Dear friends, It is time to say a big THANK YOU to our great God and to all of you as prayer partners and helpers. We are celebrating a special period in the life of the Hospital Shell.
In Jesus’ time, a Jewish girl’s Bat Mitzvah was celebrated when she was 12 years old, signifying that she was now of marriageable age. At 13 years old, a boy had his Bar Mitzvah. He would then become a full member of a synagogue and was allowed to read the scriptures. At this age, the Bible records that the scribes in Jerusalem were amazed as Jesus discussed the scriptures with them.
Our hospital was closed in September 2013 and then re-opened. So, in a sense, we are still in the adolescent phase of growth, a little precocious. We still have a little time to go before we are independent.
But we still have to celebrate! WE HAVE PAID OFF ALL OUR DEBTS!!!!! The last installment was transferred on February 18th. The entire property and the houses now belong to the Fundación Misión Cristiana de Salud. In total, it was $650,000 over a period of about 5 years.
But that’s not all: the entire hospital has been renovated from the ground up. In between, there were several internal renovations due to requirements from the Ministry of Health. At the end of February, the operating room was renovated again: Floors and walls covered with special electricityinsulating linoleum.
The annual inspection and official approval for next year are due again on March 19th and approved. But that also includes countless small repairs in many areas of the hospital, mostly with a paintbrush.
But the most important thing is our employees. There were major internal tensions, management changes, and a lot of disagreement. This has been resolved for well over a year now and you can see that in the daily work:
The number of patients is slowly but steadily increasing. The main reason is not the advertising on social media; rather, people are regaining trust in the institution. We were once the most important hospital in the region, and some people still mention the old name of Hospital Vozandes. However, there are fewer and fewer that remember this legacy, so we must continue to build our reputation through the good work of the team.
An 8-year-old boy from a poor family comes with a fracture of both forearm bones. In another hospital he had to wait a long time and was not treated for hours. His parents brought him to us. We treated him the same night. It can be done without major surgical intervention and with a cast. Friends covered the costs. These are examples of patient interactions that build trust. ‘Word of mouth’ is the best form of advertising for our hospital.
March 2025 is an important turning point in the Hospital Shell. The debts have been paid off and the operating rooms have been renovated.
The international guest house has started operating, even if there are still many small steps ahead of us. We have put this part on hold for now.
By the grace of God, we have been able to just make ends meet financially since re-opening the hospital, but now it is time to build up a financial cushion again.
Other projects are coming up, such as the roofs on some of the residential buildings.
We continue to ask for support, but we have now really made progress towards our goal of a mission hospital that is selfsustaining and under local management.
Who would have thought, when the Hospital Vozandes del Oriente closed at the end of 2013, that this goal would become a reality so quickly in the Hospital Shell. To our Lord be the glory – and our thanks to many prayers and helpers from all over the world,
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.