Oct02

News from Bethany 24th October 2002

Graham returned from Bethany on Wednesday the 23rd October. On his arrival at Mwanza airport
on Friday October 4th he was met by Gillian Luck and Fares Mussa. Fares had already indicated
that he was leaving Bethany as soon as possible. His wife Grace has already moved to Mwanza
with most of their belongings and Fares joined her on Saturday (the day after Graham's arrival).
Rachel Hill and Victoria Kyriakidis had left the previous Monday. Graham was told by other staff
and workers at Bethany that Fares and Grace had left to start a new children's home in Mwanza
with the help of Rachel and Victoria who had left the previous week. We as an organisation are
overjoyed at the starting of a new children's home and hope and pray that many children will
benefit from this new initiative.

Gillian Luck continues to serve at Bethany. Unfortunately, on the Sunday two days after Graham
arrived she was moving food from the store room to the kitchen when she fell and broke her ankle.
Graham took Gill to the local hospital and they were shown a brand new X-ray department that had
only started operating the previous month. They returned the following day and the X-ray was
taken and showed two badly broken bones which joined the leg to the ankle. The hospital put on a
temporary cast and said that Gill should return the following Monday when the swelling had gone
down for a full cast. However Gill's ankle and leg continued to swell with considerable bruising. On
Gills return the following Monday the doctor was very concerned about the fact that the swelling
had not gone down and recommended that she should be referred to a bigger hospital in Mwanza
(a two hour journey away). At this point Gill decided it would be good to contact her medical
insurance company to see if she was covered for her accident. With Graham's help contact was
made with the Insurance company via email (from Magu) and Gill was flown to Nairobi hospital on
Friday 18th October. On Monday the 21st Gill had an operation on her foot and a plate was
screwed to certain bones in her ankle to help the healing process. Graham visited on his way back
to the UK on Tuesday the 22nd to find Gill in good spirits but was told she would have to stay in
Nairobi for 6 weeks before they would put a weight bearing cast on her foot which would allow her
to fly back to Bethany. Graham arranged for Gill to move from the hospital when she was to be
discharged the following day and to stay for her convalescence at the AIM run Mayfield guest
house just up the road from the hospital. If you would like to write to Gill the address of the Guest
house is: Mayfield Guest House (AIM), P.O.Box 21044, Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa.

New team. With the sudden departure of Fares, Grace, Rachel and Victoria and the incapacity of
Gill, Bethany was temporarily without a team to oversee and help with the work looking after the
children, the clinic or the maintenance of the water tank pumps and filters. Bethany also had a
Landrover with no qualified driver! It was time for a new start at Bethany and so some of the other
workers who had been with Bethany for a long time or who had proved to be loyal and reliable were
invited to form a new team to oversee the ongoing work. Details of the new team are on the index
page. They include, Daniel, Onesmo, Jane and Paul. They need our prayers as they face their new
responsibilities. Graham also started teaching Onesmo and Paul to drive and Paul will go for
further lessons in Mwanza where he will take his test in the forthcoming weeks.

N.B. We have chosen not to go into detail as to why Fares and Grace, Rachel and Victoria left
Bethany - or the circumstances which led up their decisions or their actions subsequent to their
leaving. We will however respond to requests for more information via email.

News as of Sunday 27th October 2002

Have just received an email from Gill Luck and have copied parts for you to read - please note
her new address for post as she is no longer staying at the Mayfield Guest House.

Excerts from Gill's email.

I left hospital on Thursday.� Doctor Mutiso had taken one look at the wooden
crutches that you kindly brought me and refused to let me use them, neither did he
like Mayfield, (he went to see it on Wednesday) - he was proved right, because I fell
and knocked my foot whilst I was there - I don't know if I have damaged anything -
the ankle gets sore, but this might be due to my having to mobilize more. Thank
you very much for the e-mails and money you left for me at Mayfield. I am now
staying at Tim & Debbie Carpenters home - they have four children and a dog that
is only one year old.� I am using their lap-top computer to write this message. I do
not know how long I will be staying. They are very kind and helpful to me,

My first check up, and a partial weight bearing plaster, is due on 2nd November,
after that the doctor wrote 30th November and then 4th January 2003.� Dr Mutiso
said to me that in about one & half years time he would want to take out the plate
and screws from the ankle.� I have the x-rays (post-op ones but not the one from
Tanz) and it is the thinest bone of the leg at the ankle that has the plate (it looks
like 2 plates joined) and about 6 screws, the other side (thickest bone) has 2 screws
in - good eh!

Tim & Debbies home address is: Tim & Debbie Carpenter, P.O.Box 21171,Nairobi,
Kenya, East Africa