January 15th

Asante sana. In Swahili this comes to mean thank you very much. All of the people that are on this trip can relate to these two words. Mary was able to go back and rediscover her passion for surgery and teaching the people involved in surgery different methods that can be applied. Dan was put into a difficult situation with a woman who had a tumor that was rather large and taking over her elbow joint and the diagnosis was not looking bright. He was thankful for the reminder to always leave the patient with hope. Jenny was thankful that she could observe and challenge the medical students with questions during ward rounds and her lectures. Shannon was thankful that she would be a resources for the nurses at Kamanga to develop an ICU and Palliative care unit shifting the stigma from death to comfort care.

Kim and Brittany were kept company at Fonelisco Orphanage by the many wonderful kids that were present. They were thankful that they could play in the dirt with the kiddos and teach them about math and exercise. They were truly touched by all the joy that radiated from the kids and the story of the Dutch interns that they had the chance to meet. Mike was touched by all of the things that we can still bring to the table and how that compared to everything we have progressed on. John had the opportunity to work on fixing up some medical machines to bring them to optimal functioning or functioning in general. He was thankful that he can make their lives easier by giving them back the use of their tools that have and need to be “brought back to life”. Pat had a lovely day in surgery and was thankful that she could have such a learning opportunity and see her first lipoma. 

Today I had the wonderful opportunity to scrub in on a few surgeries and start to discover my passion in life and why God had decided to guide my journey here to Tanzania. I am truly thankful for all the people that have come into my life during this trip. Today I was able to have conversations with medical and nursing students about our eduction and our paths we are on in life. I am thankful that I have had the opportunity to watch an amazing surgeon in action and assist in anyway I was capable during surgery. Asante sana to all of the people that have welcomed me into the clinic, wards, and OR to be educated and find my passions in the healthcare field. There have been many people on this trip that are encouraging me to shoot above the ideas that I could even dream of. As much as Hope Ministries has been making an impact that will last through the years each member of this team has been touched by the people here in Tanzania. 

Amanda Miley

We are excited that we are finishing the dining room project for the kids at Fonelisco Orphanage.  The children will have a nice place to have their meals and not have to be outside under a tree.  Hope Ministries donated all the funds to make this happen and we will be finishing this project on this trip!!  I am so excited. 

Gayle