THE RHODES

          THE RHODES NEWSLETTER: AUGUST 31, 2011

Greetings from the green highlands of Kenya.  The rainy season is nearly over, and the hills are covered with maize.  The people here are hoping for a good harvest. Our son, Zeke, has just returned from the Kenya – Somalia border – about a 10 hours’ drive from here to do relief work with Samaritan’s Purse. He tells us that he saw people there walking up to 15 kilometers in search of water and there is little food available for all of the refugees spilling into Kenya from neighboring countries. We ask prayer that God would send rain to that area. Recently, one of our visiting medical students asked me what the most difficult part of our lives is here. The response, I told him, for both of us, is being separated from our children: missing the day to day and the significant days of their lives and our culture with them. Cell phones and three shilling a minute calls to the US have helped us stay connected and we are thankful for that. Though they are now going in different directions, they have enjoyed all living in Little Rock, Arkansas during the past year. Some of you have asked to see pictures of surgeries done here. 
These are just a few of the “before and after” pictures of patients Bill has operated on within the last few weeks: 

A Pokot baby who came in with a bilateral cleft lip and palate.

BEFORE

                                                                                                                   AFTER                                                                                                                                   

Three children who came in one week from the Baringo area with burn contracutures of the hand.

AFTER

The third is of a  young man who came in a few weeks ago late on a Saturday night with a depressed skull fracture. He could not talk or move the right side of his body.  Bill did an emergency craniotomy and he left recently, walking and talking with his parents.

After recovering from his emergency craniotomy 

The last picture is of Mercy, burned severely as a little child.  She had never walked on both legs. Bill released the contracture and she now has full extension of her left leg.  She came to the hospital church service this morning using a walker and has begun toe touching exercises with her left leg.

BEFORE

             AFTER

We ask that God would continue to heal many and that they would see the love of Jesus in this place and find new life and hope through His death, burial and resurrection.The last surgery in the old theatre was performed on the morning of August 1, 2011. The first in the new O.R. was done that same afternoon.  It was with mixed emotions that we closed the door to the old O.R. Thousands of surgeries and memories are there. The new facility is beautiful and we pray that it would bring healing and hope to many for decades to come.

This is the last surgery done in the old O.R. (Theatre)

First Surgery in New O.R. (Theatre)

We thank you for your prayers for this little corner of the world and ask God’s blessing on each of you.  

Bill and Laura Rhodes