Dear Friends, Life doesn’t always run in a straight line. We often live in phases. That’s also how the team at Shell feels these days. Sometimes it feels like there’s no progress; it’s stagnating. Compare this to Psalm 13. It’s a single cry to God for help: “Hear me, O God, and enlighten my eyes…” And it ends with joy before God. As in many psalms, the person praying is going through a personal, existential low.
Our team can’t see the ultimate joy at the moment, but rather that doors are closing. For example, a foundation in the USA is ending its support because the founder himself is elderly and in a nursing home. He made one last large payment. The faithful have supported us for many years, and we are grateful for that, but now an important source of support has disappeared, and soon others may as well.
And then there are further difficulties: Our mobile X-ray machine is broken. Repairing it is proving difficult because a replacement part for a machine this old is hard to come by. Experience shows that even after repairs, the remaining lifespan is very limited, partly due to the consistently high humidity at Shell. Therefore, we need to consider a replacement at the same time. We are looking for a mobile X-ray machine, especially for the operating room. We used to have a C-arm, a real-time imaging system, but it gave up long ago. Does anyone know of a mobile machine that operates at 60 Hz and 110 volts that we could get inexpensively? Perhaps a PC-controlled mobile X-ray machine.
And that’s not all: The last routine check of our big X-ray machine showed that the tube’s lifespan is at its limit. A tube is the heart of the system. It costs about $5,000. And that’s normal wear and tear, like changing the oil in a vehicle.
We have to expect that, too. In our last letter, we reported on the purchase of a new power generator. We’ve postponed that for the time being for financial reasons. We will continue to have the old machines repaired because the problem is bigger. Guidelines from the Ministry of Health require us to use officially-certified contractors to do this. This is making the hospital more and more expensive. Friends have encouraged us to consider a photovoltaic (solar) system. It would be a good idea, but not exactly cheap. And who certifies and monitors such a system? Which of you readers and prayer partners have practical solutions for this? How could it be financed?
We are also looking for an internist to expand our inpatient treatment. That would be THE solution for the inpatient department. It would be good to also hire a radiologist on a permanent basis. Then we would also have more options for echo sonography. We have plenty of suggestions, but what’s the current situation? The team needs wisdom in making such decisions. These are the reasons why our team currently feels more like Psalm 13. Summer break – fewer patients, less outside support – reduced working hours and thus income. We don’t see the future as brightly as we have in recent months. Our savings are dwindling. And yet we want to join in with the
psalmist: “I will sing to the Lord, for he has done good to me!”
There are also many positive things to report: There are few large churches in the area, but there is a growing number of small congregations. Sometimes these are born out of divisions, but they are often gatherings of families with many children. Spiritual life is palpable there. Christian community is livedout. Right next door to Shell Hospital, there was a large tea plantation of over 830 hectares of land. It was no longer profitable. The workers were laid off, and shortly thereafter, the land was occupied by indigenous squatters and speculators. Such sudden changes are always fraught with social upheaval, hardship, and injustice. Wealth and poverty exist side by side. Now the state has regulated some things, built roads, and provided electricity. Properties are being officially recognized. And with increasing external order, Christian communities are also emerging. We are repeatedly invited to help there. Our team then offers free examinations. We then invite the families to our hospital for further tests. This is help for the poorest. These are usually uprooted people, mostly from the jungle without much land and usually without work but with large families. The local churches help to care for the spiritual and social needs. We see it as our role to partner with these churches by helping with the physical and medical needs.
We are also currently offering assistance to people affected by the floods of the Río Conambo and Río Tigre in the jungle of the Pastaza province.
That’s how quickly the situation in a mission hospital can change. After the joy of independence from mortgage payments and the formation of a team that has grown together and has plans, reality is now catching up with us. We realize that we need more funds, equipment and skilled professionals for every aspect of the hospital.
Experience tells us that we can continue. Thank you for praying alongside us: – For a solution for X-rays,
For a solution for the emergency power supply,
For new doctors in internal medicine and/or radiology.
Thanks for being part of the Shell team and pray for our future.
The Shell Team
(Eckehart & Klaudia Wolff)
Donations: Lightway Medical Foundation
PO Box 8066
Fort Wayne, IN 46898
Checks can be mailed there, or you can donate through the website.
LightwayMedical.org/donations.