August 20, 2015

We are back in Chad after having a wonderful vacation and 5oth wedding anniversary celebration.   We spent 2 weeks in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Iceland.   We went to my 55 yr high school alumni weekend and then we went to two grandchildren's (Aaron and Avery) baptisms in Springdale, Ark.  We went to the General Conference in San Antonio, TX; also went to the Okla camp meeting, meeting lots of friends in both places.   

We had our 50th wedding anniversary celebration July 26 in Jay, Ok because that was when all the children and grandchildren could get together even though our wedding was Aug 22, 1965.   My brother Reggie and family came down from Denver.  Olen and Danae made a special trip from Chad with family for this.  They will be going back to the US in Oct to be ready for the next one coming.  We are very proud of our children and grandchildren.  They paid for the week get to gather in Branson afterwards which was very nice to visit together and see some of the shows.   All our children have at least a college or university degree as well as their spouses and all are active in the church work.   Of course all the grandchildren are “above average”.    They are all getting a Christian education.   The 10th grandchild is due in Nov 2015 (Danae is having her 4th child).

The sterilizer for Bere Hospital was bought for $4000 that some of you donated money for.  We brought back some of the baby shirts that say in French born in Bere Adventist Hospital.  We bought 1000 for $3500 which was a very good price imprinted and all at the vendor’s cost.  Donations accepted.  

It is rainy season here now BUT it has not rained as much as normal and may not be enough for the rice to mature properly.  The water table in the ground is normally about the top of the ground now and it is not  even close.  The millet, peanuts, maize, etc are doing ok.   Some say there is a possibly of a famine if we don’t  start getting more rain.   I don’t know what the minimum amount of water rice has to have.   Several sources say that the government is out of money and has not paid many government employees for several months and that some of the Chinese have pulled out of the oil works for a few months.    Oil prices too low.  
Surgeries have been slow but we have several that need done as soon as they donate some blood and pay about $100. I did a hysterectomy for a large fibroid also a laparotomy for a perforated gastric ulcer that someone else had operated but missed the problem several days before.   We also did some hernias and prostatectomies this past week.   

Our emails are drbland@sbcglobal.net and dfbland01@gmail.com
Love

Rollin and Dolores Bland
Hopital Adventiste de Bere
Boite Postal 52
Kelo, Tandjile,  Chad,  Afrique
Blog  www.weareamissionarybland.blogspot.com