so long

Yes, I know it has been a long time since our last post. And like always I can use the excuse that life in Africa is very difficult, there is lots going on, our internet only works some of the time, and any number of things. But in reality I just haven't gotten around to it lately.
Things are going well at work and in the last 2 weeks we have had a family return from furlough back to Lesotho and on Friday the Thiemann's arrived. They are new to Lesotho and it was great to meet them.
Below are some pictures I took last month while we had three airplanes flying at a small airstrip called Lebaking. There are no roads and everything for the clinic has to be flown in. The building you see is not yet finished and is one of about 4 that are being built. All of the supplies are flown by airplane.

Update

We have enjoyed the fact that the weather is starting to get a little warmer here in Maseru. The kids have started to enjoy the outdoors a little more and and still having a blast with our two dogs.
Work continues to go well and is probably the biggest reason for the lack of blogging recently. Things have been very busy. I am currently in the shop responsible for maintaining all 5 of our airplanes in tip top shape. I have also had the chance to have 4 Mission Aviation college students from LeTourneau come to visit and see what Mission Aviation is in the real world. It was a blast and we enjoyed having visitors. We would love to hear from all of you so please keep in touch.
I will have to go back to America in February for three weeks of specialized training to be an instructor pilot in Lesotho. As a result of two break in's in our house over the last year and multiple other break in's and robberies we have decided that Leslie and the kiddo's will go to Flagstaff while I am in Nampa. After my training I will return to Flagstaff for a week and a half before we return to Lesotho. For those of you in Flagstaff we cant wait to see you in February.

Methelaneng Lesotho

Here is a video of Bob Dontje landing a Turbo 206 at Methelaneng.


After a cup of Coffee and a few words with Merrill the missionary in Methelaneng Bob was off to somewhere else in Lesotho.

Nohana Lesotho

Often after we land at the village of Nohana there are several small kids that come to the airplane to get a closer look at what the pilot is bringing to the village. Often I have two little girls who come and sing for me. I don't know the words but the other day I was able to capture it on video. I will try to get a translation and post it soon.

Queen 2 Hospital - Lesotho

Today Evi and I took a trip to the hospital to visit Rorisang and the rest of the children in the children's ward. What a great experience it was for Evi. We spent about an hour visiting with all of the children in the hospital. We became quite the attraction with a croud following us as we went bed to bed. Below are some pictures of Rorisang and some of the other kids we visited.

Crime Triangle

Lately there have been a large number of robberies, muggings, etc around Maseru. Last week the U.S. Embassy hosted a meeting in which several people shared their thoughts and concerns of the current situation. Two leaders of the Lesotho Police force shared for a while and spoke of a specific high crime area in Maseru.
In one corner you have the China Garden Restaurant, in the other you have the World Food Program headquarters, and the final corner in the Peace Corps house. This area was referred to several times. I took this map off of Google Earth showing these three locations. If you look at the map there is one house right in the middle of this triangle. You guessed it that is where Leslie and I live. The only building right in the middle of this triangle.
About two weeks ago we were finally able to get a couple of Labrador's. They have been great and are excellent with kids. Please keep praying for our family and for our friends who have been personally affected by violence in Lesotho.

Rorisang

Another day and another urgent prayer request.
Several weeks ago a precious 9 year old girl was flown from Lebakeng to Maseru in order to go have her leg examined at the hospital. She has a tumor on her knee and thigh that is about 6 times larger than the diameter of her leg. Doctors were afraid that the tumor has spread throughout her body and needed to amputate her entire leg as soon as possible. The mother decided to wait and flew back to the mountains in order to talk to the father about amputating her leg.
We flew Rorisang and her parents back to Maseru on the 18th of April, just in time for the scheduled afternoon surgery. The doctors are not excited about this surgery and as of yet it has not happened. Every day is another excuse about why it has not happened yet. One time the doctor had to go to the bank, and the next time she needed blood before they could operate. Every day is something different.
I have been sharing with Evi about this little girl and told Evi that Rorisang had to have her leg amputated. Evi said that Rorisang would feel better after the surgery because the hospital would give her a nice baby doll or barbie to play with. I told Evi that this hospital was different than Texas Scottish Rite Childrens Hospital and that the didn't have toys for the kids. Evi went to her room and picked out one of her favorite barbie's, a stuffed animal and drew two pictures to hang next to Rorisang's bed. On Thursday I took Evi to the childrens wing of the hospital to meet Rorisang. Evi was a huge hit and the kids along with their mothers loved little Evi. The could not stop talking to her and touching her long blond hair.
Today my friend Justin had a chance to visit. She is still awaiting surgery and her leg is severely infected. Pray that we would have wisdom as to what we can do next to help. Pray for Rorisang, that she would receive a peace that only the Lord could give.

Sick, Sick, Sick

Wow, Things have been crazy around here lately. Almost 2 weeks ago Evi came down with some sort of Flu virus. Eventually as it normally happens the other kid, Caleb came down with the same thing. As a result of Caleb feeling bad he always wanted dad and mom to hold him. That then led to mom being sick for a couple of days, and then last but not least dad is now sick with the same stinkin flu. Actually it has been 6 days and Caleb still is sick. poor thing. Oh and did I mention the circus that went up across the street from our house? normally that would sound like fun; who wouldn't want to live across the street from the circus? But as we are all recovering it would be nice to get some peace and quiet.

Evi playing with her friend after dance class at school


This little boy could not walk after an error at the local hospital that left him with a knee that couldn't bend. These crutches allowed him to walk without scooting around on his hands. Justin (a fellow pilot/mechanic) and I modified these large crutches to fit this boys very small arms and height

A Week in my life

Sometimes while living overseas it is hard do describe what we are actually doing over here in Africa. The adventures are so exciting that it is easy for me to write about what is happening here in Lesotho, but often it is just easier to leave out some of the more challenging and difficult situations that we find ourselves in at work. I have no pictures but I want to share a few of my experiences from the last week.

First I want to share a little more about how we work in Lesotho. Our day begins with a schedule for each airplane that is flying for the day. The only sure thing about the schedule is that it will change multiple times throughout the day. We also have four categories of patients that we transport:

Code 1: Urgent medical condition that requires immediate transport (Life and Death)
Code 2: Medical condition that requires transportation sometime the same day.
Code 3: Previously scheduled flight for routine Dr. visits, surgery, etc.
Code 4: A patient returning to the mountains after receiving medical care in Maseru.

Last Friday on March 28th I was scheduled with a busy day making 12 landings throughout the country. I had planned on leaving by 8:30 so that I could make my last landing in Maseru by 4:30 later that afternoon.
My day and that of the other pilot flying started with a couple of broken airplanes, I then switched to mechanic mode and worked on the airplane until almost 10:30. Thankfully three other pilots prepped their trusty steeds and took to the air to cover all of the flights that we couldn't do in the morning. Before long we had all five of our airplanes flying all over Lesotho just to meet the needs of the day. As the day progressed we received code 1 after code 1 for a total of 8 Code 1's before the end of the day.

Mid-afternoon I flew to a village called Nkau to pick up one of these patients, a little girl who was 2 years and 4 months old. Although you would of thought that she was only about 6 months old based on her size and weight. She was severely malnourished and was having a very difficult time breathing. I loaded the baby's grandmother (I am assuming that the mother has passed away), oxygen bottle, and IV fluid in the airplane. I then handed the tiny child to the grandmother so that she could hold her for the 30 minute flight back to Maseru. After loading the baby we proceeded to load another code 1 patient with Stevens Johnson Syndrome; A severe drug reaction that caused the skin of the entire body to slough off. She was wrapped in a bloody sheet and had a hand towel in her mouth that was soaked in blood.

I departed Nkau and climbed to 9,500 feet the lowest I could fly on my way back to Maseru. After taking off I radioed ahead and requested to have immediate medical attention and a Dr. available as soon as I landed. As we climbed away from Nkau I spent my time glancing back to see how she was doing and praying for her as we were flying. After about 10 minutes of flying, I noticed that she wasn't moving like she was before and I could not see her breathing. My front passenger climbed back into the middle seat to take a closer look and confirmed that in fact she wasn't breathing anymore. I radioed ahead and spoke to Dr. Jen and verified that they would be waiting for me on arrival. 20 minutes later we landed just as another airplane took off to collect 2 more Code 1's in Mokhotlong. After stopping we sprung into action taking the child to our patient waiting room that is most often used as our emergency clinic. After about 5 minutes, she was officially declared dead as we continued to clean up and prepared the child in a somber silence.

Now we were awaiting the arrival of the other airplane bringing 2 critical code 1's to the hanger. Dr. Jen, Justin (another pilot) and myself stayed to assist. Once again as the airplane showed up, we donned our gloves and rushed to remove and quickly examine the patients. One had severe head trauma, and the other had some major intestinal problems. They were stable at the time, so we loaded them into the ambulance and watched as they headed for the hospital. Of the 8 emergencies that day it is hard to keep track of how they are all doing. I do know that there are several who did not live through the weekend.

Fast forward to Yesterday April 2nd:
Another busy day here in Lesotho with multiple code 1's. I arrived back in Maseru at 4:00 PM ready to go home and relax after a long day. After landing, as soon as I walked inside I was told of another code 1 at Manamaneng; the place I just returned from. I thought they were joking until I saw them fueling my airplane and putting a stretcher inside. I grabbed a coke, something to eat and ran back to the airplane to leave once again. Normally I would call Dr. Jen to have her go with me if some care was needed, but I had to leave immediately or I wouldn't be able to land back in Maseru before sunset. 40 minutes later (our longest flight) I was circling overhead Manamaneng and saw a large crowd next to the airstrip. I landed and was immediately surrounded by people as they quickly transfered the nineteen year old boy into the the stretcher in the airplane. He was obviously in pain from the single stab wound he received the day before in the bowels. His breathing was heavy and I tried to ask if someone could go with me to keep an eye on the patient. They assured me that he was OK, and would have no problems on the flight. After departing at 5:05 PM I called Leslie on the radio and requested that Dr. Jen meet me at the hanger when I landed at 5:45 PM. Once again I passed the time by monitoring the patient and praying for them. His eyes were open and although in extreme pain he seemed to be OK. At 5:10 PM I glanced back and saw him as he was experiencing convulsions and vomiting, after which he stopped moving at all. I put on a pair of gloves, cleaned off his face and began to give him chest compressions the best I could from the pilot seat. I called Leslie once again and had her warn Jen that I had a patient who appeared to be DOA. I spent the rest of the flight doing some more chest compressions and praying all while flying the airplane back to Maseru as fast as possible. Once again I landed with tee sight of Dr. Jen and Justin waiting so that we could immediately remove the patient to our own emergency room. Dr. Jen, along with Justin and myself worked for about 10 minutes before confirming his death at 5:53 PM.

I share these stories so that maybe through reading them you will have a better idea about the needs of the Basotho and the work that we are doing here. I share these stories so that maybe you can know how to pray for us a little bit better.
I am privileged to have a large number of people praying for me around the world. Please continue to pray as we work with the sick and dying of Lesotho. Often it feels like no matter what we do or how hard we work we can never make a difference. Please keep praying. Pray for myself and the rest of the MAF team. Pray for our families as they stay at home and take care of the kids. Satan has a stronghold in this country and people are dying ever minute without knowing about the one thing that can bring them eternal peace. Pray for Dr. Jen, she deals with this every day here in Lesotho. Pray that MAF Lesotho would take the time and listen to what God would have us do. We have never been as busy as we are now, and we are growing like crazy. We have two new families coming in the next 12 months, and more airplanes on the way. The bottom line is that we need your prayers. Life here can be emotionally and physically challenging. Please... PRAY - PRAY - PRAY

Hluhluwe

Vacation

The last week has been keeping us busy. The last week of February I was involved in a course to become a certified VSAT installer. My parents also came in on Thursday. Thankfully my friend Justin (a fellow MAFer) graciously took one of my vacation days and went with Leslie to pick up my parents in Johannesburg so I could continue my course.
On Saturday I celebrated my 30th birthday and had a great time with my parents and grandmother here to visit. This last week I was able to take off of work for most of the week and was even able to take my parents on a flight to the mountains so they could see what we are doing here.
Tomorrow the adventure continues as we head on a grand vacation of South Africa. We are visiting the Indian Ocean and Hluhluwe; a big 5 game park. I am leaving my computer home so I am not tempted to try and get some work done. After we get back in 8 days I will be sure to update with some pictures of our adventure. Evi just loves going to dance class every friday afternoon at the American International School.

Thlanyaku, Lesotho

Sometimes you get the chance to go and use the airplane just to do something fun. Earlier this month I had the chance to go and pick up Dr. Jen from Thlanyaku on a Saturday. Instead of going straight to the mountains and back I thought it would be fun to take Evi and one of our new pilots Justin with me and enjoy a nice morning in the mountains of Lesotho. Justin and I both have Radio Controlled model gliders that we took with us. Actually I just built mine and it (or myself) has ever flown before. Here are some pics of our day in the mountains. It was a lot of fun and kind of funny that we took a real airplane to fly somewhere where we could fly our toy planes. Because I was on call for emergencies we used a satellite phone to make sure there were no emergencies while we were out playing.

My how time has flown the last month. It is hard to believe that we have been back here in Lesotho over a month. Things are going great and we are keeping busier than ever.
Please continue to keep praying for us and we will keep you updated on life here in Africa.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY:
Leslie turned 30 on January 16th. We had a nice dinner and cake at home. We enjoyed spending the evening underneath the grapevine in our backyardEvi is also doing great and still is walking better than ever. She is loving her jungle gym and doing great on this climbing wall that I made for her. Even in the midst of the business of Lesotho we still ahve time for a little fun and games. Before we came back to Dallas in October I found a pair of "fun-noodles" in the hanger and had fun directing the airplanes on the ground with the noodles. The Lesotho military in the hanger next door though we were completely insane, but I did have fun. While back in Dallas someone broke into my locker and put the following sticker on my flight helmet. I had to get a pick with the helmet and my "fun-noodles" before removing the sticker. Although I did forget and it wasn't untill a passenger mentioned it that I remembered to take it off.

Lesotho at last

Here are a few highlights of the last couple of days:
1. 31 hours of travel from Dallas, Texas to our home in Maseru.
2. Celebrated the new year somewhere around the 37th parallel according to the captain.
3. One lost bag who's whereabouts still are unknown.
4. Two happy kids who are happy to be back home (At least Evi is excited, Caleb has spent more time in Dallas than he has here in Lesotho)
5. Two cats who are 4 times bigger than they were when we left a couple months ago
6. A summer in Lesotho, the last time we were here in the summer was two years ago.

We look forward to keeping you updated to our adventures in Africa. Stay Tuned...