Today marks the 6th day out of 14 that we will spend working in the hospital. So far I think I can speak for everyone when I say that this has been a great experience. It is interesting to compare and contrast how medicine is practiced in different parts of the world. In the laboratory here, for instance, we are unable to get some of the most basic of tests such as sodium and potassium levels. The machine that analyzes white blood cell counts was out of commission for several days so we were unable to check WBC on anyone. Although every good physician should determine whether or not a test will alter his patient's management before ordering it, this is done more regularly over here. Not only does the hospital not have access to many tests that we would consider standard, but some of them must be obtained in Kigali which is not only expensive but also time consuming for the patient. My hope is that the exposure to this type of medicine will enlighten us to the way medicine used to be practiced, where sound thinking and a skilled physical exam were used to make the diagnosis and tests and imaging were used to confirm the clinician's diagnosis.

This is the third time I have been to Africa. As I'm sure many others have already mentioned, this is the prettiest country I have been to in Africa and undoubtedly one of the prettiest on the whole continent. We are currently in between the dry and rainy seasons. The soil is rich and the vegetation lush. The rolling hills and tropical rain forest keep the scenery interesting. I discovered that the termites that fly around at night are, in fact, edible. Just ask Goose.

As we move forward I ask for safe travels for the residents and Dr. Simmons as they begin their journey back to the U.S. I also ask for prayer that our focus remain in God and what he has in store for us in the coming weeks.

God Bless
William