Will has been SO PRODUCTIVE!!

 God used Will's time in Nevada during August for an unexpected detour.  While roughing it in the desert, he had an unfortunate collision with a rock that tore out the undercarriage of his truck and stopped him in his tracks.  He had to rely on civilization and the goodness and generosity of mechanics to get him to Sacramento where he left his truck at the Ford dealership for repairs. 

He took Amtrak (on his bucket list!) to Denver where he rented a car and drove the rest of the way to his home base in South Dakota. 

Once he returned he toured around North Dakota and was able to spend a day on an active farm getting toured and checked out on some big equipment.  He really enjoyed his time there and soaked up the beauty of the plains! Very different from where he's been this year.

Not letting the grass grow under his feet, he packed up 18 packages and 4 bags to take to Belize. 

 He arrived there safely on September 6 and settled into his new home-away-from-home!

 

There was plenty for him to do in Belize and he got right to work!  There is lots of space on the hospital campus where they want to eventually do some farming and set up a health center in the future.  Everything is open, green and friendly.  Oh, and hot!! 

And just when he got started, Dr. Cho, with whom he was working closely at the hospital, suggested that Will take the weekend to rest and recover from his travels by checking into a hotel on the beach. 

 For once, Will decided to not argue and followed advice! 

This is the view from the pier next to the hotel.

The pool view from the door of his hotel room.

Checking out the beach

...and exploring! He's so good as selfies now!!!

After returning to campus he got right back to work, refreshed and ready to tackle any challenge.  This is the view from the second floor of the hospital.  

Here he is from his apartment front door. Lush and green!

We can thank Dr. Cho for the great action shots while Will worked. 

Will thoroughly enjoyed the social interaction with Dr. Cho and his family.  They were his official hosts and had also served in Haiti two years before coming to Belize.  

He was working on putting a surgical light back together that they had reworked to give brighter light.

No, he's not assisting in surgery but there was an electrical panel in the OR 

that he worked on and in order to access it he had to scrub up!

He mounted a bunch of fire extinguishers throughout the hospital.

This is a panel that used to slide down and make using it difficult.  Through his ingenuity, Will was able to adapt an old transformer to power the lock to keep it in place.

He also fixed the electric locks on this X-ray table to keep it stable during use.

He got to take a hand-cranked ferry to cross a river. That's something you don't get to do every day!!

And then he popped into Guatemala for part of a day. It was only about 10 miles away from the hospital campus. He says it was an easy border crossing and he was able to watch a 

school's cultural parade.

He toured the town and the local market with a guide, Wilhelm, who also worked at the hospital in Belize. They purchased some local bakery items and some lichee fruit. 

It was a fun foray for a few hours. 

The daughters of Dr. Cho  took a REAL liking to Will and wanted to show him everything!  

They were always excited to see him and show him all around.

This made a trip to the local hardware store an adventure!!

During his stay in Belize he decided to return to Haiti for two weeks and then head to Guyana.  God just continues to use Will and direct him where he wants him to go.  So, on Friday, September 15 he said goodbye to the hospital staff in Belize and headed to the airport.

He felt like his time in Belize was very well spent.  He says, "They seemed very appreciative of what I did.  I feel like I got a Belize vacation and I'd like to come back again if it works out.  It was very nice (just humid!!) and the people were so welcoming.  It is a quieter and slower pace than I was used to in Haiti. It feels safe, open and easy to go exploring."

He spent Sabbath in Atlanta then flew early Sunday morning to Miami, where he picked up oil to take with him for the oxygen generating system, and then on to Haiti.  Once he arrived he got right back to work, again, solving a multitude of little problems.

This is a medical air compressor that's been off for about a year. He determined that the filter was leaking and just needed to be replaced.

He installed a new latch on a door to prevent having to use a key to open it each time.

Will installed a grounding rod for a transformer and fixed some of the 

wiring in it to reduce the current draw.

He installed a new style of nurse call light. 

The air compressor in the dental clinic broke and it shut the clinic down. After several hours of troubleshooting and creative thinking he was able to find a way to use another hose and clamps to get it running again.   He ultimately replaced it with a bigger compressor to keep the clinic up and running.

There was a persistent problem with the oxygen pump and he had to rebuild it FOUR TIMES! 

He finally got it fixed (Praise God!) This photo is of the dismantled faulty high pressure valve.

He finished installing oxygen and vacuum head units in all the hospital rooms.

He says there were crazy problems every day. Water going out, breakers tripping, oxygen down, compressed air out of commission, oil changes on machines, etc. Just a non-stop "honey-do" list! 

But God has provided. He says it was a lot to deal with!

There were 3 other visitors on campus while he was there so that added a much needed 

and appreciated social aspect that  made it fun for him.

Next update coming soon!! 

He's in Guyana!!