Duplantis Dialog: Year in Review - Part III(Jan 07-June 07)

It's been awhile already since the last update - so will try to get the rest of the year we've been here covered!

Here are some photos around Lubango, our home base.

Every Thursday we go to a rural clinic, called Rio de Huila, where we help out with the maternity clinic. We usually see about 35 women 2 hours! Visits are a lot shorter when you can't speak their language, and you have an assembly-line style clinic with three stations! Still it is great to be serving pregnant women again!

Here are some of the ladies who are waiting to be seen.

Here is Rebecca, a pre-med student from Saskatchewan, measuring a lady's fundal height

Here I am filling out records - not quite as fun, but certainly necessary.

This is Hamilton, a pre-med student from Ontario getting ready to listen to the baby!

Rita is the lady in the orange labcoat registering and giving out vitamins

Rosa, one of the clinic nurses taking a BP

Now this is at CEML, the new hospital in Lubango where we are based. This is the maternity room! Privacy is not a requirement!! So far we haven't had two deliveries at the same time but Florinda, the main midwife is ready! I'll have to remember to take her picture and introduce her at the next update!

The labor beds are behind curtains in the same room as the delivery/examining tables.

And in another corner of the same room we have prenatal/GYN visits so it is a busy room!

These little girls are the first twins I got to deliver and one was breech so was also my first breech delivery! God was awesome and provided my Dad with years and years of experience to be by my side for the whole labor and delivery calming and reassuring me. Of course I didn't tell my patient it was my first twins and breech! Praise God all went well and the girls are doing great. They still hadn't decided on names when I last saw them.

This is my Dad, Bob Foster, with the twins!

Mom, Amelia, is in the center, Dad, Nelito, behind and friend Elena, on the left.

I'm so sorry this photo is turned wrong and I can't find the way to rotate it, but this baby was my first "home" birth. The mom, Joaquina, works for one of the missionaries here and delivered at their home. Of course at 3:30a.m. but also praise God all went well!!!

The little guy was named Pedrito Joao or Peter John after Peter - Peter's first god-son here in Angola. Peter was a wonderful assistant with the birth.

We are just getting started with a new ministry we will call Project Mundindi. Mundindi is the name of the area surrounding the CEML and is where we will be starting a community health program. The two young ladies in this photo are Maria and Angelina and they have been brought to us to train to be village birth attendants for their area. The gentleman on the left is Pastor Moises(moses). He is the pastor for the CEML hospital and is wonderful and full of wisdom. The other two gentlemen are Sobas or chiefs of the villages.

The Sobas and the Pastor again.

Maria and her youngest.

Another big event was the dedication of the Cavango Clinic in May! We had spent three months there last year when we first arrived - see blog entry 1 - so it was a delight to be there for the dedication. My parents Bob and Belva Foster both came and were flown in by MAF so as to not have to deal with the bad roads. Steve Foster is below with Pastors and leadership awaiting the plane's arrival.