(February 18, 2011 - by Jean Muehlfelt) When the urgent email for help came from Pioneer Christian Hospital in Impfondo, Republic of Congo, various engineers at the HCJB Global Technology Center in Elkhart, Ind., quickly stepped forward and volunteered to help.
But it wasn't a medical emergency that had taken place. Rather, it was a lightning storm that took out the communications equipment at the hospital, one of HCJB Global Hands' medical partners. The electrical surges had been so great that the lightning strikes even damaged unplugged surge suppressors sitting on the concrete floors!
"Trying to access the damage turned out to be very difficult," said Curt Bender, manager of broadcast services at the Technology Center. "The medical staff was asked to provide great detail on types and sizes of equipment damaged while still trying to run the only local hospital in the area. What may take days to access in the U.S. turned out to be weeks because of the lack of working communications and the need for hospital staff to travel elsewhere to find a reliable Internet connection."
Repair parts began to trickle in to the Elkhart office, and suitcases were filled in preparation for a team of four to make the 2½-week trip (Jan. 18-Feb. 5) to the remote Congo hospital. Some of the parts needed to make the repairs were too long to fit inside the suitcases, and alternative plans were discussed.
"We made full use of our machine shop and downsized various replacement parts such as a driveshaft for an emergency generator and eight-foot long ground rods so they would fit into our suitcases," said Ed Muehlfelt, coordinator of the project. "In all, we had 12 suitcases among the four of us."
When the team arrived at the hospital, they went right to work on the damage. Team members divided the work between mechanical and electrical projects. One team worked on getting a replacement emergency generator installed, and the other team repaired the hospital's satellite communications system.
A few days into the trip, Jeremy Maller, a mechanical engineer serving at the Sub-Saharan Africa regional office in Accra, Ghana (northwest of the Congo), joined the team.
"He was a great addition to our team," said Muehlfelt. "He also learned about the operational needs of the hospital and will be a great resource to the medical staff in the future."
"Although all of the repairs could not be completed in the allotted time, a work team from a different organization arrived from the U.S.," he added. "We spent some time with that group of electricians, mapping out what was completed and what else needed attention in the days ahead."
It was difficult leaving before everything was fixed, but the Technology Center team was reminded by the doctors and staff that praising the Lord for even small blessings was what was most important.
Source: HCJB Global
Colorado Springs, CO 80949-9800
800.873.4859