Volunteer day Thursday, March 19

We will be having another volunteer day this coming Thursday, March 19, since this next week is spring break. We'll plan on working in the warehouse from 9 am to 5 pm, so we'd welcome you all to join us. On our last volunteer day, in January, we accomplished far more than we thought we would be able to do, which has been really helpful in preparing the containers we're sending out to Africa, South America, and the Middle East.

If you think you'll be coming, email me at leta@hospitalsofhope.org or call us at (316) 262-0964, so that we can plan projects for you all to work on.

Thanks for coming to the Banquet of Hope

Thanks to all of you who came out to support Hospitals of Hope at the Banquet of Hope this past Friday. Alexis Bilindabagabo, bishop of the diocese of Gahini in Rwanda, spoke about God's faithfulness in the midst of overwhelming circumstances and our need to act on faith, drawing on his experiences as a survivor of the Rwandan genocide and as founder of the largest NGO in Rwanda.

Hospitals of Hope can testify with Bishop Bilindabagabo about God's faithfulness, as he continues to bless our work. We had over 225 people in attendance at the banquet, and giving increased from last year's banquet, despite the recession. We have been facing increased requests for aid in the past year, and we appreciate your willingness to step out in faith to support our work.

We also want to thank all of those who helped to make the banquet happen. We had many volunteers who came into the office in the weeks leading up to the banquet, giving generously of their time to ensure good press coverage of the banquet, to assemble centerpieces, and to request donations for our first-ever silent auction. Many area businesses donated items to sell at the silent auction-- items such as books, tickets to concerts and sporting events, and dinner at local restaurants.

Central Christian Church hosted the event again this year, and Doug Barker, the Singles and Involvement Pastor at Central, served as emcee. The Wichita Eagle and Way-FM both did stories about the banquet.

The banquet was a big success, and we truly appreciate all of you who made that happen. Our ministry depends on the support of people like you, and you've helped us get our year off to a great start.

Equipment for Bolivia needed

We will be shipping out a container for Bolivia in the next couple of weeks, and we're still in need of a few items for the hospital. Specifically, we need a sewing machine in good, working condition for the staff in Bolivia to use to make and repair sheets. We have been swamped with patients in the last couple of months, and a sewing machine would really help our staff to be able to keep up.

Secondly, we need either an industrial-sized washing machine or 3 large capacity washing machines. These will also help our staff to keep up with the large number of patients.

If you have a sewing machine or washing machines that you would be willing to donate for the hospital in Bolivia, email Leta at leta@hospitalsofhope.org or call 316.262.0964.

One container released, one on the road...

As many of you know, we shipped a container of medical supplies to our hospital in Bolivia over a year and a half ago, only to have it sit in customs collecting dust for months on end. After talking with officials in Bolivia, corresponding with the Bolivian ambassador and the US ambassador to Bolivia (before their respective expulsions), and praying continually, we are pleased to report that the container has finally been released. Its contents, including ventilators, spine boards, and many other items that are vital to our hospital, have been unloaded and are being put to good use.

Today we shipped out another container, this one headed to Karanda Mission Hospital in Zimbabwe. Between 10:15 and 12:15, we packed a 40' semi trailer full of crates of medical equipment. We filled in the cracks with a few other items that the hospital had requested, such as folding chairs, and items for local children, such as soccer balls. The container will eventually be transferred from the semi onto a boat, which will carry it to Zimbabwe.

Banquet of Hope and Xelda Ministries

If you haven't yet RSVPd for the Hospitals of Hope banquet, there is still time. The banquet will take place at 6:45 pm on March 6 at Central Christian Church and will feature Alexis Bilindabagabo, an Anglican bishop and survivor of the Rwandan genocide. If you would like to come, please RSVP by February 25 to 316.262.0964 or http://hospitalsofhope2009.eventbrite.com/. We hope to see you there!

Hospitals of Hope has also begun work on a new project in Bolivia. When Xelda Ditmer, the grandmother of Hospitals of Hope's founder and a longtime supporter of our work, passed away this past fall, Xelda ministries was born. Using money donated in her name, Hospitals of Hope plans to open a coffee shop to reach out to youth in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Cochabamba currently does not have many places for young people to simply come and hang out, and the coffee shop will be a place for fellowship and for sharing the gospel-- another way that we can show Christ's love in Bolivia.

Progress in Liberia and a Generator for Bolivia

Life at the office has been busy for the last couple of weeks, as we’re preparing for our banquet and for shipping containers to several countries in the next couple of months.

Earlier this week, we got word that our Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with JFK Memorial Medical Center in Liberia had been finalized. The MOU is a document specifying our role at JFK, and its completion means that we can go ahead and send the container we’ve been working on. Mike and Daniel will be headed to Liberia again this summer with a team of volunteers to start work at JFK, where we’ll be building a trauma center.

We have just received a generator to ship to our hospital in Bolivia, since the hospital currently has no alternative source of power in the case of an outage. The generator weighs about 8,000 pounds, so it had to be loaded off the truck by a crane. Fortunately, the crane service around the corner from our office donated their time to help.

In two weeks, we will be shipping out a container of medical supplies and equipment to Karanda hospital in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is in the midst of a cholera outbreak, a health crisis adding to the distress caused by spiraling inflation. The other day, NPR reported that the salaries of many health workers in Zimbabwe are currently not worth enough to pay the bus fare to the bank to cash their checks. Please keep the people of Zimbabwe, and especially the staff at Karanda hospital, in your prayers.

Banquet of Hope Flier

This is the flier for the eleventh annual Banquet of Hope. A PDF of the flier (which is higher quality) is available at http://hospitalsofhope.org/pdf/banquetflier.pdf. If you would like a printed copy to hang in your workplace, school, etc., email leta@hospitalsofhope.org.