Excerpt from draft of "Apostle to the Pygmies – The Doctor Jerry Galloway Story”
On February 14, after another two months had passed, I was set to depart for Pendjua, which would become my home for the next twenty-seven years. However, while still in Kinshasa, I was informed that the boat would not arrive until February 20th. This gave me time to study my surgery books and learn Lingala. I met the director of the Sleeping Sickness Program. He was a Belgian doctor who had been working there for twenty years, and he provided helpful information on preventive medicines. What intrigued me the most was the solar energy plan he was working on for the mission hospitals and homes. He had already installed ten systems, and all worked well.
The 20th came and no boat arrived. Word was given that it would not arrive until the 28th and would not depart until the 7th of March. This was a true test of my patience, which would be a real virtue to have while working in Zaire. With all this extra time, I went back to reading key chapters in my medical and surgery books.
March 2nd came, and the boat finally arrived. It first had to be unloaded and then reloaded with supplies for Inongo. The boat was a twenty-ton barge and was used to haul produce from farm cooperatives. The barge was one of CICM’s contributions to help peasant farmers earn a better living. Without the barge, farmers would not have a way to get their produce to market.
After seven long days, I finally left Kinshasa, not by boat, but by a small private plane. I flew in a small four passenger plane to a cattle ranch near Mushie, and from there, took a boat to Kiri. The plane belonged to a cattle rancher and was used to fly meat to Kinshasa. The rancher allowed missionaries to fly on it for free. From the ranch my team and I took a boat to Mushie, a village of 25,000 people who either fished or farmed for a living.
Comments