Jabe Hospital
Dave Kehler
I was reading devotionally this morning and came to Matthew 9:37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38“Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” This sums up the situation in Burundi.
Most of the educated and experienced people have left this country, and are still leaving. “All that is needed for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing!” I think more of the good people here should stay here, unless God tells them to go, and more of the good people back home should go, unless God tells them to stay. (One may need to be careful what one prays for, do we really want God’s will for our lives?)
Yesterday the team (minus Shane who stayed home because he wasn’t feeling well) spent the day with Ray. We were supposed to go upcountry but God knows. So we ended up at the Jabe hospital with Dr. Elouge, and what was to be a tour of the hospital turned into a much extended time of ministry. The anointing of the Holy Spirit came as we were obedient and prayed for the sick. It just kind of started when in the first room there were 4 sick—various life threatening and terminal cases, so we prayed for at least 3 specifically and the room in general. From there it seemed like a good idea to pray for everyone in the hospital, well we didn’t intend it to be that, by the time we were done that is what we did. We would enter a ward, Dr. Elouge would tell us stuff about the hospital, the area, and the patients and we would split up and each pray for one and if there were more we would make sure everyone in the ward was prayed for before we would move on.
I was so very, very proud of the team. Rudy, although initially rather white faced and praying from about 2 feet away, remained faithful and embraced what God was asking of him. Brad, whose worse place on earth to date has been a hospital in the west, stayed the course, laying on hands and praying. Kelly sometimes praying alone, sometimes with Brad; Amanda and Pearl just stepped up and prayed. Only a few pictures were taken, and only after the praying. Dr. Elouge encouraged us to take pictures, but we did not take that many as there was a sense of reverence and awe.
Dr. Elouge was riding the wave of prayer and had us pray for all the staff as they came along, he sought out the staff in various areas and everyone that came across our path was prayed for.
There was a room with the door closed and Dr. Elouge said this was a special, extremely difficult case. There was a 75 year old woman inside, sick with body organs shutting down do to alcohol abuse and she refused to stop drinking, refused to accept Jesus, and remained incredibly belligerent, even resisting and rejecting prayer. As we stood outside the door we could smell the alcohol, yes coming from her room in the hospital.
Dr. Elouge and I entered while the team, at the Spirit’s prompting stayed outside the room and prayed. She was sitting up in bed, drink in hand, and had 4 of her grandchildren on the bed across from her there to visit their Grandma. After Dr. Elouge spoke with her for a while and explained who I was, I asked for and got permission to pray for her. When I finished, Dr. Elouge invited her to say “Amen” and she refused, although the grandchildren (aged 10-20) were praying in agreement. This lady remained hard.
She then started berating Dr. Elouge and complaining about her aches and wanting to be released and then she had a piercing pain in her leg, which came regularly. She said she needed the doctor more than she was getting. I said she did not need the doctor but she needed the healer. So I prayed again for her, this time I got more energetic in my praying, inserting Hallelujah’s and amen’s, as is often the custom here. As I ended Dr. Elouge again invited her to respond with an Amen and this time she did, even with a few Hallelujahs. Dr. Elouge was very encouraged.
There are many stories but it seemed like the doctor didn’t want us to leave—he kept finding people and areas of the hospital for us to pray for. We then went to the finance department and prayed for the administration team.
This hospital survives on prayer. The waiting area has regular prayer and preaching, the staff meets at least two times a week for prayer and Bible study, and people are regularly getting saved. So many of the people that have died, came to Christ first and are now in heaven. No one is turned away or refused treatment, although many have no possible means of paying.
The hospital and clinic does all kinds of diagnostic tests but most of it is still with limited computer technology. Brad was really impacted at the meager computer systems and the incredibly urgent need for upgrades in hardware, software and networking, which to date is non existent. Recognizing that in order for any gift of equipment to be a blessing, it should come wired for 220 volts and setup before being sent to ensure optimum usage.
Recently a newly trained gynecologist has returned to Burundi. He is a specialist in woman’s surgery, and the only doctor in Burundi qualified to do many of the reconstructive surgeries so required due to the vast number of violent rapes. However, there is no operating room or equipment for him to work with. Therefore he spends only 2 days a week here and the balance at the state hospital, whose facilities are slightly better, but he would love to be full time at the Jabe hospital.
The need is for a woman’s ward, 10-12 beds with a maximum of 2 per room, and an operating room. This facility would also be frequented by the wealthy of this community and as a result would carry the operational costs for the rest of the hospital—so very many of the patients are the poorest of the poor that do not even have the $1.00 that is charged for a consult.
There is also a counseling center attached to the hospital, again, way understaffed and dealing with only a fraction of the cases, mostly helping the people deal with facing the fact that they have AIDS. There is a great need for sexual abuse counseling and the hope is to establish this in the same facility as the woman’s pavilion, but to date there are no funds available for this.
Although I am not sure what we will be doing up country, I know we are going to the BaTwa, and we are supposed to be ready to work with children, and to worship, and do whatever is needed. But as we know, that is what a trip like this is all about.
August 1st, 2008 at 3:56 pm
I am gld to hear these testimonies how God is using all of you to bless other. You are blessed to bless
It is just amazing. Yesterday during my prayer time that when I was getting a revelation on that scripture. I was thinking on how many people are asking God to help them and that God is ready to do it. It came to my mind that someone need to be sent to answer the cry of others. Who is sending that someone then I realized thare should be someone being obedient to God. I can’t go but ican send someone.