Peter

The pain in Peter’s belly was just a gnawing ache when he finished his day as a tractor driver last Friday. He passed up the dinner his wife had prepared for him and their six children and lay down, hoping for relief. By Sunday, the worm of pain coiled around his midsection and into his back and his concerned family took him to the hospital in Turiani.

Peter’s eldest brother, George, got a phone call on Monday with the news of his brother’s condition. When he did not get good news by Wednesday, he made the hour and a half trip from his home in Morogoro to Turiani, only to find that Peter had been released that day because the hospital did not know what was wrong.

Arriving at Peter’s house, George found his brother wracked with agony and realized he had walked the two kilometers from the hospital to his home. He quickly gathered his cousin and other brother to help transport Peter to Morogoro, and they arrived at their father’s home on the outskirts of Morogoro in the middle of the night.

Thursday morning, during the last leg into Morogoro, George decided to change his route from the large Regional hospital to Mazimbu, a smaller hospital that does not normally treat critical cases. When questioned about that choice, George said that he knew how things worked at the Regional hospital: hurry up and wait. By the time they arrived at Mazimbu, Peter’s pain was beyond endurance and his belly was noticeably distended. George believed he was bringing his brother in to die.

At the entrance, the receptionist asked “Why did you bring him here?” and the doctor told him to take Peter to the Regional hospital, saying “Your brother needs an emergency surgery.” George pleaded, asking him to reconsider. Dr. Kizuma recognized the severity of the problem and pulled Doug for a consultation. Would he be willing to assist? Doug readily agreed and together they did a procedure to address Peter’s massive intestinal blockage. The next day, Peter was smiling and complaining about the tube down his nose. Doug was very happy to know that was his only complaint—the abdominal pain was gone!

George said that God led them to Mazimbu.

This team very nearly aborted the surgical mission trip this year because of lack of medical personnel. Within days of the cutoff beyond which we would not be able to purchase airfare, God brought Adam onto the team. The addition of a second doctor allowed the trip to continue, which meant that Doug was at Mazimbu when Peter arrived in an acute condition, and made possible the surgery that saved his life. It is humbling to think of the perfection of God’s plan and we praise Him for His divine intervention in Peter’s life.