The Calabash tree, one of the earliest cultivated plants in the world

Attending the funeral of another young women in childbirth this week we noticed a tree in the cemetry which had large green balls hanging from it. “Has someone tied balloons to that tree?” Helen asked. However when she approached the men sitting under the tree she was told, “No this is a calabash tree.” and they cut one down for her. Afterwards I sawed it open and scraped out the inner soft pulp (a culinary delicacy in some countries). You can see how useful it would be for containing fluids of any kind.

Amazing success rate

On three occasions my leave has been covered by a Scottish gynaecologist who spent almost all her working life in Pakistan and Africa, concentrating for many years on obstetric fistula. She has a remarkably successful technique that I have not come across from my other trainers for repairing the common injury where the bladder and urethra have been severed into two. I am now practicing on this and finding it quicker and easier. Thank you Fiona!

Share physical possessions, but not metaphysical ones

A predictable thing happened as I snapped this new sculpture of restaurant advertisement. Shouts went up and men hurried towards me from all directions. “Don’t ‘snap’ the sculpture.” “It belongs to the artist.”

The amazing generosity of Africans does not include sharing intellectual property. Photography, especially by a white man is seen as thieving the man’s work and using it for his own ends.

I escaped by saying I would phone the artist (“I de call am.”), whose name and number was on the sculpture, and “I able for bring mi padi den to dis restaurant de for eat dis chicken.”

Second Fistula Surgeon – their loss our gain

In January 2006 when we first visited the Mercy ships in Texas we asked for a 2^nd surgeon to help Dave with on call and working together. This was turned down initially, but is now going to be fulfilled on 1^st September, by a national, which is a double privilege.

Alyona Lewis, a national of Sierra Leonean and Russian birth, has repaired 600 fistulas in 4 years at another charity hospital that closed three months ago. We know her quite well (and had a good chat on our flight last week!) and will give her a warm welcome.

Pray for good working and personal relationships.

8th August: 3 weeks in the UK

We are sitting in the departure lounge at Heathrow waiting for the flight back to Sierra Leone for another six months there. We have spent great times with family and friends in the UK. Of special note:

Christa graduated as a primary school teacher
Stayed in a cottage for a week in the Highlands with our wonderful family
Enjoyed our very special grandson

We are prayerful for Stanley to overcome a fatigue problem which has been worse in the last 6 months