Dear Friends, A new year has begun and we thank all of you for being part of one big team. We welcome all of our readers and partners to worship God with us for what he has already done this year. In November 2023 the new management took on a difficult situation and handled it excellently. The number of patients has increased significantly and the working atmosphere has improved. The Christmas celebrations improved comradery. Towards the end of 2023, we were able to fulfill our $600,000 purchase agreement with Reach Beyond. The hospital is now fully paid off!!!!! (The only thing missing is the $50,000 for the radio site and house).
However, there have been some recent changes: Some employees voluntarily gave up part of their salary and others were no longer able to continue working because construction and renovation projects were stopped. We still need to raise funds for the international guesthouse. The mandatory upgrades to the wastewater system for the hospital are on hold. We need outside help for this!! The hospital billing department has recently been restructured. In recent years, some patients have not paid their bills or only partially paid them. However, now we will take steps to address these outstanding bills through personal contact and even legal action if necessary.
Shell Hospital continues to build its reputation in the community. In November the hospital was featured at many festivals in the town of Shell and the surrounding communities. A contract was negotiated with the mayor of Shell to provide free medical care to impoverished and abandoned children for a certain period of time. We are particularly convicted of our need to help people on the margins of society. The number of surgical procedures has increased. Overall, things are slowly improving, but we still need YOUR help. A large mountain of debt from remaining payments must be paid off before we can continue to grow.
And finally, another ray of hope: Jessica and Stephen Morse, expected for years but now finally in preparation, have been accepted as missionaries in a United States mission. They are preparing to join the team as missionaries this summer. They come from the USA and have 3 sons. They are both Family Medicine specialists, he with a lot of experience in endoscopy. They plan to receive their recognition as doctors this year and then begin the “Año Rural,” the rural year at a remote government-run hospital, which is required to become a fully licensed physician in Ecuador. Once this is completed, they will become part of the team as soon as possible. We are grateful for this step, which will help us continue to move forward. Hospital Shell continues to grow. We are thankful for all your support and God’s rich blessings in 2024.
Eckehart and Klaudia Wolff
And the great team of the Shell Hospital Donations: Lightway Medical Foundation PO Box 8066
Fort Wayne, IN 46898 Checks can be mailed there, or you can donate through the websites. LightwayMedical.org/donations. www.HospitalShell.org
The hospital – helping in festivities of the community with medical assistents Final note: Since the first days of the new year the president of Ecuador declared the STATE OF EMERCENCY for 60 days because of insecurity by drug gangs. Please pray for security for our empoyees and patients and help the hospital, because we have less patients.