Another day at the Office ?

This has been such a remarkable journey. Today we stepped into the "End of the Spear" book written by Steve Saint. As Steve was considering returning to Ecuador to work with the Waorani he was searching for a GPS to map the jungle areas. In a fashion that only God can organize, he met Rick and Sharon who were to lend him their airplane for the newwork in the jungle. Tonight we were invited for dinner and to share the evening with Rick and Sharon - missionaries to Ecuador for 30 years; homeschoolers; a pilot; and they live in an original MAF house with a hangar right on the Shell airport (with a few termites that create havoc on much of their woodwork).


We met Steve, another missionary from Cuenca, who has been building an "experimental" aircraft for the past 4 years. Most of the pieces have been brought from the States in his "personal luggage". This week he has moved most of the parts of the plane to Rick's hangar and hopes to complete this rugged STOL aircraft and use it to fly for mission projects into the jungle. With metal cutters and a book of instructions he fashioned the wings, ailerons, flaps and is now waiting for the glues and adhesives to attach the fabric to the outer shell of the plane.















There were no scheduled surgical cases today but I was called back rather urgently to help out in emergency. Sometimes it can be faster to walk than to drive. A woman was bitten by a snake and was admitted to receive anti-venom. Once bitten most patients will kill the snake and bring it to the hospital with them. Fortunately, most of the poisonous snakes are from the rattlesnake "family" and respond to a common anti-venom. I also helped retrieve a 1x2 cm bean from the nose of a 3 year old that had somehow lodged it into his right nostril. Sevoflurane, a thin pair of forceps, and some persistence successfully delivered this very large bean. Finally, we did our first C-section during my visit. The spinal worked just like in Saskatoon and the mom and baby both did well. I can hardly wait to see what tomorrow will hold.
Gary