I canceled all elective surgery as there were no beds for surgery patients. Children with measles continued to fill the adult wards. I hoped the epidemic would end before Christmas.
Christmas in the Congo differs from what we experience in the States. On December 19, it did not seem possible Christmas would be here in less than a week. It hardly seemed like Christmas in the hot equatorial rainforest. Decorations did not exist, stores did not sell gifts, and there was no Christmas music to hear.
On Christmas Eve, the Bilenge came to practice the Nativity play and the songs for the service. I hung my Coleman lamp outside the hut to give light to read the Bible and songbooks. After the readings, each Bilenge shared what the birth of Jesus meant and how it affected them. The 200 people who came were utterly silent.
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