Ruths Report

Newsletter 26 September 2013

Sometimes we drive around the town and surrounding area with the car in the weekends. Our children like it (we do not have playgrounds). It is the end of the rainy season and it is getting warmer and dryer in the daytime. On the left is a main road in Soddo town. On the right are children taking care of cattle, just outside Soddo town. Some of these children do not go to school as they are required to take the animals to grazing places. It is low land and malaria is common there.

Soddo Christian Hospital : working

The patient in the picture has a large wound on her lower leg for more than 15 years and she developed a swelling in the thyroid gland since a year. Many causes of health problems here are due to poverty and lack of knowledge. When I asked her whether she would eat meat or eggs, she answered: not often as I cannot afford it. Meat and eggs contain necessary proteins for wound healing and the average people cannot afford to have it as required. Our laboratory has a reasonable wide variety of tests available, amongst which thyroid function testing. There are also several specialist working in the hospital like an internist, pediatrician, radiologist, ER physician, gynecologist, surgeons, an orthopedic, next to several general physicians. Many patients are referred to our hospital from health centers and other hospitals. Sometimes from far, days travel from the south and even parts of Somalia or the north of Ethiopia. Moges passed his exam and started his 3rd year of surgical residency. On the picture he is doing rounds in the intensive care/ recovery room. Soddo Christian Hospital is a Christian Hospital and is situated in the Wolaitta Soddo town. Most of the inhabitants of the area are Christians. One of the hospitals goal is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people that come to the hospital. On a regular bases patients who are Muslim or have an animistic faith of tribes to the south are in the hospital. In Ethiopia people speak around 88 languages, and patients that speak different languages visit the hospital. Fortunately there are physicians and nurses who are able to speak several languages and are able to translate.

The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness. Lamentations 3: 22, 23a

Picture of a meal we had recently with surgical residents and the field director and his wife.

Wolaitta We would like to thank all the people for their prayer and support. Also on behalf of the people of Wolaitta we would like to say, thank you very much and God bless you!

Juliana school We would like to thank the Juliana school in Winterswijk, the Netherlands, very much for their donation. We were able to support a girl from poor parents with her last year of IT education. We were also able to buy more pulse-oxymeters and donate towards baby blankets for the hospital.

2 Midwives. On October 21, 2 midwives from the Netherlands will come and work here and help teach the midwives and nurses on the obstetric ward. We look forward to their visit! Points of praise: For our recent one week holiday, For Moges exam, For the coming of the midwives. Points of prayer: For safety and protection, For the management of Soddo Christian Hospital, For health during this pregnancy and delivery.

Expecting We are expecting our third child in November!

The blooming of the fire trees on the compound announce the end of the rainy season and beginning of the dry season.

Moges, Ruth, Efrem and Yonatan Mulu-Droppers

Soddo Christian Hospital, PO Box 305, Soddo Wolaitta, Ethiopia www.soddo.org, www.paacs.net, ruth.droppers@gmail.com. Mission organization: Foundation White Fields (Stichting Witte Velden) in Hilversum, Netherlands, for donations: IBAN NL 41 PSTB 0001 485137, i.a.o Ruth Mulu-Droppers, email: stgwittevelden75@chello.nl , Home front committee: j.a.droppers@hetnet.nl