By Stephen Bryce
November 2011

When my father informed me of a trip he was planning to Nigeria, I jumped at the opportunity to try to tag along. After very little arm twisting, and a great deal of effort from the people coordinating it, I was on my way.

I went not knowing entirely what to expect. Both of my parents were born in Nigeria to missionaries, and to be able to relate with some of their (and my grandparents’) stories was a high priority. But I also wanted to serve where I could for the little time that I was going to be there.

On arriving in Egbe, the other team members and I were welcomed by an unexpected but extremely warm party of people singing and dancing down the road to the Egbe Hospital where we would be staying. It was then that I accepted that even the few expectations I did have would be nothing like the reality of my experiences.

I spent some of my time in Egbe seeing different locations, meeting with various community and church leaders, and doing odd jobs around the hospital compound that would be helpful.  While I spent most of my time moving hospital beds or fixing door frames, there were a great number of other tasks that needed to be done. (For more on that experience see Matt Sosna’s Egbe Adventure article.) As I went from day to day, not knowing what I would do or who I would meet, I was given time to think about the importance of community in Egbe.

It is a place where life revolves around interacting with others. There are few places that are as inviting as I found the community of Egbe. They wanted to ensure that their guests were well taken care of. In the same way that we, as a team, went to Egbe to invest in a future of care and caring, the community wanted to make sure that we were cared for. The community cared for us in the ways that they knew how. Ranging from the joyful welcoming of our team to the provision of meals, we were cared for. This care is a way of life that often seems to be lacking elsewhere in the world.

It is important for me to think about my time in Egbe and to consider what this means for communities everywhere. To know, however, that there is a place where strong care within community is practiced is exciting. To hope that this care can continue and be maintained is vital. And to have been a part of that care, both in receiving and in giving, is something that I count as a blessing that I will know for the rest of my life.

By Don Campion

Don and Sueanne Campion

Sueanne and I are back from another great trip to Egbe, Nigeria with a team of eight, (and coincidentally having celebrated our wedding anniversary for the third year in a row at Egbe!)  Each time we go, we are amazed at how God designs our itinerary and assembles the team.  We were privileged to have Gregg Bryce, SIM Canada Director; Gregg’s son Stephen; Rick Bradford, SIM Canada Regional Director; along with Tim McAlhaney (moving to Egbe in 2012); Betsie Campion Smith; Jason Lee (businessman); Matt Sosna (Banyan mechanic) and Luke Lichty (nephew).  Rick’s presence as a representative of Philpott Memorial Church in Ontario, Canada, which was the church that first sponsored Tommie Titcombe, the first missionary to the Egbe area, spurred much celebration!

Hospital Women’s Ward

It is encouraging to see the medical work and patient care continue while construction and changes are taking place.  In the last eight months Egbe Hospital treated 10,400 out patients, 1,100 in patients, performed close to 300 surgeries, delivered 275 babies, performed 11,250 laboratory tests, and, most importantly, the pastors shared the Gospel with 8,175 people.

Laboratory

We arrived to another warm welcome from the community!  Mark and Abby’s (the construction managers living at Egbe) parents and sister, Erin, had been at Egbe for a week organizing items from the containers, building cabinetry, helping on the wards, and providing nursing instruction at the hospital.  It was great to meet them – even if it meant traveling to Egbe to do so.

Abby's parents, Jim and Ada Loscheider

Throughout the first week we visited church leaders and schools to introduce our team members and to give brief updates.  The team was treated to two special programs honoring the work of missionaries to this area.  Experiencing Egbe first-hand was helpful for Rick and Gregg to better share Egbe needs with others in North America.

Rick Bradford brings greetings from Philpott Church

During our second week I traveled to Jos to meet with government, church and mission executives.  Each of these key leaders reiterated their excitement and full support of the Revitalization Project.

The team was put to work fixing small engines, removing dead trees, labeling equipment, servicing vehicles and doing carpentry, prep work, electrical, and demolition in some of the houses.  We continue to work with Samaritan’s Purse to find skilled laborer volunteers, and to encourage church groups and other organizations to send manpower to work alongside Mark and Abby.  SIM recruiters are also assisting in the search for long-term missionaries called to spend several years at Egbe doing maintenance, construction, administrative or medical work.

Matt Sosna at work! The master mechanic!

Mark and local laborers

Much time was spent taking measurements and reviewing drafting options for the construction of the hospital’s new front entrance and outpatient department and transition plans.  We received some great feedback from the resident doctors to incorporate into the draft plans. Detailed measurements were also taken of each house on the compound so we can send needed supplies and materials on the next few shipping containers.

“Fresh Air” transportation

While we were in Egbe, two doctors that had served at Egbe attended the Global Missions Health Conference in Louisville, Kentucky as exhibitors in the Egbe Hospital Revitalization Project booth.  We were pleased to hear of the interest expressed by several medical candidates and will be following up with each as we continue to look for long-term personnel.

Don Campion, Dr. Sam Kunhiyop (ECWA General Secretary), Moses Igunnubole, Dr. Shaibu, Dr. Lengmang (ECWA Acting Director of Medical Services)

We love to share what’s been accomplished since our last trip and find it exciting to introduce this great project to new  people for the first time.

Thanks for your interest!

Don and Sueanne Campion
Project Leader
www.egbehospital.org

There was still time to have a little fun hiking the nearby hills and riding bicycles for miles along seldom used roads.

If you know of someone interested in becoming a part of this great project, contact Betsie, our project coordinator.
4smiths@rogers.com
905.718.2380

Assop Falls with Rick Bradford, Gregg and Stephen Bryce

In just a few more weeks we hope to have our mobile telephone tower right on the hospital compound

Many readers are following the articles about the rebuilding of a very rural hospital in Nigeria, West Africa where Don Campion grew up as a missionary kid. Since January, we have been recruiting volunteers and sending containers of medical equipment, vehicles, tools, and building materials.

A young couple from Colorado now lives there full-time as construction managers and the first missionary doctors will live there starting in January 2012. They will work together to improve the residences, the hospital wards, water and electricity supplies. The local community in the small town of Egbe is assisting wherever possible and is overwhelmed with joy that it is our desire to prepare the hospital for another 50 years of medical care, training and evangelism.

Working alongside Banyan is SIM (Serving in Mission – a protestant mission) and Samaritan’s Purse (a Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world).

If you’re up for a challenge, join us on one of our many trips.
Contact Don Campion – 954.491.3170 or visit www.egbehospital.org.

By Joshua Lichty, nephew of Don Campion

It was a fantastic experience to finally get to the bush of Egbe, Nigeria. I had heard so many stories of the land where my mother’s family had grown up and the influential work my grandparents, Dr. George and Esther Campion, had accomplished.

The ECWA hospital is a keystone in the Egbe community, you learn that as soon as you arrive on the compound. But the state of the compound was somewhat shocking.  I had seen pictures from the past of a top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art facility.

Today, what you now see is outdated equipment, retro style facilities and, most notably, eroded roads. But there was a promising feeling in the air as locals took to mowing the lawns, roofing buildings and the stories about doctors saving lives and babies being born. The compound is being revitalized!

By Don Campion
August 2011

Sueanne and I, and a team of five others, have just returned from another very successful trip to Egbe, Nigeria.  The overwhelming highlight of this trip was the fact that a large number of Nigerians born in Egbe who were fortunate enough to attend school and are now professionals in the large cities (builders, military personnel, doctors, teachers, pastors, bankers), are stepping forward offering contacts, expertise, equipment, discounted materials and labor to assist the revitalization project because they see evidence of a clear strategy that is obviously moving forward.  This is evident by the brush and dead trees being removed, roofs being replaced, buildings being painted and shipping containers of medical equipment arriving.  These Nigerians will be instrumental in opening doors to address water and electricity issues, customs difficulties with shipping containers, construction needs, and opening doors to other government offices.  I returned with 20 new contacts and many e-mails from those I met reconfirming their commitment to actively support the Revitalization Project in their small home town.

While at Egbe I met with the community leaders to once again share the vision of revitalizing the hospital and theaccomplishments in 2011.  I was encouraged when several of the community leaders addressed their own colleagues with passion and fervently urged them to work together to help the revitalization efforts any way possible and warned the audience that this opportunity for revitalization may never come again.

In a hospital staff meeting, we were able to engage the staff in the process, address concerns to minimize misinformation and gossip, and to encourage the team to remain positive as buildings come down and new ones are build.  I urged them to view the changes and inconvenience as progress, not chaos.   Along with Dr. Shaibu the Medical Director, we pledged regular communication and updates with staff.  Moses Igunnubole from England accompanied us and will be spending time at Egbe Hospital as the Administrative and Financial Consultant.  He will be instrumental in supporting Dr. Shaibu and the revitalization especially in this initial stage as we move forward.

Richard, Peter and Josh were three volunteers who also came along and wow did they make a great difference!!  Richard troubleshot several serious electrical problems and helped with construction.  Peter worked on several small engines needing service, knocked out a large back log of welding thanks to his skill and the recent arrival of a welding machine in a container and Josh painted, organized, did light maintenance and recorded building and room measurements for future building plans.

Claude Kennedy, SIM USA Communications Director, and an associate, Mark joined us to video the hospital compound and the revitalization in progress.  Their goal is to produce a number of videos to show the needs, demonstrate the partnership that can be leveraged by two organizations like SIM and Samaritan’s Purse in order to accomplish a big project.  They will also document stories that would be of interest to donors and those that may wish to volunteer short or long term.  This video will be a great new tool for promoting the project.

Another huge development is the construction of a mobile telephone tower (to deliver good cell phone reception) — This is a huge communication milestone that was initiated by the national company when they witnessed the revitalization of the hospital compound underway.

On our last day at Egbe our fourth container arrived … just in time for the team to unload it late into the night before departing Egbe the next day for the USA.

Since returning to the states I continue to be amazed at the doors that God has opened, the support of the Egbe community,  hospital staff, missionaries and those in the USA, Canada and England that are becoming partners in this great project.  I am also most grateful to my teammates at Banyan Air Services that continue to serve our customers in remarkable ways and grow the company even in my absence…(maybe there is a message there!)

Sueanne and I will be returning to Egbe late October with other volunteers, some interested in learning more about how they can become involved and others looking to serve at  Egbe as long term missionaries.
Mark and Abby Anderson from Colorado are currently living at Egbe and are the construction managers for the revitalization project.  Dr. Laura Smelter, a family practice physician is moving to Egbe in January and the McAlhaney family are moving in June as the general surgeon and to mentor pastors.

We continue to recruit doctors, a hospital administrator, maintenance person, ophthalmologist and a head nurse.  Many hours are spent searching for good re-conditioned and or used medical equipment and presenting this wonderful project to those interested in becoming donors knowing that the end result will be a self-sustaining rural hospital providing excellent medical care and the Gospel to thousands for years to come.

It is an honor to lead and serve alongside Mark and Abby Anderson, Dr. Shaibu and the Resident doctors at Egbe, project team members, and our SIM, Samaritan Purse, ECWA partners and volunteers as we work together for God’s glory and the good of man-kind.

Don and Sueanne Campion
Egbe Hospital Revitalization Project Leader
954. 491.3170
www.egbehospital.org

by Richard Stills
August 2011

When I heard about the opportunity for a Banyan teammate to volunteer to go to Egbe and help rebuild the hospital, I was excited and honored to be asked.

But before I even could start my trip to Egbe I had to have five shots, including yellow fever, typhoid, hepatitis A and hepatitis B. I also had to take malaria fever medication with me, which I had to take every day and continue taking for the next three weeks.  I still have to go back for a fourth hepatitis shot next year.  After that I was ready to go.

Don, Sueanne and I departed from Miami International Airport, Thursday, August 11, 2011 to begin our trip to Egbe, Africa. We flew through Frankfurt and met up with the rest of our team, which included Moses and Christianah from London, Peter Haney from Portland, Oregon and Josh Lichty, Don’s nephew, from Canada. Together we all flew to Nigeria.

Upon arriving in Abuja, Nigeria I noticed how different it was from the States.  Motorcycles and worn down cars lined the streets. We were picked up by our driver and headed out on an eight hour drive to the city of Ebge over paved and dirt roads. It was nice to be out of the South Florida heat and enjoy the sun with a cool breeze.

Egbe is located in a valley surrounded by mountains. It is a poor community, missing the larger factories and business that make up most American cities. Most businesses are run out of people’s homes and one of the largest facilities in the area is the Ebge Hospital. Everyone was friendly and welcoming and made it easy to feel at home.

Having been there since the early 50’s the years of use and natural elements had taken a toll on the hospital, and it looked like it needed some work, but we were there to help turn things around. The hospital is set up for around 100 beds with wings for ICU, Out Patient, Maternity, Eye Clinic, two operating rooms and an HIV/Aids Clinic. It was nice to see people coming and going and using the facility. Every morning people were lined up seeking help.  Also on the compound is a nursing school and a midwifery school.

We met with Mark and Abby Anderson who are currently the construction managers working with Samaritan’s Purse.  Mark and Abby are from Colorado and have been there for four months already and will stay and manage the project for two years.  They had a list of projects and jobs that we needed to accomplish while in Egbe.