple food “sadza” (corn-meal mush) plus some vegetables. Meat and milk and even bread is a rarity.

DAY TWO: ELECTRICITY

2009-12-03T08:08:00.000-08:00

Part two of our Eight Days of Gratitude: Electricity

USA: Lights, electricity at the touch of a fingertip.

ST. THERESA HOSPITAL: Main-line electricity for “maybe” eight hours per day. Special Thanks for the people in Germany who donated a new generator for the hospital several years ago, allowing electricity “when urgently needed.”

SURROUNDING AREA: 95% of the rural homes do not have any electricity. Still, they are thankful for a hospital nearby that does have electricity, and the ability to use a generator for laboratory tests, x-rays, emergency surgery, etc.

Eight Days of Gratitude

2009-12-02T10:31:00.000-08:00

As we celebrate Thanksgiving and the start of the Advent Season in the US, it gives me a chance to compare what WE might give thanks for and what the people around St. Theresa Hospital might give thanks for.

This post will be the first of eight reflecting on gratitude.

DAY ONE: WATER

USA: Clean, safe water from the tap “every time.”

ST. THERESA HOSPITAL: Clean, safe water “every time” – “as long as bore-holes function. “ Special Thanks to Shawano, WI Rotary Club for their efforts to help with a new borehole in 2010.

SURROUNDING AREA: Clean water at a pump borehole within one to 1½ mile of our home. Many have to use river water and then there is very high risk of water borne diseases (e.g. cholera) IF the water is not boiled.

2009-10-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

Nearly Halloween here in the US. One wonders just how much is spent on Halloween, and how much that might help the “really poor” in the world? Difficult question, but after the past eight years among the poor of Zimbabwe, it is also difficult to not think those sort of questions.

The “Government of National Unity” (GNU) in Zimbabwe is in another crisis. First, “GNU” is an oxymoron if ever there was one. I guess it is a government of sort; it is “national”, but there is certainly NO unity. ZANU-PF seems to think that whatever little they do meets “all the requirements” on their part, and if only the MDC would get the world to stop the sanctions, then everything would be just fine. No mention of the on-going arrests of MDC members, of ridiculous charges against Roy Bennet, of the ZANU-youth terrorizing people, of continuing takeovers of what few white farms are left, of an agriculture policy that still will not feed the nation (let alone export products as was true just ten years ago), of now being “one of the worst” countries in the world as far as governance goes. Anyone wanting to read topical articles about Zimbabwe (MORE than you want to read, but just skim), go to: www.zimbabwesituation.com

But, in spite of all the above, I remain optimistic about St. Theresa Hospital, and the work they are doing. They continue to do all of the work we were involved in, and are moving forward. The AIDS treatment is going very well. There now are 435 clients alive and well 2 years after beginning treatment, and 849 alive and well after one year of treatment. One hundred and twenty two of these are children under the age of 14. ALL of those people would be dead by now if treatment had not been available, and there would be many more orphans. It does show a very bright glimmer of hope for the people. We are hopeful that the program can expand to the point where all of the people who should be on treatment will receive it.

I am busy writing our annual Newsletter. I am hoping to have it ready and sent just before Thanksgiving –means I really have to get busy! I will post a copy of it here when I am ready to mail them. Also, I hope to post an entry which will show just what the finances of the hospital are at this time.

God Bless,

Dick and Loretta

Re-entry continues...

2009-09-17T08:33:00.000-07:00

We have now been back in the U.S. for a bit over two months. Four weeks were spent traveling, with the climax being our 50^th Anniversary Celebration in Shawano, Wisconsin on 25 July (even though the “real” anniversary date was 29 August). We had it at that time so that all the grandchildren could attend and not have to miss school.

Here is a picture of all 34 of us!

Many of your sent donations to MDA as a gift to us – perfect!

And “thanks so very much.”

Shortly after the celebration, Loretta developed quite severe back pain, and that necessitated several trips to Urgent Care, travelling back to stay with our son Tim near Tampa, FL, and then an MRI and then Physical Therapy. It is good that we were here in the U.S. to get the appropriate treatment and the P.T. Fortunately, she is now improving, so we are hoping that continued exercises will help to solve the problem.

I remain quite involved with St. Theresa Hospital. Ms. Hove, the Administrator, sends me monthly reports that include finances, diesel usage, Senior Staff Meetings, and “problems.” The current most pressing problem is that Dr. Murungu is leaving on October 1^st! I had been assured that he would be there for at least another year, but an opportunity came up for him to combine working on a Masters in Public Health along with a job at the AIDS&TB Unit in the Ministry of Health. I fully understand that he HAD to take that position, but it still leaves the hospital in a difficult situation. I am busy trying to find adequate donations to be able to fund the “top-up” required for a new doctor. Salaries in Zimbabwe are terribly low by our standards, but it still requires a lot of small donations to find the $12,000 per year per doctor that might be needed.

I continue to plan on returning for a month in March/ April 2010. Possibly one of our donors will travel with me, to see the results of his family’s donations. I am also trying to find “short-term” doctors to go for one to two months to help. They will be able to stay in our house, and I think, have a tremendous experience. IF anyone is interested, contact me at: zim.stoten@gmail.com More on that later!

“Re-entry” for me remains difficult. It is so difficult to be involved in “everything” concerning running a busy hospital and outpatient and AIDS treatment program, and now be involved in mowing the lawn, cleaning out the car, visiting kids and grandkids, etc. Still, this is where God wants us at this time, so I will gradually become more and more involved with “other projects” here. Tomorrow I am going to the first meeting of “This Man is You” at our Church. It goes from 5:30 to 7:00 AM for twelve consecutive Thursdays, with another session in the Spring. I will keep the Blog updated about this! It should help me to meet more people at the very large church that we now belong to, and find ways to answer God’s call right here.

Dick

Re-entry

2009-07-27T10:44:00.000-07:00

Some more random thoughts on returning to the US, after nearly eight years in Zimbabwe...

“Re-entry” is easy because SO MUCH IS AVAILABLE (gas, electricity, water, groceries, ATM’s,…)

"Re-entry” is tough because SO MUCH IS AVAILABLE! How do we reconcile the differences?

What do we do to keep the very poorest of the world in “high priority” in our day to day existence?

And yet, how do we help the very poorest right here in our own country?

Giving a free handout to all who ask is not right, and yet doing nothing is not right either. “Easy Answers” certainly don’t come to me; I don’t envy those in government who are trying to make rational and good decisions. They certainly need our prayers and support, and our involvement..

It is easier to be involved in a large HIV/AIDS program at St. Theresa Hospital and see the results from month to month than it is to try to be involved in helping the homeless or the out of work in the USA.

And yet, someway we MUST be involved!

Recent Memories

2009-07-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

Having just returned home, we wanted to share with you some of our recent memories from Zimbabwe…

Farewell parties.
Kind words.
Lots of hugs.
Many tears.
Sad to leave, but happy to be returning to family and friends.
Remember all the very good friends we have there.
Hope to return for short-term visits.
Worry about the political future of the country (PRAY).
Vow to continue to help raise money for the hospital.
Promise to “remain in touch” by frequent emails.

Article to share

2009-06-08T10:25:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to share with everyone this recent article in the Economist about the state of Zimbabwe.

http://www.economist.com/world/mideast-africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13788284

For good...

2009-06-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

The Stoughton’s are leaving St. Theresa Hospital and Zimbabwe “for good” on July 4th, 2009. It has been a difficult decision for us, as we continue to have lots of work to do here, and will be leaving so many very good friends. Still, we are both getting to the age where serious health problems are starting to arise, and it is necessary that we live in the US where we can get good medical care – whenever it is needed! It is somewhat ironic that we leave on July 4th, as in 1970 we arrived with our five children on July 4th also! Two more children were born here during the 70’s, and then we spent 26 years in Shawano, Wisconsin. So, I guess that we have “completed the circle.”

We plan on living some place in the Orlando – Tampa, Florida area. We have one son in Orlando, one just North of Orlando, and one near Tampa, so after we get back we will spend quite a bit of time deciding where the best place is for us. It definitely will be close to one of the families with small children, so that we are part of their lives in growing up. It is what we have missed most in being here for the past eight years.

The decision means that we are very busy getting ready to leave, and I am especially busy in trying to finish several projects that are “in process.” The main one at this time is the quite large project of erecting a steel structure for three 2,500 gallon plastic water tanks. We then will be able to use dam water for all of the irrigation on the hospital property, and will save on the clean borehole water. This is a picture of the men pulling one of the tanks to the top of the structure. It was quite exciting, as with the second tank, just as it got to this position, they lost control of it and it slid all the way back down the poles. Fortunately, everyone was able to get out of the way, and there was not any damage to any people or to the tank!

I am hoping that this project will be totally completed within the next two to three weeks, so that it will be functioning before we leave.

Plans for the future: I plan on continuing to do fund-raising for St. Theresa Hospital, as there is still great need for support, and maybe even more so when we are not here. One of the other Mission Hospitals just South of us has a large group of people in Switzerland who call themselves “Friends of Matibi Mission Hospital” and do great work in supporting that hospital. I am hopeful I can develop a “Friends of St. Theresa Hospital” group in the U.S. who will also help us in this regard. In addition, I am hoping to recruit doctors for short term work here, and I will be returning every year for one month to help out, to see how things are going, and to see how our donor funds are being used.

Anyone wishing to accompany me on one of my trips please let me know! Our email address remains: zim.stoten@gmail.com

God Bless, Dick and Loretta Stoughton

Easter Season

2009-04-17T07:28:00.000-07:00

We have just returned from a short "get-away vacation" in South Africa. It was good for both of us, although the last two days were spent shopping for the hospital, and then returning through the border post at Beit Bridge. It is always such a stress for me, because one has to "bribe" your way through, and then you always worry about being stopped and in trouble because of the bribes. Still, it seems to be "a way of life now" and so one has to accept it. I also worry about carrying a lot of money, which is necessary to be able to have the funds to get the necessary supplies in Zimbabwe. One hears about being robbed while on the road, so I am always very thankful when we finally reach our home at the hospital.

Easter is such a time of HOPE for all of us, and especially all of us in Zimbabwe. The "Unity Government" has now been functional for about two months, and we do see gradual but certain progress. There are also many roadblocks being put up by "those in power," but the hope is that they will gradually lose their power and the people who really want to see progress will prevail. Our staff are fairly well satisfied with salaries of US $100 per month for each and every one of them, and then an additional amount which is dependent on their position. That amount ranges between US $30 for the lowest paid to about $550 for the doctors. It is at least a start, and the Finance Minister has vowed that the country would "live within its' means." They actually do not have much choice, since the Zimbabwe currency has now been declared "void for one year." Since the government cannot print currency, they have to live with what they obtain in taxes in US dollars or South African Rand, OR with what they get in donations. Supplies in stores are gradually increasing, and the prices are slowly decreasing since the first of January. The first time in ten years (or maybe forever) that there has been "negative inflation." I read that inflation for 2008 was 6.5 QuinDecillion NovembDecillion percent -- that is a 65 followed by 107 zeros! It is impossible to describe what that means in everyday living.

Returning to see patients on the Women's Ward is therapeutic for me! It gets me back to "reality." Only 20 women today, but they were all new to me, so it took quite a while. Lots of really sick women; still many with HIV related illnesses. I am hopeful that in the next two years, we will be able to start nearly ALL of the HIV people on Anti-Retroviral Treatment, who meet the criteria for treatment. This should greatly reduce the number of severely ill HIV patients in the hospital. It has already had a huge impact, in that the number of in-patients has decreased from an average of about 120 to 140 patients per day, to under 75 patients per day. One of the patients today had an x-ray which showed a partially collapsed lung and some fluid. She is HIV negative, and I had her in the hospital a bit over a month ago, with what appeared to be TB. However, now she is more ill, and has this very abnormal x-ray. I took her to the small operating room, and put a chest tube into her left chest, and got pus plus lots of air. I think she most likely now has a very chronic condition that is most likely NOT going to get better with the chest tube. I am hoping that some strong antibiotics will make a difference.

Hope, Faith, Prayers is what we all need, so please do keep all of us in Zimbabwe in your prayers.

God Bless.

2009-04-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

Dr. Richard and Mrs. Loretta Stoughton are serving at St. Theresa's hospital in Zimbabwe. They first served in the country from 1970 - 1975 along with their seven children.

The family returned to Wisconsin until Dr. Stoughton retired from practice in Shawano WI in 2000. Returning to Zimbabwe Dr. Stoughton noted that there had been progress over his 25 year absence with deep wells, improved sanitation, and universal immunization for childhood illnesses. However, HIV/AIDS, opportunistic TB and problems related to the nutritional had all but wiped out the advances.

Work began to introduce antiretroviral drug treatment including procedure to reduce the transmission of HIV from mother to child.

Despite the challenges faced today, St. Theresa's Hospital continues to be an oasis of hope.
As the months pass, Dick and Loretta will be sharing their experinces with all of us.

To start, archive letters are available here, beginning with an invitation to other Catholic Doctors to consider this type of service in retirement.